'Lobizona' by Romina Garber follows the story of Manu, an undocumented Argentine immigrant living in Miami. Manu discovers her magical roots as a human-werewolf hybrid and navigates the challenges of belonging to multiple cultures while fully belonging to none. The narrative delves into themes of immigration, gender, sexuality, and identity, all wrapped in a fantasy world based on Argentinian folklore. Manu's journey of self-discovery and acceptance is intertwined with a rich magical system and a diverse cast of characters who support and challenge her along the way.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for Lobizona include themes of racist violence, violence against women, and illegal immigration-related trauma.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance in Lobizona, with elements of attraction and relationship development between characters.
From The Publisher:
"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 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
Ratings (3)
Loved It (1) | |
Did Not Like (2) |
Reader Stats (13):
Read It (2) | |
Want To Read (9) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (1) |
2 comment(s)
This book isn't quite what I expected (I'm not sure what I expected, but not a magic-school book), but I enjoyed it! It was refreshing to explore mythology outside of my norm, and the world was well-described and developed. In addition to that, I didn't see the twist at the end coming, which is always pleasant.
As much as I found this book enjoyable, I don't know if it's a series I want to continue. There isn't much that draws me into wanting to read a sequel, so I might just leave my positive feelings where they're at and move on. If you find this book's synopsis interesting—please read it! You won't regret having done so, and I'm expecting to see even more great work from this author in the future.
Just feeling picky
What can you read after
Lobizona?
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.
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