Lucha of the Night Forest

January 1, 2023
A teen comes of age in an unforgiving world of monsters, gods, and wretched humanity. Sixteen-year-old Lucha Moya lives in the harsh world of Robado, a city divided into haves and have-nots, with a drug-addicted mother who constantly leaves her and her younger sister, Lis, to fend for themselves. Thankfully, Lucha's seemingly innate abilities allow her to make a living hunting monsters. But after their mother's most recent disappearance, Lucha and Lis end up homeless, trapped in a situation that ends with Lucha's making a bargain with El Sediento, a figure that haunts nightmares but whose very existence shows that there is a whole world out there for her to discover. Next thing she knows, Lucha is on the run with her sister and Paz, the gorgeous and mysterious acolyte of a forbidden goddess. As Lucha's growing powers put her center stage in a centurieslong feud between two gods, she must choose between being a pawn or an important player in a life-and-death power play. Mejia's latest features the author's hallmark lush prose and rich fantasy trappings as it tells a captivating story in a Latin American-coded world. While some elements of the worldbuilding could have been more fully fleshed out, this story is inspiring and empowering, existing in the intersections between destiny and choice, history and myth, with strong roots in family bonds as well as a budding queer romance between Lucha and Paz. Spellbinding. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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January 30, 2023
Lyrical prose and fiercely characterized protagonists make up the heart of this propulsive fantasy adventure by Mejia (Miss Meteor). To support her drug-dependent mother and restless younger sister Lis in the corrupt city of Rabado, 16-year-old Lucha Moya uses her invisibility to hunt dangerous beasts in the nearby Bosque de la Noche. After her mother suddenly disappears on what Lucha assumes is another episode prompted by Olvida—an addictive drug that “steal your cares, your worries, your memories”—empty cupboards force Lucha to pursue ever more dangerous bounties in the forest. The Ricos, who both run the city and supply Olvida, soon threaten to evict the sisters, and Lis volunteers herself for indentured servitude in the Olvida greenhouses. Lucha is forced to turn to El Sediento, a legend of the forest, who promises to give her the power to save her sister and destroy Olvida—for a deceptively simple price. Slight worldbuilding and uneven pacing are balanced out by high stakes, a lushly described Latin America–inspired setting teeming with dark atmospherics, and an unforgettable queer romance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary.

April 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-"Olvida was the lifeblood of Robado-and the rotting death creeping through it." When protecting her sister in Robado triggers a deadly power in 16-year-old Lucha, a drug king imprisons her, and enslaves 13-year-old Lis. Desperate, Lucha bargains with a dark specter called El Sediento; if he helps save Lis and destroy Olvida, Lucha will free him. When Lucha and Lis finally escape to the night forest, they find a friend waiting for them. Paz is a devotee of Almudena, the forest goddess-the light to El Sediento's dark. Though Lucha accepts Paz's help, she knows she cannot give in to her attraction to Paz or tell her of the bargain with El Sediento. Because Olvida must be destroyed, whatever the cost. This dark fantasy offers equal measures of horror and mythology in an intricately built, dystopian world ravaged by drug dealing and addiction. The complex plot explores trust, choice, freedom, betrayal, identity, and hope. In addition, characters are layered and flawed, especially the tough Lucha, who has believable vulnerabilities that others-on both sides-try to exploit. Though the trek through the forest is overlong, faster-paced sections will keep readers enthralled. All characters are coded Latinx. Violence, implied sexual exploitation of a minor, and drug use make this a better fit for high schools. VERDICT In this dystopian fantasy, a teen with unsuspected power is drawn into an ancient struggle between dark and light. Recommended for high school collections.-Rebecca Moore

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May 15, 2023
Grades 8-12 Lucha and Lis, her younger sister, live in haunting, haunted Robado, where many residents (including their mother) struggle with an addiction to the forgetting drug Olvida, known for erasing memories of a person's worries or responsibilities. To make ends meet while their mother isn't around, Lucha uses her strange abilities as a cazadora who is invisible to the deadly monsters that dwell in the Bosque de la Noche. When their mother leaves them orphaned, Lucha must make a dangerous bargain with the feared El Sediento in an effort to protect her sister. A tentative alliance with the beautiful Paz Le�n, a missionary of the forbidden-forest goddess, complicates things even further. As the costs and consequences of her bargain become clear, strong, ferocious Lucha fights to save her sister--a quest that may require giving up all there is left of her own soul. A lushly described, dark, gritty world underpins an adventurous, fast-paced, Latin American-inspired sapphic fantasy that explores themes of familial responsibility and individual agency in an inherited and flawed world. Thought provoking and immersive.

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