Genre: Adult Fantasy
Release Date: September 13th, 2022
(This is a reprinting that was originally published in 2015.)
Pages: 352
Publisher: Rebellion/Solaris
My Rating: ⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“A literary fantasy about love, music and sorcery, set against the background of Mexico City.
Mexico City, 1988: Long before iTunes or MP3s, you said “I love you” with a mixtape. Meche, awkward and fifteen, has two equally unhip friends — Sebastian and Daniela — and a whole lot of vinyl records to keep her company. When she discovers how to cast spells using music, the future looks brighter for the trio. With help from this newfound magic, the three friends will piece together their broken families, change their status as non-entities, and maybe even find love…
Mexico City, 2009: Two decades after abandoning the metropolis, Meche returns for her estranged father’s funeral. It’s hard enough to cope with her family, but then she runs into Sebastian, and it revives memories from her childhood she thought she buried a long time ago. What really happened back then? What precipitated the bitter falling out with her father? And, is there any magic left?”
Review:
I really expected to like this book more than I did. I think this author is a mixed bag for me. I’ve read some of her stories and loved them, I’ve read some of her stories and did not like them at all.
I was also graciously gifted an advanced copy of her newest release, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (you can read my review of that here), and I had a similar uninteresting experience with it as well.
With that being said, I think this may be the last ARC I request by this author simply because I hate not being able to honestly write a glowing review.
This one fell flat for me. The characters are flat, the setting is flat. It just felt very underwhelming and as a whole underdeveloped. For example, I felt like the only way the portions that are set in the past were reflected to us was through a multitude of references to bands, and not much else.
I didn’t find much that felt relatable with the characters.
The plot is slow and I never quite got the point of the story. There wasn’t a sense of urgency, nor a connection to the characters’ desires or motivations.
It has the elements for teenage angst and coming of age with a sprinkle of magical realism. And it is set against two different time periods, where we could potentially see how the events unfold and how the characters have changed over the years. Except, I just didn’t really see any of that.
I didn’t experience the depth that I felt this story had the potential for.
There are no truly defining activators in the plot, nothing that is driving or pulling us along.
I didn’t feel it, didn’t connect to it. I wasn’t moved.
I don’t have much to say about this one other than it being a bland experience for me. My memory of it is as unremarkable as how I felt while reading it. Maybe that’s harsh, maybe I’ll be the minority with these feelings, maybe it’s just that this isn’t the book for me. Either way, can’t say I recommend it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion/Solaris for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!
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