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lelise's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
was so excited once I read the summary of this plot. It didn’t disappoint. The reason it is a 4 and not higher is because the ending felt a little rushed. Reading the story of Sitlali and Calizto was crazy. Everything they went through and endured was sometimes hard to read. I really wanted to just punch Sabrina in the face and stomp on Enrique. They didn’t deserve Sitlali. This book was really good and I know if I read it physically, the rating would be higher. I loved the concept and hope to find more like it.
lee_hillshire's review against another edition
I guess I do have a few nice things to say here... You can't actually tell this book is co-written. I'm not sure if the authors repressed both of their writing styles so hard that there's now... no writing style here anymore, or if they just both individually have super bland ways of writing, but they do blend seamlessly here, however it worked.
There could have been really interesting things here. But something I've been noticing a lot in more recently published books lately is a heavy "no thoughts, just vibes" attitude about worldbuilding, character development, plot. Anything that makes a book actually work, a lot of books seem to be taking an "eh, that's not super important, right?" attitude towards. And that's the biggest issue this book has. Which is really sad, it tries to be engaging, and it even tries to tackle a really heavy and complex subject. But between the strawmen, the accidental self-racism, and the completely lackluster ending, the story feels so completely hopeless and meaningless that ends up being super forgettable by default. I didn't even care enough about the characters to be mad about what was happening to them.
I could say a lot more about the places this book failed, but I probably won't. I don't think the authors tried to just coast through, I heard them speak about the book in person and obviously it sounded like they put enough care into it that I picked it up out of curiosity. But it feels just so dull and bland that it's almost incredible the book was published. Almost.
There could have been really interesting things here. But something I've been noticing a lot in more recently published books lately is a heavy "no thoughts, just vibes" attitude about worldbuilding, character development, plot. Anything that makes a book actually work, a lot of books seem to be taking an "eh, that's not super important, right?" attitude towards. And that's the biggest issue this book has. Which is really sad, it tries to be engaging, and it even tries to tackle a really heavy and complex subject. But between the strawmen, the accidental self-racism, and the completely lackluster ending, the story feels so completely hopeless and meaningless that ends up being super forgettable by default. I didn't even care enough about the characters to be mad about what was happening to them.
I could say a lot more about the places this book failed, but I probably won't. I don't think the authors tried to just coast through, I heard them speak about the book in person and obviously it sounded like they put enough care into it that I picked it up out of curiosity. But it feels just so dull and bland that it's almost incredible the book was published. Almost.
apenguinkeeper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Honestly, I feel like a lot of this book was another book that was what I call a “representation book,” a book written by the authors to create a cast of characters that are diverse without making those characters 3-dimensional outside of their respective representated communities. It’s not inherently a bad thing, I just find it harder to enjoy those kinds of books when I feel like im not connecting with the characters if I’m not the specific group they represent. Diverse characters can be diverse and also be complicated characters with traits everyone can connect to.
But regardless of that, I think the message this book portrays is hugely important, especially going into the 2024 election and everything, where Trump plans on deporting many undocumented immigrants like Sitlali in this novel. I don’t usually like to bring political views into books, but I think the message was really clear and really well done.
But regardless of that, I think the message this book portrays is hugely important, especially going into the 2024 election and everything, where Trump plans on deporting many undocumented immigrants like Sitlali in this novel. I don’t usually like to bring political views into books, but I think the message was really clear and really well done.
libbybooboo1123's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The ending is rushed and it was hard to get through scenes narrated by Calitzo. The ending leads up to them being husband and wife and sleeping together, and somehow going back to save a bunch of people and bring them to a magical land. There was no mention of this land, Aztlan, before hand and it all felt very rushed at the end.
thems0kitty's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
phoenyxfirefantasy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? No
5.0
_ashreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookish_nymph91's review against another edition
5.0
I have no words to describe everything I’m felling and thinking. It’s just so much…. Reading this book showed me so much I didn’t know about my ancestral history… what they went through thru the eyes of a young Mexica warrior and connected it to the present day troubles their descendants are going thru thru the eyes of a young Mexican girl. My people! Reading this story with historical truths thur Calizto’s voice and eyes different from what I learned in school made me connect more with him and what was happening. Same with Sitlali going on her journey in our present time to escape the dangerous times happening especially for a young girl alone and making the difficult trip across Mexico to crossing the border and getting to the “land of dreams” the US only to face more trouble. This book made me feel everything emotionally, mentally, and physically. I laughed, got mad, and cried… not just for the characters but for their people, my people. This was a great book even though it took me longer than usual to read. Just so you all know I didn’t take long to read because it wasn’t interesting or that I didn’t want to read faster… it’s just life and the sadness that happens sometime to us. Overall this was a great read and loved it. So happy I had my husband to help me try to say the words correctly that were in the Nahual and Spanish language that I couldn’t pronounce correctly