Author: Romina Garber
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Published: 4th August 2020
Pages: 400 [ebook]
Pages: 400 [ebook]
Some people ARE illegal.
Lobizonas do NOT exist.
Both of these statements are false.
Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.
Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.
Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past--a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.
As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it's her entire existence.
Lobizonas do NOT exist.
Both of these statements are false.
Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.
Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.
Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past--a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.
As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it's her entire existence.
Inspired by Argentine folklore, Lobizona follows Manu's journey of self-discovery and her fight for the right to exist in a society that sees her as illegal. Now, before plunging into my review: isn't the cover gorgeous? 😍 Just look at the colours and textures and how it shows off Manu's unique eyes.
Storytelling: Lobizona discusses a very serious topic: immigration. It focuses on the experience of being an undocumented immigrant and the feelings that such an experience encompasses: the fear of an unknown future and of being discovered and forced to return to the place you run away from. As you can see, this book shares an important and powerful message. We do read to keep reality at bay (at least, I do), but this is a message that needs to be spread and readers will not be left indifferent to Manu's struggles. In other words, reader will not be left indifferent to the challenges faced by immigrants.
Notwithstanding, I did have some issues with the story. Firstly, it incorporates too many clichés: Manu is the special one and she can do anything without proper training; also, Manu and Tiago fall in love as soon as they meet each other (this was a very awkward insta-love). It bothered me that Manu was head over heels for Tiago (who is the alpha of his group, another cliché) five seconds after their first interaction. My second issue was how many times the Harry Potter series is mentioned throughout the book (its influence on the story of Lobizona is very clear). After reading the acknowledgments, I understood the reason the author mentioned it so many times through Manu, but there were just too many references.
I would like to add that I loved the use of Spanish quotes - the use of the language just made the book feel more vivid.
Characters: First things first: Manu's love for books? I hearted it! ❤️ Being an undocumented immigrant has influenced Manu's whole life. Since she can remember, Manu has been hidden from everyone - first because of her peculiar eye colour and then because she moves to America, where she is considered illegal. Because of such, Manu has been living a half-life.
After an ICE raid, Manu runs away and stumbles into a magical school - a magical school for people who share her eyes (even if in different colours). Lying about her identity, she joins the school, where she comes to learn who she is and that she may be as illegal in Septimus as she is in America: after all, she's half-human half-septimus and half-lings are not welcomed. They are condemned to death! Nevertheless, Manu has the opportunity to find who she is and finding her place in the world, outside the four walls where she grew up, to fall in love and build friendships.
World Building: As I stated previously, I know very little about South-American folklore. So, I'm always super excited to get to know more about the culture and folk stories of other countries. Moreover, for what I gathered, there are several moments Argentine culture is also introduced in the story, such as the mention of drinking yerba and all the delicious dishes.
Lobizona is inspired by the belief that the seventh son or seventh daughter is born with supernatural abilities - the boys are lobizóns and the girls are brujas. Septimus, a cursed world located on a different realm that can only be accessed during the full moon, is influenced by this idea, creating a binary that reduces boys and girls to one role. Boys and girls end up having separated classes and are forced into heteronormative relationships. Manu's existence is the first step into doing some damage to the social hierarchy - the patriarchal order that controls the inhabitants of Septimus.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Storytelling: Lobizona discusses a very serious topic: immigration. It focuses on the experience of being an undocumented immigrant and the feelings that such an experience encompasses: the fear of an unknown future and of being discovered and forced to return to the place you run away from. As you can see, this book shares an important and powerful message. We do read to keep reality at bay (at least, I do), but this is a message that needs to be spread and readers will not be left indifferent to Manu's struggles. In other words, reader will not be left indifferent to the challenges faced by immigrants.
Notwithstanding, I did have some issues with the story. Firstly, it incorporates too many clichés: Manu is the special one and she can do anything without proper training; also, Manu and Tiago fall in love as soon as they meet each other (this was a very awkward insta-love). It bothered me that Manu was head over heels for Tiago (who is the alpha of his group, another cliché) five seconds after their first interaction. My second issue was how many times the Harry Potter series is mentioned throughout the book (its influence on the story of Lobizona is very clear). After reading the acknowledgments, I understood the reason the author mentioned it so many times through Manu, but there were just too many references.
I would like to add that I loved the use of Spanish quotes - the use of the language just made the book feel more vivid.
Characters: First things first: Manu's love for books? I hearted it! ❤️ Being an undocumented immigrant has influenced Manu's whole life. Since she can remember, Manu has been hidden from everyone - first because of her peculiar eye colour and then because she moves to America, where she is considered illegal. Because of such, Manu has been living a half-life.
After an ICE raid, Manu runs away and stumbles into a magical school - a magical school for people who share her eyes (even if in different colours). Lying about her identity, she joins the school, where she comes to learn who she is and that she may be as illegal in Septimus as she is in America: after all, she's half-human half-septimus and half-lings are not welcomed. They are condemned to death! Nevertheless, Manu has the opportunity to find who she is and finding her place in the world, outside the four walls where she grew up, to fall in love and build friendships.
World Building: As I stated previously, I know very little about South-American folklore. So, I'm always super excited to get to know more about the culture and folk stories of other countries. Moreover, for what I gathered, there are several moments Argentine culture is also introduced in the story, such as the mention of drinking yerba and all the delicious dishes.
Lobizona is inspired by the belief that the seventh son or seventh daughter is born with supernatural abilities - the boys are lobizóns and the girls are brujas. Septimus, a cursed world located on a different realm that can only be accessed during the full moon, is influenced by this idea, creating a binary that reduces boys and girls to one role. Boys and girls end up having separated classes and are forced into heteronormative relationships. Manu's existence is the first step into doing some damage to the social hierarchy - the patriarchal order that controls the inhabitants of Septimus.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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That cover is so pretty! I want to read for the cover alone but I am intrigued by the story. I know you say there are some cliches to be had in the story, but I think I can overlook them (I hope) since there are a lot of things I do like the sound of from the Argentine culture to the folklore. It's got a lot of things which are different as well. Great review and thank you for bringing a book to my attention I might have completely missed.
ReplyDeleteI have this one coming up soon (well, would have been sooner but rescheduling!) and I am glad that there were some great positives! I love the whole concept of South American folklore! Kind of a bummer about the cliches, especially insta-love (probably my least favorite) but hopefully I will be able to enjoy the story anyway. Great review!
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