Labyrinth Lost

July 11, 2016
Seventeen-year-old Alejandra “Alex” Mortiz comes from a long line of brujas, and her family is eager to celebrate Alex’s Deathday, where she’ll summon her ancestors and receive their blessings. Alex’s sisters and mother believe that she hasn’t discovered her power yet, but she has actually been hiding it—and she’ll do anything to get rid of it. Alex is an encantrix, one of the most powerful brujas, and a brujo named Nova Santiago claims to know how she can banish her power for good. When the spell goes sideways and her family disappears, she must journey to the dangerous “in-between world” of Los Lagos, once a land of wonders, to get them back, enlisting Nova as her guide. First in the Brooklyn Brujas series, Córdova’s (the Vicious Deep series) magic-infused, delightfully dark story introduces readers to an engrossing, Latin American–inspired fantasy setting and an irresistible heroine who longs to be “normal” and pines for the father that left their family behind years ago. A final twist will leave readers eager to revisit Córdova’s immersive world. Ages 14–up. Agent: Adrienne Rosado, Leibo Literary.

A Brooklyn bruja who doesn't want her powers must journey to another dimension to save her family.Alejandra Mortiz wishes she were a typical Brooklyn high schooler, but the Ecuadorian-Puerto Rican teen comes from a long line of Latina brujas (witches). Her mother and older sister, Lola, are healers, while her younger sister, Rose, is a dream-walking psychic. Alex, meanwhile, is revealed to be an encantrix--the most powerful kind of bruja, with the potential to master all forms of magic. Believing her magic to be a dangerous burden, she dreads her upcoming Deathday ceremony (a bruja or brujo's coming-of-age rite) until Nova, a mysterious (and gorgeous) brujo, informs her she could probably find the right enchantment to block her ceremonial blessing or even spell away her powers. When an evil supernatural force kidnaps her entire family during her Deathday, Alex must summon her powers--and Nova's knowledge of Los Lagos (the magical underworld)--to find her family and defeat her enemies. The author's blending of Latin American traditions, matriarchy, and religions makes the premise interesting, but the story is ultimately a predictable chosen-one quest. Props to Cordova for Alex's diverse family heritage, but readers will likely spend more time trying to keep track of the Los Lagos geography, various supernatural rules, living (and dead) characters, and off-putting animal sacrifices to feel invested in the multicultural bisexual love triangle. Underwhelming bruja adventure is fine for fans of diverse or urban paranormal stories. (author's note, map) (Fantasy. 13-17) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Alejandra Mortiz comes from a long line of powerful brujas (witches), although she has unsuccessfully tried to hide her powers from her family. They dismiss her disinterest as typical teenage behavior and continue to have high expectations of her and her abilities. At her Deathday celebration, a special ceremony where she is expected to take her place as a bruja and embrace her abilities, Alex rebels. Seeing magic as a curse, Alex rejects her destiny by secretly casting a canto (spell) to strip herself of magic but instead banishes her entire family to Los Lagos, the underworld. Horrified by what she has done, Alex is determined to make things right and free them. She embarks on a dangerous quest into the deadly underworld with the aid of the untrustworthy and handsome Nova and her nonmagical BFF Rishi. What they find is certainly more than any of them bargained for. This work is a magical journey from start to finish. Cordova's realistic world-building is the backbone of this engaging read. She spins a fantasy tale based in Latin American culture, with original mythology that rings true. Her focus on family and relationships, along with themes of loyalty, friendship, love, revenge, and being true to oneself, comes across effortlessly. A complex cast of characters drives the plot while keeping readers captivated. VERDICT A compelling must-have for teens.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 For witchlike brujas, there are birthdays and there are Deathdays, the latter being when a bruja accepts her powers. Latina Alejandra comes from a long line of brujas that includes her mother and two sisters. Alex, to her dismay, is potentially the most powerful bruja in generations, but during her Deathday celebration, she attempts a spell to rid herself of magic, only to have it backfire and send her entire family to a purgatorylike otherworld. Wracked with guilt, Alex joins forces with Nova, an angry brujo boy, and Rishi, her nonmagical best friend, to face a horde of otherworldly creatures and attempt to save her family. There's a lot going on here, and the narrative can be overstuffed, while Alex's immense powers are at times too convenient. But this succeeds with its lush use of Latin American mythologies, an unexpected love story, and, above all, in Alex's complicated relationship with her family. Alex is a necessary heroine, and this dark fantasy nicely paves the way for a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)