January 2021 Book Review: Labyrinth Lost

LABYRINTH LOST (Brooklyn Brujas)

By Zoraida Córdova 

~Book Review~ 

*WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!*


THERE’S NOTHING IN A YOUNG WITCH’S LIFE like making your entire family disappear on your Deathday. Alex is a Bruja waiting to inherit her powers, but unlike her sisters (psychic Rose and healer Lula), she would rather not have anything to do with magic. After her attempt to rid herself of her powers during her Deathday goes wrong, banishing her family to the underworld of Los Lagos, Alex teams up with a mysterious Brujo named Nova and her best friend Rishi to save them from the power-hungry Devourer.

I’ve been on an underworld kick and can’t get enough! Los Lagos proves to be no exception, full of perils like a lost soul river, misunderstood harpies, and everlasting festivities with fairy folk in a seemingly cheerful meadow. It’s easy to get immersed in Córdova’s writing, which neatly balances plot with world-building and has an easy, straightforward style.

The most intriguing character by far is Nova. He’s the bad boy archetype who actually executes on it, and displays genuine remorse after. He felt the most fleshed-out and sympathetic to get invested in. Rishi was interesting as well, incredibly loyal and brave to pursue Alex into the underworld without magic powers. As is a common trend in YA novels, our main character Alex proves to be the weakest of the three. Suffering from insecurity, awkward dialogue, and a brooding, harsh personality, she’s difficult to warm up to, and indeed, the biggest mystery was why both Nova and Rishi would be so into her. It’s difficult to make the reluctant heroine character work when the audience is here for the magic and thrill of having supernatural powers, and Alex comes up short in this regard.

But it matters not! We have a great supporting group of characters including the spirited Lula, cynical harpies, and the mysterious world of Los Lagos itself. The Devourer is a bit one-dimensional but it’s nevertheless interesting to learn the backstory behind her desire to reshape the underworld in her image. Best of all, the other two books in Brooklyn Brujas (Bruja Born and Wayward Witch) focus on the more engaging characters of Lula and Rose, as well as include appearances by the enigmatic Nova.

Overall, this book is fun and all about Alex defining her place in her family, both blood born and made. Latinix influences (Alex is of Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican background) intermix with modern day Brooklyn to create an atmosphere brimming with magic and mystery, where Deos walk among skyscrapers and the spirit world is just a spell’s cast away.

Recommended for fans of: Daniel José Older, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Sarah Fine