A review by oldandnewbooksmell
Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Trigger Warnings: Drug use, addiction, withdrawal, assault, violence

Lis is all Lucha has left, which means she will do anything to protect her - even if that means making a deal with El Sediento and his dark forces.

This did honestly take me a moment to get into it, and that’s due to me being distracted while reading and trying to draw out the world Tehlor Mejia had built in this novel. The place where the sisters are from is literally a mud pit, nothing grows there, but it still has so many layers to it. Then they went into the forest and the plants and animals there were also on another level. And, there is mushroom magic!

Lucha dealt with a lot in this book and she didn’t always choose the best or easiest path. She would do what it took to get where or what she wanted, and that sometimes included killing those she thought deserved it. It made me like Lucha a bit more, because she wasn’t perfect and her life was most definitely far from it, but through her flaws (and making a pact with someone she really shouldn’t have) she fought and grew to make it better.

The romance of this book I felt like wasn’t the biggest deal, which I kind of liked. I’m not much for YA where the focus is the romance, which is why I think I like Mejia’s writing because though it is there, it’s not the only thing on the mind of the main character.

I would recommend this book for those who like intricate world building with a badass female lead who will stop at nothing to save and protect those who she loves.

*Thank you Make Me a World / Random House and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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