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apierlessbridge's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death
witches, latinx, bipoc author, new york city, teens, friendship, sapphicathenathestorier's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
In it, we see our main character Alex struggle with the expectations of her family - magical expectations that scare her to the core. And we notice that all the events that follow her attempt at escape are just as much the fault of her family's toxic positivity as her "selfish" fears. We find out that even though several of her family members have had experiences and feelings similar to our MC, none of them acknowledged it. They didn't address or acknowledge her fears, worries, and trauma. Instead, they dismissed them. "It's a gift," they say, tsking and shaking their heads as they go about their business. And I suppose that it is very fitting that it was the dead that acknowledged that failing, rather than the living who, at least according to the preview for book 2, still have a lot to learn about consequences being for more than just magic. After all, it was our MC's adventure and growth, not her family's.
I loved the worldbuilding and imagery perhaps most of all. I felt like I could see myself there with the characters, and that remained the case from start to finish. I also felt like I had a firm grasp on who all the characters were and what motivated their actions. Character and relationship dynamic writing are two things that tend to take a front seat when I consume stories, and so the fact that I can imaginatively throw our MC into a whole new scenario and feel like I have a firm grasp on what she would do and think is a great indicator of how well she was written to us readers.
And while the sapphic element was a truly extremely welcome surprise (I went in pretty blind) and I found it so very sweet, I felt it was poorly led up to
Another unfortunate is the fact that the high-tension plot points all fell rather flat. I didn't come out of them like anything was actually done. Of course, perhaps that might have been purposeful - as the climax tension seemed more tied to family acceptance than the defeat of the villain, which I guess would align with the overall message of the book being about the value of family.
Quotes:
"They say El Corazon has two hearts: the black thing in his chest and the one he wears on his sleeve."
"I'm not the encantrix everyone thought I would be. Right now, I'm just a girl, and there is also magic in that."
Moderate: Animal death, Abandonment, Gore, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Bullying, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Death
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Blood
Minor: Grief, Gore, Ableism, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Body shaming, Racism, and Vomit
Moderate: death of pet Minor: internalised misogyny, homelessness, menstruation, fainting, self-injury, foster care systemwellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
There were definitely parts I enjoyed. The emphasis on family was great, and all of the members of Alex's family were fleshed out and unique. They argued and got angry with each other but you could still feel how much they all loved one another; it felt authentic. The brujeria was intriguing, and the elements of it such as recoil and the different abilities of each bruja were something I would have loved to learn more about. The issue of assimilation into American society and how that impacted the strength of the culture, as well as how that weakened the powers of the bruja, was a concept I would have liked to see expounded. Los Lagos, the land that Alex must go to to rescue her family, was described in vivid detail which I appreciated. The setting was very cool, a lot like the fairy realm in some fantasy books but Cordova made it her own.
Moderate: Animal death and Confinement
bookishislaura's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death
wheeliechick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death
aceofsphades_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Murder, and Bullying
vegabela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Death of parent
zias's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Blood