“Garber’s gorgeous novel combines the wonder of a Hogwarts-style magic school with the Twilight-esque dynamics of a hidden magical species that has strict rules about interacting with the human world.” – BOOKLIST (Starred Review) 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 … 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.
“With vivid characters that take on a life of their own, beautiful details that peel back the curtain on Romina’s Argentinian heritage, and cutting prose Romina Garber crafts a timely tale of identity and adventure.”-Tomi Adeyemi New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone
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With vivid characters that take on a life of their own, beautiful details that peel back the curtain on Romina’s Argentinian heritage, and cutting prose Romina Garber crafts a timely tale of identity and adventure.
I grabbed this paperback at the bookstore the other day and started it almost as soon as I got home. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a paranormal, fantasy-shifter book that I haven’t wanted to put down. As the world carried on around me, I immersed myself in Manu’s life. I grew to dig her character despite the slow awareness she had in realizing what she is. As Garber immersed the reader in lore, Manu’s circle was growing bigger. It’s a circle I would love to be a part of.
For someone raised so incredibly cut off from the world, Manu is highly adaptable. Her mother was burying huge secrets about who Manu really is, and Manu, for the most part, takes it all in stride. The world is incredibly vivid, immersing the reader in everything Manu is seeing. Lobizona is an addicting book and the start to what promises to be an exciting series. I cannot wait to start Cazadora.
Before you start Lobizona, do not go into this story thinking that this story is simply a high fantasy filled world building and magic because it’s not. This story exists at the intersection of both the real world and a magical one.
Manuela ‘Manu’ Azul has spent most of her life in hiding thanks to being an undocumented immigrant from Argentina living in Miami as well as having unique eyes (bright yellow with a grey star pupil). Manu’s world completely crumbles when her mother is arrested by ICE. Manu manages to escape to the magical world of Kerana, but she quickly learns that even in Kerana…she still is illegal.
One thing that I was really blown away by in this book was Garber’s dichotomous world building. The opening scene was downright frightening. When Manu and her mother are trying to hide from the ICE agents, Garber does not shy away from the brutal and terrifying reality that exists for many immigrants in the real world. In contrast, when Manu arrives in Kerana, we are transported to a beautifully crafted magical world filled with the lush Argentine folklore of the brujas and lobizones (werewolves). Since Manu is ignorant to this magical world, the reader gets the unique opportunity of learning and experiencing the world alongside her.
As far as character development goes, I think that each of the characters were well developed and enhanced the storyline; including the side characters. I also loved that each of the characters had a trait that made them someone you could both empathize with and root for. I also loved that there is queer representation in this story especially with the discussion of how illegal same-sex relationships are in Kerana.
Another aspect of this story that I loved is the fact that Garber unapologetically has the characters naturally switch between English and Spanish even mid thought. I think that this is something that is incredibly important for the Latinx community in terms of seeing this representation normalized. No, this doesn’t mean that if you’re not a Spanish speaker that you will be lost.
Overall, I think that Lobizona an eye-opening and haunting experience of the immigration experience laced with magic rooted in Argentine folklore. I can’t wait to see how the series progresses.
Thank you you Wednesday Books for the blog tour invite and providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Story of an undocumented immigrant and her family with an interesting twist. Fun page turner. Engaging and timely. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
“I stopped looking at the bars of my cage and started looking between them. If my life sucks, that just means it hasn’t peaked yet. I’m in the middle of my story. And every tomorrow could be my happily ever after.”
I just… I’m speechless! This book was so good!! I’m not really sure what I was expecting from this story, but it definitely wasn’t this. And I mean that in the best possible way. Romina Garber has blown me away and stolen my heart.
Admittedly, it took me some time to really get invested in this story. The first handful of chapters are slower moving and pretty normal, minus a few minor details. It read more like contemporary/magical realism, which caught me off guard, but intrigued me nevertheless. Around chapter 8-ish, however, the plot takes off running and I’m telling you I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN.
“I’m a passenger not just in this vehicle, but in my body, in this country, in my life. Defined by decisions I didn’t make.”
This is one of those books that gets better the less you know going in, so this is going to be weirdly vague. But man, what a ride. I can honestly say I had no idea where the story was going the entire time and I got thrown some MAJOR curveballs. It was great. I can’t wait to see what happens next in book two.
The characters were too precious and I found myself falling a little in love with each of them. Manu is such an amazing, relatable protagonist with a huge heart and watching her grow over the course of the story was amazing. And I would pretty much lay my life on the line for everyone in her little found family. Saysa is the best little feminist Tinkerbell, Tiago the most adorable story-loving protector, Cata who’s fiercely loyal, and everyone else in the manada. I JUST WANT TO GIVE THEM ALL HUGS.
And the world building! I’m so fascinated by the universe that Garber has created. It has pieces of familiar legends and fairy tales, but is something completely new. The descent into this new world was very slow and gradual, which I also really liked. It added to my urgency to keep reading because every new thing I saw made me want MORE. Lately it feels like every fantasy book throws you in head first and I have to struggle to keep up, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was so nice to get a break.
My absolute FAVORITE aspect of this book though, above all else, was the amazing way Garber wove important messages into the fabric of the story. There are so many different layers to this and I was continuously blown away about how it all connected together. This book is about so many things—immigration, not fitting in, feminism, being from two worlds, gender binaries, self-esteem, friendship, LGBTQ+, found family, and so much more. But it all bleeds together, just like real life. No one fits into a predetermined box, we’re all unique individuals and I LOVED seeing that reflected in this novel.
“Now go forth and shatter every convention.”
—FINAL WORD—
Such a fun and gripping story with some important things to say. I loved every second and can’t wait for the next book. If you love fantasy, then I definitely recommend.
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
Lobizona is a unique take on the tales of werewolves and witches. Manuela Azul is an illegal immigrant in Florida and hiding from her father’s people. When ICE raids her mother’s work, Manu accidently falls into the secret world of werewolves and her father’s people, a world that is rich with Argentine fairy tales. Buried deep in the Everglades is a school of brujas, witches, and Lobizones, werewolves and Manu finds out about her other half. Even here Manu must hide her true self because of who her parents are but soon she finds friends and allies in the school where she is one of a kind, the only Lobizona. The author builds a rich, unique world full of interesting and complex characters for a story that flies by and leaves you itching for the next chapter. Better than that other teen werewolf/vampire story, Manu’s tale will fuel the imagination and leave you impatient for the next book. My voluntary, unbiased story is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
Lobizona is a richly layered narrative that is at once a mythological retelling, a coming of age story and social commentary. It’s interesting that the opening scene in the novel shows an ICE raid, the thing that Manu’s family and community fear the most. Manu and her family have well-practiced strategies for hiding from the government authorities bent on hunting down undocumented people and apprehending them for forced repatriation. The fear for ICE is on par with the danger represented by the supernatural elements Manu encounters throughout the novel and that, in itself, was a powerful statement about the fear too many in this country are forced to confront.
Manu is a wonderful, rich representation of the gifts that immigrants carry with them, gifts that make them so indispensable to the new countries they call home. She is bilingual, reads voraciously, and dreams of one day working for NASA as an astronaut. Originally brought to the US by her mother from Argentina, Manu has never met her father and this theme of identity occupies the first part of the novel, together with the harsh realities and fears of living as a undocumented person.
Lobizona is very successful at conveying the immigrant experience and all its terrors and triumphs. There is relentless hope even as Manu’s family fears discovery, and they rely on their dream that somehow, things will work out for them, the way it has worked out for so many others.
But Lobizona is also a young adult fantasy novel – and it is true to its genre. It relies heavily on Argentinian folklore which, after the millionth retelling of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, is a refreshing change of pace. The magical realism spliced with portal fantasy, the world-building and the use of Argentinian Spanish did my multi-culti heart so much good. I want more books featuring other Latin-American cultures and in this, the book delivers.
Manu is unique, as we discover. She blacks-out for three days during her monthly cycle, during which she occupies a dream world. She is the seventh daughter, so she should be a witch, but instead she is a Lobizona or a female werewolf, in possession of powers usually reserved for the seventh son. She has silver, star-shaped eyes she must cover with sunglasses because they are so odd. She comes into possession of super hero – like powers like supernatural strength, speed and overdeveloped senses.
Without spoiling the remaining plot points, there is a forbidden love, a very cool friend group, and excellent queer representation. This story grapples with the big issues: the ethics of assigning legal status to humans for any reason, immigration, and the fascist nature of ICE. It also confronts issues of misogyny, the flaws of a binary gendered system, and the way privilege is awarded and the harm it brings to everyone, whether that privilege is in the world we live in or the world where magical beings vie for meaning and power.
I look forward to reading the next installment of this series.
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted at https://serataino.com/bookshelf-lobizona-wolves-of-no-world-1-by-romina-garber
I really wanted to love this book. But, I struggled with it. I considered not finishing it. I did not like the switching between English and Spanish in the book. It’s wonderful to have more Latino and Latina characters. But, if I choose a book published in English I don’t want to have to try to use context clues to figure out meanings or have to read the text in Spanish and then translated in English. There were too many Harry Potter references. The last half of the book made it worth reading.