Book Review: Bruja Born

Title: Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2)
Author: Zoraida Cordova
Genre: Young Adult | Urban Fantasy | Magic
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC


Three sisters. One spell. Countless dead.
Lula Mortiz feels like an outsider. Her sister's newfound Encantrix powers have wounded her in ways that Lula's bruja healing powers can't fix, and she longs for the comfort her family once brought her. Thank the Deos for Maks, her sweet, steady boyfriend who sees the beauty within her and brings light to her life.
Then a bus crash turns Lula's world upside down. Her classmates are all dead, including Maks. But Lula was born to heal, to fix. She can bring Maks back, even if it means seeking help from her sisters and defying Death herself. But magic that defies the laws of the deos is dangerous. Unpredictable. And when the dust settles, Maks isn't the only one who's been brought back...(goodreads)


This series needs to be no fewer than 10 books, I never want this to end!
Plot: Even though Bruja Born was a sequel to Labyrinth Lost, it read more like a companion. There was a quick summary to remind readers what happened in Labyrinth Lost with the focus being Lula Mortiz and Lula royally messed up Bruja Born. After the happenings in Labyrinth Lost, Lula had both emotional and physical scars. This led to relationship difficulties with her longterm boyfriend Maks. After a fatal traffic accident that left Maks dead, Lula attempted to bring Maks back from the dead in hopes that she could repair their relationship. Instead of bringing back her loving boyfriend, she brought back a horde of zombies. Do I have your attention now? 

Just like Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born was told in three parts with the third part having the most action. I loved the pacing overall and I was surprised by how much more there was to learn about Lula's family and the dynamics between the different paranormal sects. In my opinion, Bruja Born had me with more questions and provided almost no answers which only has me antsy for Rose's story. 

Characters: Lula was very different from Alex and I was surprised by how much she encompassed second-child characteristics. She was vain and still upset with her sister for having her trapped in the magical world of Los Lagos. Much of  Bruja Born focused on Lula's relationship with her family which made me invested in this series.  

Worldbuilding: What I loved about Bruja Born was that it all took place in New York City so it felt more like an urban fantasy compared to Labyrinth Lost. I especially loved that we got to explore the alliance that kept the peace between the brujas and other magical creatures. There were vampires y'all! And for the Supernatural crowd, we were introduced to a group of hunters who appeared when the peace was disrupted. 

Short N Sweet: Bruja Born was even better than Labyrinth Lost, all urban fantasy readers will love this!


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