Hooked on Books

Labyrinth Lost is a story about a family descended from a long line of brujas- Alejandra aka Alex, her mom, two sisters- Rose and Lula, their grandmother- Mama Juanita & Aunt Rosaria. They all have embraced their heritage & magical gifts for many years except Alex. Alex is an Encantrix, the most powerful of brujas and she's always feared her power and desperately longs to rid herself of it because she believes it causes nothing but pain & trouble. At her Deathday ceremony which is a coming-of-age for brujas, she attempts to do just that, with disastrous results- her family disappears. She has no choice but to conjure a portal and follow them to another dimension, an in-between world called Los Lagos, in hopes of saving them from the very powerful and evil creature called the Devourer. As she journeys through Los Lagos to the Tree of Souls where her family is being held and learns how to embrace and control her powers, she realizes her magic might just be a gift to cherish after all.

I really enjoyed the first part of the story, learning all about Alex's family of brujas and their traditions and magical powers. After the Deathday ceremony though when Alex & her friend Nova traveled through the portal into Los Lagos is when the story lost a little of its magic for me. The world building and magical elements were kind of cool and had potential but I felt like there were just too many things thrown out at once and I didn't feel like any of them had the chance to get fully fleshed out. So I found myself losing focus and drifting off until I came to the end, then I really enjoyed it.

Overall there are really neat concepts throughout the book but I think they could have been delivered a little bit better. I also think I would have liked the story a lot better if it stayed grounded more within their life in Brooklyn for a majority of the story versus the in-between world they journeyed to. 

*I received this ARC from NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

**I read this for 2016 Halloween Book Bingo: ~Diverse Authors can be Spooky Fun~