I keep trying to read this but they talk about things past and I feel like I missed out on a prequel? Very confusing

I think this one tops Labyrinth Lost, which I really enjoyed. This was such a good read. I love that the characters are fully fleshed out--with flaws and all. This story is full of magic, a dash of romance, sisterly love (and annoyance), and Zombies! Well, not exactly zombies.....
Highly recommended!

I so enjoyed this book, even though I have never read the first book in the series (because, being me, I thought this one was first), but I adored our protagonist Lilly. I think I lost a little bit of what was going on here as well, but that is all reader error since I didn't know that this was a companion novel. Either way, I was highly entertained the entire time while reading this and I would strongly recommend this!

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher!

Full of action from start to finish, there was never a dull moment throughout Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova. I enjoyed the first book in the Brooklyn Brujas series, Labyrinth Lost, but I must say that I enjoyed Bruja Born so much more. Córdova's world building might be some of the best I've ever read, for she truly sucks you into the pages of her story, and I did not want to leave. The entire book was building up to an epic showdown, and I was tingling with anticipation as I neared the final chapters of the novel. We see so much more development in Alex and Lula, and Lula grew to be one of my favorite characters. She was easy to relate to, and seemed very...real for lack of a better word. I'm so glad that we got to see the story from her perspective, and I can't wait to see from who's perspective the next book in the series is going to be told. I really don't want to go into too much detail with the story since this is a sequel and I don't want to spoil anything, but just know that I highly recommend that you pick up Labryinth Lost so you can get to Bruja Born because the series just keeps getting better, Overall I give Bruja Born five out of five stars for the dark, lush world Córdova creates, the interesting characters, and the perfectly paced story leading to one of the most epic showdowns I think I've read.

I loved the first book in this series and I was not disappointed in the second. You won't be either, this title keeps the same magical realism themes as well as building more on characters from the first book. A great addition to any YA collection. I also believe this might be a nice book for librarians looking to get boys to read more book, while this title might be aimed more at girls I believe there are elements that boys would enjoy.

Bruja Born follows Alex from Labyrinth Lost older sister, Lula. The one with the power to heal like their mother. Ever since coming back from Los Lagos Lula has been struggling to adjust and then on the way to a soccer game she suffers a terrible car accident with her boyfriend and classmates. Willing to do anything to save her boyfriend she ropes in her two sisters into performing and forbidden cantos. When things go terribly wrong a ravaging pack of zombies is set loose in Brooklyn and with Lady de la Muerte lost inbetween realms its up to the three sisters to right the balance of life and death. Will Lula be able to make the sacrifice needed to save the city from the spreading zombie infestation?

Lula just cant catch a break. Poor girl has everything bad happen to her. It does take her a while to step up and realize she cant have what she wants which was realistic if not a little frustrating. Im happy with the direction her character and new friendships developped by the end. The sisterly bond was a lot more evident in this book and I freaking loved it. The way the whole family care for each other and the way Lula depended on Alex was heartwarming. It was also nice to see the parents present since it doesnt happen often in YA fantasy. I was disappointed we didnt get to see much of Rishi since she was one of my favorite characters from the first book. We do meet a bunch of new interesting characters though.

I loved the quick pace and all the action just like in the first book, but I felt like this plot was even more intense, especially with all the death. It was a tiny bit slower in the middle, but I was still engaged and invested in the characters. Its an immersive world filled with rich Latin American culture. We get more insight into the magic and the Deos of this world. I tend to love zombie books and this was no exception. The Latin twist on it made it even that much more compelling. The message about how you can be your own worst enemy was nice, but Ive come to realize that Im not a huge fan of the main characters bad decisions causing the plot to move along. Thankfully the main characters decisions was more believable in this book than the first one.

Considering the cliff hanger the first book ended on Im surprised it took so long to start getting information into what happened. We still dont know how Nova found him. Im surprised Nova didnt find out about his grandmothers deal with Alex. I was hoping it would be mentionned before the book ended. The minors issues I had arent enough to really bother me. Overall I enjoyed this book a bit more than the first one, but that might be due to having listened to Labyrinth Lost on audiobook. I wonder if the third book will be from the younger sister Roses point of view as she comes into her power more. I have a feeling the next book will be more fae focused and Im excited for it. Ive become attached to these character and look forward to seeing more of them.

This companion novel lived up to the first book!

For one, I had no idea this was the companion to Labyrinth as I originally thought it was going to be a sequel. Which makes way more sense as in my Labyrinth Lost review, that ending left a pretty satisfactory feeling.

This book instead follows Alex's sister, Lula, a few months following the ending of the previous book. I found this book to be just as captivating while also holding onto the Latin, powerful storyline.

The big bombshell in the first part of the story definitely took me by surprise (because I never read the full synopsis)! There is a lot of tragic moments full of grief which may be a trigger warning for some readers. It is a journey to finding one's self and the family bonds that was also emphasized in Labyrinth. There is also emphasis on self image and the internal battles that constantly nudges on Lula. With this being said, this companion novel may be a harder read, but the heartbreaking moments and mental health components can be inspiring.

I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. The paranormal elements brought life, and death, into a diverse world and quickly captivated me within the first few chapters. This is a great series that I highly recommend to all YA readers.

I’ve never been a fan of zombies. But casimuertos, I like! This book was full of action, from the start. I loved it like the first one and probably like the third one that I can’t wait to read. 2019 is too far away!!! I also loved how the story is told from a different character: in the first book, you live through Alex, and now, through Lula. Can’t wait to see who it will be for book 3! Rose, Nova or Patricio?

I received an e-copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for selecting me to review this book. I didn’t realize this was a sequel and not having read the first, I will have to renounce to reading the second installment.

I read this almost immediately after finishing Labyrinth Lost, and I must admit I was a little hesitant. After spending an entire book in Alex's POV, I wasn't sure I'd like switching to Lula's. But I shouldn't have worried. Lula's voice and character swept me up from the first pages and had me completely entranced.

Córdova has a talent for writing deeply compelling characters you'd follow anywhere, and in Bruja Born she truly outdoes herself. In fact, in many ways, I found it to be even better than the previous book. The characters, their inner challenges and relationships are deeper, more nuanced and mature. The plot is tighter and richer. The world that we got to know and love in Labyrinth Lost becomes magnitudes wider and more complex, even though the entire story is set in Brooklyn instead of an entire, parallel realm.

I loved how very urban this urban fantasy feels. It has so many of the well-worn tropes of the genre--but they're presented in a completely fresh perspective, taking us to exciting, unexpected places. This makes for a mixture of comfortable, satisfactory familiarity, and delightful, page-turning novelty. I found myself multiple times grinning at the page, and then moments later gasping in surprise. The plot and its twists will keep you guessing, and yet at the end, the answer will seem inevitable in retrospect.

The book also does a great job of treating heavy subject matter with care. There aren't many fantasy novels that explore the aftermath of trauma--be it of natural or magical causes. The way Lula and her family struggle with the repercussions of what they've been through rings painfully true, and paints an honest picture many readers may identify with. We need more stories of heroes who have been hurt and broken, perhaps beyond repair, and who try as best they can to survive what comes next--and sometimes, they fail. And while Lula's story ends on a more hopeful note, I greatly appreciated the fact that the ending doesn't give us a happily ever after. In real life, trauma never fully goes away, and no amount of magical adventures can cure it--but they can show us a way to adapt to it.

Bruja Born is a satisfying follow-up to Labyrinth Lost! The second novel in the Brooklyn Brujas series follows Alex's older sister, Lula, as she deals with the fallout from Alex's adventure in the first book, as well as that of a tragic bus accident that maybe-kinda claims the lives of her boyfriend and a number of her friends and soccer teammates. This installment delves further into the practices and politics of the magical Brooklyn the Moritz family inhabits, and expands on the relationships between the sisters that are the heart of this series. It would have been fun to see a little more of Alex's relationship with Rishi, but otherwise this builds very nicely on the first book. It was especially delightful to see Rose’s growth as a bruja!

I am absolutely in love with this series and was super excited to read about Lula - Alex's sister from the first book. I am all about books with good familial relationships and these sisters are so beautiful together, I love them so much! Although Bruja Born doesn't have the same LGBT+ content as Labyrinth Lost, it was so touching and heartbreaking that I will forgive it that one lack.

Ok but like this was so gooooood!! I liked book 1 but damn book two surpassed it in my opinion. Bruja Born started off great and left me like :O :O!! because that ending wuuuuuut!!!

The pacing of this kept me on edge from the beginning to the the very last line. Zoraida has created an intriguing world here and we dive deeper into the bruja community, and the supernatural community as a whole. We learn more about the Thorn Hill Alliance (supernatural org that keeps the peace between magical beings and the Knights of Lavant (hunters who protect humans from supernatural threats and this made for such a compelling story, learning about the intricacies of the two organizations and the conflicts between all these groups who have to work together to eliminate the casimuertos threat.

I loved the relationships between the sisters. We get Lula's POV for the entire book but via her we gather so much about Alex and Rose. Their bond is so strong but they fight and disagree as only siblings can (so relatable)

And Lula was a such a multifaceted MC. I loved seeing everything via her POV. The conflict she faced over bringing back her boyfriend and the consequences of those actions. This book basically wrung every emotion possible out of me. heartbreak right along wit Lula over Maks, and everything that came out of her bringing him back, laughter over the sibling banter and just a rollercoaster of emotions because wow i was kept on my toes as i devoured every word.

And HELLO YES MY FAVE SON NOVA IS BAAACK!! *cough* look i know Nova did them dirty in book 1 but i loved that guy ok and i for one was glad to see him back here and i'm waiting for him to find out about the promise Alex made to his granny because eeeep!!

My onlyyyy thing was i wished Rishi was in this more. i know it's Lula's story but I'd love to have seen Alex with her girlfriend while all chaos was going down. Rishi comes back from her family thing in the end but yeh\

But ya'll Bruja Born is amazing, and so engaging and just riveting! Zoraida definitely upped her game with this one!

AND LEMME REPEAT THAT ENDING WTF. !!! i'm...!! i really need book 2 now please

Two years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of reading and reviewing a galley of Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova. I loved the book. I thought it was a wonderful introduction to the world of Alex and her family, and was excited to see what future installments in the series would lead to (especially after the cliffhanger at the end!). This year, I was lucky enough to also be approved to read Bruja Born, and it did not disappoint!

Note: If you haven't read Labyrinth Lost, this review may contain light spoilers--which is kind of inevitable when talking about a sequel, so if you aren't into that, then go read it & come back!

Bruja Born follows Alex's older sister, Lula, who is dealing with the aftermath of her time in Los Lagos, including trauma caused from her sister's powers. She relies heavily on her boyfriend Maks to make everything seem normal, even though she can't share most of her life with him (basically anything about being a bruja). Then one morning, Lula and Maks are involved in a bus crash, one which kills everyone on board except Lula. Faced with a choice, and her own healing magic, she enlists her sisters to help bring Maks back--but messing with Death isn't advisable, and things don't go quite as planned. (No spoilers! All of this is in the blurb!)

I really, really loved this book. There's definitely not a sophomore slump here. Usually, I'm not a fan of shifting protagonists in series, but I didn't mind it here because the story continues to involve Alex, and because the book expands the world in such delicious ways. Lula's voice is very strong and I really came to like her, and to appreciate the effects the events of Labyrinth Lost have had on her and her life. While she doesn't attempt to reject magic the way that her sister did, her problem is almost the opposite: that she comes to rely heavily on it to try and fix her life, which also backfires. I love the theme of "magic can't fix everything" that flows through these books. It makes the characters so real, and it also shows how much a part of them their magic is, and how easy it is to try and use it to solve their problems. All of the characters here are so great, and I can't wait for another book, presumably from the third Mortiz sister's viewpoint.

The story itself is very engaging. It takes a little while to build up, but once it does, it's non stop action and edge of your seat thrills. I am pretty sure I read it in one or two sittings because I could NOT put it down. I really wanted to see what happened to Lula and all of those around her. I laughed, I cried, and I gasped--and I love when a story has so much going for it. It does have a different feel from Labyrinth, but that's because it's utterly set in our world and that world has very real rules...and also very real politics for folks of a supernatural bent. This book expands the world we were introduced to in Labyrinth, by introducing various organizations that govern the brujas, as well as vampires and shapeshifters. I am so eager to see how it continues to grow and develop in future installments. I also read somewhere that some of these organizations were introduced first in other of Cordova's works, so I'll definitely be exploring those as well.

I feel like this review was a little bit all over the place, but that often happens when I'm so enthusiastic about a book! If you haven't read Labyrinth Lost yet, I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary--BUT you will have a better understanding of some aspects of the story--and it's AMAZING so why wouldn't you read it?! If you have, then you definitely need to pick up Bruja Born as soon as you can. It will leave you wanting more, but it's also a self-contained story in itself. If you do pick it up, I really hope you enjoy it!

It was okay, it didn't blow me away and everything. But I did enjoy it enough that I will continue to read the third book when it comes out because I do want to see what is in store for the girls! The writing is good, the action is great, but I had issues with Lula as a character.

I loved Labyrinth Lost so I definitely was anticipating this novel. I'm happy to say that Bruja Born is definitely a worthy companion novel.

Lula Mortiz has felt different ever since her sister's powers manifested and sent their family into a complicated mess (read book one to find out what!). A few months later, Lula's still not feeling like her old self. When a horrible bus crash throws everything that she's known into question, Lula faces the personification of death itself to bring back her boyfriend, Maks. But what comes back may not be what Lula expected, and Lula has to figure out how to fix the mess she's made.

I really liked Lula. Though she had a lot on her mind, I like that The Brooklyn Brujas series doesn't shy away from dark moments and explores those moments. I actually really liked all the characters in this one and I loved seeing my favourite characters from the past book again. There's a lot that I love about this book but it's very hard to express. This is definitely one of those books that you have to read for yourself to find out how amazing it is.

Overall, Bruja Born is a wonderful continuation to the Brooklyn Brujas series that I really enjoyed.

Bruja Born was a deeply insightful and touching exploration of grief, guilt, and the lengths people go to for love. I loved that this book was focused on Lula instead of Alex. While I liked Alex as a main character, I thought that Lula had so much more depth. She faced so many difficult challenges and her character growth was just amazing. Plus I was able to connect with her more, which made this story even more engrossing. I also like how focused on family this series is, it’s a nice change of pace to have a positive and supportive family dynamic.

Although Bruja Born has a different main character than Labrynth Lost, definitely read the first one before starting this one. Bruja Born builds significantly upon that storyline, showing the aftermath of the events in Labrynth Lost. It was interesting to see how the both the family and sister dynamics had changed and were changing. The plot of this book was a wonderful mix of high stakes action and delving deeper into the world-building. Plus the mythology and magic were amazing. I’d suggest going in as blind as possible, although I will note that some scenes are a bit gory.

Bruja Born had relatable and nuanced characters, an engaging storyline, and some excellent action. I’m so excited for the next book in this series, which will follow Rose, the youngest of the sisters.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really love how magic works in this version of our world. The idea that Death isn't untouchable is also really fascinating and of course working in other worlds and zombies (casimuertros!) Is expertly done. Lula has a lot of depth as a character and you really work through her grief with her and I really appreciated that the author allowed her that time to grieve.

Cordova does it again! The Mortiz sisters are back with Lula at the forefront this time. Following the adventures of Labyrinth Lost, Lula has been struggling with the scars on her face and the heaviness in her heart. Her boyfriend decides to break up with her right before a horrific bus crash robs almost every soccer player and cheerleader in the school of their lives. Lula uses her magic to bind her boyfriend--ex-boyfriend?--to life, but at signficant cost to herself. She figures she can deal with that until it becomes apparent that this is not the only cost she'll have to pay.

Another thrilling adventure through Brooklyn and the culture of the brujas. Recommend for many collections.

I don't know where to start, I loved so much about this book. In my personal opinion the sequel was better than the first book! I absolutely loved Lula, her decisions, and her attitude. But to be honest I loved everyone's attitude, and their sass/humor. What I can say is that there is so much stuff happening in this novel, not to much that my brain hurt, but every page something new would arise and create tension for the characters of the book. Every single page of Bruja Born was a page turner, I wanted more from all the chapters. Zoraida Cordova writing style is something that made this book great, to me every part was memorizing, I was screaming for more.
Even though this book is pretty dark, Zoraida knew how to add a touch of light to this book, she added humor moments that made Bruja Born worth wild. But like guys a certain author makes a cameo in this novel, and soon as they were revealed I WAS SHAKING. I honestly hope this author makes it in the final copy form because I was happy to see this person (sorry for being so vague, but no spoilers I promise). In the end, I was very satisfied with the ending and how the ending opened up tension for book 3, which like I'm very excited about.