Sweeping tales of heroism, sacrifice, familial love and queer romance fill this YA speculative fiction anthology featuring 17 extraordinary voices from the Latin American diaspora. Lyrical, captivating and powerful, Reclaim the Stars, edited by Zoraida Córdova (Incendiary; the Brooklyn Brujas series), will enthrall teens.
This collection is set across dystopian, post-apocalyptic and interstellar backdrops, as well as reimagined global locales, to depict various needs--for love, inclusivity, acceptance, a voice--as universal. Princesas who wield fire and ice fall in love, but tradition dictates they battle to the death. Prisoners exiled to a moon fight a racist justice system. The son of Death plots against his half-human heir sister, who feels out of place on Earth. A bruja rejects her lobizón-dominated world, challenging sexist expectations for her to "grow the pack."
The characters--queer, nonbinary, transgender, polyamorous--grapple with difficult advice, painful truths and overwhelming change in accessible ways. Magical beings--a captured sirena, an eavesdropping duende, family ghosts, a tree that walks, a talking river, a trapped goddess--enchant in unexpected roles. The authors also deliver fantastical settings (a marketplace for encantos) and lush prose ("I was born fully grown from the dreams of an invisible moon"). These teens aren't simply reclaiming the stars and their space, they are reclaiming themselves. Nearly every story ends with a new beginning, evidence that believing the impossible can create a beautiful future. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer