Romina Russell

A timely, well-written use of werewolf-as-analogy that was genuinely refreshing and unflinchingly political.

That said, at times, the plot (especially once Manu meets the other Septimuses) kinda drags and the world-building, while well-imagined, can be a little confusing and hard to keep up with, and I was bummed about what felt like a very abrupt ending. But I'm definitely looking forward to more from this series and from Romina Garber.

(Also, god, what a beautiful cover).

Full review at my booktube channel: https://youtu.be/pit9j9kfHIg?t=2289… (mere)

This might just be the best YA book of 2020. It's the magic-packed, Latinx werewolf story I never knew I wanted but now am very invested in seeing where the story/series goes! The writing style is descriptive and engrossing, and Garber weaves such a rich world and mythology that is fascinating to see unfold and explored. Our main character, Manuela, is full of depth and life; seeing her deal with her family history, the threat of ICE and being deported, her place in both the human and magic worlds, and trying to coming to terms with who she is and her identity is a rewarding and multilayered story that really makes an impression.

I was especially impressed by the conversation Garber started about questioning the strict binaries of gender and sex with the lobizon/werewolf VS bruja/witch. In the world of the Septimus (the magic world here) all men are lobizons and all women are brujas. When that strict separation is proven false, it makes the Septimus have to begin to look at their outdated beliefs and social structures and consider the question of where someone who apparently doesn't fit in belongs - or if that person DOES belong and it's the systems that need changing.

Just because I'm now a little ways out of the target age range, it's been awhile since a YA story hit all the marks for me personally, but I totally loved "Lobizona". While there were a couple slightly weak moments (that big reveal with Fierro felt a bit out of left field), I still found myself completely falling into Manuela's world and being invested in the magic, the romance, the friendships- all of it!… (mere)

A bloodthirsty family legacy calls a girl back to her ancestral castle after a tragedy. But this castle is more than haunted - it's always hungry.

In this gothic supernatural romance, Estella is the sole survivor of an accident that killed her parents. She is institutionalized from the shock and struggles to find the will to live, when a mysterious letter arrives from her aunt, inviting her to the family castle in Spain that she can only barely remember. In true gothic fashion, her aunt forbids her from exploring the castle beyond the main rooms. Of course, that's the first rule Estela breaks, finding hidden rooms and secrets all over.

But when the handsome shadow beast (vampire) that Estela has been dreaming of comes to life within the castle walls, she finds herself drug into a web woven by others. Sebastian's convinced she is the bruja (witch) who has trapped him in her dimension and keeps threatening to kill her. But as Estela investigates to keep herself alive, both seem to feel complicated emotions towards each other.

This book was pretty well-paced, with just a few sections when we were in someone's memories that seemed to drag a little. There were some good twists, as well as some great gothic elements. All in all, an enjoyable mash-up of dark fantasy and paranormal romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mere)

A bit of history: El Lobizon is a type of werewolf from Argentine legend. As the superstition goes, every 7th son in a family is born as a Lobizon. Every full moon, at the stroke of midnight, this causes them to turn into a ravenous, wolf-like creature until dawn. This superstition was so strong and caused so much trouble that the president of Argentina began adopting seventh sons in 1907, and then included 7th daughters starting in 1973, claiming this would break the curse.

Lobizona is a story based on this legend, written by Argentine author Romina Garber. This debut novel is another of my recent reads that was released this year. I had honestly been in a serious mood to read a really good werewolf book with some nice world building. Oh my goodness, did this deliver. This was just the book I needed and it was so much more than just a werewolf book.

Manu lives with her mom and their friend in Miami, Fl. But because they are undocumented and on the run from people from her dad’s past, Manu must live a very solitary life, staying home as much as possible. It doesn’t help that her eyes look like glowing suns with silver star pupils. Or that every full moon she experiences “lunaritis,” such awfully painful period symptoms that her mother gives her special pills to knock her out during the worst of it. However, Manu begins to learn that her mother hasn’t been very honest with her about a lot of things. When her mother gets arrested by ICE, Manu starts unraveling all the secrets her mother kept from her. Probably the biggest secret- Lobizones are real. And not just Lobizones, but Brujas, the witches that the seventh daughters become. And Manu is somehow connected to this world of legend by the father she has never met.

Because Manu is considered “illegal” in both worlds she is connected to, she has never felt like she belongs. But as she begins to learn more about who she really is and makes new friends that support her, she finally begins to see a place for herself. Manu has had to focus her entire life on playing it safe to survive, hiding herself away. Now, she is able to get a glimpse of what a life could be like where she knows exactly who she is and serves as an inspiration to other young women like herself who want to push back against the boxes they have been placed in. Definitely a 5/5 stars from me ★ ★ ★ ★ ★.

Merged review:

A bit of history: El Lobizon is a type of werewolf from Argentine legend. As the superstition goes, every 7th son in a family is born as a Lobizon. Every full moon, at the stroke of midnight, this causes them to turn into a ravenous, wolf-like creature until dawn. This superstition was so strong and caused so much trouble that the president of Argentina began adopting seventh sons in 1907, and then included 7th daughters starting in 1973, claiming this would break the curse.

Lobizona is a story based on this legend, written by Argentine author Romina Garber. This debut novel is another of my recent reads that was released this year. I had honestly been in a serious mood to read a really good werewolf book with some nice world building. Oh my goodness, did this deliver. This was just the book I needed and it was so much more than just a werewolf book.

Manu lives with her mom and their friend in Miami, Fl. But because they are undocumented and on the run from people from her dad’s past, Manu must live a very solitary life, staying home as much as possible. It doesn’t help that her eyes look like glowing suns with silver star pupils. Or that every full moon she experiences “lunaritis,” such awfully painful period symptoms that her mother gives her special pills to knock her out during the worst of it. However, Manu begins to learn that her mother hasn’t been very honest with her about a lot of things. When her mother gets arrested by ICE, Manu starts unraveling all the secrets her mother kept from her. Probably the biggest secret- Lobizones are real. And not just Lobizones, but Brujas, the witches that the seventh daughters become. And Manu is somehow connected to this world of legend by the father she has never met.

Because Manu is considered “illegal” in both worlds she is connected to, she has never felt like she belongs. But as she begins to learn more about who she really is and makes new friends that support her, she finally begins to see a place for herself. Manu has had to focus her entire life on playing it safe to survive, hiding herself away. Now, she is able to get a glimpse of what a life could be like where she knows exactly who she is and serves as an inspiration to other young women like herself who want to push back against the boxes they have been placed in. Definitely a 5/5 stars from me ★ ★ ★ ★ ★.… (mere)