Review Detail

Wow.....just.....wow.

Salvación by Sandra Proudman is a Latinx YA fantasy novel that takes heavy inspiration from El Zorro. Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal of sicknesses and wounds. But by night, she is Salvación, the free-spirit lady vigilante protecting the town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety among the rising tension in Alta California after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. But one night, a woman races into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja, a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with and the man who wields it: Damien Hernández. And when Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong and promises of returning Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule—all Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen, ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land. Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola races against time as Salvación to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn't seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans, even teaming up with Alejandro—who she doesn’t fully trust, but can’t help but fall in love with.

First of all, this book has all the things you want. Action. A real-feeling family dynamic. And don't even get me started on the cool magic system, because I will certainly nerd out over it. It's everything a reader ever really wants in a YA novel, beyond the typical enemies to lovers trope, which spoiler alert, this one kinda does.

The only part I didn't like about this book, was it's pacing. And I blame that on my general lack of knowledge of Latinx culture and the story of El Zorro. But at the same time, I felt like the story dragged in more places than necessary.

Overall, this is an amazing read for anyone wanting a little more action-packed and in need of a change of pace in the realm of fantasy.