We follow Isla's story of growing up in New Jersey and spending summers with her Aunt Alama in Puerto Rico. It is through spending time in Puerto Rican that she learns of her family's storytelling abilities, starting with her Abuela. The gift of storytelling, where one sees visions of ancestors being played out in front of them, has been passed down to Isla after her Abuela's death. This story has mystery, family drama, secrets, and young love -- a great read!

A wonderfully vivid coming of age story with great descriptions of Puerto Rico and well developed characters.

This is a beautiful, magical coming-of-age story about Isla Sanchez, a girl growing up in New Jersey in the 1970s’s. Her father dies when she is eight, and her mother neglects her as she descends into alcoholism. By contrast, she spends her summer with her great aunt in Puerto Rico, where she is embraced by a large, tightly-knit and well-connected family. The story covers the next ten years of her life as she grows up and finds out that she comes from a long line of storytellers. This is a novel to savor, with its rich character development and immersive descriptions of Puerto Rico.

The Storyteller's Death
by Ann Davila Cardinal
Pub Date: October 4, 2022
Sourcebooks
From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican teenager who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I loved this book! This delightful tale, set in Puerto Rico, focuses on the life of Isla - growing up between summers with her great Aunt on the Island, and home in New Jersey. With the constant back and forth, she doesn’t feel like she really belongs in either location - always an outsider.

To add to her confusion, Isla is also a storyteller, part of a long line of storytellers within the Sanchez family. Is it a blessing, or a curse? The fact that it’s not even allowed to be discussed makes deciding that even more difficult.
I am recommending this book! A beautiful tale of growing up, of family, of the rich culture of Puerto Rico, of racism and privilege. I loved this book. 5 stars

Omg I am so excited to read this book!!! Thank you so much for giving me access to this earc. My official review will come in, but for now, I wanted to express gratitude. Ann's work rocks, and I am sure this book will be no different. I mean, quenepas and Bayamón, a love letter!!!

Official review to come soon!

An entrancing story of family secrets and how they effect generations. The writing and descriptions of Puerto Rico was very engaging.

This book absolutely amazed me. I went in with zero expectations, but ended up absolutely loving it. The story kind of jumps through time, sometimes it's small jumps, sometimes bigger jumps. It is story that covers quite some years and a lot of family history. It being written this way made sure that we, as readers, know everything we need to know in order to read and understand the story.

The story was captivating, I wanted to know more and more. If I would have had the time I could have finished it in one sit. There was so much to read about and experience. The story itself did not move super quickly but it is written in a way that makes it so easy to glide through the book.

The characters are so well described. You can really see them develop throughout time. They really grow and mature when they get older. It makes the characters very realistic and like an actual family. I loved the way how the bonds between the different characters were described and how those relationships developed throughout the story.

The story was not predictable at all. I had no idea where the story was going and what was going to happen. So, ofcourse, I did not expect this ending.

What a wonderful story this was. Isla is often left, by her mother, to her grandmother and great-aunt in Puerto Rico. When her grandmother dies when Isla is eighteen she learns of a storytelling gift. My gosh was this ever enchanting and magical. I am not into fantasy at all but am trying to have an open mind this year and this really hit the spot because of the magical realism. I also enjoyed that it had the added bonus of a murder mystery. I really related to Isla because my mother often treated me like a forgotten piece of luggage when I was young. I was also transported to Puerto Rico (a place I know little about), and the descriptions of the location were so detailed. This was such a lovely yet emotional coming-of-age story with themes of race, privilege, and politics at its core.

Set in Puerto Rico, the author creates a vivid setting for this girl’s coming of age tale with a Caribbean twist.

This delightful tale, set in Puerto Rico, focusses on the life of Isla - growing up between summers with her great Aunt on the Island, and home in New Jersey. With the constant back and forth, she doesn’t feel like she really belongs in either location - always an outsider.

To add to her confusion, Isla is also a storyteller, part of a long line of storytellers within the Sanchez family. Is it a blessing, or a curse? The fact that it’s not even allowed to be discussed makes deciding that even more difficult.

A beautiful tale of growing up, of family, of the rich culture of Puerto Rico, of racism and privilege. I loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I feel blessed to have discovered this author and this novel. I don't know how to talk about it except to say, when you see it in a bookstore, grab it fast!

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Isla's family is shaken by her father's death. Her mother does not know how to deal turns to alcohol and drops Isla off as frequently as she can with her relatives in Puerto Rico. There she learns to be the story teller of her family.