DNF - I liked the idea of this book quite a bit but, I suppose I tried to read it at the wrong time because I wasn't able to fully enjoy it for what it was. I'm sure young readers will be enthusiastic about this story.

I was really excited about this title because Latinx middle grade books!! Sadly, it missed the mark with me. I really enjoyed the focus of family and it was giving Encanto (the movie) vibes, except with more love directed at Omega and co (Clau the ghost and primo Carlitos). Omega is also a really nice MC to follow and we see an understanding and kindness in her that I feel shows how progressive newer generations can be (and how, even though we love our elders, they can stand to learn a thing or two about family and love). The thing I wasn't a fan of was that it felt drawn out at certain points

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is a delightful middlegrades story centered around the Mexican Legend of La Lechuza. This is a legend I knew nothing about, so I was interested in the story as well as how this family lived in a small Mexican Town. However, as I read this story I saw that it has a lot of great themes as well. Omega Morales’s family has been practicing magic for centuries in Noche Buena, but the town's reputation is now tarnished, so they hide their powers and keep to themselves. They are Empaths, diviners who can read and manipulate people's feelings. Omega is having issues with her problems and it makes her feel like she doesn't fit, and things seem to be getting worse. With cats disappearing and leaving their spirits behind, Omega absorbing too many feelings that she makes herself seriously ill and a witch with the power to transform herself into an owl (La Lechuza) shows herself to Omega, things get worse. So Omega, her best friend Clau (who happens to be a ghost), and her cousin Carlitos must conduct a séance under a full moon in order to unravel the mystery of the legend. Will this sort out the problem or make things worse?

I really enjoyed this story and think middle grade readers will as well. Omega is a delight. She is easy to relate to with the same kind of problems any child might deal with. It was a story that moved quickly, had action, and a lot of magic and supernatural events (empaths, talking objects, ghosts, La Lechuza) that kept me reading. Omega has a lot to deal with in this story and needs to find herself and where she belongs. Her family is wonderful and work hard to guide her, not tell her what she needs to do. This is a supernatural novel with themes of intergenerational family relationships, friendship, mystery solving and grief. It also deals with discovering who you are, accepting and trusting yourself and finding your role within your family. I definitely recommend this story not only to middle grades students, but to anyone who enjoys a multi-cultural story dealing with legends, magic and wonderful

This was a fun story about a young bruja that incorporated Mexican folklore, I wanted to read this with my kiddo who is a bit younger than the target audience but he was too scared
I liked that the family all had magical abilities and Omega coming into hers.
This story covers lots of grief and discussions of death

From my blog post: One, I saw that the sequel was announced and I screamed so you can guess that I’m excited about it! This story was so riveting from the very beginning and I was enamored with the characters in this book. There were so many hysterical moments and I couldn’t wait for Omega to crack the mystery she was trying to solve. I will say that there was a twist or two that caught me off guard, which doesn’t happen often so it earned even more brownie points from me for that. Omega Morales is Mexican Folklore inspired, in case you were wondering!

This is a great middle grade! This is perfect if you're looking for a fun and spooky adventure! Love the focus on family and I appreciate that this has discussions about grief, bullying, and accepting yourself for who you are. I certainly wouldn't complain if we got more adventures in this world.

I may just be easily scared but this middle-grade horror was scarier than it had any right to be. This is a story about the Legend of La Lechuza while being grounded by the bonds of friendship and family. This is also a story where grief is at the forefront of the mystery. It is all creepy and heartbreaking. The characters are so compelling. It is an easy read and something that should be in middle school classrooms everywhere.

Omega is going to be the newest beloved character in the classroom. Her journey to realizing she is special is something that so many people can relate to, not just children. Absolutely stunning work!

Thank You to Netgalley for the ARC! Excited to read more from Kemp!

What an awesome middle school/late elementary school read! I connected with the characters, the historical background and the plot. I thought it was fun to read, quick, and the writing was on the correct reader level as described.

This was a great Middle Grade fantasy novel! The main characters were all good, and the plot was well done. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Omega Moralez and the Legend of La Lechuza is a middle grade fantasy novel based on the Mexican legend of a shape-shifting witch named La Lechuza. Our main character, Omega Morales, comes from a family of magic practitioners, but her world is turned upside down when La Lechuza, someone she wasn’t even sure was real, shows up and begins calling out to her. In a town where cats and children are in danger of going missing, Omega and her friends band together to get to the bottom of who La Lechuza actually is.

Before I get to my review, I want to preface this by saying that Scribd had the audiobook available, so I decided to listen to that instead of reading my physical copy. Now that I’ve completed it, I know for certain that I should have read this book instead. I didn’t like the audiobook narrator, and it took away from my enjoyment of the novel. Okay, let’s get into the review!

My exposure to Latinx folklore is pretty restricted in that I learned most of what I currently know from reading books like this one. That being said, I loved the legend of La Lechuza and am interested in doing some searching to learn more about it. A mysterious morally-grey type of villain is right up my alley, so La Lechuza’s characterization really appealed to me.

I also thoroughly enjoyed many of the characters in this book, Omega being my favorite. She was so believable as a tween character while also being reasonable and relatable. I thought she, her brother, and her best friend Clau were incredibly written. Throughout the story, there is also a strong family dynamic of Omega and her relatives being protective while also giving the kids space to learn for themselves, something that I thought was well done.

Since the book is a middle grade, there are several lessons/morals that are being taught through the plot. The themes that stood out to me in particular were those of forgiveness and empathy. Though I disagreed with the message of forgiving your bullies because they’re helping you grow as a person, I can understand where the author was coming from. I just think it leaned a bit too far at justifying a bullies actions.

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza came out last week and is the first installment in a middle grade fantasy series that is sure to be a blast. I’ll likely be continuing the series when the next book comes out as the ending left me with a lot of curiosities. Laekan Zea Kemp also mentioned via Twitter that her book launch event went terribly wrong with the bookstore not having any copies available for those who showed up. Please give her and her book the love it deserves!

This was such a fun spooky read. I loved the characters of Omega and her cousin Carlitos and their friend ghost Clau. The book does not shy away from hard topics like grief, and loneliness, and feeling like an outcast. The topics are approached beautifully and throughout the book Omega learns so much about herself. I loved the sprinkling of Spanish throughout the book as I am working on learning Spanish myself. I highly recommend this book for a great fall read.

Thank you so much to the author, @tbrbeyondtours, and publisher for having for on the tour and for my gifted copy.

Thoughts and Themes: My first thought is that I keep reading Lechuza as Lechuga and was really confused about there being a legend regarding lettuce that I hadn’t heard about. I am glad to tell you all that this story is not about lettuce at all but that would have been funny. But also prior to this thought, I was so happy to see that the author had now written a middle grade book since I loved her two young adult books so much.

I am happy to say that I loved this book as much as the young adult books if not more. This is a perfect read for second graders and up especially during this spooky season. I love that this book is spooky but not too scary to frighten the younger audience. I loved the references to Mexican folklore that this book includes because so much of these tales were things that I grew up hearing about.

Something that I really enjoy about this book is the added images within chapters. I like how these images bring the story to life and it works really well for me since I have a hard time picturing what I am reading.

Characters: In this story you are introduced to several characters through their interactions with our main character, Omega. You get to meet her family, her best friend Carlitos, and a ghost that lives alongside them, Clau. Right off the bat it is hard not to fall in love with each of the characters that you are introduced to in this story.

I really loved the relationship that each of the characters that are introduced has with our main character, Omega. I love how supportive each of the characters are of her and how they are supportive regardless of her differences. I love that you can feel the amount of love everyone has for each other seeping out of this book.

Writing Style: This story is told in first person through the perspective of our main character, Omega. I really enjoyed the story being told through her perspective as it makes you remember the age of our main character. The voice of our narrator really made it hard to put down this book because I just wanted to hear more about the magic and everything going on in her world.

Fascinating book and I liked the folklore and also the ghostly best friend. And I like the author's previous work and hoping to see more from them in the future.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza

Author: Laekan Zea Kemp

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Mexican/Hispanic MC and characters

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, Mexican Mythology and Lore, fantasy, ghosts

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Genre: MG Mythology Fantasy

Age Relevance: 12+ (death, missing pets, prayer, grief, animal harm)

Explanation of Above: Death is all around this book. It includes several ghosts and ghost pets. There are mentions of some of the ghost pets being murdered. There are missing animals that are mentioned. There is some grief shown in the book. There is some prayer shown in the book.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Omega Morales’s family has been practicing magic for centuries in Noche Buena. But over the years, the town's reputation for the supernatural is no longer one the people carry with pride. So Omega’s family keeps to themselves, and in private, they’re Empaths—diviners who can read and manipulate the emotions of people and objects around them. But Omega’s powers don’t quite work, and it leaves her feeling like an outsider in her own family.

When a witch with the power to transform herself into an owl—known in Mexican folklore as La Lechuza—shows up unannounced, Omega, her best friend Clau (who happens to be a ghost), and her cousin Carlitos must conduct a séance under a full moon in order to unravel the mystery of the legend.

Suddenly Omega’s magic begins to change, and the key to understanding her powers is more complicated than she thought. Omega will have to decide what’s more important—trusting the instincts of others or learning to trust in herself.

Review: I thought this was such a cute book! I loved the magic system and the mystery in this book. I loved that the book was very open about death, which can be a scary topic for a lot of kids and adults, and it incorporated it into the story. The book had fantastic illustrations in it and the story was beautifully told. The characters were well developed as was the world building.

The only issue I had with the book is that some of the pacing was a bit off in places.

Verdict: It was so good! Highly recommend!

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars!

TL;DR: It's been a minute since I've read a MG fantasy but when I saw Laekan Zea Kemp wrote this one, I knew I wanted to read it immediately. There's honestly so much to love about Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza. From the myth/lore to the intergenerational magical family you want to be part of, the spooky Halloween vibes, the themes of grief and loss, and love and hate, and the fantastic characters who you can't help but to root for, once I had the chance to sit down with it, I didn't want to stop reading. There's a lot for all readers to take away from this magical adventure-filled story and I'm hoping that the author will create a series with Omega, Carlitos and Clau because I loved this terrific trio so much!

The story is set in the town of Noche Buena and the small town's spooky autumn vibes were in full swing! I'm not much of a spooky reader and I know this is MG so I wasn't sure how spooky it would get but the imagery that the author brings to life definitely resulted in some spine-tingling goosebumps. I can still picture some of the scarier moments with gleaming smiles full of sharp teeth in the dark and the twisted bitter faces emerging at the window! As I knew I would, I really enjoyed Zea Kemp's writing—it's engaging, well-paced and such a joy to read, plus I love the way she infuses the richness of Mexican/Chicane/Latinx culture so seamlessly in the story and the characters' lives.

My favourite aspect of this story was the mystery and myth of La Lechuza! It was creepy and horrific but the truth of it was also heartbreaking. I appreciated the way the author tackled themes of coping with grief and loss, as well as love and hate and the extremes of emotions, in general, but this was also a story about finding your place in the family and finding acceptance in yourself. All of this was woven so well into the heart of the La Lechuza myth and it made me love the story even more. The empath magic of the Morales family was also really cool! I don't think I've read a story before with this type of magic but I found it fascinating. It was so easy to picture each scene and bonus points because this story has several illustrations that only serve to bring the story more to life!

Omega was a fantastic character! She's part of a family who is entirely made of magic while she's only half-magical because her Papi is a non-magical human. She struggles with accepting that her grip on magic is so weak compared to the rest of the Morales and that she has so little control over what she can and can't do with her empathic powers. While she doesn't feel like a good enough bruja in comparison to the rest of her family, she also has to deal with bullying from her former best friend, Abby and the rest of her mean girl gang. I loved how the author showed the different ways that people can cope with grief and loss through Abby, whose loss took the form of hatred towards others, and her brother Aiden, who continued to honour their mum's memory through kindness and love. It was so satisfying to see Omega learn how to utilise her magic and learn to accept that despite maybe not having that innate talent for magic, she's still powerful and special.

In addition to Omega, we have her cousin, Carlitos and her ghost bestie, Clau who form the main trio solving the mystery of La Lechuza. Although the story is told solely from Omega's perspective, Carlitos and Clau were well-formed multi-dimensional characters. I loved Carlitos so much! On the outside, he's the brilliant but carefree joker of the family, especially when it comes to interacting with others in their town but there's so much more depth to his character and my heart went out to him. I wanted to give him and Omega huge hugs because they both deserve so much more! The same goes for Clau, who we don't know much about but more is revealed as the story progresses and I loved the slight mystery aspect of her arc. While this MG doesn't suffer from the typical trope of missing/absent/dead parents or familial relations, I do feel like the adult characters were a little less well developed in comparison to the kids but I still enjoyed the roles that the adults, especially Soona (who is wickedly cool) and Omega's mum and Abuelita, played in the story. It definitely shows that adults aren't infallible but that it's okay, as long as we strive to learn from them and grow to do better and be kinder to others and ourselves.

Overall, this was a superb read that I would recommend to all readers who love mischievous magical (spooky) adventures, learning about different cultures' legends and lore, and stories about the power of love, acceptance and family. The empath magic is fantastic and the comp to Encanto is absolutely spot on!

This middle grade novel was the
perfect choice for Latinx Heritage
Month! This was a fun story about
myths, mystery, family, and magic!

When I used to teach preschool in
Miami, we often sang La Lechuza to the
children but I never knew the creepy
Mexican legend about La Lechuza and
the full song. Omega Morales brought
this folklore to life and it was a fun and
mysterious read!

This book also reminded me of
Encanto, where each family member
has a special gift or magic and Omega
is still figuring her power out. I also
loved her conversations with inanimate
objects, especially her poster of
Selena! I can't wait to pass this on to
my middle grader and hear her
thoughts! This book is right up her
alley!

Oh my days am I so glad i signed up for this tour as this book is SPECIAL in so many ways. First off the book title gives off a spooky feel to it and then you are drawn into researching what a La Lechuza is and then being drawn in. I know I googled and was captivated.

Our main Character is Omega who has a very close family and showed in their interactions. Then you had Clau the family ghost.

I am not going to say anymore about the book but I will say it is not just a fantasy other subjects of bullying and grief are beautifully covered.

If you want some spook in your life with a strong family and friends mixed with comic moments then this is 100% your book and you should read it immediately.

I am hoping for some more of the wonderful Omega Morales and when we do I will be auto buying it. For all these reasons I am giving Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza 5 big fat stars

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is a middle-grade novel that will stir the imagination of young readers, get their pulses racing, and entertain even more mature readers. There are a lot of Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the story, the meaning of which can usually be determined by context. The story is an updated version of the Mexican folktale of La Lechuza, an old woman who could shapeshift into the form of a giant owl to take revenge on those who wronged her during her lifetime. This rendition makes La Lechuza very personal to the Morales family.

Omega and her cousin, Carlitos, are constant companions; their mothers are sisters. But as members of the same magical family, they understand the struggles that each one is going through dealing with their unique gifts. Carlitos gained his abilities before Omega and is a great support to her in dealing with understanding and controlling hers. The two are fun characters with an innocent mischievousness that boys and girls will love.

Omega and her former best friend, Abby, had a falling out the previous year, soon after the death of Abby’s mother. Abby now leads her new squad of mean girl pals in making life miserable for Omega. Middle-grade students will easily relate to this change in loyalty and alliances. Abby’s grief over the loss of her mother manifests itself in her bullying and hatred, and students should be able to see this cause and effect. In fact, grief and how different people handle it is the root cause of much of what is happening in the story.

There are genuine moments of horror in the story. Mainly this occurs as the appearance of spooky things outside windows or in the night sky. But inanimate objects also talk to Omega and her family, which lightens up the creepiness. While La Lechuza is a thing of nightmares, the story builds up to a hopeful ending.

I recommend OMEGA MORALES AND THE LEGEND OF LA LECHUZA to readers of middle-grade fiction who like spooky tales, stories set in a loving and lively Hispanic family setting, or enjoyed Encanto. This book would make an excellent choice for reading aloud.

I enjoyed reading Laekan Zae Kemp's debut middle-grade novel, Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza. The synopsis didn't do it justice. Where it made the story sound younger than it is, Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is an adventurous story for anyone to enjoy. What I liked most about the story was the lore. I don't know many Mexican folklores, so this was new territory for me. I like how Kemp not only told the legend of La Lechuza, but then she was able to break down the origin of the story and reshape it to her fitting.

I think Kemp wanted to focus on the life of an outsider who just wants to be, and I believe she was able to capture this in the main character, Omega. The feeling of being bullied and feeling lonely will change anyone. But the message behind having family love and understanding generational "curses" helped Omega figure out who she is and what her powers can do.

It sounds like there will be more from the Morales gang, and I want to see what craziness they get into next!

Laekan Zea Kemp’s middle grade debut novel Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is the perfect book for fans of Tehlor Kay Mejia’s Paola Santiago and the River of Tears and Kaela Rivera’s Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls. Filled with magic, adventure, figures out of folklore and legend, and a very lovable trio at the heart of the story, readers of all ages will connect with this book.

On first look, Omega Morales seems like your average middle school girl. But the citizens of Noche Buena know that her family is different; specifically, that all of them have psychic talents to some degree. Things are rough for Omega though, because she’s still an anomaly in her family. She’s the only half-human, and as such her powers are weak (and unstable at best). When strange things start happening in town, she and her friends Clau and Carlitos must work together to unravel the mystery and save everyone.

One of my favorite parts of reading books based on folklore and legend is the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and their history. La Lechuza was a relatively unknown figure to me, especially when compared to La Llorona and El Cucuy. It was fun to learn more about them, their background, and their shapeshifting powers (they are well known for appearing as an owl). Other figures like alebrijes and ghosts make an appearance in the book, and on a mundane level Omega’s family plays heavily into the story.

The characters are the heart of the story. Omega’s always felt like the odd one out, and that plays heavily into the story. Clau’s ‘ghostliness’ also plays a role in the book, and Carlitos was a great addition to round out the trio. La Lechuza is, at first glance, the villain of the book and a ‘monster’ but she’s actually a very misunderstood figure. The same applies to Abby, Omega’s former friend who has turned to tormenting her in the wake of her grief (following the death of her mother a couple of months ago).

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is an amazing debut, and I’m so excited to read more in this series. I loved the artwork interspersed throughout the book (courtesy of Vanessa Morales) that helped add depth to the story. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy fantasy tales inspired by myth and folklore, complete with ghostly sidekicks, magic, and a bit of adventure.

Thank you to the author, the publisher Little Brown Books for Young Readers, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

CW: Bullying, Grief