Note: NetGalley gave me a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh my goodness, friends. Here is a book I fell in love with from the first page.

I've seen Zoraida Cordova's name floating around on Twitter, but haven't read Labyrinth Lost. Still, I decided to pick this up when it came my way, and I have negative regrets. It's so good. I can't wait to go get Labyrinth Lost and see all the adventures I missed.

One mark of a really great book for me is when it's totally standalone, even in a series. Bruja Born does exactly that. Though the events in it are clearly related to LL, I never felt lost or confused while I was reading—Cordova gives you exactly the amount of information you need to know in order to understand what is going on. It's possible that if I read LL, I'd have appreciated some of the nuances of the story more, but as it is, I loved every moment of this read and never once felt lost, confused, or frustrated for it being a second book. I loved seeing that there was a lot of potential fallout from whatever happened in LL, but again, there was enough in BB that all of it made sense to me.

Cordova does several things really well: her descriptions pack a punch, her voice (or Lula's, anyway) is so strong and distinct that I felt like I could hear the character speaking, and her character development and inter-character conflicts are both so good. This book felt like it was set in our Brooklyn, like if I searched, I might actually find a bruja or two giving me weird looks. Cordova flawlessly integrates her world into a fabric we already understand.

As a character, Lula is so deeply human. She is petty, and jealous, and angry, and flawed, and I loved her. I loved the way she loved, which was deep and fiercely; I loved the way she grew by the end of the book. It is refreshing to see an angry and flawed female character, and Cordova executes it masterfully. What is so compelling about Lula is that she feels real. She reacts in believable ways to whatever is presented to her, and she reacts fully. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with her guilt-tripping Alex, her "woe is me" attitude at the beginning, or with what she did on the bus. But that being said, I hoped that she would grow from these things, and Cordova did not disappoint. Lula is not the greatest person when the book starts, but she's very believable, and she's very much a teenager.

Something that a lot of YA does is write off the parents so that the kids do what they want, but Lula's parents—while admittedly gone for a lot of the book—are still there in very real ways, and her actions have consequences that affect them as much as they affect her. That's partially why I keep saying this book feels real. Lula's actions and decisions don't just affect her, they affect everyone she loves.

I also loved seeing the way her relationships with her family shifts throughout the book. She forgives her sister and comes to rely on both of them; she turns to her family for support. And it's so nice to see the very real dynamics of a family in action—her mother's simultaneous anger and deep love; her father's guilt and need to protect; both of her sisters following her despite thinking she's wrong, because they love her.

I would have liked to see how Lula copes with the aftermath of everything that happened—there is a ton of trauma there, as well as, I'm sure, guilt and blame—but I also imagine that will be addressed in the next book. (One note, though: I kept expecting the spell Lula weaves on the bus to have consequences. That never came back up, even to say that the spell failed, but I wish it had.)

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but the story itself was complete. It clearly just set up the next book. It wasn't entirely necessary, but I didn't mind the teaser since the rest of the book stood on its own.

I cannot recommend this book enough, even if you haven't read LL. An engrossing read from start to finish.

I was most interested in this series because of the cover. But I just could not get into this one. I am also not a huge fan of love triangles, I really feel like they can diminish characters and they just lower the overall appeal of romance for me.
I did enjoy the emotional growth of the MC though, considering everything she has been through.
But my favorite part was the culture, as a Mexican woman myself I did enjoy the aspects that really brought out the culture and significance of lore.

I was not sure I would actually like this book - I've never done well with the second book of a series and I do prefer my fantasy to be more fantasy than urban. BUT I wanted to know what happened to the Mortiz family and I was not disappointed in the slightest. While Labyrinth Lost was pure fantasy realm enjoyment, Bruja Born was urban fantasy well done. I loved the character development in the sisters and the worldbuilding. Lula is so good and I'm glad everything turned out well, if not the best. Cannot wait for Rose's book!

"One, we’re brujas. Witches. Magical BAMFS with powers gifted by the Deos, our gods. A house full of magic is bound to cause some friction, and after what Alex did, there is plenty of friction."


TW: Blood, violence, death, serious injury

This book was such an amazing rollercoaster ride for me. I was reading it during a very transitional period in my life, and it helped me escape into the world of Lula's mischief and her messy world. Labyrinth Lost will always have a special place in my heart as one of those books that really made an impact, but this continuation was done in an excellent way.

One thing that I appreciated a lot was the fact that there are emotional and physical effects because of the aftermath of the Los Lagos incident. Lula struggles with her mental health and her trauma that seems to haunt her, and that's so important to portray in YA. In the beginning of the book there's a car crash, and a tragedy befalls on Lula's life which is what sets this line of events down the path that it did.

I love the Mortiz family more and more, they're all so close-knit and supportive (most of the time anyway) and here we learn more about the world and also some political intrigue between underground organizations in the NYC area. This feels like it could me made into an awesome action movie that would have twists and turns that you don't see coming and that leave you breathless and gripping onto your rollercoaster seat.

One thing that was definitively expanded on was the human side of the magic system. There were many different supernatural things going on that were affecting the residents of NYC, and that exploration was building on what happened in the previous book. This book isn't romance-heavy, though love is a big motivation for the actions of these teens, and we also get to see a little bit of Alex and Rishi. But I do enjoy books more when they focus on the magic system/supernatural elements rather than just the romance.

All I can say is, that if you loved Labyrinth Lost this book really outdid itself. Go pick it up in stores this June!

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own**

I went into this book a little wary because after reading it's predecessor Labyrinth Lost, which I also gave 3 stars, I felt underwhelmed but when I read this companion novels blurb and saw its cover, I came running once again.

This story in particular is told from the perspective of Lula, the eldest of the Mortiz sisters. Bruja Born, has a great number of elements that Labyrinth Lost did. A strong female character, family dynamic but I did not feel connected. Something seems off.

When I think on summarizing the plot, I absolutely love it. Sister companionship, cultural background, even zombies. All themes I love. Except once again, all the deeper themes and potential for an epic story of love and self-discovery fell lazily to the side while we trekked along with Lula and her journey.

Though painfully obvious at times as well as convenient and extremely rushed, it told a tale of which I loved the idea, just not the delivery.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bruja Born picks up not to long after Labyrinth Lost Where Labyrinth Lost focused on Alex Mortiz, Bruja Born focuses on Lula Mortiz, Alex’s sister. Lula is a bruja, otherwise known as a witch, like her sisters Rose and Alex. After her bus crashes killing all of her classmates, including Maks, her boyfriend, Lula uses her healing powers to try and bring him back from the dead. Magic; however, often has a price, and there is a balance that must be maintained.

I wasn’t too fond of Labyrinth Lost. While a great idea, I found it not keeping my interest. It reminded me of Alice of Wonderland with a latin twist. I wasn’t invested in the characters, and the ending felt rushed and was anti-climatic. The ending of Labyrinth Lost was a cliffhanger I found myself not caring about.

In contrast to how I felt about Labyrinth Lost, Bruja Born was immediately better for me. I felt a connection to Lula, and I found myself rooting for her. I just wanted her and Maks to be okay. There was more character development, the pacing was perfect, and the story felt less familiar than Labyrinth Lost. Bruja Born is action-packed, and I read the entire book in one sitting. It’s such a good read.

The one issue that I had with Bruja Born, is the issue of the Mortiz sister’s father mysteriously returning with no memory of where he was for the past seven years. Labyrinth Lost ended with him returning, and that mystery is glossed over in the beginning of Bruja Born and does not come back into the picture until the last chapter. The implications at the end of Labyrinth Lost that the Mortiz sisters’ father returning would be the focus of the next book, but then it not getting resolved at all and is not implied to be the main focus of the third book, frustrated me. Luckily, though, Lula’s story was exactly what I was looking for when I had originally heard about the series. I look forward to the next book.

It was so great being back in this world again. The stakes are raised but Lula Mortiz is more than equal to them. Such a bad ass character and a deep engaging plot on love and loss and personal triumph. Can't wait for the next book.

The first was one of my favorite reads of all time and Bruja Born got even better. I am obsessed with this book and the series.

I enjoyed the first of this series so I was really excited to read the sequel. I thought this was a solid second in the series. I have a few squabbles with some of the character developments, but I would definitely recommend this to students or other readers of supernatural books.

Though I did enjoy the first book in the series, LABYRINTH LOST, for the most part, I think that BRUJA BORN is the one I like better of the two thus far. We have shed the ALICE IN WONDERLAND influences in this one, and the narrative is stronger for it. And while this story is from Lula's point of view, I felt like we got a good grasp on all of the family members, especially Alex and Rose. Córdova builds her world up quite a bit more within this book as well, incorporating groups and themes from her other stories and meshing them in with the Bruja culture and circles in a satisfying way. And while I thought that sometimes Lula as a character was hard to take, I completely understood why she made most of the choices that she did, and that she was a bit more complex of a character than Alex was in LABYRINTH LOST. I was also struck by how high the stakes were in this book, and by how dark Córdova was willing to take it. And because she took it dark and was willing to trust her audience to be able to handle it, it makes me all the more excited for the next one in the series.

Guys!!! This was incredible! If you enjoyed Labyrinth Lost, you'll love Bruja Born! It picks up a little after the end of Labyrinth Lost, but is Lula's story instead of Alex's. The Mortiz sisters are back and this time we get to see how amazing they are when they work together. I really enjoyed this book! Thank you to Netgalley for the E-arc!

Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova is available from Sourcebooks Fire on June 5, 2018.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was everything I was hoping for and more! Lula Mortiz is a high school senior on her way to the big game with her boyfriend when her world turns upside down. After a horrific bus crash that kills all of her friends and nearly herself and boyfriend Maks, Lula uses her magic in ways that can only lead to devastating consequences. With the help of her magical sisters, Lula must use all of her strength to save her city, her family, and herself.

This book was amazing! Lula and her sisters are strong, intelligent, and brave young women who use their wits and combined magical history to save their family and right the terrible wrongs created by a moment of weakness. The nonstop action combined with Lula’s heartache over Maks and worry for her family’s safety creates a compelling and exciting story. This hit all the right notes-witches, not-quite-zombies, vampires, hunters and family drama. Such an amazing story and I really hope there is a book three!

4.5 Stars

Once again I had the luxury of going into the second installment of this series with little to no expectations except for a need for more bruja mythology. And I was not disappointed.

In Labyrinth Lost, I was not super attached to Lula (I was a big Nova fan and grew to love Alex) so when I heard that the 2nd book would tell Lula's story I had no base for what that story would look like. Hence the little to no expectations. I was surprised at how quickly the story pulled me in. Lula is definitely a teenager in love, therefore smart choices aren't always made. It was occasionally frustrating but her actions were consistently rooted in immense pain which made it SO much more understandable and definitely realistic. If having magical bruja powers can be considered realistic.

Lula's character turned out to be very complex and I had no problem tapping into her mental state. The story that unfolds is an interesting mix of an episode of Buffy/ The Strain. As for the world building, it definitely advanced from the Labyrinth Lost but it is still vague in the sense that there is no definition to how many "species" exist in this world. Which maybe makes it strong world building? We've found out there are vampires and shapeshifters and given little information about how they fit into the world. Which is totally fine because at no point does it feel like it doesn't fit in with the story, you are just kind of like okay, that's another aspect that will maybe be explored later. The continued exploration into bruja mythology was one of my favourite parts of this book. Definitely one of the reasons I mowed through this book in 3 hours. I couldn't stop once I started, which is always a fantastic sign. The mythology is so strong and such an awesome base for the magical world Córdova has created.

And of course all the wonderful diversity from the first book is still there in the second. We get a lot less Rishi but that's fine because it wasn't Alex's story this time. And my lovely tortured Nova was back in action. I was also chuffed to see Rose's character come into her own and can't wait to explore her point of view.

Would definitely recommend, especially to fans of Charmed or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm excited for the next installment, especially seems it looks like we may be diving back into the Faerie world.

I really, really, really, really liked Labyrinth Lost, but I loved Bruja Born and Lula so freaking hard, even though I probably should like Alex more by all accounts (don't get me wrong, I adore Alex and she was fantastic in this, but for whatever reason, Lula falls into that Sirius Black like category and I am enchanted). I am super psyched (pun intended) for Rose's story coming up.

I loved this book so much.

I had read and loved <i>Labyrinth Lost</i> a couple of years ago and couldn't wait to fall back into the world of the Brujas. This book did not disappoint. <i>Bruja Born</i> picks up not too long after the events of the first book, but focuses on one of the other Mortiz sisters, Lula.

On her way to a school event, there is a terrible crash. In trying to save someone that she loves, Lula makes the decision to disobey the high council, the Deos, and Death herself. And if we learned anything from Practical Magic, trying to resurrect the dead usually doesn't turn out well.

This book gave me some Practical Magic feels, which is a thing that I really loved. I couldn't put the book down because I had to keep going and had to know what was going to happen next. I think I liked this book even more than I liked the first one (and I liked that one a lot).

When it comes out, read it. Love it.