flaviathebibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Since the prequel to this book, Labyrinth Lost (you can read my review for it here), came out almost two years ago, I ended up falling behind on reading this book because I had to re-read the last third of the first one, haha. But that’s okay, because re-reading the ending of Labyrinth Lost reminded me how much I had wanted to find out more about the characters and the world! There something very pleasant about reading two or more books in a series simultaneously. With Bruja Born I was very happy to get the story from Lula’s perspective, since she really intrigued me in the first book. I really wanted to spend more time with Alex’s family (in particular, her sisters), and I got my wish! It was also nice to see the character development happening with characters that I knew from Labyrinth Lost, and also those who got more of the spotlight in Bruja Born.
Córdova also gives us a lot more details about where the brujas live (Brooklyn), as well as their gods and practices and beliefs. The plot for this book was a little less predictable for me than that of Labyrinth Lost (although, don’t get me wrong, that book kept me guessing too)! I wasn’t sure how things would go, and who would live or die, and I tried very hard not to get too attached to any characters. I, of course, failed at that though, which made this book quite the emotional roller coaster for me! I definitely recommend reading this book if you’ve read Labyrinth Lost want want to see where life takes everyone going forward, I also recommend this series as a whole to those who haven’t picked up, or heard of, either book yet! It was dark and magical goodness!
Córdova also gives us a lot more details about where the brujas live (Brooklyn), as well as their gods and practices and beliefs. The plot for this book was a little less predictable for me than that of Labyrinth Lost (although, don’t get me wrong, that book kept me guessing too)! I wasn’t sure how things would go, and who would live or die, and I tried very hard not to get too attached to any characters. I, of course, failed at that though, which made this book quite the emotional roller coaster for me! I definitely recommend reading this book if you’ve read Labyrinth Lost want want to see where life takes everyone going forward, I also recommend this series as a whole to those who haven’t picked up, or heard of, either book yet! It was dark and magical goodness!
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
3.0
It has been a good few years since I read the first book so I knew I would go in feeling disorientated. However, I remember really loving Labyrinth Lost and was excited to continue on. Unfortunately, in comparison with the first book in this trilogy (hard not to compare) this was a bit of a meh read. I have to acknowledge that my preferred tastes in storytelling may have changed some since picking up book one, so my thoughts then and now will probably be pretty different anyway.
I was pretty thrown off for the first few pages as I didn't remember names and thought these were entirely different people, but slowly, slowly I realised it was the same family but highlighting a different Mortiz sister.
Although we are following the oldest sister, Lula, in this book, its still feels like Alex is carrying the weight of the story. It would have been nice if we had more independent thinking from Lula. I love how heavily family is a theme in this, and the reliance and love there is there, so I wouldn't want that diminished, but what I mean is it would have been nice to have Lula feel more centre stage and this was her story.
I couldn't get over how frustrating character choices were in this and I feel like there was very little character growth between book 1 and 2, because nobody seemed to steer away from mistakes they should have already learned from.
I enjoyed seeing more of the THA and Knights of Lavant on the page and I think those organisations would be really cool to learn more about, as a spin-off, but I think including so many different species of magical people and creatures was overwhelming and an expansion to this world that felt a little silly.
I'm interested in learning more about Rose's powers, the dad's memories and Nova becoming closer to a sense of family.
I will definitely complete this trilogy but just a little dimmed that this one didn't meet my expectations. Nevertheless, I can't deny that this was very entertaining and the themes on grief and what you will do in that frame of mind was interesting to read about in a world where magic is possible and can make nearly anything happen...
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
I was pretty thrown off for the first few pages as I didn't remember names and thought these were entirely different people, but slowly, slowly I realised it was the same family but highlighting a different Mortiz sister.
Although we are following the oldest sister, Lula, in this book, its still feels like Alex is carrying the weight of the story. It would have been nice if we had more independent thinking from Lula. I love how heavily family is a theme in this, and the reliance and love there is there, so I wouldn't want that diminished, but what I mean is it would have been nice to have Lula feel more centre stage and this was her story.
I couldn't get over how frustrating character choices were in this and I feel like there was very little character growth between book 1 and 2, because nobody seemed to steer away from mistakes they should have already learned from.
I enjoyed seeing more of the THA and Knights of Lavant on the page and I think those organisations would be really cool to learn more about, as a spin-off, but I think including so many different species of magical people and creatures was overwhelming and an expansion to this world that felt a little silly.
I'm interested in learning more about Rose's powers, the dad's memories and Nova becoming closer to a sense of family.
I will definitely complete this trilogy but just a little dimmed that this one didn't meet my expectations. Nevertheless, I can't deny that this was very entertaining and the themes on grief and what you will do in that frame of mind was interesting to read about in a world where magic is possible and can make nearly anything happen...
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
csamura's review against another edition
4.0
Awesome next installment of the Brooklyn Brujas series. I'm really hoping for a book three from Rose's perspective *says a canto to the Deos to speak this dream into existence* In all seriousness this book was excellent, I love Zoraida Cordova's voice. The characters are all so authentic, the plot is fast paced and keeps me wanting more. I'm not a huge fan of the zombie plotline but even still it was well written and engaging. The one thing I really wanted more of was Rishi and Alex!
megankb's review against another edition
3.0
"They don't understand. Not my sinmago friends and not these witches. Magic transforms. Magic is also unpredictable and unforgiving. You don't know who you'll become after wielding it."
Bruja Born suffers in comparison to Labyrinth Lost, mainly because it is missing the sense of magical wonder and awe that was woven throughout the first book as Alex, Nova and Rishi explored Los Lagos. This book takes place shortly after the events of the first, but deals with Alex's older sister, Lula, who is trying to cope with the mental and physical scars she obtained while she was trapped in Los Lagos. Her beloved boyfriend breaks up with her and then dies in a horrific accident, along with the rest of the soccer team and their cheerleaders. Despite being warned repeatedly not to, Lula, with the help of her sisters, brings Maks back to life. However, the magic backfires and brings him and the other students killed back to life in the form of casimuertos, which are like zombies that eat people's hearts instead of brains. The goddess of Death also ends up trapped in some halfway realm due to this and it is up to Lula to fix her mistakes.
The best part of Córdova's books are the exploration of the Latin American-inspired magic system she has created, but Bruja Born is scarce on that front. We meet some new magical characters and discover new concepts but they just didn't have the same vibrancy as they did in the first book. The third and final book of this series will deal with Rose exploring Adas, a faerie kingdom, so I'm definitely interested in seeing if Córdova will recapture the magic I felt in Labyrinth Lost.
Bruja Born suffers in comparison to Labyrinth Lost, mainly because it is missing the sense of magical wonder and awe that was woven throughout the first book as Alex, Nova and Rishi explored Los Lagos. This book takes place shortly after the events of the first, but deals with Alex's older sister, Lula, who is trying to cope with the mental and physical scars she obtained while she was trapped in Los Lagos. Her beloved boyfriend breaks up with her and then dies in a horrific accident, along with the rest of the soccer team and their cheerleaders. Despite being warned repeatedly not to, Lula, with the help of her sisters, brings Maks back to life. However, the magic backfires and brings him and the other students killed back to life in the form of casimuertos, which are like zombies that eat people's hearts instead of brains. The goddess of Death also ends up trapped in some halfway realm due to this and it is up to Lula to fix her mistakes.
The best part of Córdova's books are the exploration of the Latin American-inspired magic system she has created, but Bruja Born is scarce on that front. We meet some new magical characters and discover new concepts but they just didn't have the same vibrancy as they did in the first book. The third and final book of this series will deal with Rose exploring Adas, a faerie kingdom, so I'm definitely interested in seeing if Córdova will recapture the magic I felt in Labyrinth Lost.
delaneybull's review against another edition
5.0
This was really great, it totally upended who we thought Lula was and she turned out to be pretty cool. There's lots to analyze in this one, but I'll just point out one of my favorite aspects: Lula honestly dealing with her disfigurement and finding her power outside her beauty.
larkken's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
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? Yes
3.75
herbalmoon's review against another edition
1.0
Minor Quibbles: This book came out in 2018. Nobody was using paper medical records by then (or nearly no one). Why are these characters?
• Why is Lula not wearing her own varsity jacket? Do they not give those out for step team? In my day, two years in earned you a letter. I loved my jacket to death and never wore my boyfriend's. (I had his class ring on a leather thong for a while, though.)
Major Issue:
At least Ale's reasoning behind her backfired spell was...well...reasonable.
• Blue Cohosh (actually both cohoshes) is/are unsafe for humans. Even if we presume that they're safe for mermaids, using blue for the delivery puts the baby's human side at risk. (You can't just go picking random plants out of a hat like that, authors!)
• Why is Lula not wearing her own varsity jacket? Do they not give those out for step team? In my day, two years in earned you a letter. I loved my jacket to death and never wore my boyfriend's. (I had his class ring on a leather thong for a while, though.)
Major Issue:
Spoiler
I know teenagers are stupid, but facing off with the Goddess of Death for a guy that dumped you? REALLY And not one of your sisters was smart enough to stop you? Hot damn.At least Ale's reasoning behind her backfired spell was...well...reasonable.
• Blue Cohosh (actually both cohoshes) is/are unsafe for humans. Even if we presume that they're safe for mermaids, using blue for the delivery puts the baby's human side at risk. (You can't just go picking random plants out of a hat like that, authors!)