Beasts of Carnaval

I read this for book club. 

I give Ms. Rodrigo full marks for a highly developed story world. 

Let's start with the positives. 

I have no problem with magical realism or the premise of the book. A young woman goes in search of her twin brother and her former mistress/friend goes in search of her lost father. Both men were last known to be at Carnaval. No issues with the delicate treatment of hard subjects like the overthrow and colonization of an indigenous people handled with tremendous respect. The world building is detailed. The use of indigenous language and customs adds authenticity to the story. Characters are well developed and imperfect. 

The negative for me was the pacing. The story dragged for me. I wanted to get to the action much sooner. Cutting the book by about a third would've helped, in my opinion. 

While I'm not inclined to read more by the author or magical realism novels, this one is very well told. 

I give five gold stars to the narrator. She did a marvelous job bringing the characters and world to full emotional life. 

Do you like to read magical realism? Why or why not? 

AMAZON

When night descends, el Carnaval de Bestias rises.

Within the shores of Isla Bestia, guests from around the world discover a utopia of ever-changing performances, sumptuous feasts and beautiful monsters. Many enter, but few ever leave—the wine is simply too sweet, the music too fine and the revelry endless.

Sofía, a freedwoman from a nearby colonized island, cares little for this revelry. Born an enslaved mestiza on a tobacco plantation, she has neither wealth nor title, only a scholarly pragmatism and a hunger for answers. She travels to el Carnaval de Bestias in search of her twin brother, who disappeared five years ago.

There’s a world of wonder waiting for her on the shores of this legendary island, one wherein conquerors profit from Sofia’s ancestral lands and her people’s labor. But surrounded by her former enslavers, she finds something familiar in the performances—whispers of the island’s native tongue, music and stories from her Taike’ri ancestors…a culture long hidden in the shadows, thrust into the light.

As the nights pass, her mind begins unraveling, drowning in the unnatural, almost sentient thrall of Carnaval. And the sense that someone is watching her grows. To find her brother and break free, Sofia must peel back the glamorous curtain and face those behind Carnaval, before she too loses herself to the island…