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bebidocrimes's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Enchanting and well developed, I loved every page. Manu is such an interesting character, and I love the idea of a space-loving werewolf going to the moon. I would also like to make out with a boy in his secret illegal library. Javier was a red herring, I thought the queer rep would just be him as a closeted side character, but NOPE. I love how many layers of metaphors you can fit in a werewolf. This could have been just an incredible fantasy story that happened to feature a magical school, but it had to go and reference Harry Potter over and over again. Girlie, you're better than that in every way. Big sad my library doesn't have the sequel because I'm trying not to buy more books rn.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Body horror, Confinement, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
cozylifewithabby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really enjoyed this. I have never read anything like it. Check it out if you like YA Fantasy and are interested in Argentinian mythology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Homophobia, Body horror, Death, and Forced institutionalization
margotnelson's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was SO good. It took me a little while to get into it but boy howdy, once it's got you, you're in. I loved all the characters (I'm just a sucker for slightly chaotic groups of friends) and how they all evolve, even the secondary and tertiary characters. The underlying themes were all really interesting to explore and pull apart (immigration, belonging, gender equality, LGBTQ+ relationships in traditional cultures, etc.) and see how they all helped grow the characters and move the narrative forward, while also including real and relatable exchanges among the characters. So good, highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, and Mental illness
sarah984's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was okay, but it disappointed me a bit. I appreciated a different perspective with a main character who is an undocumented immigrant and the use of Argentinian culture in the werewolf society, and the story was relatively fast-paced once Manu got to the school. Having her find out that her existence in werewolf society as well paralleled with her mundane life in an interesting way (even if it doesn't make much sense for a society that places so much emphasis on reproduction to label any child illegal). All of the scenes involving ICE and the Cazadores (essentially serving the function of werewolf ICE) were appropriately tense and upsetting.
The characters were mostly fun, though the love interest was like a block of wood and some of the background students didn't get much development. The insta-love and pointless love triangle annoyed me.
I can see that the author was going for a feminist message but since their powers are innate it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Even if Manu gets to play werewolf football that won't pave the way for other girls because they're still not werewolves. The constant description of her power coming from her uterus was off-putting. Did the boys’ werewolf power come from their reproductive organs as well?
It was really weird to me that Manu was cooped up the way she was at the beginning, as many undocumented children go to school. The twist involving Manu’s father was pretty silly, and there were a few dropped plot threads (particularly regarding an identical girl who lived across the street) that I'm hoping get picked up in the next book.
The characters were mostly fun, though the love interest was like a block of wood and some of the background students didn't get much development. The insta-love and pointless love triangle annoyed me.
I can see that the author was going for a feminist message but since their powers are innate it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Even if Manu gets to play werewolf football that won't pave the way for other girls because they're still not werewolves. The constant description of her power coming from her uterus was off-putting. Did the boys’ werewolf power come from their reproductive organs as well?
It was really weird to me that Manu was cooped up the way she was at the beginning, as many undocumented children go to school. The twist involving Manu’s father was pretty silly, and there were a few dropped plot threads (particularly regarding an identical girl who lived across the street) that I'm hoping get picked up in the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Homophobia, Confinement, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Racism
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
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