Fantastic middle grade fantasy that explores the affects of generational trauma within the context of a vibrant portal world. The inclusion of Spanish in the narrative is seamless and creates a unique voice. Highly recommended, particularly since stories from Dominican authors are grossly underrepresented in publishing.

In Pilar Ramirez, budding photojournalist Pilar is determined to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a relative during the height of dictator Trujillo’s control of the Dominican Republic but instead, finds herself in parallel world filled with extraordinary creatures and more mysteries to solve and adventures to complete. Pilar is determined and possibly a little too forthright in her opinions, but learns valuable lessons as she works to complete her documentary and return home. The text is sprinkled liberally with Spanish words and phrases and often is not rich enough in context to definitively determine meaning, but many will read past the unfamiliar words in order to see what exciting situation is right around the corner for PIlar and newfound compadre Carmen.

I love seeing mythologies from other cultures!!

Like other reviewers, I found Pilar’s word choice jarring. I speak Spanish as a second language so I understood all her vocabulary, but it was odd which words she flipped languages for. Most bilingual folks I know flip when there is a specific vocabulary word they don’t remember the translation of, or if they are having a conversation in one language and need a moment to recalibrate to the other. Random “peros/buts” and “porques/becauses” just didn’t flow right.

I think integration of bilingualism is a valuable addition to the story, and disagree with reviewers who don’t like feeling “left out” by it— native speakers feel left out in mainstream literature all the time — and if this was a book firmly aimed at Latinx readers that would be fine. But Pilar spends so much time educating the reader on Latinx and Dominican culture that it feels like a disconnect in the intended audience.

All that said, I am a white girl who hasn’t had any long-term immersion in Spanish culture, so I would be interested in the opinions of truly bilingual/bicultural reviewers.

While I love Pilar's personality and love of filmmaking, other aspects of this book didn't appeal to me. The decision to blend/mix languages was extremely jolting as I don't speak the second language used. Now, if the digital version had included annotations (clickable) for each instance of that, I could have made a grand start on learning a second language. Instead, I felt like an outsider, not included in the conversation. And since this is a book meant for young readers, that's an issue kids already face far too often.

I give this one two stars for effort and imagination, but can't go higher due to the language barrier issues.

The book description from the publisher was captivating, but the actual story was a let down. The biggest issue for me was the word choices. The constant usage of "pero" and "pues" as sentence starters was annoying by itself, but add to that the overuse of the word "like" as if Pilar was a valley girl had my teeth on edge. The final let down was the lack of action in this action/adventure. The book really dragged and seemed to go on forever. It was a huge disappointment since it had such good reviews. I don't think any of them actually read the story,

Pilar is a nice addition to the mythology fantasy canon that is the popular right now. It was interesting to learn the South American cultural view point and to have strong female characters.

Strong YA fantasy novel that draws on both Dominican lore and history a la Percy Jackson or Tristan Strong. The action is pretty nonstop, although I think the plot overall sometimes drags a bit. The narrative voice is bilingual and slangy, which somehow helps the novel seem active and fizzing throughout.