Twelve Days of…Latinx Book Recommendations: Day 9

This “Christmassy” series is brought to you by my love of books by Latinx authors and my need for all of you to read them. Every day for twelve days leading up to Christmas, I will be gifting you all with a recommendation of a book by a Latinx author, along with twelve reasons why you should pick it up. Hoping to have lots of fun with with series which I am not so subtly calling Twelve Days of… Latinx Book Recommendations. Covers are linked to Goodreads. Feel free to sing this first part to yourself aloud.

♬On the ninth day of Christmas, my favorite Latinx blogger gave to me, a recommendation for…♬

Nocturna by Maya Motayne

      “Set in a Latinx-inspired world, a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed.
      To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks.
      As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.
      After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.
      But when Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts.”

Reasons You Need to Pick This One Up:

1. Soft male lead character
2. Fierce female lead character
3. Latinx fantasy
4. Addresses slavery and colonization
5. Afro-Latinx characters
6. Magic system tied to Spanish language
7. Affectionate male familial relationships
8. Dark and unique villain
9. Reluctant heroes
10. Great banter
11. Chancla joke
12. Slow burn friendship and possible romance

Have you read this one? Are you planning to read it? Which Latinx fantasy novel are you looking forward to?