Lobizona

have i eaten swiss cheese with less holes? yes. did i still enjoy this? absolutely!

unexpectedly so, i'll admit. a lot of my friends didn't enjoy this book for various reasons, so i really braced myself, and the first ~50 pages or so made it hard to really get into the story. but once manu finds el laberinto, the story takes off running and absolutely does not stop.

there's a lot of world-building thrown at you throughout the book in not the prettiest or most satisfying way, but the world-building works really well hand-in-hand with the amplitudes of commentary being made. so, sure, some things have too much detail and others not enough (or even contradictory detail), but it was important to the message and morale of the story.

as i said in one of those updates, a cata POV would've been immensely interesting, though i'm not 100% sure how that would be implemented when she's not there from the start of the book. like manu, her situation is incredibly complex as she's at the mercy of her parents' choices but is trying to make decisions on her own as she grows into herself. still not 100% sure of her train of thought given the holes and whatnot, but found her character interesting nonetheless.

the third act (fourth? it happened really late in the book tbh) reveals were a little much, but most made sense. again, holes don't help, but i didn't mind too much at that point? especially with the hilarious friends-esque scene where they're just rattling off their reveals and everyone's gasping at them lmao

super interested in reading the sequel!! when it comes out in paperback lmao

Thank you NetGalley St. Martin's Press for an arc!

I am going to level with you. I had a difficult time getting into this book. The last 20% really was what made it a fun read for me. It has a lot of important messages about community, alienation, and breaking free from the rigid barriers that society has put in place.

I don't know if I'll continue with the series but I do absolutely see how much value there is in Manu's story.