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.

Lobizona is a brilliant YA novel which imbues today's political issues into a fantasy world. The novel follows Manu, a girl with unusual eyes, who is thrown into a new life after her mother is arrested by ICE. She starts searching for the rest of her family, whom she's never known, and stumbles straight into an Argentine legend. Even as she gets to know her new surroundings, her situation is eerily similar to before, as she is not welcomed fully into the new world because of her bloodline. The "police" force in her new world are just as terrifying to Manu's safety as ICE was back in Miami. By reflecting issues surrounding immigration in a fantasy setting, Lobizona highlights their importance. 

I really loved reading Lobizona as soon as I picked it up, I couldn't put it down until I had finished.One of my favorite aspects about the book was the magical school element in it, which I am glad to see a diverse version of. I also really felt connected to Manu, if her struggle straddling two different cultures (Argentine and American) and trying to find a balance between them. She was a really well executed strong female character and I can't wait to see more of her in the second book in this series. 

The fantasy realm blew my breath away. The descriptions were stunning and I know I'll be haunted by them for a while. Every time Manu visited the fantasy world, I felt as if I was right there with her, taking it in for myself. I wish there had been more world-building just because I enjoyed it so immensely.

I can't wait for this book to come out (tomorrow!!) so that I can get all of my friends to read it and talk about it with me! I am also already looking forward to the sequel even though it doesn't have a release date yet. Let me know in the comments if you read and enjoy Lobizona!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Until next time, 

Laura