#AmReading YA

Blog Tour: You Asked For Perfect

You Asked For Perfect
Laura Silverman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4  out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Senior Ariel Stone is the perfect college applicant: first chair violin, dedicated community volunteer, and expected valedictorian. He works hard - really hard - to make his life look effortless. A failed Calculus quiz is not part of that plan. Not when he’s number one. Not when his peers can smell weakness like a freshman’s body spray.

Figuring a few all-nighters will preserve his class rank, Ariel throws himself into studying. His friends will understand if he skips a few plans, and he can sleep when he graduates. Except Ariel’s grade continues to slide. Reluctantly, he gets a tutor. Amir and Ariel have never gotten along, but Amir excels in Calculus, and Ariel is out of options.

Ariel may not like Calc, but he might like Amir. Except adding a new relationship to his long list of commitments may just push him past his limit.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Top Ten Tuesday - Show Us Your PRIDE

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Show Us Your

As Pride Month winds down, I thought I would share some of my favorite LGBTQIAP+ books.

In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Lovin'

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Summer Lovin'!

Summer is quickly approaching, and when I think of summer, I think of summer reads. My favorite summer reads are usually on the lighter side, set in the summertime, and usually feature some romance. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite summer reads.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

In a Nutshell Reviews - The Grief Edition

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights. It's a well known fact, that I have a special place in my heart for "grief" books, and as I was looking at these three books, I realized they were all stories dealing with grief and loss, and all very wonderful and hopeful as well.

Going Places
Kathryn Berla
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Hudson Wheeler is a teen for whom everyone had high expectations, but since his father was killed when he was ten, he's felt unmotivated to pursue much other than his art. During his senior year, he decides to home school, thinking he will get to relax and focus on his two lazy businesses. But instead, he experiences love and rejection for the first time; meets an athletic girl who shows him by example what it means to be a man; and solves the painful mystery of the WWII vet whose poignant plight forces Hudson out of the comfort zone of boyhood.

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My Week in Review

Mother nature and NJ Transit were not kind to me last week, so we can only hope next week is better. I am hoping the weather cooperates, because I really want to attend the Obsidio signing on Wednesday. It's kind of far from my house, but really close to my job. Keeping my fingers crossed all goes well.

I don't know if anyone saw this, but I love that Free Form did it.

YES. 👏🏼 #NotSorry https://t.co/iOE3Ed0va1

— Freeform (@FreeformTV) March 9, 2018

Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post

Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My Week in Review

I think those of us that survived the nor'easter can claim that March came in like a lion. I am really grateful we didn't lose power, and I feel bad for all those who did. Otherwise, we had catering from Panera last week, and these amazing cakes on Friday. Did I mention how much I loved tax season? I also won a $20 Amazon gift card from The Candid Cover (Thank you!!!), and my daughter is starting to get job offers.

Discussion: Am I Fair to Funny Books?

This Week’s Topic: Am I Fair to Funny Books?

I saw this tweet the other day:

What are the funniest YA books you’ve read?

— Jeff Zentner (@jeffzentner) January 9, 2018

And it had me thinking of all the funny books I have read. It also had me thinking about how I rate them. When you see a lot of favorites lists or 5-star rated reads, they are often epic fantasies or very emotional books.

In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Layover
Amy Andelson, Emily Meyer
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Flynn: At first we were almost strangers. But ever since I moved to New York, Amos was the one person I could count on. And together we were there for Poppy. (I mean, what kind of parents leave their kid to be raised by a nanny?) I just didn’t expect to fall for him—and I never expected him to leave us.

Amos: I thought I was the only one who felt it. I told myself it was because we were spending so much time together—taking care of Poppy and all. But that night, I could tell she felt it, too. And I freaked out—you’re not supposed to fall for your stepsister. So I ran away to boarding school. I should have told her why I was leaving, but every time I tried, it felt like a lie.

One missed flight was about to change their lives forever….

In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Love and Other Train Wrecks
Leah Konen
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A twenty-four-hour romance about two teens who meet—and perhaps change their minds about love—on a train ride to Upstate New York in the middle of a snowstorm

One train ride. Two strangers.

Noah is a hopeless romantic. He’s heading back home for one last chance with his first love, whom he broke up with when he went off to college.

Ammy doesn’t believe in true love—her parents being prime examples. She’s escaping from a mom who can’t take care of her to a dad who may not even want her. That is, until one winter night when Noah and Ammy find themselves in the same Amtrak car heading to Upstate New York.

After a train-wreck first encounter between the two of them, the Amtrak train suddenly breaks down due to a snowstorm. Desperate to make it to their destinations, Noah and Ammy have no other option but to travel together. What starts off as a minor detour turns into the whirlwind journey of a lifetime, and over the course of the night they fall in love. But come morning their adventure takes an unexpected turn for the worst. Can one night can really change how they feel about love...and the course of their lives forever?

In a Nutshell Reviews

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Victoria in My Head
Janelle Milanes
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Victoria Cruz inhabits two worlds: In one, she is a rock star, thrashing the stage with her husky voice and purple-streaked hair. In the other, currently serving as her reality, Victoria is a shy teenager with overprotective Cuban parents, who sleepwalks through her life at the prestigious Evanston Academy. Unable to overcome the whole paralyzing-stage-fright thing, Victoria settles for living inside her fantasies, where nothing can go wrong and everything is set to her expertly crafted music playlists.

But after a chance encounter with an unattainably gorgeous boy named Strand, whose band seeks a lead singer, Victoria is tempted to turn her fevered daydreams into reality. To do that, she must confront her insecurities and break away from the treadmill that is her life. Suddenly, Victoria is faced with the choice of staying on the path she’s always known and straying off-course to find love, adventure, and danger.

From debut author Janelle Milanes comes a hilarious and heartfelt tale of the spectacular things that can happen when you go after what you really want.

• Pro: Victoria was a great character. I feel like there was some part of her everyone could related to, whether it be having overprotective parents, being part of the race for a space in the Ivy League, feeling unattractive, thinking your sort of boring, or trying to please your everyone in your life.
• Pro: I love the wonderful group of friends Milanes assembled for Victoria. The suave and charming Strand, the fierce and riot grrlish Krina, and the loyal and super focused Annie, all of them encouraged and supported Victoria throughout this story. 
• Pro: Their band is named for my favorite Pixies song. How cool is that?
• Pro: Lots of witty and amusing banter, and I often laughed during Victoria's inner monologues. 
• Pro: Strand! I was so happy that Milanes made him three dimensional, because my first impression of him was not too favorable, but as more and more of his layers were revealed, I became president of his fan club. 
• Con: Victoria was really insecure and sometimes it got on my nerves, but not too often. 
• Pro: It was really nice to see Victoria's family play such a big role in this story. They were not the perfect family, but they cared for each other deeply, and we shared a lot of important moments with them in this book. 
• Pro: So many awesome musical references, and the playlists were awesome too. 
• Pro: We got a grand gesture! I love grand gestures, and this one was pretty darn sweet. 
• Pro: Although there is romance in this book, this is not a romance. This is a story of self discovery and figuring out how to be the person you want to be. 

Overall: A fun and heartwarming story of Victoria trying to figure out who she is and how she can become the Victoria in her head.

Just One of the Boys
Leah Rooper, Kate Rooper
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Alice Bell has one goal: to play for the elite junior hockey team the Chicago Falcons. But when she’s passed over at tryouts for being a girl, she’ll do anything to make her dream a reality…even disguising herself as her twin brother. With her amazing skills on the ice, Alice is sure she’ll fit in easily. That is, until she starts falling for one of her teammates…

Hayden Tremblay, star of the Falcons, can’t keep himself out of the penalty box. Constantly living in the shadow of his older brother, Hayden’s losing his passion for hockey. But when he gets shown up on the ice by the Falcons’ new rookie, Hayden’s determined to teach the kid a thing or two. Little does he guess that “Al’s” surprises on the ice are just the beginning...

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush title proves that wonderful things can happen when you’re brave enough to go after your dream. Dream hockey player, that is! Warning--a few locker room scenes are included...

• Pro: A lot of She's the Man hijinks, and I loved it. 
• Pro: This was fun and fluffy and exactly what I wanted when I was reading it. 
• Pro: The friendship between Al and Hayden was one I really adored. It went from hate to a full blown bromance. 
• Pro: Christmas in Canada! The holidays with the Tremblay family was a special treat. 
• Con: Alice's boyfriend was just a horrible human being, and I did not like him very much. 
• Pro: Kevin, Hayden's big brother, was trying really hard to be there for Hayden, and there were some beautiful moments we were lucky enough to share with them. 
• Con: The characters were pretty self centered with a lot of flaws BUT
• Pro: The characters experienced a lot of growth over the course of the book. 
• Pro: Hayden was quite wounded, but he had such a big heart under it all, and there were times when he was bearing his soul that got me a little misty. 
• Pro: Madison was a fantastic friend and support system for Alice, and I also found her quite fun and amusing. She definitely added to the story in a good way. 
• Pro: There was actually hockey in this book. Seriously, they spend time on the ice and everything. 

Overall: An adorable and sweet romance packed with lots of laughs, where the hero and the heroine found themselves and each other.

Protected
Claire Zorn
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:  4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

I have three months left to call Katie my older sister. Then the gap will close and I will pass her. I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty-one days old.

Hannah's world is in pieces and she doesn't need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems?

Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that?

In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl's struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.

• Pro: So. Many. Feels. I knew this would be emotional, but it was more than I expected. 
• Pro: The story structure employed by Zorn was well used. The places where she chose to flip between the past and the present were wisely selected, and added to the over all tension and mystery in the story. 
• Con: Katie was a huge disappointment. There were so many times she could have redeemed herself, but didn't. I was disappointed in Charlotte too, but I think I was supposed to feel this way about both these characters. 
• Pro: I really felt like Zorn dug deep into the strained relationship between Katie and Hannah. It was raw and honest, and although Hannah had reasons to be angry at Katie, deep down, she loved her, and I appreciated that Zorn let us see those parts too. 
• Pro: Anne was a rockstar of a therapists. I loved her candor and approach and I was so happy fate brought her and Hannah together. 
• Pro: I related to Hannah on so many levels. My sister was popular and I was bullied, and I know she considered me a burden. 
• Pro: Josh was a wonderful little muffin of a boy. Hannah was a tough customer, but he kept coming back and trying to scale her walls, however he treaded lightly, knowing when to push and when to recede. 
• Pro: The banter between Josh and Hannah was fantastic. With each interaction, I hoped for them to have more and more time on page together. 
• Con:  This was a solid 4.5 star read for me, until the ending.  I  could have used a little more there. Zorn was so gracious, and gave me so many gifts towards the end of the book, but the very end was just ok.
• Pro: This book takes place in a non-US setting (Australia). I liked all the little local bits Zorn fed to me, and enjoyed learning more about the Blue Mountains. 
• Pro: Mrs. Van was a little powerhouse. I love that she spoke her mind and shared her story with Hannah. She was a positive force for this family, and I was so happy she was around to help push them through their funk. 

Overall: Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, this was a beautiful story of healing, moving forward, and finding the strength inside oneself to accomplish those things. 

**I would like to thank the publishers for the advanced copies of these book.

Have you read any of these books?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Coming Up for Air - Miranda Kenneally

Coming Up for Air 
Miranda Kenneally
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie's focus and free time is spent swimming. She's not only striving to earn scholarships—she's training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team, and cheers her on. But Levi's already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed. And it's not until Maggie's away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the "typical" high school experience she's missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love?

As an elite swimmer with Olympic aspirations, Maggie's life is pretty much filled to the brim with swimming. After a college visit, she feels like she is missing out on many of the typical high school experiences. She has only been kissed once during a game, and has never had an actual boyfriend. She is hoping to remedy at least one of these situations by propositioning her best friend to "teach" her how to hook up.

"We can't. That's swimcest."

So, my initial reaction to this book:

And I mean "fluffy" in the best possible way. This book just hit the spot. It was sweet and fun with a low level of drama, and it left me with an ear to ear grin.

I really liked Maggie. This is a girl, who dedicated her life almost exclusively to her sport, and the remainder of her free time was spent with her family or her small group of friends. I admired her dedication on all fronts. She may have been immature when it came to physical relationships, but she was faithful to swimming like it was her job. She understood that her dream came at a cost, and she was willing to give up her days to the pool with no regrets or complaints.

"Even though I'm technically almost an adult, I feel like I haven't had any truly adult experiences. ... To be honest, I haven't had many life experiences at all."

I can still remember a little bit about high school (it was a very long time ago), and I remember feeling like I was being left behind as far a physical relationships go. Therefore, I could relate to Maggie's frustrations. I thought the messages that Kenneally wove in there with respect to sexuality were positive, healthy, and nonjudgmental. She did not impose a one-size-fits-all opinion regarding teen sexuality, as this is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Rather, many different ideas are presented, with the overarching idea being that it's a personal choice. Kenneally even addresses the double standard that is prevalent in society when it come girls versus boys, and I say - bravo!

"I get what she's saying. There's definitely a double standard. It seems guys can do whatever they want sexually, because boys will be boys. But girls have every right to experiment too. Can't girls be girls?"

I adored the friendship between Maggie and Levi. They had so much history together, and were quite a support system for each other. They had this higher level of understanding, not just because of years and years of friendship, but also because of their shared Olympic goal. I was rooting for this friendship to evolve from the very beginning. I just saw them as perfect for each other, and I experienced a whole lot of different emotions throughout this story overtime their relationship changed.

I have not been involved in any sports since my own high school days, but I love reading sports romances. I especially like, when there are actual sports sequences included, as there are in Coming Up for Air. Miranda Kenneally gave me a great look at what it takes to chase a swimming dream. All the laps, the weight lifting, the carb loading, all the sacrifices - the amount of time that an elite level athlete dedicates to their sport is daunting. She also did a great job getting us inside Maggie's head, including a rival, who was a thorn in her side and a hinderance to her gold medal dreams.

I was already a Hundred Oak fan prior to Coming Up for Air, and I was so excited when I spotted the first cameo from Jordan Wood (book 1). Then, Jordan and Sam pop up again. But, I really lost it all with their appearance in the epilogue. What a gift for the fans! Kenneally deftly brought this series full circle, by giving us a fantastic update on the very first Hundred Oak couple, as well as filling us in on what happened "after" with Maggie and Levi. I won't tell you much, but a few happy tears may have escaped from my eyes.

Overall: A solid addition to the Hundred Oak series. A wonderful friends to lovers story, which is sort of fluffy and left me with a happy heart.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book

Do you like to swim?

Let us know in the comments!

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Review: Girl Out of Water - Laura Silverman

Girl Out of Water 
Laura Silverman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Coming of Age
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Reading Challenges: #DebutAuthorChallenge2017

Anise had her summer plans locked down. She was going to spend her days surfing and lazing about the beach with her best friends, as this was the last summer they all would be together. All her plans are destroyed, when Anise's aunt is in an awful car accident, that leaves her with two shattered legs and three pre-teen children to fend for themselves. Anise and her father heed the call of family obligation, and jet off to Nebraska to help as her aunt recovers. Being far from home sets Anise a drift as she attempts to navigate this new life away from everything she knows.

"But maybe that's part of what family is -- loving people you have nothing in common with."

I pretty much plowed through this book. I found the story interesting, amusing, touching, realistic, and relatable. I fell in love with many of the characters, and found that it was terribly important to me, that Anise resolve her various issues before the end of the book. Or, at least resolve some of them. I needed her to move towards healing, so that she could get out from under that cloud and shine. Bottomline: I was totally invested in her.

"I wonder if, when you have children, your DNA mutates so that you'll do anything to make your kids happy........I wonder if my mom's DNA forgot to mutate."

Anise was a pretty great person. She was athletic, competitive, a good friend, a great cousin, a wonderful daughter, but she struggled with several issues that held her back. First, she grappled with her abandonment issues. Her mother apparently had some serious wanderlust, and would drift in and out of her life. This gouged a huge hole in her heart, and made Anise afraid of leaving her home and her friends. She feared that she was just like her mother, and that if she left, she would just disappear, and never to return. This robbed her of experiences, and planted a lot of doubt in her mind, which later complicates things with her friends.

"The irony doesn't escape me that my mom's favorite sport is running."

Not to fear, though. Silverman filled this story with some stupendous characters, who were there to help Anise wade through these difficult waters. Her best friend, Tess, is very different from Anise, but  compliments her in so many ways. She is steadfast and forgiving, but also very honest. Everyone needs a BFF like that, who will keep them centered and dust them off when they've fallen down. Anise also had a wonderful father. His world was also shaken when his wife deserted their family, and she left him to care for their young child on their own. He rose to the challenge, and provided Anise with a great upbringing. He was open and was able to face those difficult topics with his daughter. He was just a wonderful dad. I saved the best for last - Lincoln. Lincoln was so, so special. Every page he inhabited sparkled and shined. His personality, his smile, his dimple, his lust for exploration -- it was all so infectious. When he was with people, he always made them a better version of themselves. Lincoln knew when to approach and retreat when dealing with Anise. He helped her dig deep and face those hard truths that she needed to confront in order to move on and free herself. He called himself a "skateboarding evangelist", and there was definitely some truth in that statement. In addition to simply being an amazing human, he represents people with disabilities and adoptees and so much more. He was by far my favorite character in this book.

I sort of love all the ways you can interpret this title with respect to Anise and her story. There is the literal, that when Anise has to leave her beloved beach and go to Nebraska, she finds herself more or less landlocked. I am not a beach person, but the way Anise waxes poetic about the ocean, the feel, the sounds, even made me sort of wistful for it. The ocean was her comfort zone. There she had mountains of confidence and could easily navigate the waters. She was also able to carry this confidence onto the sand, but this was all stripped away in Nebraska. Without the ocean, the beach, and surfing, Anise seemed to lose her identity and her confidence. She was unnerved as she was thrust into new situations, and was slow to acclimate. Then there is the figurative "out of water". Anise was thrust into many new situations in Nebraska with all her new roles, and this led to many internal struggles.

I was so happy with how Silverman allowed Anise to grow and find her way. It was a rocky journey, but she was definitely in a better place at the end of the story, than at the beginning, and that is what I expect in a good YA book.

Overall: A charming coming of age story filled with character who pop off the page and touch your heart.

**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

Do you surf or skate or do you want to try it?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Labyrinth Lost - Zoraida Cordova

Labyrinth Lost
Zoraida Cordova
Series: Brooklyn Brujas, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 
Reading Challenges: #MontlyMotifs, #DiverseReads2017, #PopSugarReadingChallenge2017

As you may or may not know, I am participating in the Monthly Motif Reading Challenge. January's task was to read a book with a character (or written by an author) of a race, religion, or sexual orientation other than your own. I selected Labyrinth Lost, because it is written by Zoraida Cordova, an Ecuadorian author, and the main character, Alex, is a bisexual Latina witch. This book ticked all the boxes for this challenge, and was the perfect choice.

A photo posted by Sam Kozbial (@kozbisa) on Jan 2, 2017 at 12:34pm PST

Alex comes from a long line of powerful witches, or brujas. Her younger sister has the sight; her older sister can heal people, however, it appears as though Alex has not yet come into her powers. Yes, it appears that her powers have not manifested, but in reality, she is very powerful, and blames magic for all her problems. Alex longs to rid herself of her magic, and her attempt at the canto results in her family being sent to another realm from which Alex must rescue them. 

This book was such an adventure. There are so many things Cordova does right in this novel.

The characters are very well developed. I felt like I was well acquainted with Nova and Alex. Cordova gave so much backstory on the two, I was totally able to understand their motives for their actions and decisions. She also crafted wonderful secondary characters: Lady, Lula, Rose, Alex's mom, and Aunt Ro were well drawn, and enriched the story. 

The cultural and magical aspects were so interesting. I am NOT well versed in brujas, therefore, I ate up everything Cordova had to offer regarding this subject. From the descriptions of the clothing and hair, to the food and dance, she really painted a vivid picture of Alex's world for me. And the magic! The magic was pretty fantastic! I felt that the author integrated a through knowledge base of bruja magic so seamlessly into the story. I never felt like I was in the middle of an info dump, rather,  I felt well prepared to understand and enjoy what was going on in the story. 

The relationships in this book were so special. I loved the family bond between the sisters, and the way each generation contributed to the shaping of the next. That was just such a beautiful thing. I also really liked the bruja community aspect. I felt the warmth and the love. 

A lot of reviewers are taking about the romantic aspect. There is a love triangle, where Alex is attracted to both a boy and a girl. It's there. It's a minor part of the story (in my opinion), but I think it's great that it's there, in addition to the entire cast appearing to be people of color. (#ownvoices)

To me, this was a coming of age story for a bruja. She had to confront her past in order to embrace her purpose. It was also a story of family, and how she loved without boundaries. 

Overall: A thrilling adventure with a rich cultural and magical side.  

Have you read this book or 
any other books about witches?

Let us know in the comments!