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bisexualwentworth's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence
citrus_seasalt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
The pacing was a little messy after that first escape: There was too much time spent in the forest for my liking, and the romance with Paz didn’t have enough chemistry for it to really stick. There was a sweet moment with them that I liked, but I think that was it? Paz was also a strange choice of a love interest, she’s unmistakably sketchy for most of the plot. Does that make her kindness to Lucha and her sister more multi-faceted..? Don’t know. (There were a couple times where, more than anything, she seemed like a liability to keep around.)
Anyhow. And then
Regardless of me giving this book a rating below 4 stars, that’s due to my gripes with it and not my personal enjoyment. I still think of it from time to time, and I still loved some parts of it. I generally liked the tension and the atmosphere, and honestly, Latine fantasy is one of my favorite genres so I was guaranteed to like this anyhow. I can see someone picking up this book and totally loving it, I’m just not one of those people.
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Trafficking and Sexual harassment
libraryraven's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Trafficking
Minor: Animal death
hobbithopeful's review against another edition
- 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
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!
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
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
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
tak_everlasting's review
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Addiction, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Vomit and Sexual harassment
ezwolf's review against another edition
- 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
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!
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