Member Reviews
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel! 4/5 stars.
Okay, I LOVED Lobizona, so I was super excited to receive the ARC for the sequel. I was not disappointed. Garber uses the fictional, and fantasy, world of Lunatis and Septim to discuss real-world issues such as immigration, identity, gender, LGBTQ+, power dynamics, etc. As with the first novel, I was blown away by the beautiful world building created for the Brujas and Lobizonx living in it. The magic system and the dynamics are simply beautiful and really well done.
Manu is also an inspiring protagonist as she battles to determine her identity and what it means for the Septimus world. I found the interactions amongst her friends slightly irritating though, hence the 4/5 star rating. None of them were considerate toward Manu's wishes or her experiences being vastly different than what they experienced...and even being considerate, they still didn't really see things from Manu's point of view until the end of the novel. Tiago, however, can stay in my heart as one of my favorites. How do I get a man to recite Shakespeare and classic novels to me?
Overall, this fit all of my expectations for the sequel in this series and more. I'm excited to see if more gets added to Manu's world, as it resolved things at the end but it really sounded like there should be another book in the series to wrap things up. PLUS THAT EPILOGUE? No thanks, I want to resume to the goodness I felt in my heart.
Translated from my goodreads review in Spanish
Score: 4.5
What a sequel has Romina brought with Cazadora!
I loved that the story continues just where it ended in Lobizona. Plus, this sequel is loaded with action and adventures, from the first pages we could realize that this book will be very dynamic
Of course I can't say much because SPOILERS so I'll just say: I DON'T WHAT I'LL DO WITH MY LIFE WHILE WAITING FOR THE THIRD BOOK. THIS HAS BEEN AMAZING. There were so many turns that I honestly don't know how can everything be solved in the third book. I also enjoyed that the end wasn't predictable at all.
Since all the introduction was done in the first book, Romina explores and gives more visibility to other topics in this second book, topics like machismo and the fear of what's different. The book represents a machista structure within the Septimus and makes a feminist critic within their characters.
My favorite character, without any doubt is Saysa.
Perfect reading, highly recommended!
Great book - loved the intersectionality of the various oppressions. From the USA and it's racism to the sexism in her own community.
Cazadora picks up right where we left off in Lobizona. In this second book we completely leave the human world behind to explore all the wonders of the Septimus' world. Manu and her friends are on the run from the Cazadores that seek to lock her up and punish her for the crime of existing as a hybrid. Manu, Tiago, Cata, & Saysa must convince their people that Manu is nothing like the myth of la ladrona, the evil half human folktale that has scared the Suptimus for centuries. Romina Garber has created a world rich and full of wonder that also makes us question the morality of what it means for a person, or lobizona, to be illegal.
While I know this is planned as a duology she has left the door open for a continuation, and I am hoping for a third book!
Cazadora is the sequel to Romina Garber’s luscious YA debut, Lobizona, which I read earlier this year. In Cazadora, Manu has figured out a lot about who (and what) she is. Unfortunately, she is still illegal and is still on the run, but this time she has friends to help her. Manu’s dilemma is trying to save herself while also keeping her friends safe. I really enjoyed Cazadora and am 100% invested in this YA fantasy series!
Romina hits the mark once again with Cazadora! This story may be fictional but the theme is relevant to what is happening at the states. Many of my students are threatened to be deported because their parents are undocumented. These kids truly connected with the first book and I can see them connecting with this book.
This is a well-written book. I haven't had the opportunity to read Lobizona, but Cazadora is refreshing and with great worldbuilding.
Cazadora is the sequel to Lobizona and ends in a way that says that there will definitely be a part three. Cazadora feels different from Lobizona from page one to the point that I almost set it down. But the characters were endeared to me in book one so I pushed through the beginning and was well pleasantly surprised with the rest of the story. Manu is no longer searching for who she is, instead she is on the run with her friends (and love interest) as the Cazadores are tightening their search to bring Manu in for what will surely be a death sentence. Making new allies, Manu discovers some legends are real and some are not as she fights to reveal who she really is to the world. Action-packed with original and interesting characters, Cazadora ups the ante in Manu's story and leaves you hanging for what happens next. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
I got this as an eARC from NetGalley and didn’t realize it was a second book I just fell in love with the cover 😅 but then I binged the first book and fell in love with Manu and her story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This one picks up where the first ends and let me tell you this one blew me away, the first one is about getting to know Manu just as she gets to find herself as well.
And now we see Manu slowly accepting who she is and going on this amazing character journey, as well as al of her friends she does meet some new ones and they all just have amazing character arcs, they are just written so beautifully.
Romina has created such a beautiful world around Argentina folklore are culture, I’m just blown away by these books. I really hope you guys add both books to your tbr and read them both.
I am currently dying over the ending of this book and I can’t wait to have people to scream about it with.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book to review.
I started Cazadora just days after finishing Lobizona, which is how I love to read series. Sadly, now I'm going to have to wait a heck of a long time for the next book, since Cazadora doesn't come out until August.
Action starts immediately after the events of Lobizona, with Manu and her friends on the run. As Manu explores more of the world of the Septimus race, she finds out about herself and what she's missed growing up hidden in Miami. She struggles with the decision of whether to save herself again by hiding away or becoming a public figure, representing the abnormalities of the Septimus society.
I enjoyed this fast-paced novel more than Lobizona, possibly because I already had the world-building done and could just follow the plot. It all takes place, just like Lobizona, during one moon cycle, but a lot sure does happen! We are left with a lot of questions for Manu's future ... but that's just the way any good series goes, isn't it?
If you love an action-packed, fast-paced novel with heroes and villains, romance and hate, and a gorgeous setting, definitely pick up Cazadora -- but it's one you will have to read the series in order.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!
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The minute Cazadora downloaded on my kindle I started reading. I could barely wait to see what happened after the edge of your seat events of Lobizona. Romina Garber picks up right where we left off and hits the ground running. The human world we saw glimpses of in book one is abandoned, for the Septimus world Manu is fighting to find a place in. I was captivated by the writing and felt like I was experiencing an adrenaline rush from wondering if Manu and her friends could outrun the Cazadores.
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Cazadora builds upon the themes laid out in Lobizona. Found family, societal expectations, finding your own identity, and fighting for justice. The ending of this book had me holding back tears and desperately hoping there will be a third book. This fantasy series has a soft space for everyone to land and I cannot speak more highly of it.
I absolutely loved Lobizona and was so excited to given an advance copy of the sequel. Cazadora does not disappoint - the characters are just as relatable and the story continues to be enchanting. I couldn't stop reading once I started, and couldn't stop thinking about it once I finished. I really hope there is another book! I will continue to recommend this series to everyone I know.
The first book in this series, Lobizona, completely enchanted me with its Argentenian folklore and creative world-building. I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Cazadora.
In this world, males are lobizones (werewolves), females are brujas (witches), and that’s the way it’s always been. Until Manu. She’s a hybrid – her father is a lobizone and her mother a human. Mating with humans is outlawed, so Manu was hidden in the human world her whole life until discovering what she truly is. She’s the only one of her kind – a female werewolf, a lobizona. Her whole existence is outlawed and feared because the Septimus believe if one of their kind reproduces with a human, the child will carry a curse that will wipe out all life on the planet. Manu and her friends are on the run from the Cazadores (hunters) while searching for allies.
This book is set in the Septimus world and what a vibrant, magical place it is with mushrooms used as a kind of internet, parasite bracelets that form a symbiotic attachment with its host, and tantalizing food that had me drooling. Manu is still learning about this world that’s new to her while also grappling with questions of identity and fearing that what people say about her is true. She’s trying to find her place and her pack, but faces strong racial, gender, and political prejudices. The author shines a bright light on so many important issues prevalent in our society today, and that’s one of the things I like most about this series.
With beautiful friendships and relationships, strong characterization, and thought-provoking questions along with plenty of action (werewolf soccer is totally cool), this is a series I can’t wait to continue. The cliffhanger ending hints at what’s to come, and I’m all in.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In a sequel to Lobizona, Manu and her friends continue their adventures and try to avoid capture. It’s a solid sequel and leaves you wondering about the third one in the series. Admiringly, I did like the first one more. It dragged a little at points for me.
I do really enjoy the connection to menstruation in the book as I don’t think enough books do, and this helps normalize having a period. With so much a focus on binary, I was a little disappointed that more focus wasn’t on how gender isn’t binary. Sexism is covered, but I just felt like it could go deeper. I’ll be curious as to how the series continues.
Ahhh I just love this series so much! If you haven't read the first book please do as this is the sequel.
This book picks up right where the first book left off and we leave the human world exploring Septimus world.
The main character is on the run and must prove that she is nothing lime the myth that they believe is evil bc Manu is hybrid.
It was such a fast paced book and I can't wait to purchase this!
Thanks Netgalley for the e-arc
If you enjoy magical realism, you will love Romina Garber’s newest book in the Wolves of No World series. Netgalley gifted me a free e-ARC of the sequel, Cazadora, and I was so excited to jump in and finish the series! In the follow-up to Lobizona, Romina Garber continues to weave Argentine folklore and real-world issues into a haunting, fantastical, and romantic story that will reunite readers with Manu and her friends as they continue to fight for a better future.
“That’s why every new generation makes improvements.”
First of all, I love that this book was filled with Spanish aphorisms and phrases, and includes vocabulary in-context to help teach Spanish to non-speakers. As someone who is constantly trying to improve my Spanish, this is something I really appreciate seeing in new books. Garber does it well, allowing the reader to infer meaning from context clues without needing to use a translator. However, I can also really appreciate having the translation dictionary available if I do need it, conveniently built into my e-reader. It saves a lot of time not having to click out of the book, and as a visual learner I enjoy seeing side-by-side translations because it really helps me to understand spelling and pronunciation.
The first book Lobizona raised important questions on issues like gender, sexuality, and the complications that arise for Latin-Americans who grow up caught between two cultures. In the same way that Manu and her Ma tread between being Argentinean Americans, Manu must find balance between her human and werewolf sides. In the world of Lunaris, gender roles still dominate the culture: girls are Brujas and boys are Lobizónes. Manu is one of the first female werewolf’s and she has to overcome the “narrow and outdated approach to identity” that permeates Lunaris culture. Even the fast that her “irises are yellow suns and pupils are silver stars” contain contrasting symbolism that foreshadows the male-female dichotomy within her.
“After everything we’ve been through, the one thing I’m sure of is, I’ve found where I belong.”
Identity is a large theme in both of the books: Manu wants to belong, but must, above all things, learn to be true to herself. Manu feels as if she is “pretending”: because she must walk a fine line between Bruja and Lobizon for most of the story, she feels as if she doesn’t truly belong. ”Just holding this paperwork makes me feel like less of a forgery.” Though she is forced out of her comfort zone, the path she finds herself taking is essential to her growth and leads her to finding out who she truly is and where she truly belongs.
“You’re shaming Lily for wanting to fit into society around her, which might be a natural impulse if you’re someone who has the choice to belong. But fitting in looks different when your left out by default.”
Though she is reserved at first, Manu believes she belongs in Lunaris. She makes friends with people who support her and defend her, and ultimately feels accepted once she reveals her truth. And not only do they accept her, they begin to follow her lead. When she challenges the binary norms and joins the team of boys, the desire for changes has an immediate ripple effect through her peers. The changes in Lunaris sort of echo the changes people are fighting for in American society: “schoolgirls refusing to wear dresses, Septimas charging Septibol fields, brujas protesting at La Rosada and demanding higher pay for their magic…”
“As much as I might try repressing that part of me, adopting a new culture doesn’t magically erase the old one. They get braided together.”
Memory is a another huge theme within the books. It is her memories that makes Manu who she is, but they also seem to keep Manu from embracing her true self. She is stuck in the past, and has a difficult time letting go. Though memories can be an important tool in constructing individual and cultural identity, for Manu it is crucial that she remakes her identity to embrace who she truly is instead of the person she thought she was. She has a hard time letting go of her old life and fears, but it is essential to her character that she learn to let go of the old and make way for the new. At the same time, she must learn to embrace her past as well as her present, must learn to “bridge two realms of reality” to create and understand her identity, to understand where she comes from and where she belongs.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Wednesday books for an early copy of this book.
Cazadora picks up immediately after Lobizona, and we're met with Manu, Tiago, Saysa and Cata on the run. It starts with a bit of refresher, but the story moves on. I feel that this book had a different vibe than the first. A lot more issues being addressed, and a lot more on the line. I liked it, but I'm mad at the ending. It feels like there is a build up to something more, but this has been advertised as a duology from the start. It could definitely have a 3rd book, and I actually really hope she decides to wrote it. Manu deserves more.
So excited for this sequel to Lobizona! We get more of the mystical world. Definitely a place I want to visit!
These books create a fantasy world inhabited by secret Argentinian witches and werewolves. In the first book there were already magical alternate dimensions, schools, and soccer teams, plus secret identities, powers, and interrelated characters with conflicting loyalties and romances. The sequel keeps all this in the mix and adds more of the magical courts and the police/army situation, plus secret societies intent on bringing down the larger (also secret) society and the magical patriarchy. Combining the drama of truly intense situations with the drama of outsized teenage emotions, and with plenty of commentary on injustices in the real world, it's really a young adult fantasy series that epitomizes the genre.
This was incredibly interesting. I found it a bit hard to get into, but I didn't realize it was part of a series at first. The characters were incredibly well-written, and I found the plot strong.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn’t do it. I got about chapter 15 and had to call it quits. I think it’s me; but werewolves are just not my favorite creatures.
The writing and the world building is amazing!! I love the way this author thinks and creates! But it’s just the werewolves for me; everyone has their hitch and that is it for me.