Encanto vibes but waaaay darker with a side of vigilante heroism. The book is a fantasy Western with a salt based magic system.

I love the depiction of familial relationships and how having a crush is described.

Read for the bold main character and stay for the emotional familial healing, redemption, and the many forms of love.

Genre: Western Fantasy
Age: Young Adult
Topics: Magic, good vs evil
Spice: None
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers
Themes: Redemption, family relationships, discomfort with gender norms
Read for: Netgalley
Obtained from: Thanks to Macmillan Young Readers and Netgalley for the ALC

Salvación by Sandra Proudman is a YA magical Zorro inspired story with a female protagonist. This is not YA aimed at adults. The angst and family dynamics feel closer to middle grade. I was intrigued by the underage female Zorro setup and magical salts, but we are given so little about this magic. The world building could’ve been better developed. As a teacher and a parent, I have serious concerns when well meaning authority figures are treated as overbearing (or even villains) for enforcing reasonable rules. Almost every page mentions that her mother is colder towards her than her brother. We get it.

This was a good audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator and I thought they did an amazing job at delivering all the emotions at the right time. I would definitely recommend this story as an audiobook, just brought it to life.

I first heard about Salvación from a fellow author friend that was really excited for the story, so I jumped on the audiobook! This coming of age historical fantasy takes place in Alta California shortly after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and inspired by El Zorro, and it takes advantage of those vibes with a solid setting, unique magic, and well developed characters.

Lola de La Peña was raised to be a proper Mexican lady, but her journey to Alta California has changed her to become a masked hero, Salvación, helping to protect her town from trouble. However, she soon finds herself in a situation that she might not be able to solve alone.

Lola was a great protagonist. She used to simply accept her role as a proper lady back home, even though she did unladylike things. However, the dangerous and deadly trip to Alta California ignited a sense of justice in her, and forces her to live two lives. The girl that helps her mother heal people during the day, and a masked hero at night, keeping the people of the town safe. It makes her think about the life she wants to live going forward and further complicates her daily activities.

Due to this being sold as a romantasy, I was led to believe that the romance was going to be the primary relationship, and while it is significant, Lola's relationship with the rest of her family takes priority, and those dynamics are well developed. I love how Salvación is a two person job with her brother, Victor, even though Lola is the only one dressing up, and the sibling relationship is my favorite. I love how complex Lola's relationship with her parents, ever changing throughout the story. Also, Lola's relationship with the love interest, Alejandro, is complicated, especially considering that Alejandro is a companion of the main antagonist, Hernandez, and Lola is playing secret identity and Alejandro is only interested in one of the identities. Hernandez himself is very terrifying and I got nervous when he showed up.

As mentioned earlier, this takes place in the late 1840's, likely 1848-1849 based on some context clues. The town of Coloma feels like a town in transition from being controlled by Mexico to the USA. I'm not super familiar with the era, but it does have an old west town feel to the area. I do like the fantastical elements of the healing sal negra (black salt) and the destructive sal roja (red salt), and while simple, the magic system is easy to follow and very effective.

The pacing was excellent: rather quick despite several chapters running nearly an hour long on the audiobook. The prose was descriptive and helped me sink into the setting without too much trouble. I could visualize myself into the story. It did feel like it could fit in as a spinoff of Zorro with the masked hero vibes and the action scenes being super intense at times. Fits with the stakes escalating throughout the story. The themes of self discovery, coming of age, embracing one self, and about how much we mere humans know about the Earth, were rather clear.

I believe this is a standalone, but I could easily see some follow up material following Lola or some other characters. Either way, the ending was satisfying, even if nothing further comes of this world or characters.

Victoria Villarreal did an outstanding job on the narration! The regular switches from English to Spanish and vice versa was flawless, and she was great with the range of each character.

Really enjoyed this story and highly recommend this one for those looking for a gender bender Zorro story with some fantasy, or someone interested in this time period or setting with some fantastical elements.

A female version of Zorro?? Love!!

I thought that the Spanglish throughout the novel was so fun and immersed me more into the story, especially when Lola or other characters were talking with one another. I also liked the idea of magical salt - I thought that was really fun!

Something I wish had happened towards the beginning of the novel was the explanation of where the salt came from or how they discovered it - aside from explaining that Lola’s mother felt pulled towards it and its healing properties.

Overall it was a really wonderful and fun book!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Unique story line, okay characters. I love this gender swapped Zorro style story and the main characters realization of how the real world is and anyone can act anyway. The relationship between her and her brother is strong and wonderful but the dialogue is a little to immature for me. The story line of balance and magic salt and being driven to this wild unknown area was well done. It was just characters interaction that threw me off. The romance attraction is a tad bit insta-love and the way it unfolds bugs me a bit. I do love how they recognize that they are young and not all powerful which is rather uncommon for ya books where they are the savior. The narrator did very well with the Spanish and English within the story. She made it immersive and I feel like I enjoyed the story more because I listened to her versus reading it. Overall this is a pretty well rounded story and would be q great teenage read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to listen to the story.

The cover grabbed me, taking me back to my earliest memories of Zorro. This novel has a fantastic set-up. Lola play acts as a proper young lady, and at night she transforms into Salvación, the protector of her town. Soon, outsiders threaten everything dear to her.

Sandra Proudman has great skill in characterization and relationship dynamics. In Salvación, the main character grapples with her role in her family and community, the expectations placed on young women, and  her independent, protective spirit. She's better suited to her secret vigilante life than to being demure, hampered by wide skirts and impractical shoes.

I enjoyed that the family isn't idealized. There are realistic fiction points, making the characters relatable to adults and younger readers. The partnership with her brother worked well in the story. 0rdinary heroism is shown in effective ways, through scenes of her mother's healing work and necessary tasks such as making tortillas. The place of herbal medicine and the healer's work shows an important, respected tradition that has survived despite the destructive acts of invaders. I liked the bit of magic and the way healing weaves into the plot. Vivid details of the setting and supporting characters brought the small town to life.

Considering the Zorro inspiration, the book was slower and quieter than I expected. There's a villain, a sense of menace, and high stakes. I would have liked more action, particularly from Lola in her role as Salvación. Although it wasn't the swashbuckling adventure I anticipated, Salvación succeeds on its own terms as a richly-textured feminist Latinx vision. The web of community and thoughtful exploration of a brave young woman resisting oppression on multiple levels make this a fresh take on an enduring legend. I enjoyed the journey and rounded up my rating to 4 stars for the exceptional performance by narrator Victoria Villarreal. Her voice work makes all the characters distinctive, and Lola comes fully to life. The intro music set the mood, and the production quality is excellent. I strongly suggest choosing the audio version for this book.

It's a wonderful coming of age novel with realistic young adult issues that addresses colonialism and restrictions on women. I'll be watching for more books by Sandra Proudman and more audiobooks narrated by Victoria Villarreal. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction and YA fantasy.
I'll add review links aafter posting.

Historical Fiction

Salvación offers a reflective, character-driven story set in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. It follows a 17-year-old girl navigating survival, identity, and legacy in California, where she masquerades as a justice-bringing angel.

There’s a lot to appreciate: the setting felt grounded, the stakes were clear, and the main character grows throughout the story in a believable way. Her moments of courage and conflict struck a good balance with her youth and inexperience. Unfortunately, many side characters—particularly her parents—lacked emotional depth, and one third-act conflict felt forced and underdeveloped. The narrative style, while introspective, often created emotional distance, making it hard to connect fully with the more dramatic moments.

Still, readers looking for slow-burning adventure with themes of identity, justice, and found strength may find value in this. The epilogue wraps up the story in a way that adds closure and weight to the protagonist’s journey.

I listened to the book and thought the narrator did a wonderful job voicing the main female character. Thank you for the chance to review.

Enjoyed thiis audiobook I thought this book was really good. fierce Feminist who always stands up for what is right. I love the female Zorro theme. I just wish it had more action. and I loved the plot

3.5⭐️ rounded up specifically because of the narrator for the audiobook. I don’t think I would have enjoyed and appreciated the book as much reading a print version.

Now for the objective and subjective review:

Subjectivity this wasn’t my favorite book. It’s definitely a true YA novel which there’s nothing wrong with that but it’s just not my favorite. There is a lot of coming of age and rebelling against traditional gender norms - she wants to wear pants, fight, shoot, etc. Perfectly good messaging for younger girls, but I’m 40, so not really my jam. And this whole topic is brought up again and again which wore on me a bit. Also the action was lacking for me for something pitched as a Zoro retelling.

Objectively it’s great. I would buy this for my nieces to read. It’s a young, strong girl who wants me protect her family and her land and do it however she needs to. The “romance” is super light and again very YA. I also expect most of a true YA audience don’t really know Zoro so aren’t expecting high action and can go in and just enjoy the story. The magic system is also easy to follow which makes it a great intro to fantasy for younger readers.

My audiobook ARC was glitching until I redownloaded it 8 times and I see now I should have seen that as a sign.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I cannot believe it ended up being one of my least favourites. It started out fine, and I was enjoying it, but there were so many little things that stacked up at the end to make me just want it to be over.

There is a strange trend with YA releasing in the last couple of years where the proof of the strong female main character is found in "just trust me, bro." The reader is told repeatedly how badass she is, how people fear her and how important she is ... but it's never shown on page. I do not know why Lola is the masked vigilante named Salvación, why she supposedly has this reputation of being the protector of this tiny town. She threatens one man (almost unsuccessfully, I'll add) who never comes back again, and that's it. The skills she is purported to have never come to life on page and that disappointed me the most, for a book pitched as Zorro-inspired. Something else that bothered me ... you know how Clark Kent just has to take off his glasses and he's unrecognizable? Yeah, the same seems to apply to Lola for some reason, and it baffled me so much. Especially because we meet three women total in the town, one of whom is Lola, the only young woman, but no one figures out who she is when she wears the mask and talks to them.

The world building was also quite weak. There is some kind of magical salt that heals people, but it is never explained. It's introduced in the first chapter and is just ... there. Her mother had some kind of connection to it that led her across the land to it, but again, never explained. Likewise, there is an opposite, evil salt that the villain uses, but it doesn't really make sense. There is an interesting thread of colonialism and who truly has the right to the land of Mexico, but it was casually referenced and thrown aside until convenient to the story.

The villain in general was pretty uninspiring. I still don't know what he was doing or what he wanted? Threatening everyone with evil salt to go fight in a war that was already happening? Everyone just caved to this man without question, but he had no depth to him. He truly felt like a lackluster caricature. Likewise, the love interest was quite dull. He just shows up and has no personality, but Lola is instantly magentized to him like horses apparently are.

It seems to have left itself open to allow for a sequel in future, but I have no interest in that, I'm afraid.

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book. This is a book, first and foremost, about colonization. The white people have colonized the land that the Spanish have colonized and the cycle continues. Magic, whole thought to be used for good, is taken from the land with little regard for the consequences. The set up for this book is incredibly solid and makes for a thoughtful read.

My real issue lies with the way the book is written. We are sort of thrown into the story and often times it feels like I’m reading a sequel. How did Lola create her alter ego? What was the catalyst for traveling to Coloma? While these things are told to us, the way it is presented makes it seem like this is information we should already know. Also, I really wished we had more time with Salvación and her adventures.

This book has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

This book felt nostalgic since I loved Zorro. This however for me felt more immersed in the culture and time period than what I have seen before. I loved the gender swap and it felt more true to why she would especially want to hide her identity considering the period in time the story was taking place. Not a story I would maybe want to read over and over again but would definitely recommend and was a fun ride from beginning to end

This is a unique take on Zorro and I loved that it was YA. Felt very nostalgic with the added twist of magic as well as the improvement of women in power! Super fun adventure with very interesting family elements.

I really enjoyed this gender-bent Latinx Zorro story. The magic is cool, if a bit inexplicable. I kept hoping we'd learn more about why the black and red salt come from, but no. Instead we get the sudden introduction of blue salt, with no idea even what it does.

Lola was a relatable character and I easily found myself rooting for her. I didn't understand her insta-love connection with Alejandro, but I at least found myself liking him more as the story went on. (I was hoping we would get more scenes that would show their growing attraction but we really didn't.) I also really liked her brother and the way they worked together.

Lola really comes into her own over the course of the story. There is just enough worldbuilding to make the story have some weight and heart to it. I wish the worldbuilding had gone a bit deeper, but I still enjoyed it the way it was. I also really liked the sprinkling of Spanish words throughout the story.

The audiobook was well-done and the narrator did a really good job bringing Lola and everyone else to life.

*Thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing an early copy for review.

Salvacion is a fun genderbent Zorro-inspired story where a young woman must defend her family and the people of her town from the white colonizers who wish to take both land and magic.

Lola de la Pena is seen as a proper young lady, but in her heart, she wants freedom. The people of Coloma need her and her mother, who practices a healing magic using black salt that is mined by her own family. Undeterred by societal expectations, Lola transforms into Salvacion in the evenings, doling out vigilante justice with the help of her brother.

When a deadly red salt appears along with Damien Hernandez, the man who uses it for his own nefarious purposes, Lola knows she must act, and soon. Danger is all around, but not just from the villainous Hernandez, but also from one of his men, Alejandro, who soon catches Lola's eye.

This is very much a YA book- Lola becomes infatuated with Alejandro despite knowing very little about him, and the idea that no one would ever figure out who Salvacion is despite several clues is not completely believable, but this was a fun story overall. The narration was wonderful, I very much enjoyed the Spanish language perfectly dovetailed with the rest of the story.

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan, and Sandra Proudman, for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a delightful debut! The narrator was exceptional and I loved the concept of a Zorro-esque heroine with a dash of magical realism.

The plot was solid, and the characters were well-rounded (I LOVED Lola, Victor, and Alejandro!) The conflict didn't feel silly or overdone. Although this book had an ambiguous ending, I liked that the author still made this feel like a complete tale. You definitely could see a whole series from this book, but it wasn't left so open-ended that you felt like something was missing.

Overall, great story, 3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the alc my opinions are being left voluntarily. This is a phenomenal debut with a twist of a retelling and I super loved it. I loved the story the narration the character development. I am exciting to see where the author does next.

4.5/5☆
Recommend checking it out.