Scan barcode
bisexualwentworth's review
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 against another edition
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 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 getting rid of the drug and corruption, but that didn't happen either. 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
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
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
caseythereader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thanks to Random House for the free advance copy of this book.
- LUCHA OF THE NIGHT FOREST is a dark YA fantasy that I couldn't put down. I read the whole thing in one day because I had to know what was going to happen to Lucha.
- The world invented in this book isn't super detailed, but enough to get you invested and rooting for everyone. Even when characters' motives are at odds, you still want all of them to succeed.
- I loved that there was sapphic attraction between Lucha and Luz, but that it wasn't the driving force of the story, simply one element of it.
- This book doesn't shy away from the idea that systems are built to keep whole classes of people down, and also that even if you think you're doing good, you can still be doing harm in ways you haven't considered.
- LUCHA OF THE NIGHT FOREST is a dark YA fantasy that I couldn't put down. I read the whole thing in one day because I had to know what was going to happen to Lucha.
- The world invented in this book isn't super detailed, but enough to get you invested and rooting for everyone. Even when characters' motives are at odds, you still want all of them to succeed.
- I loved that there was sapphic attraction between Lucha and Luz, but that it wasn't the driving force of the story, simply one element of it.
- This book doesn't shy away from the idea that systems are built to keep whole classes of people down, and also that even if you think you're doing good, you can still be doing harm in ways you haven't considered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Death, Violence, Blood, and Drug abuse
Minor: Misogyny
More...