*Spoiler free, but spoilers for Lobizona*
Manu and her friends are on the run from the Cazadores hunters and chasing down leads about the Coven, a mythical resistance manada that might not even exist. When news breaks out that Fierro is about to be arrested and his identity publicly revealed, Manu and her friends step right into a trap to expose her. They escape, but it’s not long before the Cazadores track her down. Just as it looks like Manu and her friends are about to be arrested, they find the Coven, who shows Manu that the Septimus need a revolution as much as she does. The Coven promises to protect Manu, but when Manu and her friends are attacked at the Coven, they must find a new safe space. Manu recognizes the danger she presents to her friends and their families, and she decides to stop running. As terrified as she is to face the tribunal’s judgment, she knows what she wants now—a home and family with Tiago, and a place among the Septimus—and she’s willing to risk everything to earn it. Manu knows she’s risking a death sentence, but she can’t live her life on the run. She’s ready to take a stand. But Manu isn’t giving up—because she plans to change things from the inside, so she and her friends can have the futures they’ve dreamt about.
I absolutely adored Lobizona, so I could not wait to see what the sequel held in store. I was ready to see Manu, Saysa, Cata, and Tiago again, and eager to find out what their direction their stories were going to take.
First off, I thought this was going to be a duology. This means that I was reading this book as a sequel and the conclusion to a series, which it definitely is not. I think that threw off my reading, and my enjoyment of it, a lot. Looking back at the events and how this book is structured with the knowledge that it not leading up to a conclusion sheds a much different light on it. So, while I might not have loved the book as strongly as Lobizona when I was reading it, when I look at it as a continuation of the story instead of an end, I appreciate it so much much more.
Because of all this, my feelings are a bit tangled, but I can say that I did enjoy this book immensely. It has the same magic and the same power behind it as the first book. It shines gorgeously, and it is so incredibly bright.
I fell back into the story with ease. The characters felt so clear and distinct, and the ones that were just introduced added so much more to what was already there. One of this book’s strong points is it’s characters and the relationships between them. They burn with emotion, from friendship to romance to love to family. They are all fighting for something, and their willing to take their claws out to do it.
Another thing I absolutely adored about this book was the scenery, because WOW, can Garber write. This book explores the magical world a whole lot more than the first book, and every single piece of it is just seeping in beauty. I felt like I was in awe every time a new place was traveled too.
There’s also more werewolf soccer!
The ending was spectacular. A gut punch, a promise, and a whisper of plans for the future. It went in to pack a punch, a boy did I feel every ounce of power behind it. It left me aching.
There were a few things, unrelated to how I was reading it, that I didn’t totally love. There were times were I felt like the tone didn’t quite match the one of the first book. And there were certain lines that I kind of cringed at, such as calling eyes “orbs” multiple times. Though, I really think this is more of a personal nitpick than anything else! It didn’t completely ruin the book for me and didn’t stop me from having overall positive thoughts! It just seemed worth mentioning.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed Cazadora. I love the magical, powerful world, filled with magical, powerful characters. I highly recommend checking this series out, because it will burrow next to your heart and make itself at home, in the best way possible.
Cazadora comes out August 17th, 2021! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!
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