While I love Pilar's personality and love of filmmaking, other aspects of this book didn't appeal to me. The decision to blend/mix languages was extremely jolting as I don't speak the second language used. Now, if the digital version had included annotations (clickable) for each instance of that, I could have made a grand start on learning a second language. Instead, I felt like an outsider, not included in the conversation. And since this is a book meant for young readers, that's an issue kids already face far too often.

I give this one two stars for effort and imagination, but can't go higher due to the language barrier issues.

The book description from the publisher was captivating, but the actual story was a let down. The biggest issue for me was the word choices. The constant usage of "pero" and "pues" as sentence starters was annoying by itself, but add to that the overuse of the word "like" as if Pilar was a valley girl had my teeth on edge. The final let down was the lack of action in this action/adventure. The book really dragged and seemed to go on forever. It was a huge disappointment since it had such good reviews. I don't think any of them actually read the story,

Pilar is a nice addition to the mythology fantasy canon that is the popular right now. It was interesting to learn the South American cultural view point and to have strong female characters.

Strong YA fantasy novel that draws on both Dominican lore and history a la Percy Jackson or Tristan Strong. The action is pretty nonstop, although I think the plot overall sometimes drags a bit. The narrative voice is bilingual and slangy, which somehow helps the novel seem active and fizzing throughout.