Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Estranged from her mother and abusive stepfather, Nina lives in a rundown house on the wrong side of the tracks that she inherited from her grandmother.

When she starts have strange dreams about La Llorona, the Weeping Woman from legend who walks the Earth, cursed as she drowns children who get too close to the water, she thinks nothing of it. That is, until her aunt's children and many others disappear.

When her friends, Anthony and Marge, make Nina go back to visit her mother and aunt, the ancient Aztec past comes back to haunt them. With weird creatures after them, an evil Aztec Priest out to kill them in order to begin his eternal reign, and a man named Diego claiming that Nina's spirit is ancient and from the time of the Aztecs, Nina must confront her past and her family's dark history in order to break the curse of La Llorona and many other trapped souls.

Will she succeed or be killed by the Aztec priest?

HEART OF THE JAGUAR is a great, action-packed fantasy adventure that keeps the readers on their toes. Filled with mystery, history, and mysticism, this book is well-written. The main characters are well-developed and the plot is well-done. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, and science fiction will all enjoy reading this book. ( )

Of course I'm going to rate this book 5 stars-- I wrote it! This is a great coming of age novel for every young woman out there who ever questioned her place in the world and needed to find the strength to stand up for herself. ( )