Title: A Tall Dark Trouble
Author: Vanessa Montalban
Publisher: Zando Publishing
Release Date: August 29, 2023
Genres: YA Contemporary, magic, Latinx
Purchase Links: Amazon US / Amazon CA / Barnes & Nobles / IndieBound
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Practical Magic meets Erika L. Sanchez in this dazzling YA fantasy about a Cuban American family of brujas who get entangled in love, magic, and murder, alternating between 1980s Cuba and present-day Miami.
Twin sisters Ofelia and Delfi know better than to get involved with magic. Their Mami has seen to that. After all, it was magic that cursed their family, turning love into a poison. Romance is off the table for the Sanchez women. They’ve seen the curse take hold enough times to know how that road ends. And yet. Sometimes a girl catches feelings and just can’t help herself.
When Ofelia and Delfi begin having premonitions of a series of murders, the sisters know it is time to embrace their magical inheritance to get to the bottom of the mystery and save innocent lives. Teaming up with their best friend Ethan and with brooding detective-in-training Andres, the sisters set out to learn the truth. They just need to make sure Mami doesn’t find out what they’re up to.
Meanwhile, in 1980 Cuba, Anita struggles with a different magical conflict. Her mother, Mama Orti, is a bruja who belongs to a secret coven of elders and Anita knows she will be forced to join the coven herself one day. She sees no escape, though the thought of staying and letting this future claim her is terrifying. Ofelia, Delfi, and Anita’s stories collide as each woman steps into her power and embraces who she truly is, refusing to be subdued by any person, coven, or curse.
In this stunning YA contemporary fantasy, debut author Vanessa Montalban explores the interlocking struggles of three generations of women in one family. An unputdownable debut for anyone who roots for magic, sisterhood, and love.
Thank you so much to Turn the Page Tour for including me in this blog tour and sending an eARC copy of this book ♥️
If you are looking for a book that is full of magic and family secrets, then this is definitely one you don’t want to miss out on!
Twins Delfi and Ofelia have always loved their lives believing that they are destined…for MORE! And by more, I mean the powers that their ancestors had before. But, their mother is opposed to any kind of bruja magic because of what she went through back in Cuba. Oh, also, they are under a curse that doesn’t allow them to have a romance, or REALLY bad things happen to their partners. 😬
NOTE: in case you didn’t know, this book is told through 3 perspectives; the mother’s (Anita) back in 1980s Cuba, and both twins
When Delfi and Ofelia have a shared foreshadowing image of a person dying, the last thing they expect is for it to come true. Bring forward a murder investigation with an emergence of powers, all while trying to hide it from their mother. But wait, not only do we get glimpses of Anita’s past, but it comes back to haunt her in her new life.
I really loved both the dual perspectives and the magic system of the senses (which is something I’ve never encountered before!) If you are a fan of historical fantasy, magic realism, or Cuba, this is definitely a book you should check out!
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