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anniestar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book hurt and was fantastic. You will not regret reading this amazing book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Abandonment
sycamore22's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is SO beautiful. The interwoven stories of love and tragedy across generations of this family are sweeping, vast, and intimate all at once. Complex, moving, heart-wrenching… the main characters endure discrimination, heartbreaks, and such pain, but their stories and love unite them and give them strength. The characters felt so real… their choices so human, their relationships imperfect but loving. Sometimes you read a book and you just ponder it with amazement for a long time afterward. This is one of those books for me!
My one thing is that the ending felt… a little unfulfilling? It felt as if there were so many subplots we never got to see to completion. But I guess realistically there aren’t any smooth beginnings/endings in life, and all of our own subplots overlap and have different timing. I suppose maybe my own feeling of wanting fulfillment from the story mirrors longings of its characters, who long for a fulfilling life.
My one thing is that the ending felt… a little unfulfilling? It felt as if there were so many subplots we never got to see to completion. But I guess realistically there aren’t any smooth beginnings/endings in life, and all of our own subplots overlap and have different timing. I suppose maybe my own feeling of wanting fulfillment from the story mirrors longings of its characters, who long for a fulfilling life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Rape
Rape is mentioned in passing but not described. There are several consensual sexual experiences depicted in moderate detail. There are KKK marches, police brutality, racism and segregation, and slurs used (these things are endured by the main characters and their family/friends). Several individuals are murdered throughout the book, including Luz’s ancestors in very heartbreaking ways (her grandfather shot over a dispute by a mining company encroaching on their land, and her grandmother arrested and later shot as she tried to escape with Luz’s mother and aunt, who did manage to escape). The most graphic thing is Luz’s brother Diego getting severely beaten by a group of white men near the beginning of the book. He survives.megan_mac_'s review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion
Minor: Pregnancy
javafenn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was powerful and heavy but so good. Being from Denver, specifically the literal areas in this book, it was great to see a story of multiple generations and how Indigenous Chicano people navigated Denver’s racist KKK past. It is a heartbreaking but also beautiful story. Luz especially.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
arisol's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
A follow-up read for this author and while different in format to Sabrina & Corina, enjoyable in its own narrative way. I love the way that this particular history is detailed and the way I can learn while also appreciating a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs and Pregnancy
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I read the audiobook and if that's accessible to you, I highly recommend that format. I was fully engrossed in this multi-generational tale of an indigenous Chicano family in the West from the 1800s to the 1930s. I am not typically pulled towards historical fiction, but I think me loving this is a testament to someone adoring this who is not a huuuuge historical fiction reader!
This book explored so much, and mostly focused on Luz, who lives in Denver, and like most of the women in her family, has the gift of sight/clairvoyance. She works as a tea reader and seamstress, and I thought the illustration of the racism, sexism and misogyny she experienced was done mindfully. I loved the magical realism elements of this for their family. I appreciated the exploration of what it means to be family, how community helps you through hard times, and though there was so much pain and loss, I felt the story ultimately left me hopeful because of the family/community narratives.
a content warning expanded/explained: KKK presence in Denver
I read the audiobook and if that's accessible to you, I highly recommend that format. I was fully engrossed in this multi-generational tale of an indigenous Chicano family in the West from the 1800s to the 1930s. I am not typically pulled towards historical fiction, but I think me loving this is a testament to someone adoring this who is not a huuuuge historical fiction reader!
This book explored so much, and mostly focused on Luz, who lives in Denver, and like most of the women in her family, has the gift of sight/clairvoyance. She works as a tea reader and seamstress, and I thought the illustration of the racism, sexism and misogyny she experienced was done mindfully. I loved the magical realism elements of this for their family. I appreciated the exploration of what it means to be family, how community helps you through hard times, and though there was so much pain and loss, I felt the story ultimately left me hopeful because of the family/community narratives.
a content warning expanded/explained: KKK presence in Denver
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
pinkrain718's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
ckingcolorado's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Enjoyable historical fiction centering the Latina/Indigenous experience in CO in the mining/early modern eras. It adresses the racism and misfortune embedded in the rapid expansion of the West and also offers sweet details of a woman coming into her own as she discovers her family's past. Ooh and the main character is a fortune-teller.laurao's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
mlashley's review
dark
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism