The Brooklyn Brujas Series: Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born, and Wayward Witch

Book Review (more just a pile of my personal opinions from my personal experiences)

Title: The Brooklyn Brujas Series: Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born, and Wayward Witch

Author: Zoraida Cordova

Year: 2016, 2018, 2019

Genre: YA Fiction/Fantasy, witches(bruja, brujo, brujex), 

Queer shit: Queer relationship, non-binary character (brujex)

Vibe Check: I…..confused myself (not uncommon) and accidentally read the third book first. The first book was all about the middle child vibes and explored wanting something different for your life than what your family chose, fighting with and against magical beings in another realm. The second book is about the oldest sister and explores outward beauty and its impact on our self-worth and identity, grief and loss, and was simultaneously my favorite and least favorite book of the series. I really didn’t like most of the plot because of reasons I’ll list below, and loved the overarching themes throughout. The third book is about the youngest sister and explores bonds with parents being different, personal power and identity, and includes more fighting with and against magical creatures in yet another realm.  

Pile of Opinions: 

Labyrinth Lost: I feel like this book would have had a bigger impact on me if I had read the books in order. I enjoyed the adventure and relationships and setting the scenes with family and traditions and normalcy, I just loved the 3rd one so much more that reading this one after the 3rd felt like a step back. I highly recommend reading these books in order as the author intended and not doing what I did haha Read the order of books in a series before you start reading, learn from my mistakes! I did enjoy this book and would recommend the entire series if you like witches and family and adventures. 

Bruja Born: This was my least favorite of the series because it was about zombies. Something turns like the entire high school into zombies and hearts are being ripped out and eaten and it was just not for me at all. It was a great story and well told, I just really hate zombies and concepts surrounding fighting zombies.


Wayward Witch: This is the third book in this series and I accidentally read it first because it happens. I loved this one the most out of the three. Maybe I am biased because it was about the youngest sister and I am the youngest sibling in my family. Also maybe because a non-binary character shows up. I enjoyed the adventure and the relationships of this one as Rose learned to use her powers and fight forces when she and her dad end up in a magical realm that traps her dad in a tower and sends her on a quest to fight powers destroying the realm. This book explained enough back story throughout it as a review that I wasn’t that confused reading this one first.

Edie in Between

Book Review (more just a pile of my personal opinions from my personal experiences)

Title: Edie in Between

Author: Laura Sibson 

Year: 2021

Genre: YA Fiction/fantasy? grief/loss, magic

Queer shit: Lead character is a a queer girl who likes girls

Vibe Check: witchy stuff, cursed house, boats haha 

Pile of Opinions: The short summary is a girl loses her mom and when someone in their family dies their ghost still hangs around. Edie has to move in with her grandma and learns about her family’s history with magic and the family home that is a little (a lot) cursed and the adventures that go with learning where you come from and who you get to be. I liked how this book approached grief and I read the book as a bit of a metaphor for grieving. I’m not sure if that’s what the author intended but since I had just recently lost someone close, grief was heavy on my mind. I really connected to Edie’s grief and how losing someone so close can rock your identity and also create a push to take root in who you are. The magic was throughout the book, though the fantasy was really only in the last hundred pages. I did like the cursed house though and am possibly too intrigued by it. It’s best I stay home as much as I do, my radar for danger is not great haha If my life were a book I would be making smart ass comments about my decisions regularly. Ok, I already do. I also really loved the cover of this book a lot!