Elisa Melendez and Inés del Castillo deliver a dual narration as Indir and Saya, whose supernatural gifts and unusual paths have led them into worlds of enchantment and danger. Saya lives on the run, hiding her gifts and traveling with her exploitative and secretive mother. Indir is a Dreamer who has lost her ability to Dream just as a sinister, arrogant new king threatens to destroy her homeland. Huerta's tale is based on ancient Mesoamerica. Melendez and del Castillo work together to heighten the vibrancy and tension of Huerta's narrative with forceful deliveries and dynamic characterizations. In a moving exploration of family, power, community, and love, two stories beautifully combine into a vivid, captivating adventure. A compelling debut, well suited to fans of mythology and magic. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

05/30/2022

In Huerta’s mesmerizing debut, a duology starter inspired by ancient Mesoamerican mythology, seers Indir and Saya fight for survival amid revolution in the city of Alcanzeh. Pragmatic Indir is descended from generations of Dreamers—prophet-like individuals capable of seeing beyond the Waking World and into the world of spirits in service to their king. Before the king dies, he urges Indir to keep her most recent Dreams secret from his shrewd son, Alcan, who intends to destroy the seers when he ascends the throne. Meanwhile, reserved Saya, a seer unfamiliar with Dreamer rites, travels with her controlling mother, who uses Saya’s gift for personal gain. When Indir and Saya become inexplicably linked, their lives are thrust into chaos as deception and faith collide. The narrative’s focus on the girls’ individual interpersonal relationships and internal arcs occasionally overshadows intriguing and necessary worldbuilding, which lessens the stakes and urgency. Nevertheless, Huerta weaves Mesoamerican history into the novel’s unique setting with authority. Indir and Saya’s alternating first-person perspectives ably balance intimate characterization, sprawling lore, and lush prose in a languorously paced volume. Ages 14–up. Agent: David Patterson and Aemilia Phillips, Stuart Krichevsky Literary. (Mar.)

A "Most Anticipated 2022" selection by Buzzfeed, TOR.com, HipLatina, The Portalist, The Nerd Daily, and Forever Young Adult!

“A transcendent story of community, sisterhood, and resilience set in a richly drawn world. Lizz Huerta is a powerful new voice in fantasy.” —Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come a Darkness

“Lizz Huerta’s radiant debut reminds us that our power is in our own instincts, even in moments of chaotic change.” —Xochitl González, author of Olga Dies Dreaming

“The ancient Mesoamerican setting for this complex fantasy is a stunner, exquisitely described in subtle, steady ways that ultimately build to a full world with histories, cultural details, mythology, and politics.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB), STARRED REVIEW

“Next Spring's buzziest fantasy debut.” —Entertainment Weekly

"Glorious worldbuilding and powerful leads make this a can't-miss read!" —Buzzfeed

"Perfect for readers who love rich worldbuilding and want to see patriarchal systems burn down." —The Portalist

08/01/2022

Gr 8 Up—Huerta introduces a planned duology inspired by Mesoamerican myths, in which she alternates narratives with connections revealed near book's end. Indir is a Dreamer in a family of multigenerational Dreamers whose visions serve Alcanzeh's kings. The newest monarch openly disdains the Dreamers, causing imbalance in the Waking World. When Indir loses her ability to dream, she faces banishment to survive. Elsewhere, young Saya has always been manipulated by her mother in the name of safety. Separation from Celay may be the only way Saya can understand her growing powers. Elisa Melendez and Inés del Castillo take turns, respectively, as Indir and Saya. Debut narrator Melendez is the weaker half, her performance marred by noticeable, sometimes gasping, nose breathing. Del Castillo, more practiced with dozens of credits, deftly manifests Saya with curiosity, frustration, and hope. VERDICT Impatient historical fantasy purists might want to choose the page.

05/13/2022

Gr 8 Up—A timeless power struggle set against the ancient backdrop of Mesoamerica (historically southern North America to Central America). Indir is a Dreamer, part of a long line of seers who has been raised in the Temple of Night surrounded by her mother and aunts. Right before the king dies, the teen sees the oncoming chaos and destruction his blasphemous son will bring, and that somehow she's a part of it. Saya can also see what others can't, but instead of being trained to use her abilities, she has been exploited by her mother and has never lived in one place for very long. The girls must fight for their own survival and the survival of their community in this intense duology opener. Through their alternating first-person perspectives, readers are immersed in Huerta's complex and layered narrative. The intricate worldbuilding encompasses the kingdom of Alcanzeh, Dreaming and Waking worlds, and intimate practices of Song and Dream interpretation. The pacing is sometimes uneven; the first half has a slow build, while the latter half rushes to the cliff-hanger conclusion. At first, it's difficult to distinguish between Indir and Saya, but eventually the cadences of the two voices settle in. Huerta's fully realized characters and plot will pull in readers, and her lyrical writing will spellbind them. The narrators' complicated relationships with their matrilineal upbringing and the book's coming-of-age themes will resonate with young people. Broader themes include cultural genocide and the insidious power of the patriarchy. The characters are all Indigenous with a variation of brown skin. VERDICT This first book in a duology will be enjoyed by fans of Roseanne A. Brown's A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone.—Shelley M. Diaz

Elisa Melendez and Inés del Castillo deliver a dual narration as Indir and Saya, whose supernatural gifts and unusual paths have led them into worlds of enchantment and danger. Saya lives on the run, hiding her gifts and traveling with her exploitative and secretive mother. Indir is a Dreamer who has lost her ability to Dream just as a sinister, arrogant new king threatens to destroy her homeland. Huerta's tale is based on ancient Mesoamerica. Melendez and del Castillo work together to heighten the vibrancy and tension of Huerta's narrative with forceful deliveries and dynamic characterizations. In a moving exploration of family, power, community, and love, two stories beautifully combine into a vivid, captivating adventure. A compelling debut, well suited to fans of mythology and magic. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

2022-01-11
The Songs of Indir and Saya are intimately linked, but how and why remain a mystery through much of this opening salvo from Huerta in which a world of Dreams, Songs, prophecy, and chaos are introduced.

Worship through the ancient traditions of Song and especially Dreaming forms the rituals of daily life in the Temple of Night and is all Indir has ever known. A world away, young, isolated Saya also knows the world of the Dream despite being separate from the rituals and traditions of the Dreamers in the city of Alcanzeh. This story with Mesoamerican influences unwinds in chapters of alternating first-person perspectives from Indir and Saya as they grapple with their identities as Dreamers, struggle in their relationships with the women who raised them, and discover their roles in the larger story as chaos threatens to destroy both the Dream and the Waking World. Huerta conjures a deep, sensual world in which many cultures share fragments of a larger tradition based on the myths of the Dream and told through Song and story. It is evident through their shared ties to the Dream that Indir and Saya are linked, but the revelation of their true relationship provides the climax, leaving readers hanging on what the symbols and prophecies discovered on their journeys mean for the Waking World. Those who crave intentional worldbuilding and deep knowledge of characters will find that this slow and intimate build leaves them longing for more.

Sensual fantasy with a feminine gaze and intimate worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 14-18)