As far as trends in YA go, am I the only one who notices a rise in witchcraft-oriented stories? I’m totally okay with it if that’s the case. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova is tackling old faithful with a fresh twist: Brujería… or at least something flavoured like it that blurs the lines between life and death and the places in between.

Let’s thank wikipedia for the direct definition:

Brujería is the Spanish-language word for “witchcraft”. Brujería also refers to witch-healers in the Americas (especially Latin America and the United States). Both men and women can be witches; brujo(s) and bruja(s), respectively.

I expect its no coincidence that the cover features La Muerte/La Catrina makeup, given the book’s description of a journey to the afterlife or in-between. (A+ on the typographic treatment too. That is one hot font.)

Let’s hope our heroine makes it back okay.

I’m super excited for this book. There was a point in my university history where I took a course on death rituals in various cultures, and my favourite paper written for the class was entered around commemorative traditions in Mexico and the Dias de Muertos: the Days of the Dead.

I’m not entirely sure what to expect, given that the blurb describes the world in Labyrinth Lost as wonderland on Laini-Taylor-inspired crack (I’m paraphrasing), but whatever that may be, I’m confident that it’s going to be excellent.

Waiting on Wednesday: Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.
I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

Beautiful Creatures meets Daughter of Smoke and Bone with an infusion of Latin American tradition in this highly original fantasy adventure.

* Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.