Interesting but would not call it a YA
I would like to mention I had really a lot of expectations when I started this book. I normally enjoy a Fantasy YA even the story might be poorly conceived. I have gotten through most of the book without judging the story line but by the end of the 2/3 of the book it certainly became a torture. The setting is probably 90's San Francisco (I could not identify with the backdrop partially because I did not grow up here, but seems like Rock music was at its peak then). The point of view is from 3 different people: First the protagonist of the book a 17 year old Latina girl from some remote place in California hiding away from her own tumultuous past and a dysfunctional family life, second point of view is from the 13 year old girl whom our protagonist befriends and comes to live with her family. The 2 teenage girls constitutes the 2 sides of the coins and one can very well see the parallel drawn between the 2 girl's lives. The third point of view is from a concerned Cat who knows both these girls and the situation they are in. The story takes you through Xochi's life and the complex relationship she had with her family. The story has subtle to vivid description of child abuse, drug abuse, adultery, incest and rape. That is one reason I won't recommend the category to be a YA.
The language of the book is really complex. I would not call it out rightly difficult but I am a very fast reader and it took me a good 7-8 days to get through the book partially due to the language as well. It requires you to slow down your reading speed to really absorb in the essence of the story. It is definitely not one of those books you can read on the beach on a vacation.
As her first book I would say it is a good start, I am pretty sure the author's writing style will evolve over time. Other than that I have not given out any spoilers.
