3.5/5

As far as YA fantasy novels go, this is pretty great. Bisexual heroines ftw forever, obviously. ( )

Fun and darkly magical adventure into a new world full of witches, monsters, and the power of love and family. Loved how Córdova drew on her own culture and family history to create a new mythology. Sometimes the dialogue moved a little too quickly for me, or didn't quite synch up, so I was confused in some spots, but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I'm assuming there will be a sequel because that cliffhanger at the end is hella steep... ( )

Honestly, I was a little disappointed with [b:Labyrinth Lost|27969081|Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas, #1)|Zoraida Córdova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456428801s/27969081.jpg|42472829] and not because it wasn't interesting, but because there just simply was not enough of it. I was devouring the book up until Alex's entire family disappeared as it was at that point the story started to flag.

Alejandra, our main character, is fabulous. She's a bisexual Latina and those things are just matter-of-fact; they're a part of her. Alex struggles more with the magic she was born with, the power of it frustrating her until she decides to rid herself of it on her Death Day rather than embrace it. Big mistake, obviously. From there we're treated to a great progression of Alex as someone scared and uncomfortable with aspects of who she is to a young woman who emerges, fire-forged, from the trials she faced.

The world created by Zoraida Córdova is clever, imaginative and vivid. Los Lagos is a limbo of sorts, heavily reminiscent of the magical realm in Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series. Now, perhaps this is where my frustrations started because Bray's realm is lush, intoxicating and corrupted, much like Córdova's world, but the reader spent three books travelling through that realm. I just wanted more of Los Lagos. It seemed to go by so quickly, not delving into the world with as much detail as I think it warranted. Possibly because of that, the rescue plot just seemed a little too straightforward and easy.

Likewise, the Big Bad, the Devourer was underutilized. She was way too interesting a villain to only really appear at the end and be vanquished within a chapter. I was so up for her and Alex to be true opposites, to delve into the meat of magical conflicts within the self. To have her held up as a genuine mirror for our protagonist.

Finally, while I loved the inclusion of a female love interest for Alex, I wasn't really impressed with how it was done. It seemed like Córdova was far more interested in the relationship between Nova and Alex than in the one between Rishi and Alex. It felt tacked on, underdeveloped. Nova felt like the author's favourite character, the one she enjoyed writing the most. I was confused about why and how Rishi was there, what her purpose was other than to be a love interest. Which frustrates the hell out of me because a queer Guyanese-American girl is not something you see in fiction often and I just wanted more. Considering she was already Alex's best friend, it felt like a perfect opportunity to flesh out a different Alex than the one we saw with her family.

I loved Alex's family and it's no coincidence that the book weakened without them. The dialogue between sisters, mother and extended family is snappy, loving and frustrating in all the familiar ways. They really sparked.

I'm readily anticipating more books in this series, despite my criticisms, because I feel like there is so much potential there. ( )

From Amazon description:

The first book in the Latinx-infused Queer fantasy series from Zoraida Córdova, highly acclaimed author of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, that follows three sisters―and teen witches―as they develop their powers and battle magic through epic questing in the realms beyond.

Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. But she's hated magic ever since it made her father disappear into thin air. So while most girls celebrate their Quinceañera, Alex prepares for her Deathday―the most important day in a bruja's life and her only opportunity to rid herself of magic.

But the curse she performs during the ceremony backfires, and her family vanishes, forcing Alex to absorb all of the magic from her family line. Left alone, Alex seeks help from Nova, a brujo with ambitions of his own.

To get her family back they must travel to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland. And while she's there, what she discovers about herself, her powers, and her family, will change everything…

*Actual rating: 3.5 stars* Review to come. ( )