Mark Oshiro has done it again. This book will stay with me forever.
Told in beautiful prose and lyrical verse, my emotions were constantly torn to pieces by the story. Grief, magic, self-discovery...the book told it all. I felt like I was truly journeying alongside our protagonist and I was hooked into this story from beginning to end.

I have so much feels but don’t know how to express this book. As a Latinx Queer person this was everything and more. I loved the prose, it was written so beautifully and had my emotions all over the place. This book was so intense and not what i was expecting at all. I was so captivated by this book and it just felt so special , i loved the f/f romance, i loved the characters and the magic.

This is one review that i am having a hard time expressing in words or even explaining the book but one i highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor books for allowing me to read and review this book early.

Each of Us a Desert is the kind of book that you finish and already want to reread.
This book is Xo's story. She's a cuentista, she takes the stories of the people of her village, she listen to them, she helps them, and then she gives back the stories to her God. But one day, Xo has to keep one story and her life is going to change.
I LOVED this book! The writing was simple but also poetic and all the characters were so interesting. I speak a little of spanish so I understood most of the words in spanish and I loved that the poems were written in spanish, it really added something more to the book.
Each of Us a Desert is very slow-paced but there was always something that kept me invested in the story.
I also loved the ending, I found it perfect and I wouldn't mind reading a book about Emilia's story.

I have never read anything like this before. I was so sucked into the cultural lore around Solis and the theological practices of the different villages. Seeing everything through this young woman's eyes was perfect, she and I were both journeying to understand who we were through this story at the same time. A little bit slow to begin, but it picks up the pace and found a steady rhythm. t's part nature writing, part coming of age, part saving the world. Truly a masterpiece.

*I received an eARC copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Tor Teen for the opportunity to read and review in advance of publication.

Thank you Tor Teen for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to review.

Each of Us a Desert follows Xochitl, who is held in esteem in her village for the power she holds as la cuentista of her village. She has the ability to hold stories and deliver them to their god, so that people can make peace with their experiences or nightmares, and while it is a privilege, it is extremely taxing on Xochitl and a duty for life, one that she has had since childhood. Hence, as Xochitl undertakes a journey across the desert, accompanied by Emilia, the daughter of the town's murderous mayor, she discovers what it means to carve your own space in the universe.

Oshiro has such a stunning writing style, and nuanced way of alluding to our characters' strengths, weaknesses, and emotions, all of which is necessary when it comes to themes of freedom, reassessing belief systems and trying to hold onto these ties in a changing world, overcoming fear, and taking responsibility for, and prioritising, one's self.

The book is graphic, not shying away from bloody scenes despite the beautiful romance. It requires trigger warnings for graphic violence, injury, death (allusions to animal deaths), and instances of emotional abuse and domestic abuse. It's about physical survival as much as survival of the soul.

Both Xo and Emilia are such incredible, well-crafted characters to follow. They are so easily relatable and welcome you to go along the journey with them. Both are so strong-willed, yet kind despite the struggles they go through. Their romance is not a large focus, but develops naturally and slowly over time, which I LOVE. Moreover, incredible diversity in the characters, with all of them being Latine, and gay and lesbian relationships being normalised. Although I am not Spanish-speaking, Oshiro explains everything so seamlessly, I never felt confused or out of place.

Definitely one to hype up in two weeks when it's released!

Since I finished reading Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro, I have been thinking of how I would write this review? How can I ever convey into words how much I truly feel while I was reading it and afterwards when I had fully digested the book. The quality and emotions this book presented makes it so difficult to write a review. But, I will try as much as I can.

Each of Us a Desert tells the story of Zochitl, at a young age she has been charged to be "la cuentista" of her village. She takes the stories of her people, and gives it back to Solis, Xo forgets everything after the ritual and she does it all over again. She also has the belief that she is needed in her village and can never leave. After a pivotal event, she ventures out of her village to find out the truth about Cuentistas, going out to face the wrath of the desert alone. In the midst of her journey, she runs into Emilia, the daughter of the bandit that took over Xochitl's town. Their fates intertwine and take on the journey to understand themselves and their future.

I knew I would enjoy Each of Us a Desert when I read the blurb but it became so much more to me. Mark Oshiro's beautiful prose just gave life and showed me the words to affirm how I feel and the thoughts that have been lingering in my head. It tackles what it means to be truly free, and how to fight for the freedom you want. It told me of how I was such a small speck in the vast world we live in, that the social conditioning we learn and consider the truth depends on where and how we grew up, and what we know as truth may not be fact. Each of Us a Desert gave me that affirmation that it's okay to be selfish, to think of yourself first, that growing and healing are two completely different journeys that I am taking.

And this I know is true, this book will always hold a special place in my heart, because it finally gave me the courage to do this. As I was reading this book, Oshiro's words just made its way to my heart. They put a comforting hand and placed it upon my heart to tell me that everything will be okay and I will be okay. Because this journey might not be easy, but it will be beautiful in the end.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro weaves an atmospheric, culturally rich fantasy tale. The novel follows the literal and metaphorical journey of the protagonist Xochital, who is her village’s cuentista, divinely decreed to accept the troubled secrets and stories of her fellow villagers and then expel them into the desert as offerings.

To say this book is beautifully written would be an understatement; the prose and poetry within its pages are gorgeous and easily admired. I came to this story with no knowledge beyond the fact that there’s a sapphic relationship and what is contained in the blurb, and it definitely provided a unique reading experience. Themes of struggle, grief, discovery, self-acceptance, and the need we all have to share our stories with others are explored throughout. Thematically, this novel veers darker than a lot of the YA I have read lately—other reviewers have provided a selection of content warnings, but for my purposes here, I will reiterate this book does not read as light escapism.

As a slow and introspective tale, this book’s pacing wasn’t my particular jam, though if you enjoy novels more about the journey than the destination, it’s likely you’ll enjoy the way this story plays out. I also found characters other than the protagonist Xochital to be underdeveloped and flat.

However, with stunning writing, an environment so steeped in detail that the scenes come alive on the page, and a queer protagonist who feels nuanced and three dimensional, there’s still lots to love about this novel and it’s definitely worth a read.

Each of Us a Desert is a YA scifi fantasy story about a Xochitl, the cuentista (storyteller) of her village who must leave to find her truth. This story has deep roots in finding a place outside of a destiny that was laid out for you. Mark is a new to me author and their storytelling is filled with some of the most beautiful imagery in the darkest places. The prose in this book is gorgeous. I felt like I was reading poetry the entire time I was reading a novel.

What we learn in this book is that Solis requires a strong faith. The journey Xo and Emilia take helps them see that fatih in Solis is different in every aldea they encounter. Xo begins to question all the “truths” she has been led to believe her entire existence.

Each of Us a Desert tells the story of questioning your destiny and finding the truth that makes you happy. I found myself really invested in Xochitl and Emilia finding a place where they can live their own truth outside of the history/destiny forced upon them because of generational obligation.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Se me hice muy difícil de leer porque intenta muy fuerte que quede claro que hay un personaje latino y mete palabras en español que me desconcentraban todo el tiempo

4.5 Stars

This cleverly written fantasy is so beautifully written and magical there easily could have been more books set in this world (maybe there will be...?). I really enjoyed the understated romance and the brilliant world-building by Oshiro.

I initially found the format - a long epistle with the reader framed as the vengeful god, Solis - a challenge but beyond that it was a flawless book.

This was my first time reading a book by Oshiro and I will be on the lookout for more books from them.

I had a hard time getting into this book (some skimming in the early pages) but I ended loving Xochitl and wanted to know more about her journey through the desert. I recommend this book to teens who like fantasy/ mythology.

I might have gone for a 3.5 rating but I might have cried for a second while reading the acknowledgements and that’s worth rounding up! Love to Mark Oshiro and to Baize White.

Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Mark Oshiro novel, but now I’m more ready than ever to pick up Anger Is a Gift. What drew me to this book, aside from all the wonderful things I’d heard about Oshiro, was the first line of the description: “a powerful fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life.”

More than finding home, this book was about finding yourself even when you thought you already knew who you were and what your path in life is. This plot was such a refreshing twist on the traditional coming-of-age story. Xochitl, the book’s main character and her village’s cuentista, questions everything from nearly the first page. She had been told that her life is going to be taking care of her people, listening to their stories, and giving them back to their god. Watching her make the decision to advocate for herself and her needs was beautiful and cathartic in a way that I feel only YA books can be. The people she met and the relationships she formed along the way added to the story so much.

The bonus to the story, at least for me, was how beautifully queer the entire book was. The main couple aside, there were so many casually queer relationships in the background: with children, in happy and loving relationships, and more toxic ones. They were as natural as any other part of the magically executed world that Oshiro created.

I didn’t read this book so much as experience it with my entire body and soul. The journey that Xo has in this book - both the physical trek through the desert and the emotional growth that she experienced along the way - had me in tears as multiple moments. This is my favorite YA that I’ve read so far this year, and I’ll be hard pressed to find another read that surpasses that title.

This book was full of Latinx culture. It was magical and confusing. I liked how much of the language was included. There is Spanish peppered into the story. I think there was a smidge too much, but that doesn't really matter. This was a very slow story. I had to put it down around 50% because I just needed a break. The worldbuilding wasn't info-dumpy at all but went on through the whole book. I liked this, but it also left me confused. I understood our main character's wants and desires, but not always their goal, or how they were going to get there. I think once the main character is on their journey the story starts to speed up. The writing style was unique and a little bizarre and I think that made it a bit hard for me to read too. It's one long story that the main character is telling to someone. So, there aren't really separate chapters, just occasional breaks. Overall, it was a good book, not a favorite but still enjoyable.

The writing and prose in this book is beautiful. I think it was amazing to having Spanish woven throughout the story, although if you don’t know Spanish you should probably have some sort of translator on hand.

I feel like the summary given led me to believe this would be a different type of story. Throughout the story, Xochital is looking for her “kindred spirit” or la poeta who is writing the poems that she feels called towards. However, I feel like not much is really done with this information. Sometimes she goes and reads the poems or repeats a part to herself, but for me, it didn’t really feel like much. Even at the end when she does find out who had been writing the poems, there isn’t as strong of a reaction as I thought it would be. The summary says that she would be falling in love, but... idk I didn’t really see that. There were mentions of wanting to hold her hand or some sort of desire here and there, but I wanted there to be more between Xo and Emilia.

I couldn’t really tell where the plot was going sometimes and I felt like some of the descriptions of what was going on was more flowery than it was helpful for my imagination. I couldn’t really imagine what certain things looked like or how some things worked. However, I feel like other people who read this can get more out of this than I did lol

To read a story about stories, their power, their strength, and the changes they motion within and outside us, is to read about the essence of words, of communication.

Each of Us a Desert is a wonderful post-apocalyptic book dealing with what makes us humans beyond our purposes and our places in society. It is a wonderful novel about finding love for yourself in aridest places. I also love a good character-driven fantasy that completely immerses us and lulls us in its magic, its lyricism, and its voices.

Our main character, Xochitl, is a cuentista, a person to whom others come to and tell her their stories in order to be absolved of their truths and their sins. Her duty is one that asks a lot from her since she has to give the stories to the desert, to the You the vengeful god, and forget about them in the process. It was really beautiful to see how her role, how these expectations weigh on her as the story goes on almost as much as the stories she received do. I am passioned about how Oshiro describes individuals and highlights their flaws, their corruptions, the rotten and dark parts in them, and how it is all striking in the way that Xochitl engages with those who are supposed to be her people.

The romance left me gasping. It is a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers and it owns my heart. Through the lines, you can see how much the romance means to the author, and through the novel’s structure you can see how it elevates the whole story. Xochitl and Emilia are pulled toward each other and it is a wonderful journey, as long as the one they take through the desert, to see them come to the understanding of each other, to the love of each other and to see feelings blossom and nourish a place of traumas, and of misunderstandings. I love them.

I deeply, deeply, love characters who fight for themselves, for the right to figure out what they want from life, for their own agency. Xochitl and Emilia are these kinds of characters who have been molded and defined by other people, by their own communities, by this world with its incertaintities and its truths who may be lies and lies who may be truth, and yet in themselves and each other, they manage to find a way. Something to hold on to. Something to walk forward.

The world created by Mark Oshiro is wonderful, it is filled with brown characters, queer characters, people who suffer and who love furiously. I will let you read the beautiful essay that the author wrote about the unfair expectations and burdens that are put on authors of color writing fantasy, here, because this book is not here to educate white people on a singular, monolithic Latinx culture. It is a fantasy world written by an author of color that is existing and thriving. The bilingualism in Each of Us A Desert is not intended to educate white people. It just is because this is the way Oshiro intended to build their creation, and it is where their imagination is thriving.

I loved how normalized queerness is in this world. How refreshing it was to read about these fleeting characters, their queerness assimilated in the span of two lines. And, I should not be amazed by it. It should be the norm. We are everywhere.

At this point in time, I'm going to have to DNF this read. Additionally, the author using words in a different language every three sentences gets VERY annoying.

tw: graphic violence, blood, alcoholism, body horror, abuse, death, animal attacks, vomit/emetophobia warning all around

Oh how I loved this!

We follow Xochitl, the young cuentista of a small desert village called Empalme. It is her responsibility alone to hear the dark personal stories of her community whenever they might need her, and to return these stories to the deity Solís in a ritual that leaves Xochitl dazed, exhausted, and without any memory of the stories she has heard.

Xo's world is harsh and unforgiving. the climate itself is brutal, water is scarce, there is a threatening foreign presence in Empalme, and the burden of being cuentista wears heavily on her shoulders. She yearns to be free, to be seen, and to be accepted. When she begins to discover mysterious poems buried in the sand, she finds a voice that seems to understand her more deeply than she'd hoped possible.

Through a life-altering chain of events, Xochitl finds herself leaving everything she's ever known to embark on a harrowing journey across the desert with only an unlikely travelling companion and a desire for a better life to guide her.

This novel really shines in the exploration of its own mythology and how multiple truths can be held at once without there needing to be a determined right or wrong. I also loved the natural and unchallenged queerness of its world, frank depictions of menstruation and bodily functions, and the way that Spanish was woven so seamlessly in with English, translated only sparsely and trusting the reader to understand.

The parallels to Rivers Solomon's The Deep (a recent favourite of mine) were impossible to ignore, but in no way took away from this novel's own strength. Both reflect on storytelling, connection, identity, and the weight of bearing a heavy burden alone, and both do so in their own beautifully compelling way. i also can't help but find it fitting that stories that centre storytelling would evoke thoughts of each other in reading. what better way to emphasise how universal and vital the practice is?

Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for providing this e-arc

If I’m being completely honest, this isn’t a book I would normally choose for myself. I’m glad I did though! Our protagonist is simply trying to find her place in the world with a desire to find love and share her heart. It’s a completely relatable desire. While there are some potential triggers for those who are sensitive to discussions related to abuse, death, and violence; Mark Oshiro has a beautiful writing style that I think many people can enjoy. I love that the writing style is so unique. This book also has a lot of culture and discussions on the LGBTQ+ community, which I feel is not written about enough.
I highly encourage people to pick this up and give a read even if you think it’s not for you. Trust me, I didn’t either, but I ended up really enjoying it and while the writing style does take some time to get used to, it truly is beautiful.

yes i stayed up all night to read this. this book was incredible, i love the diversity of characters, of queer found families, platonic love, romantic love. oshiro has such an incredible writing style and it's obvious how much they care for the stories they create. i loved every second of this book so much.

* I received this as a free ebook from Netgalley*

This was absolutely beautiful! The writing style is much more poetic than what I normally prefer to read but I really enjoyed it. The role of cuentista reminded me so much of the concept of sin eaters but a very cool scifi/dystopian twist. My only issue was that the initial plot line with Julio seemed to be overstated in how important he would be later in the story, but the part at the very end about his sabueso broke my heart! I did cheat a little bit and read Oshiro's commentary on the allegory of his story but I'm glad I did, it really too the meaning of all this to another level.