I bear good news: this book is a ray of brilliance.

I couldn’t resist.

Puns aside, Raybearer is one of the most unique, immersive fantasies I’ve read in some time, maybe even in my whole life. It’s phenomenal. It’s a slower-paced novel, with more focus on strategy, world-building, and character dynamics than action. But with such a brilliantly developed cast of characters and lush, intricate setting, that’s perfectly fine. Everything just works.

The story has an interesting timeline—it starts when the protagonist Tarisai is eleven or twelve, confined to her mother’s manor with a bunch of tutors, being trained for the audition to join the prince’s council. As the story progresses, she, the prince, and the rest of his council grow up. Seeing both plot and character development come together, on top of truly great writing, was a treat.

I’d definitely say this is a quietly engrossing story. If that isn’t a thing, I’ll make it one now. As I read, I became more attached to the cast and grew more curious about what was coming, almost without noticing.

The last third of the story went in so many unexpected directions, and I can’t wait for the sequel, whenever it comes. Hopefully the wait isn’t too long. In the meantime, you definitely want Raybearer in your life.

Representation:
• Almost, if not entirely, Black cast
• Asexual (significant) side character

CW: emotional abuse & manipulation, mention of child abandonment, child death, mention of rape

I mostly reread this on a whim because I missed Manu and Tiago, but I’m so glad I did!! I didn’t realize just how much I missed them. They’re absolutely adorable and must be protected at all costs, especially Tiago. Literal cinnamon roll. 🥹🥹❤️❤️

I’ve covered all of the bases in my OG review, but I want to make one thing absolutely clear: Romina Garber is BRILLIANT. Her world-building? INCREDIBLE. Her foreshadowing? LITERAL GENIUS.

“‘Now go forth and shatter every convention.’”
“‘Why be the son of a system when you can mother a movement?’”
THE POWER???

“‘I want to be with you, only you, and I don’t care who knows it.’
‘But they’re going to talk—‘
‘Let them. Yours is the only voice that matters.’”
MY HEART???

And then there was this scene—
Tiago: I’m coming with you.
Manu: You have the life so many people want! Think about what you’d lose!
Tiago: [looking at her] I am.

And don’t even get me STARTED on him calling her “solazos” because I!! Cannot!! Handle it!!!! *shrieking in the distance*

I didn’t plan to stay up so late last night or marathon the entire second half of this book, but both ended up happening. No regrets. Lobizona is phenomenal, and one of the most unique books I’ve read in some time.

To be honest, I didn’t originally plan to pick this up, and only added it to my TBR after seeing so many positive reviews from people with early copies. I’m extremely glad I gave it a chance, because I loved it. At this moment, I want two things: the sequel, and more YA werewolf books to read since I can’t have the sequel yet.

I love that this book has werewolves front and center. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that done before in a YA novel. Sure, I’ve read books with the creatures in them, but unless I’m forgetting something, never any about them. Garber uses Argentinian mythology to create a lush, intricate world hidden alongside our own, where lobizones (werewolves) and brujas (witches) exist. Every bit of it was fascinating to me, and the world-building was expertly woven into the story without any info dumps.

This book also features a magic school, and I can honestly say it’s one of the coolest settings I’ve ever read. We’re told there are many like the one we see, where teenaged lobizones and brujas go to harness their abilities. At El Laberinto, located deep in the Everglades, there’s a sentient tree used to travel around the school, doors unlocked with blood, and a magical version of soccer made dangerous by brujas that attempt to turn the tide in their team’s favor and make matches tougher for the opposing team. Everything about is so unique and intriguing.

You know what else is unique? This book actually mentions periods! Manu talks about hers coming every full moon and awful cramps, all of which is actually explanation for something else. But anyway, props to Garber for casually including periods. Other authors, please take notes.

As is usually the case for me, though, my favorite part of Lobizona was the characters. Manu, Saysa, Catalina, and Tiago are all complex characters, with memorable personalities and brilliantly developed dynamics. I admired Manu’s strength and dedication from the beginning, and as a whole, just really liked her. Tiago and Saysa were also quite easy to love, in my opinion, and it didn’t take much for me to love them. Catalina was the one that really surprised me, as she seemed, at first, to be a basic mean girl and ended up with so much unexpected depth. I appreciate Garber taking a different path in that regard, especially since the end result was a friendship I love with my whole heart.

Shoutout to the rest of Cata, Saysa, and Tiago’s friend group, as only one person was awful and everyone else joined them in protecting Manu. All of them together just makes me so happy.

Garber also knows how to write exquisite romances. There are two in this book—one that develops as the story progresses and leads to something completely worth waiting for, and one already established that’s kept secret until the end. I can’t handle how cute and good and generally amazing they are. The tension and yearning between Manu and Tiago is *chefs kiss*. Everything about them is *chefs kiss*.

There was a lot of unexpected intensity and mystery in the plot as well. At first, Manu and her mother are hiding from ICE, and later, Manu is hiding her identity and lack of identification from the academy’s principal and authorities. There are moments where I was truly worried she’d be discovered, and on top of that, an interesting mystery regarding her father’s whereabouts and whether or not he’s even alive. Many secrets and surprises are hidden throughout the book, keeping me intrigued consistently after the novel’s beginning hooked me.

And the last few chapters? Seriously intense. Absolutely wild. With romantic moments, secrets revealed, and more showdowns and daring escapes than I can count, it felt like a roller coaster worthy of an amusement park. I kept intending to stop and go to sleep, to finish the book in the morning, but now it is morning and I slept late because I stayed up late finishing this. I sped through the entire second half of this book in just a couple of hours, four at the most. I don’t regret it for a second.

Lastly, I want to mention the themes present in the novel, and the discussions throughout that are incredibly relevant to our society: immigration, the struggle undocumented immigrants face, and how that affects every part of their lives. This isn’t in my lane to discuss in any depth, but I wanted to acknowledge it. This is the first YA novel I’ve read (that I can recall) that is so unflinchingly honest about the topic. There are also discussions sprinkled in about sexism and gender equality, equally honest and necessary.

Alright, I’ve legitimately been writing this review for hours and I think I’ve said all I can say. Lobizona is a unique, brilliantly crafted and executed story and I love everything about it. I can’t wait for the next book!

”’Now go forth and shatter every convention.’”
—My favorite quote

Representation:

[second read, December 2022]
It’s been entirely too long since I read this for the first time, and revisiting it was SO MUCH FUN. Vaguely stressful, yes, but mostly just fun. Miyoung and Jihoon are my favorite grumpy/sunshine couple of all time, and that’s entirely because they’re the only one I’ve seen where she’s the grump and he’s the sunshine. We need more of that ASAP please. It’s for the betterment of society.

Also, I am shocked to learn that apparently Past Me didn’t like Junu until the sequel??? At least, that’s the vibe I get from my first-time-around review, and Present Me just Does Not Understand. I was so happy to see my favorite cinnamon roll goblin troll again. Every time he showed up, I was grinning, and more often than not I was cackling by the time he left. I love Miyoung, Jihoon and Somin, but I absolutely ADORE Junu. He is Best Boy. 🥹💗

And speaking of, it’s now time for me to go reread his book and possibly cry over it too. Fun times lie ahead. :’)))

[first read, August 2020]
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this, and admittedly, it took me a couple of chapters to get used to the audiobook’s narrator. But after that, I quickly fell in love with the characters and grew invested in the story. Cho took Korean mythology and spun it into a mesmerizing modern fantasy—which, by the way, I wish there was more of. Wicked Fox is a story of love and sacrifice, morals and murder, and it was so much more fantastic than I ever could’ve guessed it would be.

My favorite part of the novel, undeniably, was the characters. Miyoung and Jihoon are brilliant, with plenty of individual dimension and incredible chemistry. Miyoung is the grumpy one, closed off to protect herself because she and her mom move around so much and absolutely not in the mood for people whatsoever. (Relatable.) Jihoon is the soft one, also trying to protect himself—for different reasons—but doing so by being affable and charismatic. I love them so much!!!

Miyoung ends up as the new girl at Jihoon’s school and, despite her standoffish exterior, he stands up for her when bullies come around. He genuinely wants to be her friend and it’s so wholesome. He respects boundaries but also refuses to back down because he thinks everyone needs friends. For the record, that was when I knew he was one of my favorite beans and a complete cinnamon roll.

Cho develops their friendship before any romance, which I really appreciated. But the romance does come, and with it, so much angst and way more emotions than I signed up for. They’re such a cute couple before everything starts going wrong, and the things they did to my heart are so rude. (I still love them, though.)

Anyway, all of that aside, the protagonists were so well-written and easy to care about, no matter what was going on. As the story continued, I realized that that applied to the side characters as well: Jihoon’s friends, his grandmother, and even some I didn’t expect it from, like Yena and Junu. The antagonists were also well-developed, even if they didn’t get quite as much page time as I would’ve liked. A minor issue.

The story is set in modern Seoul, which was interesting to me and definitely something I wouldn’t mind seeing in more stories. While there wasn’t world-building like you’d see in a high fantasy, Cho more than made up for it with folklore. I’d only heard of gumiho a couple of times in passing and never knew much about them until reading this. I found it quite intriguing, and especially liked the small pockets of legend and backstory woven into the main plot.

And so help me, the plot twists in the last quarter of the book. Everything went completely to crap and I was stressed. Numerous things happened I didn’t see coming, and I was consistently upset and/or shocked until the very last chapter. I was kind of confused, at first, because everything seemed to wrap up nicely and I wasn’t sure what the sequel was going to be about. Then came the epilogue, and I’m so curious but also very concerned.

So, needless to say, I loved Wicked Fox. Every part of it was magnificent, and I can’t wait to read the sequel. Please read this. I can’t recommend it enough.

Representation:

I firmly believe Menon has grown significantly since her debut, and mastered the art of writing fun, relevant, and realistic Young Adult contemporary novels. While my personal favorite of the Dimpleverse trilogy is There’s Something About Sweetie, this is a close second.

Pinky and Samir are well-developed characters with distinct voices and obstacles to overcome, their stories furthered by equally well-rounded side characters. I liked Pinky’s headstrong attitude and passion for activism, no matter the cause. Samir was much more subdued, but still interesting.

If you like the fake dating trope, this is a must-read. I completely forgot this book had that trope, as I hadn’t read the synopsis since it was announced. So, what an exciting surprise! Between that and the hate-to-love, Menon crafted a brilliant romance. When not at each other’s throats, our two leads make quite the cute couple.

Also, props to Menon for making a lighthearted story unpredictable. There is some of the basic drama many YA contemporaries thrive on, but I’m not concerned about that. The surplus of positives outweigh that single negative, in my opinion. How is it unpredictable? Well, while I certainly hoped Pinky and Samir’s story would end a certain way, I was never sure. There were curveballs and emotions, more than I expected, and I really enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed the secondary storyline regarding the butterfly habitat. It was meaningful, and a unique way to drive the story in addition to the characters’ physical and emotional development arcs.

To be honest, Sandhya Menon is a must-read for any YA contemporary fan or general hopeless romantic. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Representation:
• Almost entirely Indian cast
• Married biracial sapphic side couple (a Black woman and a white woman)

CW: cancer (prior to story, discussed on-page)

This was really fun and I definitely recommend it, especially to fans of Rick Riordan’s novels! The tone and humor are similar, and the characters are equally great. If I had to pick one element to critique, it would be the pacing—things seemed to slow down in the second half. Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. I hope to continue the series soon.

Representation:
• An Indian protagonist
• A Filipina-Indian protagonist

This was one of my favorite books in elementary school, but after rereading, I cannot for the life of me figure out why. For such a short book, and a kids’ one at that, it was unbelievably slow and dense. The chapters were long and they dragged a LOT. And while the concept of a boy raised in a graveyard, by ghosts, is interesting, I honestly don’t think Gaiman did it very well. He tried to add too many extra elements that he didn’t explain well, if at all. I also don’t understand what exactly the Jacks were trying to do. And if I, a semi-intelligent twenty year old person, can’t figure it out, how is a literal child, the intended audience of this book, supposed to??

This is the first book on my “Liv rereads all the books she used to love” list, and I’m really, really hoping this doesn’t set the tone for the rest of them. 💀💀