Alright, peeps! If you read my review on Romina Garber's Lobizona, I'm glad to see you here for the crushing concluding sequel, Cazadora. I need a support system or something for this series because I am upset! You can't end this beautifully matured story the way it did! NO! I need a continuation ASAP!
"Werewolves. Witches. Romance. Resistance.
Enter a world straight out of Argentine folklore...
Following the events of Lobizona, Manu and her friends cross the mystical border into Kerana--a cursed realm in Argentina--searching for allies and a hiding place. As they chase down leads about the Coven--a mythical resistance manada that might not even exist--the Cazadores chase down leads about Manu, setting up traps to capture and arrest her.
Just as it seems the Cazadores have Manu and her friends cornered, the Coven answers their call for help. As Manu catches her breath among these non-conforming Septimus, she discovers they need a revolution as much as she does.
But is she the right one to lead them? After all, hybrids aren't just outlawed. They're feared and reviled. What happens when the Coven learns of Manu's dual heritage? Will they still protect her? Or will they betray her?
And after running this far, for this long--how much farther can Manu go before her feet get tired, and she stops to take a stand?"
The story of Manu and the Lobizona/Cazadora system is so much bigger than witches and werewolves. The book talked about immigration laws, women's rights, equality, interracial relationships, and the offspring that come from it. Garber tackled each issue so eloquently I forgot I was reading a Young Adult book about a failed magical system. This is a great introduction to spark a conversation about the world's blight against these social topics. There was so much weaved in the Lobizona/Cazadora tale Garber forces you to sit down and look at the problems these characters face as if they were real people.
I loved this series because it showed Manu's maturity when facing challenging scenarios. For somebody hidden away her entire life, Manu has the wisdom of a Dalai Lama in an 18-year old body, and she has grown woman energy. Typically, people are either black or white in a position, but Manu always found a comfortable moral grey that worked for her. Even it was an unpopular opinion.
Cazadora continues immediately after the events in Lobizona. With Manu and company on the run from the law, they find a haven in the Coven – a non-conforming Septimus resistance party. I understand where Garber was going with the story's direction, but I felt that this development started focusing less on Manu and her friends and more on the political side with new characters. While Manu is already shaking up the system with her existence, I thought she would be the next leader in the future political parties by joining the Coven. There are scenes where Manu announces herself to the world, and they aren't as brazen as they could've been. I figured she would mimic her dad and have her insignia carved all over the Septimus world like she was Zorro. But her theatrics came off as stunts. It still made noise and got its point across, but I thought there would be …. more to it.
I barely have anything to complain about in Cazadora, except for a minor sighting of pirates. We could've skipped that whole scene because it didn't make or break the story. In a recent discussion, Garber mentioned that she wanted to add pirates in the play, and that's why it's there, but overall it wasn't needed.
I rated this book 5-stars. Overall this is a prodigious series that should be talked about more. Garber wrote and detailed her ass off, and it deserves praise. It is entirely unfair that she ended it the way she did, but it keeps your mind wondering and guessing about the future of man – or Lobizona-kind. Damn you, duology! I will let you in on a little secret, though: if you still want to stick around a little bit longer in the Septimus world, I hear you can have your final taste of it in the new anthology, Reclaim the Stars, edited by Zoraida Cordova. There's a Romina Garber sighting in those pages!
Cazadora is available now!
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