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Review: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Series: Brooklyn Brujas #1

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: September 6th 2016

Genre: YA & LGTBQIA

Pages- 336 pages

Format- eGalley (Netgalley)

Rating: ★★★★★

labyrinth-lost

Goodreads Summary:

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange marks on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Fire for approving me to receive an eGalley of Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

During my search for diversification in YA books, I stumbled across Zoraida Cordova’s Labyrinth Lost. On the cover is a girl in a Death Day mask, making this an eye catcher for anyone walking by with an eye for stunning covers. I honestly wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did but it took me on THE MOST magical ride with elements of Alice in Wonderland along the way. We get introduced to our main protagonist Alex who is part of a family of “brujas” (Spanish for witch) & like every bruja before & after, she will need to have her Death Day celebration to mark her coming into her powers. Typically, the celebration is held on birthday’s in order to throw more over the top parties. Alex however, has no interest in having her Death Day celebration or accepting her powers…in fact she’s trying to stop it from ever taking place. One spell gone wrong results in Alex’s whole family disappearing into the in between world. A world where souls linger & are tortured. It was through the introduction of this underworld of sorts, that you are able to really appreciate & enjoy the writing style. Beyond this, would be giving away too much of the plot so instead I’ll go into some of the things that I loved about this book.

The #ownvoices movement that started recently has been one that I fully support. I love discovering new authors that are able to infuse their culture into their writing, their voices are ones that I can relate to & that’s always cool…seeing a bit of me in what I’m reading. In Labyrinth Lost, we are introduced to Alex’s ancestors (spirits of deceased family members) who as the author notes are from Ecuador, Spain, Africa, Mexico, and the Carribean. Although Alex & her family are not classified as practicing any specific denomination of religion, we do see some aspects of other religions such as Santeria & Catholicism with a new age twist. It was interesting seeing the authors spin on some of the Gods & being able to recognize the cultural influences. The families “Book of Cantos” was another very cool detail, it is a book that contains all of Alex’s ancestor’s spells & magic. It also contains quotes, sayings, and bruja(o) songs, each chapter started off with a snippet of a passage from their Book of Cantos. I also enjoyed the family dynamics in Alex’s home, one comprised mostly of women with their father’s unexplained disappearance weighing heavy in all of their hearts. The sisterly bond between Alex, Lula, and Rose stood out the most. Their interactions with each other felt genuine & realistic. Alex’s mom gave me a few laugh out loud moments & this is because I was able to see my mom & family in this character. This is a story of family & self-discovery, Alex knows that she’s different than the rest of her family and is scared to disappoint those that she loves by the choices she makes. I think everyone can see a bit of Alex in them no matter the cultural background/experience which is why I would recommend this book to everyone.

I’m looking forward to continuing with The Brooklyn Brujas series. I am also glad to have stumbled across Zoraida Córdova. I was just wondering how I can go about bringing more attention to this author when I received an e-mail from the publisher offering me the opportunity to feature the author in a Author Spotlight & Giveaway post, that’s on it’s way & you won’t want to miss it 😉

Has anyone else read Labyrinth Lost? I’d love to read your thoughts on the book. Please feel free to drop the link to your review or drop a comment my lovelies 🙂

August Wrap-up & Haul

My reading for August was Ok with the exception of This Savage Song & Everything leads to You which were both 5 & 4.5 stars respectively. Three of my reads were also eGalleys from Netgalley so in a way I guess you can say I took a stab at ARC August lol. I think August had to be a bit more on the calm side honestly because the excitement over the September line-up is overwhelming for this bookworm.

Gemini by Sonya Mukharjee ★★★ (3.5 stars)

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena ★★★ (3.75 stars)

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab ★★★★★ (5 stars)

Leave Me by Gayle Forman ★★★ (3.5 stars)

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather ★★★ (3 stars)

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour ★★★★ (4.5 stars)

Monstress Volume 1 by Marjorie M. Lou & illustrated by Sana Takeda ★★★★ (4.5 stars)

My August Book Haul is also one of my smallest in months! & i’m OK with this seeing as June was INSANE (June Book Haul)! HAHA! No regrets here 😉 This month however, I was lucky enough to win a giveaway that was being hosted by Kristin @ Super Space Chick for The Reader by Traci Chee. The Owlcrate book for August was P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (an ongoing Valentine’s Day gift from my husband ❤). All other’s I purchased with some pretty awesome B&N Member’s coupons, Amazon & Strand NYC irresistable steals. I’m going to put this out there now….I am not to be held responsible for all of the good books being released this fall that I will be book lusting over…

I’m pretty sure i’m not alone in feeling like August truly flew by. The last month of summer was pretty chill for my brood & I, basically prepping for my 5 year old daughter starting Kindergarten this week *grabs Kleenex*

For the most part we gave our 2 tiny humans some park time, got some reading in, and binge watched Stranger Things on Netflix. We also caught up with The Vampire Diaries (last 2 seasons were their best smh) & The Originals which will ALWAYS be a favorite. My husband & I watched The Originals finale last night & immediately started googling for a season 4 premier date. Sadly, one has not been announced because the show never really took off in ratings. It’s a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries which lost a ton of it’s following after a few seasons understandably so (There’s only so many times we can watch them chase Elena). However, The Originals in my opinion is the better show both in characters & plots. There’s also a ton of New Orleans culture infused into each episode making it a real treat to watch. Recently, with the news of TVD being canceled (Thank Goodness!) after the next upcoming season, it’s been announced that certain actors will cross over to The Originals. I will patiently await any & all news regarding The Originals 😉

Stranger Things (Netflix)

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The Originals (CW)

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The Vampire Diaries (CW)

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I know i’m a few days late with my August Book Haul & Wrap-up, it honestly snuck up on me as did the fall season (my fave) & Kindergarten! LOl, i’ll be making my rounds on the Blogosphere tonight & tomorrow checking out my fellow book blogger’s hauls & wrap-up’s. I hope you all had an AMAZING August Loves! Happy September my fellow bookworms 🙂

Review: Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Published by: Algonquin Books

Publication Date: September 6th 2016

Pages- 352 pages

Format- eGalley (Netgalley)

Rating: ★★★ (3.5)

Goodreads Synopsis:

International bestselling author Gayle Forman’s trademark humor and insight abound in this masterful adult debut, showing us that sometimes you have to leave home in order to find it again.

For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, for every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention–meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.

Afterward, surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: She packs a bag and leaves. But, as is so often the case, once we get to where we’re going, we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from those she loves and from herself.

With big-hearted characters who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing our fears. Gayle Forman, a dazzling observer of human nature, has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head-on.

I’d like to thank Algonquin Books for approving me to receive an eGalley of Leave Me by Gayle Forman via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maribeth Klein used to have big dreams of one day climbing the ladder to success in the world of magazine publishing. She had a bestfriend/roommate & they were as inseparable as Thelma & Louise. Both Maribeth & Elizabeth worked for the same magazine, they shared the same career dreams and were on the fast track to making them come true. Then Maribeth married her college sweetheart, the guy who 10 years’ prior had decided to move to San Francisco & persue his career. They had made plans for a life together in New York & he ditched them. This unexplainable break-up would stay with & follow her to NY 10 years later. Maribeth & Jason re-connect in NY and one things leads to another. They get married and have twins, life gets a bit challenging but Maribeth takes it all on with little to no help from her husband. Her relationship with Elizabeth has changed, she is now her boss and Maribeth is just trying to maintain both home & career. The book opens up to Maribeth having a heart attack in a period of 48 hours. I had mentioned in my Monday Musings this week that I found this interesting because the percentage of women who are asymptomatic while experiencing a heart attack is startlingly high. It was very realistic to see a working mom overwhelmed by life’s many stresses.

I requested this eGalley because I thought to myself…harrowed mother of twins experiences a heart attack & isn’t able to recuperate w/out her family making her feel like she’s a huge inconvenience…this could very well be me. What happens when you’re everything to everybody & then one day you’re not physically able to fulfill that role…will they notice your absence? will they reciprocate all of the love, care, and attention you’ve invested in them? I’ll be honest, while reading Maribeth’s story I was split in two halves. One part of me was angry at her husband Jason for not stepping up to the plate to take over the reins with the kids. The second half, not at the fact that she chose to pack up & leave but rather, that it was for such an extended period of time & another issue I can’t mention because *spoilers*.

Ever read a book & just reject every single character & their story from the minute you meet them? such was the case with Leave Me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the passively aggressive Maribeth OR the sub-par husband Jason. I also wasn’t keen on her best friend Elizabeth for that matter. It took the last 100 pages for Maribeth & crew to win me over (wish it hadn’t taken this long) & make me understand that this was her journey. Sometimes it’s the road less traveled that we must take. To take care of others (especially little ones), we must first take care of ourselves. Maribeth leaves her home in need of respite & recuperation from bypass surgery post heart attack but gets so much more than what she left to obtain. Truly unhappy in her life she at some point lost herself in the day to day cycle. Maribeth is also a woman with tons of unresolved issues. She is adopted & her heart attack has managed to stir up a need to dig in to her origins. Her journey was of mind, body, and soul. During her time away she made some friendships & it was these supporting characters that lifted her up & helped her find her way. I absolutely loved the age disparity between Maribeth & her new neighbors (in her new home away from home) Todd & Sunita. Todd is a gay young man who is obsessed with all things Steelers. Todd has been entrusted by Sunita’s parents to room with & look over her. Sunita is a young college aged Indian woman who is very high spirited & able to keep up with Todd’s quip’s. Along the way, Maribeth also befriends Janice who played a crucial role in her journey. There is one other character that Maribeth meets, Stephen…a doctor with a mysterious past. I appreciated the end results of this relationship however, I was not in agreement with certain happenings 😉

Photo from Theharriedmom

In conclusion (lengthiest review yet lol), I think every mother has had the fleeting notion of liberating themselves. We are human & the ultimate sacrifice we make is when we decide to have children. Life will throw many curve balls your way & with age come health issues. We can either meet these challenges OR retreat & replenish until we can build up the strength needed to meet such challenges. Although I don’t see myself taking Maribeth’s road, I do believe that we all need a bit of space so as to not lose ourselves. If there is a partner at home, a little appreciation goes a long way. Similarly, all relationships need to be watered to grow. I closed this book feeling like Gayle Forman sneak attacked me in the heart…

Musing Monday’s

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme created by Books and a Beat (originally known as Should Be Reading & A Daily Rythm) that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…

Up next I think I’ll read…

I bought the following book(s) in the past week…

I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…

I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…

I can’t wait to get a copy of…

I wish I could read ___, but…

I blogged about ____ this past week…

This week’s random question: name a favorite book you’d take to the beach.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

What I’m currently reading….

Leave Me by Gayle Forman

I received an e-galley on Netgalley for Leave Me by Gayle Forman & I’m finding it extremely difficult to find any of the characters likable. This is my 1st Gayle Forman book & it’s also her first adult fiction book. The main protagonist is experiencing the stresses of work, marriage, parenthood, with little to no help. The book opens while Marybeth is experiencing a heart attack which I found interesting since a lot of women who experience heart attacks, are asymptomatic. Marybeth made a major decision that steers the course of the story in a very different direction…she packs up her bags and leaves her family behind. At this point I NEED to know how this all ends even if I’m not the biggest fan of the characters in this book. I’m already at the half-way point of this book & should have a review up this week.

Up next I think I’ll read…

How to Hang a Witch (How to Hang a Witch #1) by Adriana Mather

I do love my History but what made this subject a favorite for me in school was when we learned about the Salem Witch Trials. Ever since then, I will read anything Salem/Witches that I come across. I also happen to watch the deliciously dark tv series Salem. I know How to Hang a Witch is more of a fun take on the descendants but even for this, I’m game! I do however find it interesting that the author of this new series is a direct descendant of Cotton Mather who played a crucial role in the Salem Witch Trials. Entertainment Weekly interviewed Adriana Mather (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/19/adriana-mather-how-to-hang-witch) & she talks about the next book in the series How to Sink a Ship. Book 2 will have some of the witches from this first book however, it will be set around the events of the Titanic. I looked a bit further into this interesting author & it seems that she has some pretty heavy hitters for ancestors, some even from The Revolutionary War. I don’t think my background is as innnnneresting but who knows, she’s making me wonder…

Has anyone else read Leave Me by Gayle Forman? I’m interested to read some takes on it. If any of you happen to have partaken in Musing Monday’s today, drop that link in the comment box & I’ll swing on by 😉

Review: Monstress Volume 1 by Marjorie M. Lou & illustrated by Sana Takeda

Monstress Volume 1 (collects issues #1-6)

Published by: Image Comics

Publication Date: July 19th 2016

Pages- 192 pages

Format- eGalley (Netgalley)

Rating: 4.5 stars

I’d like to thank Image Comics for approving me to receive an eGalley of the graphic novel Monstress Volume 1 via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Confession:
I first caught wind of Monstress on Panels.net, the exact article I read listed this graphic novel as the best of 2016 so far & Panels has never steered me wrong

http://panels.net/2016/02/02/the-best-comics-we-read-in-january/

Besides the fact that the cover is S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!!! I immediately noticed our POC (aka people of color) female protagonist & knew that I had to read this one but at the time there were only single issues. I patiently awaited the 1st volume only to see that Netgalley had it listed & I went for it (already ordered a physical copy from Amazon).
Monstress has steampunk vibes & artwork that jump off the pages & demand that you take note of all the intricate details of each page. I’m a steampunk fan so this was like eye candy for me, kudos to Sana Takeda’s beautiful illustrations…also, did anyone else catch the blurb by the MAN himself, Mr. Neil Gaiman?!?!😱😱😱🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Plot:
I usually include the Goodreads or Amazon synopsis in my reviews except for when they are spoilery & this is one of those instances. Please stay away unless you want to be majorly spoiled as I was. Monstress is set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia where we are introduced to Maika who is a teenage Arcanic (human-like monsters) being sold into slavery. As the story unravels we learn that a civil war took place between humans and the Arcanic, permanently creating a divide. We familiarize ourselves with some of the complex politics & history behind the war. Maika has felt the effects of the war in more ways than one, all of which have shaped her into one badass character. Maika is intelligent & strategic. She is resilient & persistent. Circumstances have slowly shaped her and you get a sense of power as soon as you meet her. Maika also seems to have a dark side to her which makes her all the more interesting. If you’re looking for a graphic novel that is rich in an alternative history, politics, corruptness, war, experimentations, tons of female characters, and eye catching graphics like I am, then Monstress is for you.

Characters:

I think by now you’ve gathered that I LOVE Maika so instead I’ll talk about some of the other characters…

· Tuya– travels with an eagle by Maika’s side, we don’t get any back story on Tuya but we know that Maika is very close to her
· Sophia Tekete– a Cumae (referred to as a witch nun) scientist that is very skilled with knives & is known for experimenting on the Arcanic
· Atena– Also a Cumae who works in the Cumae council, a scientist good with #’s
· Yvette Lo Lim– Sophia Tekete’s mother, I still don’t know this woman’s deal other than she’s sinister & has weird eating tastes

I thoroughly enjoyed Marjorie M. Liu’s story & eagerly await the 2nd volume, ESPECIALLY after that ending!!!!

Highly recommend 😉

Review: Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee

Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 26th 2016
Format: e-ARC (NetGalley)
Page Count: 336 pages
Rating: ★★★ 1/2

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old conjoined twins Clara and Hailey have lived in the same small town their entire lives—no one stares at them anymore. But there are cracks in their quiet existence, and they’re slowly becoming more apparent.
Clara and Hailey are at a crossroads. Clara wants to stay close to home, avoid all attention, and study the night sky. Hailey wants to travel the world, learn from great artists, and dance with mysterious boys.
As high school graduation approaches, each twin must untangle her dreams from her sister’s, and figure out what it means to be her own person.

I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster for approving me to receive an arc of Gemini via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. This also happens to be my very 1st arc & I’m glad that it was Gemini.

Gemini turned out to be a very fast read for me, which is to say kudos to the author for the pacing which was on point. I enjoyed being given a seat at the table with Clara & Hailey; a set of conjoined twins in their last year of high school, and all of their friends. When we first meet Clara & Hailey, the author lets us know that they are polar opposites. Whilst Clara is more subdued, into the sciences, enjoys blending in as much as possible…Hailey is more of an extrovert with pink hair & black eyeliner, a very talented artist with a wanderlust soul. The girls are very much in sync in more ways than one. Although they are only attached by their lower spinal region (each has their own unattached set of legs), the twins share sensations from the torso down. If Clara were to stub her toe, both she & Hailey would feel the pain.

The setting for the most part is the twins high school in a small town where they share a group of girlfriends. Hailey & Clara’s parents are two college professors who left L.A. and relocated to the small town of Bear Pass in an attempt to give the twins a quiet & less complicated life. In the small town of Bear Pass, everyone knows each other & for the most part have gotten used to seeing and being around the twins. One of the best parts of this book had to be the twins support system within their small circle of friends. Juanita (twins’ BFF) was a Godsend, she never treated the twins any differently & was always a great listener, even when she had issues of her own to deal with. Friends like Juanita are one in a million.

Clara & Hailey are in their last year of high school & with graduation right around the bend, came a lot of anxiety over identity. The girls have an amazing bond and each one wants the other to live the life they always dreamed of yet it all seems impossible to attain. They tackled the topics of dating, college, living independently, the possibility of having the very risky surgical procedure to separate them, and lastly the financial costs. In the background we are introduced to their parents and we learn a bit about their lives before the twins & what led them to move away from a big city. Although the interactions between the twins and their dad were brief, I really enjoyed his parts and could tell that he was more open minded. The twin’s mom on the other hand, had pretty much become a master of all trades. Besides being a professor, she tailors all of Hailey & Clara’s clothing, maintains an active role/presence in their school to make sure they have everything they need and drives them to/from school in a van that accommodates them. Mom is also fixated on watching videos of unsuccessful surgical procedures of conjoined twins in an effort to reassure herself that she made the right decision when she opted to keep them together in their infancies. Their portrayal of concerned parents who have sacrificed a lot for the love & safety of their children felt authentic.

I gave this book a 3.5-star rating only because I struggled with telling the twins voices apart. The book is divided by the twins in alternating chapters & as much as they are described to be polar opposites, I couldn’t differentiate between the two and often found that I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to see whose perspective I was reading from. Since I was already invested in the story & was rooting for the girls, I put in the bit of effort to look back and see whose narrative I was reading but I can see how it may affect others reading experience.

Overall, I really did enjoy this story and the fact that the ending was not made out to be some sort of happy ending but instead felt like a new beginning for Hailey & Clara. I would recommend Gemini to a friend.