Bailey Shrewsbury is a sophomore journalism major and writes "Taming of the Shrew" for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Bailey at bbshrewsbury@bsu.edu.
Are you a fan of the movie "Labyrinth" with David Bowie? Can’t get enough mythology in your life? This four-star delight, "Labyrinth Lost" by Zoraida Cordova, is a perfect fix for both.
Alexandra has always known that one day her powers would manifest, but what if she doesn’t want them? Alex is in a family of brujas, the Spanish word for witch. She and her family only use their powers for good and each has a unique power, from her sister LuLu who can heal to Rose who can talk to the dead. But after Alex’s powers manifest when she is a little girl, seemingly causing her father to leave, she’s only sure of one thing: she doesn’t want them.
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Alex will do anything to give the powers back but when her Deathday, the magical coming-of-age day for a witch, ends in her entire family, ancestors and all, banished, she has to make a choice. With the mysterious boy Nova at her side, she heads into Los Lagos to get them back. Los Lagos is the land of the dead, the place she has accidentally sent her family too. Los Lagos isn’t what it used to be and there’s a bigger threat on the horizon, one that affects both Alex and the whole world as she knows it.
This is a beautiful glimpse into another culture and it deals with coming of age, fear and betrayal. It has a cast of people of color and explores relationships on a deep level. The bisexuality explored in this book, however, felt like an afterthought. It kind of blindsided me. You don’t have to explicitly state your character is bisexual or make them act a certain way, but there should be small hints. Any good relationship has build up, page time and explicit hints. Alex, however, showed absolutely no signs of this. After the events in Los Lagos, it is clear she won’t be ending up with who the book was pointing us to. I honestly would’ve rather had her end up with no one than the half thought-out relationship she ended up in.
Alex’s trip into Los Lagos explores a world somewhat familiar to us, with nods to Greek mythology and even the fae. Los Lagos is like purgatory, except it is peaceful rather than a punishment. Their journey throughout the book has the characters meeting Harpies, getting trapped by fae and riding in a flying boat across a river of fire. If you’re in the mood for an adventure, this is a good read.
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