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A review by llatai
Bruja by Wendy C. Ortiz
2.0
Major mixed feelings about this book.
I loved the concept (a "dreamoir", which blurs the line between a dream journal and a memoir) and was there for it 100%.
That said... I did not enjoy reading it at all. I expected to, based on the glowing reviews and endorsements, but I didn't - not even for a minute.
The prose is clipped and objective, and there's no coherent narrative to speak of; either of those things on their own might be compelling, but the product of their blending was boring to the point of being sleep-inducing. It had the vacant appeal of scrolling through a feed of nothing but stock photos, where the scenes are represented accurately enough that you know what's happening and how you're supposed to interpret it, but its impact on you is so brief and devoid of feeling that you just... keep scrolling, because what else is there to do? I flipped the pages; I read them; I finished the book. But I wasn't moved by it or intrigued by it or interested in it beyond the act of finishing it.
"Bruja" is a confusing/misleading title; I feel the same way about the cover art (even though it's awesome). I don't understand their relationship to what I read. This is not intended to be any sort of value judgment about the author's experience (I hate when people write reviews like that about memoirs), but the novelty of this book's concept was failed by its execution and didn't stand up to the hype that compelled me to buy/read it.
As you can see, I'm in the minority with my opinion; I would not discourage you from reading the book. But it wasn't for me. YMMV
I loved the concept (a "dreamoir", which blurs the line between a dream journal and a memoir) and was there for it 100%.
That said... I did not enjoy reading it at all. I expected to, based on the glowing reviews and endorsements, but I didn't - not even for a minute.
The prose is clipped and objective, and there's no coherent narrative to speak of; either of those things on their own might be compelling, but the product of their blending was boring to the point of being sleep-inducing. It had the vacant appeal of scrolling through a feed of nothing but stock photos, where the scenes are represented accurately enough that you know what's happening and how you're supposed to interpret it, but its impact on you is so brief and devoid of feeling that you just... keep scrolling, because what else is there to do? I flipped the pages; I read them; I finished the book. But I wasn't moved by it or intrigued by it or interested in it beyond the act of finishing it.
"Bruja" is a confusing/misleading title; I feel the same way about the cover art (even though it's awesome). I don't understand their relationship to what I read. This is not intended to be any sort of value judgment about the author's experience (I hate when people write reviews like that about memoirs), but the novelty of this book's concept was failed by its execution and didn't stand up to the hype that compelled me to buy/read it.
As you can see, I'm in the minority with my opinion; I would not discourage you from reading the book. But it wasn't for me. YMMV