Thank you Wednesday Books for asking me to be a part of the Lobizona blog tour! I’ve been intrigued in this book ever since I first heard about it. And isn’t that cover just stunning?! I saw the hardcover dust jacket reveal recently, and that’s even more glorious! I’m very happy to help spread the word about Lobizona and highly encourage you to visit all of the stops of this blog tour on other blogs. Continue reading for more details on Lobizona and what I thought of it!

⤖ About the Book ⬻

Title: Lobizona
Author: Romina Garber
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Wednesday Books
(Macmillan Publishing)
Published: August 4, 2020

Some people ARE illegal.

Lobizonas do NOT exist.

Both of these statements are false.

Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who’s on the run from her father’s Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.

Until Manu’s protective bubble is shattered.

Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past–a mysterious “Z” emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.

As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal. . . .it’s her entire existence.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I was hooked on Lobizona from the very first line! Something about Romina Garber’s writing and the mood that she was setting just really hooked me. Being a resident of Canada, I hear about ICE and some of the atrocities happening below the border, but not to the extent that I would have if I was living in the U.S.A. I’m sure. I also haven’t been exposed to much literature about American immigrants and their struggles with the corrupt system that’s in place.

As a white immigrant living in Canada, I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to be treated the way immigrants of colour (documented or otherwise) are treated in America. So, Lobizona was new to me from that perspective as well as any folklore and traditions that the magical elements in the book might be based on.

It took less than a paragraph for Romina Garber’s writing to draw me in. I was able to visualize everything as if I was there—the sights, the smells, and most of all, the emotions. Obviously I can’t relate to what it would actually be like to always keep an eye out the window, looking out for the red and blue of police lights. But I definitely felt a fraction of the anxiety, which just goes to show how effectively Garber pulled me into the story. I think it’s also important for readers who have not experienced the things that Manu and her mother go through to feel even a fraction of what it might be like.

I won’t go into any more detail because I’d be stepping close to spoiler territory. But, I can emphasize how much I loved the writing—tone, atmosphere, character, setting, descriptions in general—in this book and how important it is to be aware of how others are treated. This year especially, we are learning that turning a blind eye, doing nothing, and being silent is just as harmful as the actions of those being openly and violently hateful. I loved Lobizona, feel honoured to have been able to read it before publication, and greatly look forward to anything else Romina Garber puts out into the world.

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Romina Garber is a NYT/International Bestselling YA author who also writes under pen name Romina Russell. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in Miami, Romina currently resides in Los Angeles but would much rather be at Hogwarts. As a teen, Romina landed her first writing gig—“College She Wrote,” a weekly Sunday column for the Miami Herald that was later picked up for national syndication—and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Virgo to the core. For more information about her books, follow her on Twitter/Instagram: @rominagarber

⤖ Purchase Links ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG TOUR POST FOR LOBIZONA BY ROMINA GARBER! HAVE YOU READ LOBIZONA OR DO YOU PLAN TO? WHAT DID YOU THINK? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!