Las Brujas: The Witches
My daughter recommended Zoraida Cordova’s young adult book Labyrinth Lost. She loved the book.
I agree with my daughter. Labyrinth Lost is a book worth reading. It’s a fun, dark, culturally rich fantasy that takes the reader on a journey of discovery.
Brief Overview
Alex hates her magic. She comes from an influential family of brujas. Instead of a Quinceanera celebration for a girl’s fifteenth birthday, brujas celebrate Death Day–the day that a brujas accepts her magical power. Alex tries to stop this rite of passage by performing a curse. Instead of destroying her magic, the curse causes her family to vanish. Of course, she has to go after them to save them and bring them back from Los Lagos, the in-between land, which is as dark and grim as it sounds.
Yeah, it’s a hero’s journey!
My Response
What I liked about this story is that it captures the teenage angst that most teens go through. Alex wants to hide her family heritage and fit in at school. Being normal sounds good. She’s not just embarrassed, but she wants to deny her heritage. She feels different and magic has cost her dearly.
She doesn’t understand her sister Lula, who embraces her powers. They often butt heads. Her relationship with her mother is tense. Alex pushes back against what her mother wants and against her culture’s expectations.
If you want to step into the world of a close-knit Latino family, this will be a perfect story for you.
Her journey is difficult and dark. She has gone into the in-between land, and it’s not supposed to be fun. Be prepared to be surprised. The story takes the reader and a memorable on action-packed ride.
As with all hero’s journeys and coming of age stories, Alex learns about herself, her powers, her family, her foes, and friends.