Thank you Net Galley and Tor Teen for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This entire book is a single prayer from the main character Xochitl to the Sun god Solis. In it she tells her own story, and interweaves the stories of those who tell her their own. Her power, given by Solis, is that she absorbs all of their sins, fears, anxieties, and other negative emotions, and throws them up into the desert, cleansing them, and freeing them from nightmares and the feelings of shame that hold them down. After this process, she forgets what they told her.

But one day, she's told a story she doesn't want to forget, and that decision ultimately launches her into an adventure through the desert, seeking freedom from her life as a cuentista in a small village.

The mythology of this world is unique and captivating, and the desert setting isn't one you encounter often in novels. The prose is rich and lyrical, and at times feels like a poem.

There were parts that were slow paced, and felt somewhat repetitive, and it is up to the reader as to whether that adds to the ambiance of the endlessness of some sections of the desert, and her worrying away at what she wanted to do with her life.

As someone who is bilingual in Spanish, I appreciated the occasional Spanish words, and felt that they were interwoven in a way that a non-Spanish speaker wouldn't be affected.

Overall an exceedingly unique book that will stay with you and give you much to think about.

it took me a while to get into the book even though i thought the writing was beautiful. i think, in the end, this book wasn’t for me but i would absolutely recommend it to others!

This was such a great read! Not only is it a unique story filled with traditional myths, beliefs, experiences, and duties - it's also a book that challenges these aspects of our culture (because really, no culture is perfect) and how they affect us individually and as a group. We follow Xochitl on her journey as she tries to pave her own place in the world, finding that getting out of our comfort zones (while scary) is very important to being honest to ourselves

Also, REALLY enjoyed the use of Spanish throughout the text

<I>Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

I always hope that I am going to love an ARC, but I had especially high hopes for this one. The ideas and the world building here are very cool and some of the scenes in this book were beautiful. Unfortunately, all of that is smothered under some of the most repetitive writing I have ever seen. Oshiro literally never misses a chance to repeat himself about anything that has happened and usually more than once. I honestly think the book could have cut a full <I>quarter</I> of its pages without the actual story being touched at all. Something which would have helped the characters, who are also buried beneath Xochital's relentless dictation of every movement, thought, and feeling she is having/doing every second.

Two stars since I didn't hate it by the end, but definitely at the top of my disappointing reads list for 2020.

I really struggled to get into Each of Us a Desert. I really enjoyed the structure, but failed to connect with the main characters and their journey. The setting was interesting, but I guess I wanted more fantasy than there was. Yes it's a second world (or post-apocalyptic setting) and there's the magic of the guardians and cuentistas, but nothing else felt special about the world. Nothing else felt magical. I like more fantastical elements in my fantasy novels. It's clear however, that Mark Oshiro has grown as a writer, even from Anger is a Gift. I am looking forward to following his career.

Intense. Powerful. And enchanting.
Each of Us a Desert is a story about Xochital, who is a small town’s storyteller in a post apocalyptic Central America. The book centres around how stories are important, both to individuals and to communities. They hold history, and truths, and hopes for the future. A mesmerizing fantasy, perfect for anyone looking for “Latinx Book Month” recs.

Thank you to Netgalley and TorTeen for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book I have read by Oshiro. My first note is that he’s a wonderful writer with a unique storytelling perspective and the ability to explore difficult concepts within a new and intriguing framework.

We follow the story of Xochitl, a young cuentista with the ability to absorb people’s stories and return them to Solís. Xo uses her blessing to absolve the sins of those in her aldea, as is expected of her despite the great deal of pain and sacrifice required.

There are so many unique techniques Oshiro employs that all add to the story in way of richness and depth. He has expertly woven Spanish throughout the text in what results as a beautiful blending of culture. I’m curious as to how effectively this works for those unfamiliar with the language, but to me it appeared to be effortless and very cleverly utilised. It effectively establishes the setting as this otherworldly in-between place, which only adds to the dream-like quality of Xo’s world.

Another technique used was writing through the form of prayer and layered storytelling. Admittedly, Xo’s internal dialogue directed to Solís in the first quarter of the book was beginning to become tedious, but that seemed to become much more bearable upon her embarking on her journey.

The book could have vastly benefited, in my opinion, from being much shorter. As it was a travelogue, there was a great amount of ‘dead space’ in-between locations that often felt like the same experience over and over.

The characters were well-crafted and I was impressed by the depth of some of the individuals introduced throughout the story. Emilia is an eternal mystery, and one of the more fascinating characters in the story. Xochitl at times felt a little one-dimensional, suffering from being so singular-minded for most of the story that she didn’t have as much depth as others.

One thing I’d like to note is that Oshiro did a spectacular job with the ending, something I find lacking in a lot of current YA. It was a completely satisfying resolution for both Xochitl and Emilia, as well as the setting in general.

I can’t finish this review without mentioning Oshiro’s use of poetry throughout. What a beautiful and admirable addition to the story. Through snippets of poetry we come to understand the struggles faced by Xo and those around her.

An interesting story that explores the nature of storytelling, sacrifice, and responsibility.

My Views:

This book was very beautifully written and though I did find it a bit slow in the beginning, it did manage to capture my attention quite early on.

Although I don’t understand Spanish, it was interesting to see it being used widely. There was always some context so I could follow the story but it helped me connect with the character’s heritage in the sense that I think language is an integral part of culture and when trying to market a book to a population that may not understand the language, it is neglected. However, this book did not do so and it made a huge difference for me.

Following Xochitl, a young girl who runs from the city she live in, Empalme. In the story she tries to figure out the truth and confronts many of her prejudices and barriers. There was an immense character growth which I really appreciated.

The world building was also fantastic. I loved the descriptions and how they successfully managed to create this harsh world where water was scarce and land was burned.

I also really liked the relationship between Emilia and Xochitl and how it was more focused on the friendship than the relationship. The normalisation of queer relationships was another aspect that made me happy. They’re just so wonderful together and I loved the sweet moments of happiness that were scattered in the book.

Favourite Quotes:

‘Because while I missed home, I knew I had left for the most important reason of all: to become myself.’

“I believed in myself despite everything that told me not to. Is that really so bad?”

I really enjoyed this book! I've been looking for sci-fi novels with LGBTQ+ representation for a long time, and this book delivered that. It was an enjoyable read with enjoyable characters and a solid plot.
The beginning of this book was really interesting to me because I walked into it somewhat blindly, so the narration in the beginning surprised me a little, but in a good way. It really captivated me, and from the beginning I was excited to learn more about these characters and the world.
It's hard for me to say much without spoiling too much, but I would definitely recommend this book! I'll be looking forward to Mark Oshiro's books in the future!

Absolutely beautiful.
The writing is so lyrical and enchanting but also haunting.
It won’t be for everyone, some people will find it confusing, they’ll want more of an explanation. But those who understand it will love it

This story is out of this world!!! (There I said it) It has got range, complexities and so much attached to reality and yet this can stand separate on it own. I have not sufficient words in my vocabulory to talk about this book. This book was a roller coaster ride for me emotionally.

The story is about Xochital, who is a storyteller wandering in a desert as a loner. After a tragic and unexpected event in her village, decides to go out to pursue the truth about her destiny and for this, she must undertake a dangerous journey across the desert. During her wandering she meets Emilia the cold and beautiful daughter of the town's murderous mayor. Xo has ability which allows her to retain people's stories and then deliver them to Solís (their God), Xo immediately forgets about them, but it does drain a lot of her energy which leaves her super tired until even make her sleepy for many hours.

This is a book that is written beautifully, hard-hitting, lyrical, survival story, complex multi layered story, and I would recommend to every reader

First I want to start off with the fact that there’s so much Spanish in this one!! It truly made my heart happy, from small things like, to names, and oh of course POEMS. I won’t say much about them because I truly think that you should read them yourself and they truly are gorgeous. And don’t worry for those non Spanish speakers, there’s translations and most of the time it’s just a word or simple phrase, it won’t leave you completely out of the loop either way!

Something that I was talking about online was how beautiful the writing was, like a descriptive poetic paragraph talking about the sun. Mark really painted images that were magical and immersive. Most of the book takes place in the desert so you’d think that the vastness of it all would get boring quickly. But it’s everything but boring. I can’t seem to explain it but the setting just feels magical.

Every time I picked it up I would get nervous and my stomach would get twisted waiting or next big thing to happen. I’m the type of reader that’ll read a few pages and stop to look at twitter. But this book changed that completely. It has a way of enveloping you into the story and keeping you hooked that you can’t simply stop and do something else.

The plot itself can is somewhat a coming of age, finding yourself type of story, its very character heavy. I can’t tell you how much I loved these characters; they navigated through so many obstacles and challenges that changed them. In the end they do win a special place in your heart. Once I read the last line I kept checking to see if there was anymore because I loved it so much. I think this book is just so different to anything I had ever read and I was left gawking at how poetic and beautiful this writing was.

Each of Us a Desert is definitely going to be one of my top reads of the year, I can’t get over how amazing the writing and plot were. I highly recommend you check it out, it deals with topics of societal roles, changing yourself and becoming who you truly want to be. Final rating:

Xochital is the only person in her village who can take on the burdens of her community- confessions of all kinds that she must return to Solis so that they may live without fear of retribution. Until one day when she learns something she doesn't want to forget and begins to hold on to the confessions. Life in the village grows more and more difficult and Xochital wants little more than to escape from her burden.

I will be honest. I didn't love this book. It was okay, but it was incredibly difficult for me to get in to. It stalled my reading for a few weeks while I tired to get interested in the story. I pushed through and would say it got better, but I was disappointed, especially after how much I loved Anger is a Gift.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautifully heartwrenching story I've ever read. This is my first Mark Oshiro book, so I didn't have any expectations, but the beautiful prose told this touching story of love and perseverance and acceptance really well. Highly recommended.

This post-apocalyptic book was an ok read. It is one of those books that you are either going to love or hate. The author's writing style was really good, I just didn't enjoy the story that much.

This book is all at once unique and contemplative. It tracks the story of Xochitl, a cuentista who has the power and duty to absorb anyone's story in a process akin to Catholic confession and "give it back" to Solis, the sun god. It's set in either a dystopian future or a sci fi world, in which everything was destroyed by the sun and the world is a desert. It's written as one big story told to the sun god. It deals with people's "stories" and how they are told and kept safe. It's full of well-used "they/their" pronouns, and it treats queer relationships as normal and doesn't even question their queerness. On top of all this, the story is told about half in Spanish (which I don't understand), but once you got over the initial hurdle of understanding, the words were integrated extremely well into the story and added to the authenticity of the world it was based in.

The plot was a very slow build, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't all-consuming. I knew that each time I picked up the book, every bit I read would have some kind of slow character development at the very least. Xochitl was a good character, but not overly compelling. What compelled me the most about her character was her relationship with Emilia, which I absolutely loved. I also didn't see the very final resolution coming, but I was very happy with the way the author resolved the plot relating to all the stories coming alive and haunting the characters in the desert.

This book is very dark at times, and not a light read at all, but it's a book about freedom, love, religion and stories. It's about finding yourself and coming to peace with who you are and what your journey has been up until now. It is about the journey, not the destination. Oshiro executes their vision of this book very well. It's not for everyone, but many of the aspects should be highly commended. I hope this book becomes a classic in its genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro is the story of Xochitl, a cuentista who is tasked with taking in the guilt and stories of her village and releasing them back to the desert. However, when Xo chooses to keep some stories, she is forced to flee across the desert to seek answers and relief with Emilia, daughter of the man who conquered Xo’s village.
I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I was absolutely blown away by the story. The sense of duty and betrayal and longing for freedom all felt so raw and personal. Seeing Xo begin to question everything she had been told, the legends that had caused her to sacrifice herself for most of her life, was painful and heartbreaking, but so satisfying when she does finally reach a conclusion.
The romance between Xo and Emilia is definitely more in the build up than in the actual romantic actions. They’re connected almost from the beginning of their journey without either knowing why.
The atmosphere was harsh and I felt exactly how dire the journey was. The supporting cast of characters were all vibrant and multidimensional.
If I had to find one thing to critique, it would be that there were quite a few typos, particularly towards the end, but given that this is an ARC, I’m assuming that those issues got resolved.
Overall, I’d recommend this book if you want a story of a journey rooted in self discovery and shedding conventions that were previously taken as fact.

Each of us a desert is a story about the journey of self discovery, stories, truth, and identity.

After spending her whole life in her town of Empalme, taking in the towns people's stories for her god, Solís, and only being what everyone else needs, Xochitl finds herself taking a journey in the desert with Emilia, daughter of a conqueror, to find herself.

Each of Us a Desert is such a beautifully written flowery story that I found myself taking the time to savor every word.

Mark Oshiro shines at writing characters. Not only incredibly complex and human. But he sees the world as it truly is: diverse. Xochi sees and meets all kinds of people on her journey because they just exist. She sees people with disabilities and of all skin colors. Many people are queer and use neutral pronouns. And it is completely normalized.
Another thing that I hardly ever see in books that I appreciated is the normalization of body functions. During Xo's journey her monthly cycle is mentioned multiple times as well as the need to relieve themselves.

Pick up this book if you love
-high fantasy
-in story mythology
-slow burn romance
-character driven stories

Thanks to Tor Teen and NG for a DRC!
Loved Mark's new read - the descriptions are crazy amazing. I also love the comparisons between the journey in the book and the ones so many real life immigrants traverse in hopes for a better life.
Would recommend for HS and up!

3.5 stars!!!

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Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Maybe the most important thing to know before going into this book is that is it slow paced. Very slow paced. It is not the kind of book that has lots of ups and downs, lots of adventures where the "not knowing" is what keeps you turning the pages – not that there's anything wrong with books like that!!

The beginning is slow. I am glad I kept reading it, but there was very little at the beginning that kept me turning the pages.
Also, the writing style is very... different. This book is written as a story told to someone – in this case, Solís. I personally loved the writing style, although it did take me a hot second to get used to it and found it a little tiring at times. However it's a style I am not sure everyone will enjoy!

As for the characters, I have very mixed feelings. I really liked Xochitl and Emilia – the main characters. Their relationship (although a bit predictable) was one of the biggest thing that kept me turning the page. Their romance was definitely not the most important part of the story and was kept at a minimum but I loved the little crumbs we did get – they were so valuable!

The rest of the characters felt a little bit distant. I liked how they were important to Xochitl but not necessarily to the story in and of itself. Speaking of Xochitl, her character development was 10/10! Her development was more satisfying to me than the actual conclusion of the plot... or rather the lack of it? Yeah, I'm still confused about the end. (although I feel like we're probably meant to feel that way...?)

This story is also very much a story about faith – the unconditional kind. I loved the way it was handled – can't say more because of spoilers, but I hope you'll go find out yourself 👀

Finally, I loved the amount of Spanish in the book. It made me feel at home, and worked extremely well in the story. Those poems in Spanish? *chef's kiss*. This, however, may come as an issue to readers who don't speak Spanish. I found that sometimes, the Spanish was not translated or explained, even when it was more or less vital to be able to understand what was going on (the poems were translated though! Which is really good because they're beautiful). Be prepared to read this with Google Translate at the ready!

In the end, would I recommend this? Yes and no. I thought it was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed the Latinx and sapphic rep. If you enjoy slow paced plots - please give this a try!! The writing will suck you in and the world will terrify you (but like in a good way). Also, Xochitl and Emilia (both together and separately) will win your heart!!!