Labyrinth Lost Blog Tour! Review and Q&A with Zoraida Córdova

Title: Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1)
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 336
Source: ARC provided by Raincoast Books
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.ca | Indigo

Overall: 5 STARS

SUMMARY 

"Enchanting and complex. Every page is filled with magic." —Danielle Paige, New York Times best-selling author of Dorothy Must Die

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation...and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can't trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange marks on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland...

MY THOUGHTS
Alex is an encantrix, the most powerful bruja in generations—and she absolutely hates it. She just wants to be a normal teen girl, not summoning dead ancestors or casting cantos like her mother and two sisters. Magic is a burden, not a gift. And it always has a cost. But when your family comes from an ancient line of brujos and brujas, nothing is ever normal, no matter how hard Alex tries to pretend otherwise.

So that's why Alex decides if the Deos can bless her with magic, then surely they can take it back. But when Alex performs a canto to rid herself of her powers at her Deathday celebration, everything goes terribly wrong. Her whole family vanishes, taken to Los Lagos, a land in-between where souls linger. And the only person who can help her is Nova, a brujo boy she barely knows, yet she's forced to trust.

Lush and gorgeously written, Zoraida Córdova's Labyrinth Lost is an unforgettable fantasy adventure. Los Lagos was once a wondrous realm, but ever since the Devourer came centuries ago, the land has become a nightmare of ash and death. Danger waits at every turn for Alex and Nova as they encounter unfamiliar creatures only told in scary bedtime stories. It was like I was caught in an enchantment as I turned the pages, absolutely mesmerized by Alex's perilous journey through Los Lagos.

I had a feeling I would fall in love with Labyrinth Lost, but I didn't expect to be left in such a state of awe. Like, I'm not sure how Zoraida Córdova can possible write a better sequel for the next Brooklyn Brujas novel. Labyrinth Lost was just so imaginative, rich in world-building and magic, and utterly original. And I loved that the bonds of family were such a highlight of the book! If you're searching for your next diverse fantasy to read, I highly recommend Zoraida Córdova's Labyrinth Lost.
 

Q&A With Zoraida Córdova

In LABYRINTH LOST, Alex just wants to be a "normal" girl, but comes from a magical family of brujas who celebrate Deathdays, cast cantos and honour old traditions. What are some traditions from your own family that you love to celebrate, or maybe, like Alex, you've come to more greatly appreciate?

Unfortunately, my family isn’t as cool at the bruja family in Labyrinth Lost. My family is Catholic, but I’m not. I still celebrate Christmas with them, of course. We have our celebration during Christmas Eve. We used to wait until midnight to put the figurine of the baby Jesus in the Nativity scene. But now everyone is too old to stay awake until midnight and the younger kids get restless so we open up presents early. There is always a lot of food. Another thing is that we eat grapes during midnight. It’s one grape per month of the new year. I think it symbolizes wishes for the new year. I was in Germany last year and it was the first time I didn’t do it. That’s a Spanish tradition that made it’s way to Latin and South America. I’ll remember this year. 

LABYRINTH LOST Book Trailer