Salvación - Review

I received an audio copy via Macmillan Audio. All reviews are my own.

While I'm still tackling my NetGalley goal of raising my reviewer percentage (which is still at a measly 38%. I might have made a mistake in making this my 2025 reading goal), I decided to take a small break from the deadlines to check out this upcoming Zorro inspired novel called, Salvación by Sandra Proudman.

"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."

I tackled this novel via audio, with Victoria Villarreal narrating the story. It took a few days—9 hours and 7 minutes—to complete. This is my first time hearing Villarreal narrate, and I like her. Her voice was calm, with just enough emotion to portray the main character, Lola de La Peña, and her men's portrayal was not too shabby. I can see myself listening to some of her work again.

I saw a slight buzz about the fantasy debut earlier in the year. But as rapidly as the prompt sauntered on the Bookstagram streets, it disappeared as quickly. I wanted to know why the book wasn't being talked about. So, the moment I was offered a galley to check it out, I did. The story wasn't bad. It's highly comparable to the movies and books about Zorro, the masked vigilante protecting his town from the evil dooers. But there were some disconnections within the story. There are pacing issues, questionable transitions, random characters, and the biggest faux pax of the heroine not being a real heroine.

As soon as you read the first chapter, the tale starts with a humble bang – the Peña family is helping the sick with magical salt that has healing properties until a menacing outsider approaches, threatening to shoot and steal all of what the town has for his gain. At night, Lola dresses up as Salvación and drives the man away from the town with the help of her brother. Sounds enticing, right? That bang wears off when you get deep down in the story. The excitement of seeing Lola as a vigilante dies once you realize we won't see her do many vigilante tasks. I wish the author had developed her character to be rougher around the edges when donning a mask. As a young lady, she must fit social roles, but I wanted to see action when night falls. We didn't see her do much except play politics with her family and do a couple of stealth missions. It was a letdown, especially since Salvación was created because of the movie Zorro. Lola was more of a figurehead than the sword-swishing she-ro.

Another disconnect was the transition and lack of explanation of how we got to specific plots and theories. After reading some reviews, I see how others confusedly connected the dots. I figured it out with context clues and imagination to fill in the gaps, but an earlier explanation could have helped the unexplained faster.

What I liked about the book was the storytelling. This is one of those stories where the traveling poet theatrically tells the tale of a legend in each town they visit. The setup was made for an epic feel (even with pacing issues). With the right person, it can have an Odyssey or 300 feel. Another thing I liked was the family portrayal. You can tell that the Peña family is tight-knit, even with their differences. Blood is thicker than water, and this story proves that love and loyalty are everything.

The last thing I would like to bring up is the historical point mentioned in the book. Yes, this is my new thing now. I learned something new, and now you will too. The tale takes place in 1848, shortly after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. For those who aren't history buffs, this was what ended the Mexican-American war that ceded Alta California to the United States. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. I like how the author incorporated the aftermath of the signing. We see how Mexicans and others who lived on these lands had to migrate to other places for a safer home. Most of this story had to do with the effects of the Treaty. It shows what people are willing to do to stay safe and create something new under dire circumstances and how others will fight to the ends of the Earth to reclaim what was once theirs.

Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. While it was an enjoyable read, it left me wanting more. I had initially planned to revisit The Mask of Zorro, which features the favorite duo couple, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, to compare and contrast it with Salvación. However, as I delved deeper into the story, I was reminded of my waning interest in the movie. The book and the film have slow moments and exciting action scenes, but they also share the same premise and stick closely to the original Zorro script. While I did find enjoyment in the book, it also left me with a sense of unfulfilled potential.

Salvación debuts May 20, 2025

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