There’s a lot that Oshiro presents unapologetically. His MC, and many of the side characters, are Spanish-speaking (only some dialect differences are mentioned). While this is an English book, there is a fair share of Spanish words interwoven in the dialogue and description, often presented without a translation. As someone who doesn’t speak Spanish, I was able to get by based on context and used a dictionary for curiosity’s sake but ultimately this story isn’t for me. So don’t complain about the use of Spanish!

There’s also a total normalization of nonbinary and queer characters. There is no judgment or additional commentary on their existence in this story world, and Xochital comes across so many people in her village and on her journeys who enter the narrative with no hesitation over their use of pronouns and relationship.

Another thing I found really interesting is this inclusion of descriptions of urination and menstruation. Xo sets out on a desert journey so it’s only natural that she’s going to relieve herself along the way. The author presents a realistic experience of traveling in this heat, from what she eats and when she drinks, to how she manages bathroom trips in the desert. It’s one of the first times in a book that I’ve also read such an accurate and honest portrayal of menstruation as Xo has to deal with cramping on her journey too. The author mentions in the afterword that they actually did research for this section by traveling in the desert themselves and that real-world experience definitely comes through.

There’s a reveal that we work towards throughout the whole book and the payoff was so good! I kept trying to guess what it would be and had no idea and then it came and it was perfect!! I can’t overstate how much I loved this ending.

I don’t think that there’s been an ending to a book that I’ve loved more than this one. I was so impressed by what the author does in these final moments with their writing — the connections made, the loose ends tied up, and the powerful message shared. And then reading the afterword and learning about the inspiration for the poet and the storyteller almost made me cry. This book, and that ending, made me so so happy and I still can’t get over the power of Oshiro’s storytelling.

This book is something special. Oshiro's voice and storytelling has a magical, transcendent quality. As soon as the story began, I knew I was reading something different, that wasn't going to remind me of anything else that I've read, and that was going to make me think.

The story is centered around the idea of the power of stories. Xochitl is the cuentista in her village. When others have stories that burden them, they tell them to Xochitl who then goes out into the desert and returns them to Solis, the sun/god that her people worship. Upon giving the stories to Solis, Xochitl loses all memory of them, but she still feels trapped by her role as cuentista, recognizing that she can never choose another life because her job is necessary to her community. When a friend confesses something to Xochitl that tells of danger and violence headed for her people, she cannot let go of the story. Holding the story causes her physical pain, and opens her eyes to many troubles plaguing her world. The danger in her village and the new fear she holds as she collects more and more stories send her on a treacherous journey that will become more and more perplexing until Xochitl finally has some clarity about who she needs to be in her world.

I loved this book. It was lyrical and beautiful and unique. I'm always a sucker for a book about the power and importance of stories as well. The only reason I didn't give it 5 full stars is because I think I will have a hard time selling it teens. Such an introspective and lyrical, character driven story many be difficult for some of my readers to handle. I suspect this one will only hit with more mature and thoughtful readers.

Mark Oshiro’s Each of Us a Desert is about finding your place in this world through the most unexpected means, while staying true to yourself. Part coming-of-age story, part fantasy, this book not only delivers an enchanting tale, but also has some of the most creative world building happening in speculative fiction right now—all told through a Latinx lens.

The Each of Us a Desert story follows Xochitl, a cuentista of her home of Empalme. As a cuentista, Xo has the ability and responsibility of retaining the stories and sins from the villagers and returning them to the sun, aka their god Solís,. In this world, Solís has stripped the world bare with its fire and only left far and few in between alive. While this may sound like a post-apocalyptic wasteland a la Mad Max, there is just as much joy, wonder, and love as there is danger, hunger, and pain to be found in this world. There is a romantic element to the book as well, one that tips the scales to the side of good, but doesn’t take away from the coming-of-age elements. Xo’s strength, conviction, and willingness to treat those around her with kindness makes her stand out amongst the cast of characters in this book, her heart guiding her as she finds herself in the desert they call home.

Den of Geek had the chance to speak with Mark Oshiro about creating this compelling story of survival, love, and hope while holding onto his own roots as a Latino man who just so happens to be queer themselves. Here’s what they had to tell us….

This book truly transported me. I was wandering in the desert with Xo and Emilia in this darkly fantastical world and it was such a unique experience. I truly haven't read a book like this before, but I would very much like to read more. The casual queerness of the world that Mark Oshiro created, the realism of navigating a trek across the desert, the uniqueness of the fantasy elements of this story, and the deep questions about faith and finding yourself have left me thinking long after I put this down.

The writing here is so poetic, and vastly different from what I expected based on Oshiro’s debut. But then, the story itself is so different, and I think that’s a testament to their ability and craft. The magical realism, the sheer emotions of pain and grief and hope that come through, the quest for identity and finding love and power in oneself are so beautifully presented in this book. Absolutely fantastic.

A bit of a let down for this one. Everyone praised this book, and I guess it's good in a way. But it just didn't connect with me. It's not that I wouldn't suggest this book, but I definitely would suggest it with some caveats depending on reading taste

There were many things I appreciated about this novel. The relationship, the characters, the language. However, there was not a lot to wow me, which is unsurprising given that I feel that way about most YA titles. It was good, definitely enjoyable. However, it became a little formulaic, for all the elements that were unique. It was a little disappointing to feel that was the case. Regardless of that fact though, it was still a well crafted book that featured many important and genuinely good aspects.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review.
Each Of Us a Desert is a hauntingly beautiful book. Throughout the story we experience Xochitl’s journey toward the truth.
I really liked how queer identities were so commonplace. The narration style took a bit getting used to, but it was worth it. The end was a bit of surprise and left me a bit breathless, almost wanting more. Xochilt’s questioning of Solís reflected my own towards God. I found a bit of comfort in that. Nevertheless, I don’t know why the author decided to write la poema, poema in spanish is a male noun, instead of el poema.

"Each of us a desert
solitary and vast
burned
we stretch forever"

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro is one of the most beautiful YA stories I have read. Xochital is a cuentista, a storyteller, who takes her villagers' stories and then expels them back to the land, to Solís. Solís is meant to watch over her people but they never seem present, especially when her town is beset by Julio, who extorts the inhabitants for money and supplies. The resulting altercations force Xochital to leave on a journey with Julio's daughter to try and rid herself of her cuentista powers. The entire book is written almost as a prayer or poem to Solís. I love the atmospheric prose that Oshiro uses to create their desert setting. The vividness of the desert is only heightened by the poems Xochital finds periodically buried in the ground. This book is a gorgeously written and unique YA with a f/f romance.

Each of Us a Desert is a quiet, introspective fantasy book about the role of stories in our lives and in our communities and the link between the stories we are told and the things we believe in and have faith in. This is a character-driven book with a very loose plot but with strong thematic elements.

This book tells the story of Xochital, a girl who has been the Cuentista of her community from a very early age. She has the responsibility of listening and absorbing through a magical process the stories involving secrets, lies, deceit that produce feelings like guilt, sadness, resentment, and giving them back to the land so people can be forgiven by their god. If this process doesn’t take place, the stories manifest themselves as Pesadillas – monsters out of nightmares. At least that’s what Xochital has been told her entire life, and she has been struggling for a long time with this responsibility that she didn’t choose for herself.

After something happens that changes everything, she leaves her town and in her journey to faraway places, she goes through a spiritual journey where she realizes that beliefs are based on stories that have been passed down through generations and those stories are interpreted in so many different ways across times and places and no one can be sure which interpretation is the truth. Throughout this book, Xochital has to come to terms with the fact that what she was told is binding and absolute truth may not be and she realizes that she has to choose for herself what she thinks is right.

There’s also a very strong theme of community and this book explores the repercussions of what Xochital does for her community as a Cuentista because she takes the stories and leaves the people in her town feeling absolved of the guilt, and it’s almost like an easy way out. This book explores the idea that as long as we don’t actually face the truth and the consequences of our mistakes, there is no way to learn, grow and heal as individuals and as a community.

Mark Oshiro makes very interesting and unique writing choices in this book, which worked really well with the story. This book is told from Xochital’s perspective as she tells her story to her god, and as she does, she questions them and challenges them. Another interesting choice is that whenever Xochital takes a story from someone else, there’s a short story interwoven into the narrative where she shares the confession that the other character just made. This choice works because it feels like you’re being told a secret and it’s hard not to feel intrigued and curious about what that other person did that has caused them to be consumed by guilt. Also, the way the author incorporated Spanish – which is very prevalent in the book- felt very organic and added a special element to the story.

The author doesn’t give too many explanations about the world or the magic system, and while I do wish we got a bit more information, this choice makes everything feel very intriguing. There are so many captivating elements to this world: there are magical animals, there are masked villains that seemed like something out of a horror movie, there are magic poems, there’s a secret town under the earth where some horrible things happened and so much more. Also, this book is set in a very violent world, so people are killed in gruesome ways, they are mutilated, there’s a lot of detailed descriptions of corpses and a lot of other graphic depictions that are borderline body horror.

Lastly, I think it’s important to clarify that while there is a sapphic romance that it’s not the focus of the book at all and it’s actually a very small part of the story. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the small moments between Xochital and Emilia.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would. I am not gonna lie, I have no clue what genre I would throw this in, but that's ok because it wrapped all these different genres together really well. It felt like a contemporary at times, a dystopian, and hints of folklore almost touching on fantasy. I am probably wrong with that last one, I just can't put my finger on it.

We follow Xochitl, a cuentista, a girl who takes the stories of the people of her town and gives them back to the sun. Xochitl was a fine character. I never really got the sense that I knew anything about her except the fact that she consumes stories, and that she isn't really happy about it. The townsfolk all hide from the sun, and come out mainly at night. This is kind of explained, yet also doesn't seem to happen in other places. She leaves her town to find a way to rid herself of her cuentista powers, and along the way learns a lot about herself and the world.

The heart of this book really is a coming of age tale. There are monsters along the way, and a lot of self discovery. The pace is honestly pretty slow, and I found myself bored quite often. There is a sapphic element, but it felt forced to me. I did enjoy all the Spanish terminology. The writing was really good, and the story telling was good. I just think that overall this wasn't really my cup of tea.

I loved this book, it was so beautiful. This is probably one of the most unique books I've ever read. Its not really an action-packed book, much of what happens focuses on Xochitl's internal turmoil and her journey to discover herself and who she really wants to be. It was such an immersive coming of age story that reminds us that forgetting is not the same as healing. There's incredible world building, lots of magic and a sapphic love story that I couldn't get enough of, and the lore around the cuentistas was fascinating!

I also liked how there were numerous chapters about the lives of various side characters; this is an aspect that doesn't work in every book, but I thought it worked well here. I loved hearing about each of their backstories and seeing their distinct personalities; there was an amazingly diverse cast. Oh, and the acknowledgements at the end DESTROYED ME, but lets not talk about that.

Having just finished reading this story, I can honestly say I fell in love with Each of us a Desert.

This was--hands down--one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Like, it made my heart ache, it was so gorgeous. I don't think I've ever seen a sophomore novel that differed so much from the author's debut novel, but which I still loved as much as the debut. I can't stop recommending this to everyone I know.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review. This book starts very slow, but stick it through - even if you have to put it down and return to it later.

This book contains some of the best magical realism I’ve ever read in fantasy. A coming of age story that’s filled with such beautiful, poetic writing. The actual poems included in here are so, so beautiful I could read them over and over again and not grow tired of it.

This is a book of love, and loss, of the burdens people carry, of questioning faith, of finding who you are instead of being who you’re told you need to be.

I loved how the loose threads come together towards the end with the poems. And usually I want all the answers in a book, but I love the ending here.

I’d recommend this to fans of literary fiction and coming of age stories who also enjoy magical realism. I loved this way more than I expected to and am so glad I stuck with it, savored it over time, and finished it.

Have you read EACH OF US A DESERT yet? It comes out in two days, but I was lucky enough to get an arc from @torteen so I could read it early. And while this was my first @markdoesstuff book, I will definitely be checking out Anger Is a Gift as well. I mean, that writing 😍.

Read EACH OF US A DESERT if you are into:

🌵 YA Latinx Fantasy
🌵 Slow Burn F/F Romance
🌵 Themes of Religion & Free Will
🌵 Themes of Self-Worth + Goodness
🌵 Themes of Community vs Self
🌵 Colonization
🌵 Desert Landscapes
🌵 Complex World Building
🌵 Hope Via Poetry

Did I convince you yet? I mean that's a pretty badass list. If you're looking for more books to add to your #LatinxHeritageMonth TBR (or ANY month's TBR) this would for sure be a good one. And as always, you don't need to buy the book if you're low on cash. Get it from your library or request that they purchase it if they haven't already! This helps authors too 😉.

Each Of Us a Desert is a lovely, poetic story- which is apt, as poetry features heavily in the narrative. The world is strange but believable, with magical elements woven in seamlessly. I have a weak spot in my heart for a good magical realism story, and this did not disappoint.

This was a beautiful debut book from author Mark Oshiro. This book was immersive and indescribable. It's been such a long time since I've read something so freaking original. Loved everything from magical elements to the desert-y setting. Can't wait for more from this author!

Okay so this may be a fantasy novel but it is very beautifully written with such memorizing wording that makes you believe is a book full of poems. The combination of English and Spanish made it even better because it felt as if this is the type of reading I need to be reading. I enjoy having conversations in Spanglish because that's how we speak at home lol. It felts good to see that this is a normal thing for a bilingual person. The role of Xochital, the protagonist, is quite unique and pretty interesting. Truth be told it felt like she was a priest listening to the confessions of the villagers. That's how I simplified it lol. The plot was in a way confusing in some parts in my opinion but the more I read it, the more it became clearer.This book makes you wanna think deeply in what you want for yourself. This may be fiction work but it feels something real. Thank you Netgalley for the arc. I definitely found this a wonderful read. Makes me appreciate the beauty of words. This is is 4 out of 5 star reading.

Thank you so much to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This is Oshiro's first foray into fantasy/magical realism, and the results are absolutely stunning. The world building here is stellar and the imagery is breathtaking. Their prose is lyrical and the emotion in this book is gut wrenching.

Xo is determined to find something more than the life that she didn't ask for, and we see her fight desperately to get there. This book is graphic and bloody in some parts, and the really amazing thing is that it's still able to hold the shape of something really beautiful despite that. Every single character we meet is important. They each have their own backstory that adds to the nature of the world and the story and I think that's a really difficult thing to pull off, but Mark Oshiro did it.

The growing relationship between Xo and Emilia is done so well and feels so organic. Both characters are written incredibly well and the shift from enemies to lovers was so gradual and so natural that it was like a contented sigh when we finally got there. Something you'd been waiting for, but didn't have any real fear of.

I definitely recommend this book. A must read!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Thank you, Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates and Tor teen, for the chance to read and review this book.

Xochitl is the cuentista in her village and her role and duty is to take her troubled village's stories and give them back to the earth and desert. But she's tired of this existence, she longs to be understood and to share her heart. She's only seen by some poems she found around in the desert. When something awful happens in her village, Xochitl decides is time to look for answers about herself and her role as cuentista and if there's a chance to be free from her "gift". She sets out on a magical journey across the desert, finding Emilia, the daughter of her village's murderous conqueror, as companion. Looking for answers, they will face nightmares given form, lost cities, monsters and they will be forced to face the truth to find themselves.

Each of us a desert is s lyrical and powerful coming-of-age fantasy novel, set in a world post apocalyptic with two intense heroines, burdened by their pasts and roles.

Xochitl spent half of her whole life, since she was eight, being a cuentista, following her village's rules and expectations, feeling forced to perform her duty, feeling trapped. When the chance to be free arises she takes it, setting out for a dangerous journey

Emilia is Julio's daughter, a brutal and violent conqueror, and she decides to run from him, following Xochitl and trying to get back to her previous home.

The author's writing style is evocative and it felt like being there with them across the desert, facing nightmares, meeting people, discovering lies, myths and truth. Xochitl's world, always restricted to her village, becomes more and more vast, pushing her out of her comfort zone, letting her question her beliefs and what she thought was true about her role and Solís.

One of the things I loved the most about this book is how it was written. Xochitl tells Solís her journey, remembering her actions and feelings, her doubts and stories, while trying to find herself and the truth.

I loved the characterization in Each of us a desert. Xochitl is fierce, defiant, stubborn. She's tired of being someone she didn't choose to be, to be seen only as a mean to one end, to be "used". She wants her life to be hers, she longs for freedom.
Emilia is another complex character, forced to be with her murderous father, to be away from her home and guardian, to be unable to live a life for her self. Both of them snap and run away, finding one other.

Their relationship is intricate, weighed down by memories, stories and pain, but filled also with hope and defiance and determination.

I loved reading this book. I found it sometimes slow, but I was really fascinated by this story and the girls' journey to understand themselves and the truth.
Filled with monsters, inside and outside oneself, I loved reading about las pesadillas, los pálidos, los sabuesos, the guardians, about myths and truths and the importance of stories, of finding oneself.

I love Xochitl's and Emilia's journey, how they find home and love in a dangerous journey. The queer rep is amazing. This book is wonderful.