The criaturas have native names, and Cece gets help from Coyote, the Great Namer, by rescuing her sister Juana from a dark criatura called El Sombreron. Brujos are snubbed by other humans, because they started the war by keeping captured souls. The creature can be controlled if a human snatches the soul necklace hanging around its neck, but the person is supposed to return the soul to nature. Tierra Del Sol is on the frontlines of a war between humans and creatures called criaturas. Readers can learn about the people without having cultural facts thrown in their faces. The story is embedded in Mexican culture, as it utilizes Spanish vocabulary to share native folklore. This book is the winner of the 2021 Cybils Book Award in elementary and middle-grade speculative fiction. *Review Contributed by Mark Buxton, Staff Reviewer* With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family-and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey.
To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself-while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. After all, only brujas-humans who capture and control criaturas-consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime.
But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind.
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