Zoraida Córdova's Labyrinth Lost has been celebrated up and down the #YALit Twitter community, and as a queer urban fantasy book, it sounded right up my alley. Reader, the buzz is more than justified. I loved this book.

The story begins with Alejandra Mortiz not wanting to be who she is. As the middle child of a powerful family of brujas, she's destined to continue the legacy of the dead, but, to Alejandra, magic is a rotting harbinger of sorrow. That's why, when the Deathday formalization of her powers comes around, she tries to rid herself of her magic...only to have it backfire and send her entire family, living & dead, to the purgatory of Los Lagos. With the semi-reluctant help of fellow teen brujo Nova, Alejandra travels to Los Lagos to save her family, claim her heritage, and makes things right.

Córdova effortlessly builds her beautiful world of Brooklyn and the purgatory of Los Lagos, while maintaining a remarkably fast pace. I don't remember when I finished a novel this fast. The visuals and sensory details were incredible yet brief. It felt like I was reading a dream. The magic system is a blend of Santería and Catholicism, and Córdova weaves in details with deft charm. The characters are authentic, nuanced, and almost painfully real. Alejandra's teen angst feels refreshingly organic. Nova's character and backstory were an ornate, well-wrought counterpoint to Alejandra's. Her best friend Rishi is also an important character, and her humor and devotion were a good breather from the dark horror of limbo.

As far as the rep, the Brooklyn Brujas books are #ownvoices for Latinx rep, and there are queer characters, including Alejandra and Rishi. I know the next two books focus on her sisters, but I'm hoping Córdova explicitly states Alejandra's gender identity (right now it's I'll-figure-this-out-later/Ambiguously Bi) and develops Rishi more. Since the bulk of Labyrinth Lost centers on the journey in Los Lagos, we don't get a chance to learn a ton about Rishi beyond her shining, quirky personality. Gender and sexuality aren't the major focuses of the book, however, and I was quite content to immerse myself in the descriptions of the Meadows del Sol or Alejandra being a magical badass.

Honestly, Labyrinth Lost reminded me of why I love Young Adult literature. Fantastical worlds; well-meaning teens trying to make things right; deep themes uncompromised by fast pace; genre remixes of horror, fantasy, contemporary; diversity rep: sign me the heck up. I may have only read the first book, but I recommend the Brooklyn Brujas series to every YA fan out there.