"When I was your age, I lived a life where my choices were made for me. I wasn't happy. I didn't feel alive. One day I made a small choice for myself, then another. I became someone new; my story has been hard, but it's been mine. Small choices, Saya."
The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
This is an absolutely stunning debut YA fantasy novel, the first in a duology. It follows the POV of 2 seers: Indir is a Dreamer who grew up in a temple surrounded by her family, all Dreamers as well. Saya is a lone seer whose gift has been exploited her whole life by her mother. Both Indir and Saya have roles to play as the world changes.
While both POVs are interesting, I found myself very drawn to Saya. Indir's POV served to enhance the incredible world-building, but we really got to know Saya and see her transform. She felt like the main character of this story. I loved watching her make choices, small at first, and begin discovering what the world was like without her mother. I wanted so much more from Indir. She did start to get more depth at the end of the book and I am hoping this continues in book 2.
The world-building in this book is so good. Not only did I feel transported into the world, but I almost felt as if the story was written in a way that reminded me of oral storytelling. The rhythm of words were tangible as I was reading. Lizz Huerta drew inspiration from ancient Mesoamerica. This makes the story unlike any I have read before.
One thing that made this book really stand out to me was the beautiful portrayal of so many wonderfully different women's bodies. Their was a description of a postpartum body that brought me to tears: "Her body was dark from the sun, her stomach bearing the sacred marks of motherhood, breasts hanging low. She was beautiful." This is the first time I have read such positive representation of a postpartum body in a work of fiction and it made me feel so seen!
Additionally, Huerta wrote a beautiful, realistic passage of childbirth. There are so many ridiculous, unrealistic and overdramatized portrayals of childbirth in media. Huerta wrote of a slow labor, the pain of it, the wonderful support of a partner, and the relief of pushing. It really communicated the many emotions of childbirth and how sacred it is. She even wrote of a mother's pain when she had milk supply problems and couldn't feed her baby! Again, something I have never seen portrayed in fiction and I felt so seen!
This is such a wonderful debut novel and I can't wait to read more of Lizz Huerta!
Thank you to Bookish First and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for a copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.
The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
This is an absolutely stunning debut YA fantasy novel, the first in a duology. It follows the POV of 2 seers: Indir is a Dreamer who grew up in a temple surrounded by her family, all Dreamers as well. Saya is a lone seer whose gift has been exploited her whole life by her mother. Both Indir and Saya have roles to play as the world changes.
While both POVs are interesting, I found myself very drawn to Saya. Indir's POV served to enhance the incredible world-building, but we really got to know Saya and see her transform. She felt like the main character of this story. I loved watching her make choices, small at first, and begin discovering what the world was like without her mother. I wanted so much more from Indir. She did start to get more depth at the end of the book and I am hoping this continues in book 2.
The world-building in this book is so good. Not only did I feel transported into the world, but I almost felt as if the story was written in a way that reminded me of oral storytelling. The rhythm of words were tangible as I was reading. Lizz Huerta drew inspiration from ancient Mesoamerica. This makes the story unlike any I have read before.
One thing that made this book really stand out to me was the beautiful portrayal of so many wonderfully different women's bodies. Their was a description of a postpartum body that brought me to tears: "Her body was dark from the sun, her stomach bearing the sacred marks of motherhood, breasts hanging low. She was beautiful." This is the first time I have read such positive representation of a postpartum body in a work of fiction and it made me feel so seen!
Additionally, Huerta wrote a beautiful, realistic passage of childbirth. There are so many ridiculous, unrealistic and overdramatized portrayals of childbirth in media. Huerta wrote of a slow labor, the pain of it, the wonderful support of a partner, and the relief of pushing. It really communicated the many emotions of childbirth and how sacred it is. She even wrote of a mother's pain when she had milk supply problems and couldn't feed her baby! Again, something I have never seen portrayed in fiction and I felt so seen!
This is such a wonderful debut novel and I can't wait to read more of Lizz Huerta!
Thank you to Bookish First and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for a copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.