This is an extremely readable YA fantasy, with a fun benefit of I don’t think there is a single named White person, which you don’t see a lot of! I thought the ideas were really fun, and the fast pace made it a quick read. There was not, however, enough character work for my tastes - it felt like the characters were there just to enact the plot. I didn’t feel like we really got to know anyone beyond a surface level, and there was certainly no development. Ultimately, I had fun, but it’s not a book I would reach for to reread or recommend to friends.

I DNF’d unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I’m sure some people will love it. I just couldn’t connect to the story or characters

About 60% of the book was gripping and entertaining. The last bit of the book fell short for me. The plot started to dwindle and i felt like i was reading as a chore. I did enjoy the representation.

The plot twist in this one? Unparalleled. It had been a while since I had read a plot twist like this one, I screamed when I read it. There aren't many good plot twist out there and believe me when I tell you this is one of the best ones I've read.

From the moment Last sunrise in eterna was announced I knew I had to read it, c'mon Puerto Rican Elves? Who wouldn't want to read it, as someone who loved Blazewrath games, I could't wait to get more from Amparo and this did not disappoint.

Three teenagers are invited to spend seven days on the secluded island floating off the coast of Puerto Rico to learn the magic of the elves, the only cost is their dreams. We follow Sevim, who hates eleves but is chosen to participate and as she starts going through the challenges she realizes that there might be more to the eleves than what she thinks.

Filled with intrigue and mystery, this book grabbed my attention from its first line and left me wanting more even after everything is over.

Amparo's writing is like no other and I cannot wait to read more from them.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

The Diverse Baseline

January Prompt B: A book by a Latiné author

While the first 2/3 of this book was gripping, the plot dwindled a bit in the last 1/3. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention, or maybe I just didn't care, but the twist completely surprised me. I'm not sure it was necessary, but it was new and refreshing.

YA fantasy is a difficult genre for me. Asian YA fantasy has been particularly bad. This surprised me. So did Lucha of the Night Forest. Maybe I segue to this section of the BIPOC party.

First of all, I enjoy the name Sevim, and the reason she was given this name. As a human that hates elves, there is more than meets the eye to this seventeen year old. Chosen for a contest on the elves' island turns into a very risky business. So is the elf prince Aro. Do sparks fly?

I used to ignore author's notes. However, I now enjoy them for the most part. Amparo mentions she has always loved elves, but never saw one that looked like her on screen. I felt that in my soul. As someone that grew up on The Lord of the Rings and other fantasies like it, I well know the genre is very white. High fantasy is still very white, and predominately written by men. I enjoyed a lot of it in my past, but I'm seeking more diverse voices in the genre. I hope to read more like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Why is it that a book that isn't White/Straight/Cis/US-based always has so many negative reviews stating that they didn't relate to the story or characters? I ask myself every time I see a negative review for this book because this is one of my favorite fantasy books I've read. The way it blends the history of Puerto Rico with this fantasy world was so expertly done while the story was so boricua that I felt my heart grow three times its size.

The story had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I needed spoilers but didn't want to be spoiled. I wanted to scream, laugh, and cry, and aaaah, it was such a fantastic book. I wish I could put into words that made sense how much I loved this book. The magic system, this magical island, the elves that looked like me, and the twists and turns... I am honestly so obsessed with this book.

But my favorite part is that these weren't poster characters of what the US thinks Boricuas from the island are like, and it isn't a US-centric-based view of Puerto Rico. This was such an accurate representation of the island that it was quite refreshing and which made me love it so freaking much.

I appreciate so much what this story did. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I love books and stories about the Fae. They are my favorite kind after vampire stories.

I was so excited for this book! First off that cover is absolutely amazing! I am a sucker for a great cover. And the story itself backs it up. Ortiz is an amazing writer and I loved the mix of a fairy story with the culture and background of the author.

If it isn't on your list, it really should be. Its full of action and adventure and has well rounded characters that you can't help falling in love with. It was everything I hoped for!

Thanks for the chance to read this wonderful title!

I loved the culture that was infused into this story. I liked the theme a lot and appreciated the way it was implemented for the most part. There were a couples instances where it made my head spin but overall it a was a nice read.


Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book.

I had such high hopes for this book but was unfortunately left pretty disappointed. I didn’t love the characters and certain aspects of the plot. It felt unfinished and like it needed more polishing.

What an amazing read this was! Definitely will need to add a physical copy of this book to my bookshelves, because first of all the cover is gorgeous and second the book is amazing. It's so refreshing to read a story set in Puerto Rico with Puerto Rican elves. The character and world building in this book are great, but Sevim (the fmc) definitely manages to steal the show.

Action-packed YA fantasy with a submersive setting! Loved Sevim’s personality and perseverance!

And this cover is gorgeous!

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC copy!

Last Sunrise in Eterna" is an enthralling urban fantasy novel that delivers a thrilling and fast-paced reading experience. Filled with twists and turns, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. The vibrant cover and intriguing protagonist, Sevim, immediately grabbed my attention. She constantly made me smile and I felt so related towards her! The captivating world-building and magic system offered insightful commentary on American imperialist interventions. While the characters were intriguing, I wished for more development to fully connect with them. However, there were a few aspects that detracted from my enjoyment, such as occasional confusion in the plot and unrealistic dialogue between characters. The romance, while not central, felt rushed. Despite these minor flaws, I highly recommend this diverse fantasy set in a Latin-inspired world. I look forward to reading more from Ortiz in the future.

To find a book about elves set in Puerto Rico is exactly what I had hoped for as a child. Amparo Ortiz grips you with the voice right off the bat. I know my kiddo will enjoy this as much as I did. It was so good I went and bought it before I even finished the NetGalley!

Wow. This fantastic book is a love letter to Puerto Rico.

The intricacies of the language use are impressive but also heartwarming. There's something beautiful about characters in a fantasy world who look and sound like Puerto Rico.

Thank you Amparo Ortiz.

Pretty sure I only read one book in March, but I’m 100% ok with that because it was THE LAST SUNRISE IN ETERNA by Amparo Ortiz and it was amazing!

Seriously, get ready for a book that will make you go WHAT THE ACTUAL F more times than you can count. So many twists and turns and something so unexpected, you won’t have a choice but to keep reading until you find out what just happened because wtf!!!!

This takes place in Puerto Rico with landmarks familiar to me (I used to work at the Mall of San Juan!) and there’s so much about Puerto Rican history in an accesible way for those who may not know about our Island (and the surrounding areas).

I was drawn to this book 1. Because of BLAZAWRATH GAMES (see: PUERTO RICO AND DRAGONS!) and 2. PUERTO RICO AND ELVES? Sign me up!

This book is fun, fast, and will keep you on your toes. It might be a good fit for you if you enjoyed Holly Black’s CRUEL PRINCE (it IS less stabby tho…or is it 😉) seriously, READ THIS ONE.

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

My Review:

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

This book was a fun and fast paced urban fantasy, whose twists and turns kept me on edge the entire time. It was my first Amparo Ortiz book, but I had heard good things about the Blazewrath Games so I was interested in starting this one. The cover was the first thing that had grabbed my attention: the colours!! They are so vibrant and the art is gorgeous. They really contrast with Sevim’s rather dark personality, which I thought was amusing.

As I mentioned, this book has a lot of twists, perhaps a bit too many for a book just slightly over 300 pages. I wished that Ortiz had picked one to stick to and developed that throughout, instead of relying on the wow factor of adding all of the plot twists that she did. I feel like the story would have benefited greatly from that, as it was a bit too much at times.

Aside from that, I did really enjoy the world building in this novel. The magic system was very interesting, and I loved the comment on American imperialist interventions that felt prevalent throughout the book (at least for me). It was a very interesting concept and Last Sunrise in Eterna certainly delivered on the wonderful world of these elves.

The characters in this book were quite intriguing, even if slightly under developed at times. I thought Sevim was an interesting main character – I loved her attitude and goth-ness. Aro was probably my favourite character, the most likeable out of every one, at least I thought so. I wanted more from the development of these characters to like them more, but alas, I felt underwhelmed in that department.

If you’re looking for a fast paced novel, filled with adventure, then Last Sunrise in Eterna might just be the book for you! A colourful world to match its colourful cover. I think this book will certainly be many new favourites.

Last Sunrise in Eterna released March 28th, 2023

The real review is 2.5 stars but I rounded it to 3 stars.*
I wanted to like this book but couldn't get into it. I think a part of this problem is honestly me! I just finished reading a YA fantasy before starting this one and it may have been fantasy overkill for me. Although I enjoyed learning about this new magic system and the interesting trials that our characters have to go through, this book felt a bit rushed and all over the place.

One of the big issues for me was that we don't really know our main character Sevim. We get to know her on a very surface level, which may be intentional once a twist at the end is revealed, but it was tough to care for her and the situation she is put in. I felt myself roll my eyes at the majority of Sevim's actions instead of understanding her actions. I also felt like a few of our characters could have been flushed out more. One character is Deaf & uses sign language to communicate, the other is very bossy and you get hints of an attraction between them and another character but it's never explored. A lot of this story reads surface-level. Also, this book takes place in one of the islands of Puerto Rico, I wish we got to learn more about PR and the culture.

I did enjoy the detailed descriptions during the challenges! The "ensuenos" magic was so interesting to read about too. I did like reading about some of the character dynamics as well. If there is a sequel, I would love for Ortiz to share more about the magic system, characters, and culture of the land.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Page Street for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Last Sunrise in Eterna slayed! This novel did such a great job of combining Puerto Rico's history and the fantasy genre. I really loved that the elves were not only brown and spoke Spanish but that they switched back and forth between English and Spanish. These details rooted the elves in the real world as many bilingual people switch between languages so casually and in the same sentence.

I also loved the characters Aro, Sevim, Raff. And the romance between Aro and Sevim was so interesting because the characters are opposites. I just wished the romance was an even slower build up.

I recommend this book for fantasy lovers and readers who are looking for a fantasy set in Latin America and for readers who don't mind a morally gray, goth protagonist, and a sunshine elf prince.