Lobizona

At 126

have i eaten swiss cheese with less holes? yes. did i still enjoy this? absolutely!

unexpectedly so, i'll admit. a lot of my friends didn't enjoy this book for various reasons, so i really braced myself, and the first ~50 pages or so made it hard to really get into the story. but once manu finds el laberinto, the story takes off running and absolutely does not stop.

there's a lot of world-building thrown at you throughout the book in not the prettiest or most satisfying way, but the world-building works really well hand-in-hand with the amplitudes of commentary being made. so, sure, some things have too much detail and others not enough (or even contradictory detail), but it was important to the message and morale of the story.

as i said in one of those updates, a cata POV would've been immensely interesting, though i'm not 100% sure how that would be implemented when she's not there from the start of the book. like manu, her situation is incredibly complex as she's at the mercy of her parents' choices but is trying to make decisions on her own as she grows into herself. still not 100% sure of her train of thought given the holes and whatnot, but found her character interesting nonetheless.

the third act (fourth? it happened really late in the book tbh) reveals were a little much, but most made sense. again, holes don't help, but i didn't mind too much at that point? especially with the hilarious friends-esque scene where they're just rattling off their reveals and everyone's gasping at them lmao

super interested in reading the sequel!! when it comes out in paperback lmao

A very good YA for teens of all ages about werewolves, identity and much more. As an adult who doesn't always love YA/teen, I only stayed interested because of the mythology and our main protagonist's journey. I already have a hold at my library because this is not the kind of series book that can stand alone.

This book was okay, but it disappointed me a bit. I appreciated a different perspective with a main character who is an undocumented immigrant and the use of Argentinian culture in the werewolf society, and the story was relatively fast-paced once Manu got to the school. Having her find out that her existence in werewolf society as well paralleled with her mundane life in an interesting way (even if it doesn't make much sense for a society that places so much emphasis on reproduction to label any child illegal). All of the scenes involving ICE and the Cazadores (essentially serving the function of werewolf ICE) were appropriately tense and upsetting. 

The characters were mostly fun, though the love interest was like a block of wood and some of the background students didn't get much development. The insta-love and pointless love triangle annoyed me.

I can see that the author was going for a feminist message but since their powers are innate it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Even if Manu gets to play werewolf football that won't pave the way for other girls because they're still not werewolves. The constant description of her power coming from her uterus was off-putting. Did the boys' werewolf power come from their reproductive organs as well?

It was really weird to me that Manu was cooped up the way she was at the beginning, as many undocumented children go to school. The twist involving Manu's father was pretty silly, and there were a few dropped plot threads (particularly regarding an identical girl who lived across the street) that I'm hoping get picked up in the next book.

I enjoyed this! I think a little bit of the world building didn't work for me but I think there are lots who will love it.

Wow!!!

Thank you NetGalley St. Martin's Press for an arc!

I am going to level with you. I had a difficult time getting into this book. The last 20% really was what made it a fun read for me. It has a lot of important messages about community, alienation, and breaking free from the rigid barriers that society has put in place.

I don't know if I'll continue with the series but I do absolutely see how much value there is in Manu's story.