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    Labyrinth Lost
    Labyrinth Lost
    Labyrinth Lost
    Audiobook9 hours

    Labyrinth Lost

    Written by Zoraida Córdova

    Narrated by Almarie Guerra

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    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. Praise for Labyrinth Lost: "Zoraida COrdova's prose enchants from start to finish. Labyrinth Lost is pure magic." -Melissa Grey, author of The Girl at Midnight "Magical and empowering, Labyrinth Lost is an incredible heroine's journey filled with mythos come to life; but at its heart, honors the importance of love and family." -Cindy Pon, author of Serpentine and Silver Phoenix "A brilliant brown-girl-in-Brooklyn update on Alice in Wonderland and Dante's Inferno. Very creepy, very magical, very necessary." -Daniel Jose Older, author of Shadowshaper
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 6, 2016
    ISBN9781501944703
    Author

    Zoraida Córdova

    Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels and short stories, including the Brooklyn Brujas series, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate, and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. In addition to writing novels, she serves on the board of We Need Diverse Books, is the coeditor of the bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old, and is the cohost of the writing podcast Deadline City. She writes romance novels as Zoey Castile. Zoraida was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and calls New York City home. When she’s not working, she’s roaming the world in search of magical stories. For more information, visit her at ZoraidaCordova.com.

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    Reviews for Labyrinth Lost

    4/5

    288 ratings22 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Love books about Brujas and to my surprise, the plot twist and ending weren’t super predictable in my opinion. If you genuinely like/are interested in books about brujas, magic, and Latina leads then I recommend!
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. Maybe 3 but the audiobook experience made it better. Teenagers will enjoy it. As an adult, there’s definitely something here for me though not much I have not already seen before. The magic system is of a different culture but is bogged down by the repeated cycle of western fantasy literature. The two main female characters are a delight and I do like the subversion of a certain YA trope I won’t spoil. I wish the places were more richly described and used as a character rather than just a background where things happen.
    • 5/5
      That was so much better than I expected! I loved the magic system, and the inspirations behind the story. Although Alex and Lula’s characters annoyed me in the beginning, I started realizing that’s how me and my sister are too, that’s why I felt familiar ? It’s a beautiful written book and an even more beautiful story of acceptance, family, and sacrifice. Perfect for the beginning of spooky season!!
    • 4/5
      This feels like the start of an epic urban fantasy tale. Facing one’s fear, a loving family, self discovery, a bisexual awakening, a perilous journey, a daring rescue, and facing off against a great evil. Simply epic and an awesome story.
    • 4/5
      Truely magical! I enjoyed every little piece of this book!
    • 4/5
      Loved it! Such an enthralling read! Los Lagos is full of life, death, and wonder! Only down side was I felt the the villain of the story was a bit weak. She somehow plays such a small part in such a grand scale adventure. Would have loved to see a villain that had more depth and weight to it. Other than that amazing story!
    • 4/5
      Is interesting in the way the author fill her “purgatory” likes world and making the story taking form over the time. Is an easy going novel and the vocal artist is really good, making my time in Maude my car enjoyable
    • 4/5
      I love that this is a vastly different take on a pretty common teen identity journey trope magic. Very cool mythos based on Dia de los Muertos. I also love that the main character is probably bi, but the book isn't about that -- it's about family and connection, acceptance and betrayal. The idea that she might be attracted to her best friend is just another part of the scariness of new love -- true for anyone, regardless. The story-journey itself didn't really do that much for me, but I appreciate so, so much both the world and the casual acceptance of sexuality.
    • 5/5
      Alex is a bruja, but she is afraid of her own power and wants to reject the magic of her family. She finds a spell to do just that, but when she casts it on her Deathday, she accidentally sends her family away to another place called Los Lagos. And now she's determined to get them back.This is my first book by Zoraida Cordova, and definitely won't be my last. The first in a series sets up a family with great characters and fantastic world-building. I was riveted and devoured the book in three days.
    • 4/5
      Listen, a book that takes place in the outer NYC boroughs, features witchcraft, has a potential bi protagonist, AND oh yeah, she's latinx as well? I WAS SOLD IN A HEARTBEAT! Maybe it was wish fulfillment, but Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova was just everything I have wanted in a very long time. Because of this, it had the potential to let me down, and yet, it gave me life.

      Centered around a family of brujas based in Brooklyn, Labyrinth Lost follows middle daughter Alex as she fights against who her family thinks she should be, struggles to find who she actually is, and oh yeah, travels through a magical land akin to the Underworld after a spell goes awry, risking her life in the process. What really makes this book so special isn't the magic (though it's pretty cool), but the emotion. The ties that bind Alex so tightly she feels like she can't breathe, but when they're gone, she feels lost. That everything is centered on her relationship with the family, and on the search for her place within it, while magical events are afoot, just makes this feel so real and let's it stand out from every other typical YA magical girl story.

      I would be a liar, however, if I didn't admit that it does still follow some YA conventions -- namely romance with 2 love interests. However, like with everything else in the book, Cordova gives it her own take. We have a potential love triangle that DOESN'T really involve the two parties fighting constantly and forcing Alex to choose; there are moments, yes, but mostly, they are able to put differences aside for Alex's sake and because to do otherwise would put them all in danger. Also, it's a queer love triangle!

      Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova is a great read that stands out among all the other YA magical girl stories. Cordova creates multidimensional characters that feel real with realistic reactions and emotions that carry the fantastic story forward. I cannot wait for the second book in the Brooklyn Brujas series to come out!

      For more in-depth commentary on Labyrinth Lost, check out the Pages and Pause Screen Podcast where I talk about the story along with my co-host Ally as it happens (Full Spoilers).
    • 4/5
      This book! Oh, wow did I love it. I've never read anything with this kind of mythology before and I was easily swept up into the world and was fascinated by everything I was seeing. I also really loved the characters and Alex's family. Though, I will admit, the plot did drag a little bit in places. Also, without giving anything away, there was an aspect of the ending that seemed a little too convenient. Overall though, it was a very enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars.

      Boy, do I hope that Labyrinth Lost is the first of a series, because I loved this book! I was immediately pulled in to this novel when I first read the description and realized it contained many of my favorite elements: Brujas and brujos (witchcraft); a coming-of-age Deathday celebration that takes its inspiration from Dios de los Muertes and Santeria; and a journey into an Underworld-type land called Los Lagos. And a glossary. I absolutely love when novels include glossaries!!

      The main character, Alex, is a teenage bruja that lives in Brooklyn with her mother and two sisters. She does not want the magic that runs in her blood, that ties her to her family and ancestors. We meet Alex shortly before her Deathday celebration. Along the lines of a bat mitzvah, but fictional, a teen’s Deathday is a special family celebration where the ancestors give their blessing to the brujo/a, which allows their magic to grow and reach its full potential.

      Alex, however, fears her power, and in a hasty decision, uses a canto to try to revoke her magic and give it back to the Deos (Gods). That plan backfires, terribly, and Alex embarks on a journey into Los Lagos to try and correct the terrible mistake that she made. She is accompanied by Nova, a young mysterious brujo, and her best friend, Rishi.

      Overall, the story works really well. One of my favorite things about the story was the world of Los Lagos, an ethereal world in another dimension. Córdova did an excellent job with both the plot and the world-building, and I really hope that Los Lagos makes another appearance in a future book! Alex and her companion, the brujo Nova, jump through a portal early on in the novel in an effort to save Alex’s family. The reader is literally dropped into a world filled with duendes, fairies from the Kingom of Adas, and the evil Devourer, a bruja gone bad, who has been sucking up power from the land through the Tree of Souls.

      I also love the cast of characters, who are mostly Latinx. Most of the characters – with the exception of Rishi, who is Indian – are Latinx, and the magical creatures that fill the pages of Labyrinth Lost are influenced by Latin American culture and mythology. For the most part, all of the characters are well-developed, with two exceptions: Alex’s mother, and Rishi. I was surprised when I finished the novel and realized I knew almost as little about Rishi as I did at the beginning. Which to me is an oversight, since she is one of the love interests in the story. My favorite character was definitely Alex’s deceased Aunt Rosaria, and I knew she was going to play a larger role than one would imagine from a deceased relative from the opening sentence:

      “The second time I saw my dead aunt Rosaria, she was dancing.”

      Another aspect about Labyrinth Lost that I really appreciated: respectful bisexual representation. I have to admit I began to worry when the love triangle first began to make an appearance, with the fear that we were headed down a rabbit hole, and Rishi would be turned into another token LGBT character that gets left in the dust for the “true” love interest. That was absolutely not the case! The romance was also very understated, which I appreciate. I am not a big fan of the romance genre, and fantasy books that tread to far into that department aren’t usually my cup of tea.

      With all of these wonderful elements, why did I not give it 5 stars? It comes quite close, but one problematic aspect brings it down a notch in my book. It always bothers me when an author misuses mental illness terms in an ableist manner, and I caught at least two examples of ableism in Labyrinth Lost. The first is the frequent use of “crazy”, as in “Crazy Uncle Julio”. The second, is this:

      “I’ve never seen a boy with such bipolar eyes, let alone a permanent wrinkle between his brows, like he spends more time frowning than anything else.”

      What, exactly, are bipolar eyes? In my opinion, this is definitely not an acceptable description, and it is used multiple times do describe Nova’s eyes. Frankly, I was surprised that a book that as diverse as this one would use such harmful word choice.

      Overall, I definitely recommend Labyrinth Lost to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy, especially stories rich in witchcraft and mythology. The ending seemed to leave an opening for a sequel, which I would read in a heartbeat!
    • 4/5
      Labyrinth Lost is a edge of your seat fantasy novel where you dive right into the world of brujas. Alex is a bruja who wants to be anything but one. In this fast paced novel Alex sets out on a journey of self discovery and a chance to save what matters most to her. I enjoyed this book immensely and can't wait for the sequel.

      -I was given a copy of this by Netgalley so that I could give an unbiased review.
    • 4/5
      Brooklyn Brujas #1 - 3.5 stars...

      Labyrinth Lost is a story about a family descended from a long line of brujas- Alejandra aka Alex, her mom, two sisters- Rose and Lula, their grandmother- Mama Juanita & Aunt Rosaria. They all have embraced their heritage & magical gifts for many years except Alex. Alex is an Encantrix, the most powerful of brujas and she's always feared her power and desperately longs to rid herself of it because she believes it causes nothing but pain & trouble. At her Deathday ceremony which is a coming-of-age for brujas, she attempts to do just that, with disastrous results- her family disappears. She has no choice but to conjure a portal and follow them to another dimension, an in-between world called Los Lagos, in hopes of saving them from the very powerful and evil creature called the Devourer. As she journeys through Los Lagos to the Tree of Souls where her family is being held and learns how to embrace and control her powers, she realizes her magic might just be a gift to cherish after all.

      I really enjoyed the first part of the story, learning all about Alex's family of brujas and their traditions and magical powers. After the Deathday ceremony though when Alex & her friend Nova traveled through the portal into Los Lagos is when the story lost a little of its magic for me. The world building and magical elements were kind of cool and had potential but I felt like there were just too many things thrown out at once and I didn't feel like any of them had the chance to get fully fleshed out. So I found myself losing focus and drifting off until I came to the end, then I really enjoyed it.

      Overall there are really neat concepts throughout the book but I think they could have been delivered a little bit better. I also think I would have liked the story a lot better if it stayed grounded more within their life in Brooklyn for a majority of the story versus the in-between world they journeyed to.

      *I received this ARC from NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!



      **I read this for 2016 Halloween Book Bingo: ~Diverse Authors can be Spooky Fun~


      Rant: Why do people not add the cover image when they add a new edition??? There's no excuse when the cover is right there in another edition! That irritates the living shit out of me especially since I can't go back and add it myself. The person who started it has to add it unless you have special privileges or send a request to a GR librarian. If I'm wrong & there is a way to go back & clean up someone's mess, please let me know!
    • 4/5
      It felt like a Latino Hex Hall of sorts, which is the best kind of compliment I could give this book.

      Longer review coming.
    • 4/5
      Labyrinth Lost I'm not normally one for witch stories, but these are brujas. I have to admit that I don't see a lot out there that mix magical realism with Latinx characters, so I just had to give this one a shot and I'm so glad that I did. The reviews of several other book bloggers, particularly diverse book bloggers may have helped too.
      That blurb doesn't really begin to tell the reader the half of it. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect spoilers in the blurb, but simply saying that she hates magic is a little off, in my opinion. She hates magic in that Elsa from Frozen kind of way. She's not ridding herself of a measly amount of power that isn't all that useful anyway or some part of herself that she doesn't feel like she identifies with. She's ridding herself of the dangerous power that she feels overwhelming her ability to control it and out of fear of what might happen were she to lose control. Sure, there are some other reasons in there and they are perfectly understandable 'I wanna be a normal girl' reasons, but I feel like those would have been manageable if not under the colossal weight of her power.
      The setup is done well and I felt like I had a good grasp of the characters and where everyone stood when the plot took off. Then there's Los Lagos and the insanity ensues. I enjoyed the darkness of it. Rather than Wonderland, which is what the back cover uses, I found Los Lagos reminded me of Oz. There is an order to things, no matter how unsettling they are and the inhabitants know what that order is. Moreover, each one is just trying to do the best they can within their circumstances in much the same way as the inhabitants of Oz. they have their own motivations that are not tied to our protagonist which makes them a bit unpredictable to her and to the reader.
      The worlds that stories take place in are one of my favorite parts of reading, it's why I tend to lean toward paranormal and science fiction and one of the things that's been a new joy to historical fiction. I loved the world building of this book. It's not just Los Lagos but also the world building to create this community of brujas and integrate them into Brooklyn. It's beautifully done.
      I look forward to the next installment!
    • 3/5
      Alejandra Mortiz is part of a family of witches, and she is the strongest of her generation. But she doesn't want her powers, and during the ceremony to bless her, she tries to reject them, causing her family to vanish into Los Lagos, a land between life and death. With no experience and only the help of a good-looking boy she can't quite trust, she goes to rescue them.
    • 3/5
      With a quirky storyline LABYRINTH LOST introduced us to an interesting group of characters and a world filled with fantasy, danger, intrigue and laws unlike our own. Although Alex, the main character, never really made me love her, I liked following her on her journey to save her family. The things that made me keep reading LABYRINTH LOST was the imaginative world, supporting characters and the need to find out if Alex and her friends would succeed in making things right.I was pretty surprised with the way the romance in LABYRINTH LOST turned out. I really didn't see it coming and was left wondering if I missed the signs or if they weren't there to begin with. Not that the romance was bad, just didn't feel like a very smooth transition to me and I didn't really feel the connection between the characters. It felt more forced than anything.LABYRINTH LOST IS a young adult novel—so it's hard to fault it—but I did have an issue with the immature feel of some of the characters at a few points in the book. They would switch from being totally sensible and seem older than their age, then they would do something totally ridiculous that made them seem younger. I wish it would have been a little smoother in that regard. On top of that, Los Lagos sometimes felt way too ridiculous to be real. It was highly imaginative and reminded me a lot of Alice's Wonderland—especially the tea party scene—, but some stuff just felt unbelievable. But again. It's a young adult story, so you have to take this part of my review with a grain of salt.The magic of the story definitely was what I loved most about LABYRINTH LOST, but it didn't really make me love it enough to read more stories going forward.* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      I’ll lead with the pluses: This book rates an A for diversity. One look at the cover and synopsis had me scrambling to secure a copy. I do love the concept, and why there haven’t been more YA titles out there centering on the Latin American/indigenous American mythos escapes me. I really, really wanted to like this title, and overall I did though I found it fraught with problems: Big stakes, small payout, especially with a villain that seems too easily conqueredI loved the scenes in the “real” world, but the labyrinth world, strangely enough, just didn’t have the same appeal or sense of tension. The characters and their relationships just weren’t developed strongly enough to identify with or truly care about. But the biggest disappointment for me was the story’s lack of grounding in indigenous Latin American and Afro-Caribbean culture and mythology. There’s enough gold to mine in real brujeria and Santeria to not have to fall back on recognizably European lore.I’m assuming this is the first title in what will be an ongoing series of Brooklyn Brujas books. I look forward to seeing the author explore this world, hopefully set in Brooklyn itself, further.
    • 5/5
      I finished this book in 2 days I loved it. Mythical, magical and inspiring. In order to save her family she finds herself traveling with a boy she barely knows or trusts and stumbling upon her best friend who followed her unknowingly into this other world this is a story of belief in yourself, acceptance for who you are and doing what is in your heart. Well written story that is filled with lots of mythological lore and stories of Gods, and mystical beasts. This book holds your attention it makes you care about the characters. I don't know if this book is supposed to be a series but there was a serious cliffhanger at the end.
    • 3/5
      I was really excited about this book after seeing some positive reviews Goodreads so maybe I had unfair expectations. My excitement was due in part to the author's innovative take on witches, a saturated sub-genre that has become old hat for paranormal YA. That expectation did pan out - this book presents witches who practice a type of magic that appears to be a fictional amalgamation of Caribbean, Latin American and African religions. I was also happy to see a story that centered around Latin characters and culture, as I myself am Latin. That, however, did not pan out so well. There was not much here in the way of identifiably Latin culture, save for references to foods. I was also frustrated by the descriptions of the character's eyes. Do some Hispanic and Latin people have light colored blue or gray eyes? Sure. But here brilliant blue eyes "like stars" and gorgeous sorrowful gray eyes were obvious symbols of beauty. That's such a Eurocentric beauty aesthetic and I feel like the author missed an opportunity to give dark or brown eyes the treatment so commonly given to light colored eyes. (And really, let's be real, it seems like every YA hero has brilliant baby blues - surely some attractive character in the YA universe has irises of some other color). However, I realize this is a superficial criticism. Thematically, the story appears to borrow much from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sailor Moon, as well as other Magical Girls, i.e., a reluctant heroine wants to deny her destiny but she is all powerful and learns that she must be brave because only she can save the world from a big bad. The big bad is all powerful and, like she's straight from the Negaverse, has to suck up all the power in the world to accomplish some nebulous goal. That's not to say that a story shouldn't be written merely because it's been written before. I love Magical Girls and all the themes characteristic to the genre. While it's common in Anime and Manga, it's underrepresented in YA. If more Magical Girl YA was written, I would surely read it. But here, the tropes just didn't work. The plot and the characters were one dimensional. No side plots, practically nonexistent backstories. The journey and the mission lacked nuance and drama. I never felt invested in the same way I felt when, for example, Katniss volunteered as tribute. The world building was disjointed and seemingly random. The love story was just straight up awkward. (For well-done LGBT YA check out Carry On. The story didn't feel cohesive. It was just a series of related actions and events, that were supposed to be exciting and action packed, but fell woefully short of that. In the end, I simply didn't care about the main character and her plight.I usually wouldn't criticize YA so harshly because, as a person who reads a lot of this genre, the frank truth is that the bar is set pretty low. But I had such high hopes for this one. With all that said, this book is on par with other mediocre yet wildly successful YA novels like The Queen of the Tearling, Throne of Glass, and Red Queen. If you enjoyed those titles, you will definitely enjoy this. I received this eARC from Netgalley.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the experience of reading Labyrinth Lost. It’s a book that I’d like to reread sometime in the future since tearing through it in less than twenty four hours was probably not the best way to pick up on all the thematic material.Alejandra “Alex” Mortiz is the most powerful bruja of her generation, and she comes from a long line of powerful witches. However, Alex hates her magic and at her Deathday celebration casts a cantos intended to remove her power. But the magic works unexpectedly and traps her entire family, living and dead, in another world. Determined to save them, Alex must venture into the strange and deadly land of Los Lagos.“I wonder what it’s like in other households during breakfast. Do their condiment shelves share space with jars of consecrated cemetery dirt and blue chicken feet? Do their mothers pray to ancient gods before they leave for work every morning? Do they keep the index finger bones of their ancestors in red velvet pouches to ward off thieves?”I’m not a huge fan of the “I just want to be normal” trope, which Alex’s desire to be rid of her magic definitely plays into. She has other reasons beyond hating how it makes her “weird” – she accidentally killed the family cat with her magic, and she’s sure that her father left because he was afraid of her. Despite this, I never really on board with the rational. If she doesn’t like her magic, can’t she just not use it? Or will it burst out of her uncontrollably?One of the most important threads of the book is family. Alex comes from a family of matriarchal Latina witches, currently the core of which is her mom and two sisters. Family and connections to her family (both the living and dead) is something incredibly important to Alex. It’s all very warm and loving, and it makes me wish that more YA fantasy books out there could look at familial connections like this. This theme of family is really what I want to reread the book for.The world of Los Lagos wasn’t my favorite fantasy setting I’ve encountered, but it was all right. It had a sort of “Alice in Wonderland” feel which wasn’t really my thing. Everything with it worked, it just never stunned me in any way, with beauty or originality or the like. Some of it was that Córdova uses familiar other worldly stock types – the fairy banquet and the river of souls for instance – and none of them are different enough for me to truly appreciate them.I mentioned before that there were some things I think I didn’t appreciate fully (the theme of family, or Alex coming into her powers) during this read through. In part this is because I was focused on analyzing every interaction Alex had with her friend Rishi, to the extent where I was showing sections to my friend and going, “Don’t you see it???”At this point, I probably need to back up and explain. The official book blurb mentions Alex’s guide in Los Lagos, Nova, a teenage boy. I’ve read enough YA books that I figured going in that Nova = love interest. This is true. However, Nova is not the only love interest. Rishi, her female best friend, is one also. As soon as I read the first scene with Rishi, I started picking up on the subtext. I also almost immediately started trying to convince myself that it was probably just me, since books with LGBTQ protagonists are something that I normally have to search out and not a surprise gift as in this turned out to be. I didn’t want to be disappointed and since I didn’t seen anything on it’s Goodreads page about Alex being bisexual, I tried to convince myself to ignore the subtext. Only, the interactions between Alex and Rishi just kept getting more romantic. After a slow dancing scene, I figured Alex had to be bisexual because I didn’t know what the heck else could be going on. Still, I was a little hesitant until Alex and Rishi’s relationship was confirmed by the text. Which it was! This book contains a cannon bisexual love triangle and I wasn’t just deluding myself!Since I read Labyrinth Lost as an ARC and before many other people had gotten around to reviewing it, the “Is this really happening?” experience I had will likely not be the norm. As it turns out, I could have been more through in my online searching and found a tweet from the author saying the book contains a bi romance. It would have been nice for it to be mentioned somewhere more accessible, but that’s a problem with how the book is packaged and marketed, not the book itself. It would have saved me some anxiety right there at the beginning though.The whole thing did make for a fairly unusual reading experience, which is why I want to reread it at some point. What will I think of the book when I know that yes, the protagonist is actually bisexual and it’s not just me? Would I like it as much? What might I notice that I’ve overlooked?Regardless, I did enjoy reading Labyrinth Lost and will be enthusiastically recommending it in the future. Matriarchy of Latina witches! Magic and spirits! A bisexual love triangle! If any of these things at all appeal, I strongly suggest you read Labyrinth Lost.I received a free ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.