Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book from Wednesday Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Edition: ARC on Kindle
Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult
Synopsis:
Some people ARE illegal. Lobizonas do NOT exist. Both of these statements are false. Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered. Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past--a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong. As Manu uncovers
her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it's her entire existence.
Sarah's Review:
I was so grateful to receive this book because I've been intrigued ever since I saw the beautiful cover. The writing is beautiful and flowery, but not over the top. The author did such a great job with describing scenery, and developing the characters. I can't say anything bad about this book, it was just that good.
"Sometimes reality strays so far from what's rational that we can only explain it through fantasy."
This quote caught my attention immediately. This book touches on subjects relating to undocumented immigrants, gender identity, and gender norms. I think for some people those topics can be really hard for people to grasp and understand, and this book did a beautiful job of making these topics understandable. I really love that this book had a purpose, and it delivered.
Manu goes on a journey of self discovery through the book and it was so great to see her grow into herself. The friendships and relationships formed in the book were built on loyalty, and communication. It was really nice to see friendships that weren't toxic. I feel like a lot of YA books have relationships and friendships that are toxic to make the plot work, and so this book was a breath of fresh air.
There were a lot of parallels and mentions of other books throughout the story, and every time I came across one it was like finding an easter egg.
Overall, I couldn't find one thing in this book that I didn't like. I will recommend it to everyone. I can not wait for the sequel to come out, and am praying I will be fortunate enough to receive an ARC of that one too!
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