Lucha of the Night Forest is an action-packed sapphic fantasy filled with forest magic, feuding gods, and sisterhood.

Lucha lives in Robado, a grim city filled with struggling folks pinned between a salt river and an angry forest. Her mother (alongside most of the city) is addicted to a memory-altering drug called Olvida, and her daughters never know when (or if) she’ll return home. Lucha makes ends meet for herself and her little sister Lis by taking monster bounty jobs from a former friend & neighbor.

But when his demands become too high and the girls are threatened out of their home, Lucha has one option left: she begs El Sediento, a god of rot & hunger, for a deal. Alongside the secret-goddess-worshipper Paz, she transports Lis across the forest and to a hopefully better future. Though Lucha still must hold up her end of the bargain, and she doesn’t know what to make of a new power rising up through her blood.

Lucha is so determined to protect her sister, even when Lis lashes out and struggles to see the bigger picture. Their relationship is complicated and their bond is fierce – it’s an honest depiction of sisterhood. Lucha overcomes so much and her motivation is very centered around crafting a better world that her sister can thrive in. It’s a trope that always tugs at my heartstrings. 

Robado is a city revolving around drugs and addiction. The few in power use Olvida to manipulate the masses, getting richer while the residents crave more and more of the mind-numbing plant. Lucha dreams of destroying the drug, but also harbors complicated feelings for her mom, who is a user. She’s angry and doesn’t know how to fix things, and leans into anger while her new friend (and maybe more) Paz leans into compassion and patience. It’s a brutal look at capitalism, control, and power – and how to fight and dismantle these violent systems. 

I really enjoyed the forest as a living, breathing system. You’re always going to hook me with some mycelium magic! Each vine, every flower, and every root is connected here, and leaps off the page. There are terrifying monsters and overwhelming rot, but also greenery that fights back. And lots of lessons to be learned around compassion for all living beings and maybe leading with gentleness, understanding that there is darkness in everyone.

The gods and their lore were great as well. We get to follow the threads of myths and legends, explore choice versus fate versus responsibility, and see how stories become sanitized over time in order to make them cleaner and more palatable. Lucha uncovers truths that are scarier and messier, things that go beyond unwavering faith. 

There were some stumbles here for me. The timing was a tad off, and sometimes we flitted through months in a way that made me feel a little ungrounded. And I think the romantic relationship suffered for this, because Lucha and Paz go from untrusting strangers to declaring feelings for each other without really getting to know each other. We just skipped over most of that development. Generally, it was just a smidge too fast-paced. Maybe it could have been broken up into a trilogy.

Overall, I thought this was a great story and I would definitely pick up the second half of the duology. It’s a fight against inequality, a lesson in embracing your best inner qualities and finding strength in who you truly are, and a hug for everyone with complicated families.

CW: drug use, addiction, abandonment, violence, confinement, death, murder, animal death, child abuse, body horror, classism, trafficking, kidnapping, sexual harassment, grief, forced institutionalization, police brutality, vomit, pedophilia

Follow me on social media for book recommendations!

(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)