A review by pennyriley
On These Magic Shores by Yamile Saied Méndez

4.0

By the author of Furia which is extremely hard to follow, but I paid full price for this on the basis of how much I loved Furia. I could have waited. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not nearly as compelling as Furia, although some of the themes are similar – strong young women in particular. When her mother disappears, Minerva Soledad Miranda is left wondering what has happened, and with two young sisters to care for. She is also determined to try out for the school play, landing a small part and realising that Barrie’s work leaves a lot to be desired and setting out to rectify it. She is helped in all of this by a stalwart eighth grader, Maverick, who becomes her best friend, and eventually confidante. There is magic, at least some magical realism and this is where the problem lies for me. There is so little it is almost unecessary and it is totally unexplained