Review: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

3.5 Stars

I was really excited to read this book, but sadly, I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. I can’t totally explain it, so maybe it just wasn’t for me. There were some things I liked, but I couldn’t quite get into it.

Let’s get one thing straight: I do have to give it to this book for being original. It may seem like your usual witch urban-fantasy book, but the author (who is Ecuadorian) infuses it with South/Central American culture, giving it a fresh and interesting twist. Alex is a bruja, a witch, and she also happens to be the most powerful in her generation. The mythology surrounding the magic was cool, and it definitely showed creativity. I liked reading about how it worked, and about the different gods and magical creatures.

Unfortunately, Alex hates her magic, and clashes with the rest of her devoted bruja family.

When Alex tries to rid herself of her powers, she accidentally sends her whole family away to Los Lagos, a world in-between where all manner of fantastical creatures live. To save her family, Alex has to travel to Los Lagos with a mysterious brujo boy.

The summary compares Los Lagos to Wonderland, but somehow, it ended up falling flat for me. I never felt really immersed in the detail. It all seemed pretty predictable:

• A river of souls, with a gatekeeper (this idea can be found in many mythological pantheons)
• Fairy-like creatures with a never-ending banquet
• Evil, dark monsters, as well as peaceful creatures
• A big, evil monster that has taken over the world

I guess I have high expectations of portal fantasy to really transport me to a beautiful, fantastical world with creative creatures and myths, and poetic descriptions, but to me, this didn’t have enough of that. I was left feeling a little disappointed.

The characters were alright; they did each have a good amount of personality. Alex kind of suffered from Special Snowflake syndrome, because she’s an encantrix, the most powerful type of witch. Although she first rejected her power, she learns to use it throughout the book, and becomes very powerful. I’m not opposed to main characters being special, but in this case, it felt a little too convenient. Of coooourse the girl who hates magic just has to be the most powerful in her family, right? And be the one to go on a quest to a dangerous magical world? I don’t like super powerful main characters because it makes everything too easy. I would rather see them struggle than be practically invincible.

I did really like how this book celebrates family. Alex’s family were funny, lovable, and endlessly devoted to her. Her sisters Lula and Rose were both enjoyable characters. The sister-to-sister bantering was cute, and I’m glad they didn’t end up being “ugly stepsisters”, despite the dysfunctional aspects of their relationship with Alex.

There was a bit of romance towards the end, and I do have to give the author credit for surprising me with it. From reading the summary, it seemed like it was going to take a predictable route, but it ended up being something else entirely. For that, I am glad. However, I never quite felt the chemistry between the characters, and it happened very suddenly without much buildup.

So, to sum it up, though I never felt very engrossed with this book, I would say it’s worth the read if you find the premise interesting. For me, books about non-white characters written by non-white authors are always worth a try, and it’s exciting to see that the author recently got a movie deal for this book. I think I’ll continue this series if I get the chance, but I didn’t love it nearly as much as I wanted to.