taliahsbookshelf's reviews
215 reviews

 If you’re anything like me, you probably have some sort of collection. It could be small, it could be big, it could be made of anything. Books, DVD’s, potato chip cans, I don’t know. But I want you to think about that collection. This stuff that means a lot to you, even if it isn’t worth a lot. Then I want you to think of the hidden gem in that collection. The thing you might not think of first when asked about your collection, that you might not think of as the most important one in your collection, that doesn’t necessarily stand out from your collection at first glance. But it’s the one that hidden deep beneath, is secretly your favorite. It’s the one you default to when you’re a little sad, or when you have to remind yourself why you started this collection in the first place. 

That’s what reading this book felt like. That little kernel of pure, unbridled joy that feels childlike and limitless. With a plot that packs a punch and characters ready to stand up to it all, The Last Cuentista now sits in its rightful place of honor on my bookshelf. 

When I first picked up this book at my local bookstore, it was the cover that drew me in. The bright colors, the whimsical nature tied in with some sci-fi elements. Then I read the summary, and was intrigued by the Latinx culture as seen in a sci-fi genre, with spaceships and aliens. But when I was reading it, it was the story that kept me captivated. The last storyteller, our main character, Petra, was simultaneously a badass and a beautiful, relatable character. She might only be thirteen, but she feels so real that you forget she isn’t standing right next to you. 

This book gave off the vibes of the movie Passengers, the book series Percy Jackson, and strangely, somehow, the city of Chicago. I can’t really explain that last one, just like I can’t really explain the way this book was perfection in a beautiful casing. 

Read it. Now. I promise you that you will get lost in the story and stay invested until the very last word. 

TL;DR: Ehhh. I think I would recommend this to everyone, but with the expectation to not expect anything going into it.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It had a powerful narrative surrounding the struggles of POC in America, particularly when faced with police violence. Starting even before the very first word of the novel itself is read, readers are forced to confront, and acknowledge, the names of Black Americans who have died at the hands of the police. Pages upon pages, written in harsh reality, this can’t, and shouldn’t be ignored.

I do think everyone and their grandma should read this book, primarily because it provides a stark view into the reality of police violence and the structures of power that make this a continuous fight. Reading from the perspective of a Black gay teenager fighting to get the truth out there was poignant and moving.

However, I think that was the end of the power of this book for me. While that part of the story felt well written, pointed, and impactful, the story itself fell flat. I didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters except Jamal, who is telling the story from a first-person perspective. But even Jamal drove me absolutely insane. I get it. He’s a journalist. Thank you. I am aware, and I was aware the first ten times. Plus the writing wasn’t well-edited, and missing punctuation, random capitalization, and pretty glaring misspellings made immersion jumpy at best, and impossible at worst.

I think I could have gotten over my immersion issues if it weren’t the lack of believability for the ending. I’m sorry, but what? I won’t spoil it, but I’m just confused. The direction taken with three teenagers was absurd, and I just don’t see in what world that would actually happen. In a normal novel, there is some expectation you can suspend belief, at least for a little while. But this? It just felt over the top and completely outside the realm of reason. The ending could have been so much more powerful, and instead felt like it was intentionally faulty for the possibility of seeing a sequel that isn’t needed.

Overall, it was one of those reads where the reasoning behind writing it will stick with me. There’s pretty important language surrounding POC voices and the police brutality that gets excused by people in power. The story wasn’t the best, but it’s still something I would recommend to people.