Lobizona | Blog Tour
Lobizona by Romina Garber
Wednesday Books – August 4, 2020
*Book Review copy provided by Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Book review of Romina Garber’s Lobizona out from Wednesday Books. Werewolves and brujas learn about their place in the world and how to everyday resistance is just as powerful as dismantling systems of oppression.
I don’t always read young adult novels these days. In recent years I became dissatisfied with the genre and decided to take a step back from them and throw myself into other genres like romance, historical fiction, mysteries, etc. However, I think there’s been some huge strides in recent years to have more diverse and interesting stories from different perspectives, particularly Own Voices. Earlier this year while looking at ARCs on NetGalley I stumbled across this title and it’s been one of my most anticipated reads! It gave me Zoraida Córdova Brooklyn Brujas vibes and I was intrigued that Romina Garber’s Lobizona was influenced by Argentinian folklore.
About the Book
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.
My Thoughts
There’s a lot going on in Garber’s new series and a lot of it I truly appreciated and enjoyed.
First, I really appreciated that perspective of the story is told by Manu who is undocumented and feels caught between worlds. We don’t often see novels from this marginalized perspective and after reading and listening to some interviews with the author, it seems that centering this perspective and the danger, fear, and strength that goes along with it, was of high importance. Moreover, I loved the Argentinian focus of the novel and the Spanglish throughout. (Though apparently the Kirkus reviewer found it “tiresome” *rolls eyes*)
Additionally, although a certain moments I feared that the novel might slip in to YA tropes that I dislike such as love triangles, magical schools, the ‘Chosen One’, etc. However, Garber deftly unpacks these and turns some tropes on their head. In particular, there are clear allusions to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter but rather than merely replicating Harry Potter with a veneer of Latinx, Garber dismantles and pokes holes into this. Garber plays with ideas related to prescribed gender, being pigeon-holed into being good a certain activities based on gender, as well as deciding to be symbol of a movement versus fighting existing systems simply by living and finding love and friendship.
This has plenty of teenage angst, young love and lust, the idealism of youth, and some truly villainous characters and structural systems. My only complaint is that certain parts in the middle seemed to be bogged down by the world building of the magical school and then the ending seemed a bit to fast. This is a YA that will appeal to many fans and neatly fits into the genre while also feeling wholly original.
This first novel in the series is all about discovering where you come from, forging your own path, and dismantling systems and categories that aren’t designed for you. I would highly recommend this novel and after a cliffhanger ending I can’t wait to read the next novel.
About the Author
ROMINA GARBER (pen name Romina Russell) is a New York Times and international bestselling author. Originally from Argentina, she landed her first writing gig as a teen—a weekly column for the Miami Herald that was later nationally syndicated—and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Her books include Lobizona. When she’s not working on a novel, Romina can be found producing movie trailers, taking photographs, or daydreaming about buying a new drum set. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Virgo to the core.
