adanisan's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for a dystopian fantasy or I just had high expectations going in, but it felt like too much story was being packed into this one novel at the cost of developing characters or any of the story lines. Several elements intrigued me, but at many climactic points I was left surprised by how we got there and then quickly left. I might try this again later, but I definitely want to read more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, and Drug use
zohannah's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Trafficking, and Drug use
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
We Set the Dark on Fire is one of my favorite sapphic YA books, and while the sequel kind of let me down, I still enjoyed it and looked forward to Tehlor Kay Mejia's future work.
Lucha of the Night Forest starts off so strong. Mejia creates a richly-imagined society run by cruel, exploitative leaders who have enabled drug abuse to overrun the community. It is a deep and thoughtful commentary on real-world issues presented with a lot of heart.
Lucha, our main character, is a teenager doing her best, trying to provide for her sister and her drug-addicted mother, making the bargains she has to make in order to survive. The opening of this book is a lush and complicated upper-YA fantasy with the promise of difficult relationships and important themes.
Lucha's deal with a devil of sorts, Salvador, and her growing attraction to a girl named Paz, as well as her relationship with her little sister Lis, promise to weave together into exactly the story I wanted this book to be.
And then our characters head into the forest, and nothing interesting happens for the rest of the book.
I wish I were exaggerating. I wish that I had cared about anything that happened in the forest or anything that came after, but I did not. There were some interesting ideas in the mix, certainly, but I kept feeling like the heart of the story had been abandoned and Lucha and co were just sort of fucking around for the rest of it. Even the final confrontation was anti-climactic because it felt like we were so disconnected from the real stakes of the world.
Anyway, I'd give most of this book a solid two stars, but the opening and its potential is so strong and so brilliant that I am giving it three.
We Set the Dark on Fire is one of my favorite sapphic YA books, and while the sequel kind of let me down, I still enjoyed it and looked forward to Tehlor Kay Mejia's future work.
Lucha of the Night Forest starts off so strong. Mejia creates a richly-imagined society run by cruel, exploitative leaders who have enabled drug abuse to overrun the community. It is a deep and thoughtful commentary on real-world issues presented with a lot of heart.
Lucha, our main character, is a teenager doing her best, trying to provide for her sister and her drug-addicted mother, making the bargains she has to make in order to survive. The opening of this book is a lush and complicated upper-YA fantasy with the promise of difficult relationships and important themes.
Lucha's deal with a devil of sorts, Salvador, and her growing attraction to a girl named Paz, as well as her relationship with her little sister Lis, promise to weave together into exactly the story I wanted this book to be.
And then our characters head into the forest, and nothing interesting happens for the rest of the book.
I wish I were exaggerating. I wish that I had cared about anything that happened in the forest or anything that came after, but I did not. There were some interesting ideas in the mix, certainly, but I kept feeling like the heart of the story had been abandoned and Lucha and co were just sort of fucking around for the rest of it. Even the final confrontation was anti-climactic because it felt like we were so disconnected from the real stakes of the world.
Anyway, I'd give most of this book a solid two stars, but the opening and its potential is so strong and so brilliant that I am giving it three.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
4.25
A dark and often tense fantasy about a young girl willing to bargain anything to save her sister, but the cost is far higher than she ever could have imagined.
Lucha just wants to protect her sister and survive, and she has been forced into a role where she has to kill awful monsters just to put food on the table. Her choices and desperation felt so real and raw. As much as she feels bitterness to what she has had to become, she would never truly leave. The way girls are treated in the town was very hard to swallow. Constant name calling and the threat of violence hangs over all of them, and I almost wished
I really liked this book. I think the second half of it really had me drawn into the story, once they reach the forest I feel like it really picks up and you know where it's going. The writing style and prose along with the beautiful imagery had to be some of my favorite parts of the book. I almost felt like I was going to look around and see thick forestry, or mushrooms everywhere.
The message about power corrupting, such as in the organized religion and even with the Kings was very well done. It showed that no matter who you are, once you start choosing who to save and protect you're no better then the bad guys.
A lot of messages about mothers and children, as well as choosing your fate and not having a destiny. (I do wonder if I would have picked this book up if I had known how much the mother/child theme was in this)
There was a lot to this story, there probably wasn't ever more then a few pages before a conflict would occur, I would have liked to see more relationship progression between Paz and Lucha. I also wish we had seen more of Alán, or at least his history with Lucha. I feel like there would have been more of an emotional payoff that way. I also felt like there were almost some story threads that got dropped? I almost thought the story was going to lead into protecting the environment and saving the town, but it went in a different direction. I also really thought there was going to be more about It almost felt like a lot happened but not a lot got resolved.
These are all minor complaints because I loved the story, so I can't really be too bad about the direction it took.
My biggest issue with the story is there are NO TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS. This was incredibly frustrating to me, as this is a new release and I truly don't see any reason for there not be any in this day and age. And y'all this book goes to some dark places, so please be kind to yourself. (There are topics alluding to sexual assault, drug use, trafficking, misogyny and worse)
I will definitely read more by the author. If you are a fan of dark fantasy books this is perfect for you!
Lucha just wants to protect her sister and survive, and she has been forced into a role where she has to kill awful monsters just to put food on the table. Her choices and desperation felt so real and raw. As much as she feels bitterness to what she has had to become, she would never truly leave. The way girls are treated in the town was very hard to swallow. Constant name calling and the threat of violence hangs over all of them, and I almost wished
Spoiler
she had burned it all to the ground.I really liked this book. I think the second half of it really had me drawn into the story, once they reach the forest I feel like it really picks up and you know where it's going. The writing style and prose along with the beautiful imagery had to be some of my favorite parts of the book. I almost felt like I was going to look around and see thick forestry, or mushrooms everywhere.
The message about power corrupting, such as in the organized religion and even with the Kings was very well done. It showed that no matter who you are, once you start choosing who to save and protect you're no better then the bad guys.
A lot of messages about mothers and children, as well as choosing your fate and not having a destiny. (I do wonder if I would have picked this book up if I had known how much the mother/child theme was in this)
There was a lot to this story, there probably wasn't ever more then a few pages before a conflict would occur, I would have liked to see more relationship progression between Paz and Lucha. I also wish we had seen more of Alán, or at least his history with Lucha. I feel like there would have been more of an emotional payoff that way. I also felt like there were almost some story threads that got dropped? I almost thought the story was going to lead into protecting the environment and saving the town, but it went in a different direction. I also really thought there was going to be more about
Spoiler
getting rid of the drug and corruption, but that didn't happen either.These are all minor complaints because I loved the story, so I can't really be too bad about the direction it took.
My biggest issue with the story is there are NO TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS. This was incredibly frustrating to me, as this is a new release and I truly don't see any reason for there not be any in this day and age. And y'all this book goes to some dark places, so please be kind to yourself. (There are topics alluding to sexual assault, drug use, trafficking, misogyny and worse)
I will definitely read more by the author. If you are a fan of dark fantasy books this is perfect for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Torture, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment
rebyreadsandwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment
ezwolf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Lucha of the Night Forest caught my attention as a "fantasy about a girl who will do anything to protect her sister". I love stories about siblings going to great lengths to protect each other and the book does deliver on that.
I've spent a few days trying to find the right word to describe how this book felt to me and I have settled on that it's just kind of surface level in terms of world building and character development. At the start of the book I was very invested, but as I kept reading my interest lessened.
But this book is fast paced and a bit dark with a sapphic romance and I think a lot of other people will like this book more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!
I've spent a few days trying to find the right word to describe how this book felt to me and I have settled on that it's just kind of surface level in terms of world building and character development. At the start of the book I was very invested, but as I kept reading my interest lessened.
But this book is fast paced and a bit dark with a sapphic romance and I think a lot of other people will like this book more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Confinement
Moderate: Grief, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Addiction
Minor: Trafficking, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Classism
lisashelves's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Addiction
oracle_of_madness's review
4.5
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!
I loved this!!! I loved the dark and twisty ancient mushroom magic, the god and goddess lore, latinx sapphic romance... just, yes!!!
Lucha is a great character. She is completely devoted to her little sister, which is a trait I automatically admire in any siblings' relationships. She makes mistakes on who to trust and what to do throughout this story, which made her feel very real to me. All in all, I thought this was really well done.
Lucha's mother is one of the many who are addicted to a drug, Olvida, that seems to basically slowly pull away a person's memories, causing them to sleep and forget life. Lucha takes care of her little sis, Lisa, but when her mother gets fired and they are kicked out of their home, she faces some major challenges. The fact that this is really relatable to what happens to many young adults irl just made me love this story. Lending hope to an incredibly hopeless situation.
Lucha finds herself connected to a god, and soon, she is fighting a battle larger than her own existence.
I want to add some basic warnings for drug use, poverty, and, violence and assault.
Out March 21, 2023!
I loved this!!! I loved the dark and twisty ancient mushroom magic, the god and goddess lore, latinx sapphic romance... just, yes!!!
Lucha is a great character. She is completely devoted to her little sister, which is a trait I automatically admire in any siblings' relationships. She makes mistakes on who to trust and what to do throughout this story, which made her feel very real to me. All in all, I thought this was really well done.
Lucha's mother is one of the many who are addicted to a drug, Olvida, that seems to basically slowly pull away a person's memories, causing them to sleep and forget life. Lucha takes care of her little sis, Lisa, but when her mother gets fired and they are kicked out of their home, she faces some major challenges. The fact that this is really relatable to what happens to many young adults irl just made me love this story. Lending hope to an incredibly hopeless situation.
Lucha finds herself connected to a god, and soon, she is fighting a battle larger than her own existence.
I want to add some basic warnings for drug use, poverty, and, violence and assault.
Out March 21, 2023!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
Lucha does what she can trying to keep her and her sister together after their mother disappears. Most likely thanks to the drug that’s making the rounds in their hometown. When Lucha gets an offer to help eradicate the drug for good, she takes it. No matter the cost. She doesn’t want to see anyone else suffer like her mom has.
What she doesn’t factor in is a strange new girl who’s arrived in town and tags along with Lucha. Lucha also doesn’t realize she’s stumbled into a fight that’s been years in the making, between a scorned god and higher powers that be. Will Lucha be able to fully step into her new powers? Or will she end up being consumed by the Night Forest?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an advanced copy of Luch of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia to review! After reading We Set the Dark on Fire, Mejia became a favorite. Also, how does she score such beautiful covers? Honestly, this one is absolutely stunning.
First of all, Mejia’s writing drew me in right at the beginning. I always appreciate the way that she builds worlds in her books. She drops small details here and there and isn’t afraid to just drop you in the middle of the action. At the core of this story is Lucha’s relationship with her sister. She will do anything to ensure that her sister is safe. That her sister doesn’t have to deal with the hardships of their mom.
Additionnally, there’s a sweet romance that builds between Lucha and Paz. The whole central cast of characters is well developed, overall. Coupled with the unique nature of the magic system, and this felt like a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre. Fans of her previous YA works will definitely enjoy this one. She’s also sure to gain some new readers as well!
My only complaint about this book has to do with the pacing. The beginning does start off a little slow, meaning it takes a bit to actually get to what the central plot is in the book. However, once you do get to main conflict, hold on to the edge of your seat
All in all, this is a new YA fantasy filled with a lot of promise. Definitely check it out when it comse out in March!
What she doesn’t factor in is a strange new girl who’s arrived in town and tags along with Lucha. Lucha also doesn’t realize she’s stumbled into a fight that’s been years in the making, between a scorned god and higher powers that be. Will Lucha be able to fully step into her new powers? Or will she end up being consumed by the Night Forest?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an advanced copy of Luch of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia to review! After reading We Set the Dark on Fire, Mejia became a favorite. Also, how does she score such beautiful covers? Honestly, this one is absolutely stunning.
First of all, Mejia’s writing drew me in right at the beginning. I always appreciate the way that she builds worlds in her books. She drops small details here and there and isn’t afraid to just drop you in the middle of the action. At the core of this story is Lucha’s relationship with her sister. She will do anything to ensure that her sister is safe. That her sister doesn’t have to deal with the hardships of their mom.
Additionnally, there’s a sweet romance that builds between Lucha and Paz. The whole central cast of characters is well developed, overall. Coupled with the unique nature of the magic system, and this felt like a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre. Fans of her previous YA works will definitely enjoy this one. She’s also sure to gain some new readers as well!
My only complaint about this book has to do with the pacing. The beginning does start off a little slow, meaning it takes a bit to actually get to what the central plot is in the book. However, once you do get to main conflict, hold on to the edge of your seat
All in all, this is a new YA fantasy filled with a lot of promise. Definitely check it out when it comse out in March!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
kdsmoove's review
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
“Life was made of choices. Destiny was a myth.”
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
just. go pick it up. right now. well i guess preorder it because it doesn’t come out until march. this was an excellent fantasy novel. the magic isn’t *too complex* the situations are relatable, the characters have DEPTH. it’s a dystopian novel with an oldest daughter complex as the trope and it’s got friends to enemies and A MAGIC FOREST and oh man.
I feel like Lucha was able to learn a lot about herself throughout this story, and I’m not sure if this is the first in a series, but I think I would be interested to see where it goes if it is. It is fast paced, but I think maybe a little is lost in that pacing, but again, that would make sense if this is the first in a series.
All in all, five stars all day. The cover is beautiful, the writing is wonderful, and you feel for literally all the characters. Even the Bad Guy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Trafficking, Violence, Death of parent, and Addiction
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