I really enjoyed this gender-bent Latinx Zorro story. The magic is cool, if a bit inexplicable. I kept hoping we'd learn more about why the black and red salt come from, but no. Instead we get the sudden introduction of blue salt, with no idea even what it does.

Lola was a relatable character and I easily found myself rooting for her. I didn't understand her insta-love connection with Alejandro, but I at least found myself liking him more as the story went on. (I was hoping we would get more scenes that would show their growing attraction but we really didn't.) I also really liked her brother and the way they worked together.

Lola really comes into her own over the course of the story. There is just enough worldbuilding to make the story have some weight and heart to it. I wish the worldbuilding had gone a bit deeper, but I still enjoyed it the way it was. I also really liked the sprinkling of Spanish words throughout the story.

The audiobook was well-done and the narrator did a really good job bringing Lola and everyone else to life.

*Thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing an early copy for review.

This had a lot of promise, as I love Zorro and all that that entails, but I struggled with the tone and the repetitiveness that was used. I didn't love the attitude of the FMC and things felt a little clunky and awkward as I was reading. This is definitely a problem of I'm the issue, not the book. I'm sure others who give it a chance will love it.

Salvacion is a fun genderbent Zorro-inspired story where a young woman must defend her family and the people of her town from the white colonizers who wish to take both land and magic.

Lola de la Pena is seen as a proper young lady, but in her heart, she wants freedom. The people of Coloma need her and her mother, who practices a healing magic using black salt that is mined by her own family. Undeterred by societal expectations, Lola transforms into Salvacion in the evenings, doling out vigilante justice with the help of her brother.

When a deadly red salt appears along with Damien Hernandez, the man who uses it for his own nefarious purposes, Lola knows she must act, and soon. Danger is all around, but not just from the villainous Hernandez, but also from one of his men, Alejandro, who soon catches Lola's eye.

This is very much a YA bookm- Lola becomes infatuated with Alejandro despite knowing very little about him, and the idea that no one would ever figure out who Salvacion is despite several clues is not completely believable, but this was a fun story overall.

Salvación by Sandra Proudman is a captivating blend of historical fiction and magical realism that immerses readers in the turbulent world of Alta California after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The protagonist, Lola de La Peña, is a dynamic, strong-willed young woman caught between societal expectations and her desire for freedom. As the mysterious and powerful vigilante Salvación, she takes on the monumental task of protecting her town from the destructive sal roja magic wielded by the dangerous Damien Hernández. Proudman masterfully intertwines Lola’s bravery and self-discovery with her budding romance with Alejandro, creating a deeply emotional and action-packed narrative. The novel’s exploration of loyalty, identity, and love amid a looming crisis makes it a powerful, unputdownable read.

This book had a great premise with a vivid setting, strong historical details, and an intriguing magical system centered around salt. I especially enjoyed the sibling dynamics and loved seeing a confident Latinx main character at the heart of it all.

That said, the heavy introspection and uneven pacing made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. I often found myself skimming, and some backstory moments disrupted the flow. While it didn’t totally work for me, I think others might really enjoy its blend of history, magic, and family.

I went in expecting a little more than I got with this. I really got excited by the idea of a lady Zorro but the writing is very tell and it fell flat for me which is a shame.

I was expecting to LOVE this book, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. I love the story of Zorro, and had Hugh hopes for this gender bent retelling. However, it was a bit light on action, and didn't really have the high stakes drama that I think I wanted. The magic was really good and I enjoyed the characters, but I think the plot just needed to be a bit ... More.

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy to review

What I liked:

A gender-bent Zorro. I was so excited for this plot.

I really like the characters. Lola, Victor, and Alejandro. Lola is so headstrong and brave, which I love in a YA Heroine.

The magic system. I like the idea of balance, and Sal negra, Sal Rosa, and the way they interacted and counter-acted each other.

What didn’t work for me:

Unfortunately, the plot felt like a slog to me. I was pretty bored throughout most of the book. The pacing felt off, and I found myself not really reaching for this one.

The premise for this book had me excited as what could sound cooler than a genderbent Zorro reimagining? After all, I love a bada** female main character! Unfortunately though, this book left a little to be desired and I had hoped for a bit stronger story.

There was a lot of "why?" left unanswered in this book. I loved that Lola was a secret vigilante, but we never really learn why she felt like she needed an alter ego. I felt like the man who Lola took the heirloom pistols from was a loose end/plot hole because why did he not come back after swearing up and down he would? Why was there so few women mentioned at all in the story and why was it so difficult for people to figure out who the mysterious Salvacion was? I just felt like there was too many questions left unanswered and thing just... were. There was no explanations for quite a bit.

Despite the plot holes and the many questions I was left with, it is a cool idea for a story where sal negra takes the place of gold in an alternative to the California Gold Rush. The concept of magical salts that can either heal or kill was cool, but I just would've liked to know more about it. I thought the concept of a genderbent Zorro-esque heroine was cool and I had to remind myself that Lola and this story is considered YA so Lola wasn't the strongest heroine.

It was a really cool concept for a story, but unfortunately needed a stronger execution. That being said, I am certainly interested in seeing how the author grows in future works. While this book may not have been as strong as hoped, I see the potential for more unique yet stronger stories coming from this author!

5 plus. I was always in love with the Zorro movies, and having an inspired YA female Zorro kind of hero in a fantasy (kinda a daughter between magic realism and a fantasy novel) is awesome. Siblings Lola and Victor decide to create a secret hero who can fight for justice. But while they work together, it's Lola who becomes the angel, the face of the people. There is good magic and bad magic, like a balance in nature. One heals, the other consumes faster than fire. Respect for the people, against greed, against cruelty, respect for Indigenous People, fear for war, and love for family. The siblings' relationship is great, and Lola's interest in a new boy in town (but on the side of the enemy) grows into more.

Pretty good story! There were a few parts where the dialogue wasn’t great and a few scenes that were not written well, but overall, a pretty solid story! I loved Salvación and how Lola overcame her obstacles with her family by her side. I love that this book is heavily Latinx inspired, it was such a great story! I think the few weird parts could have been fixed with better editing, so no blame to the author. Great story!

A thrilling tale with a fantastic premise. The characters and story-telling with the world-building is superb. I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before I begin, I would like to thank Sandra Proudman for allowing me to read a NetGalley copy of her upcoming book, Salvación, which will be available on May 20th, 2025.

Lola de La Peña doesn’t want to stop being limited by societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She has to act proper and gentle while her mother heals the sick and injured with black salt (sal negra). Ever since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, she becomes Salvación, the brave and free vigilante woman that protects Coloma and ensures that the town is safe and peaceful. When a woman who is barely still alive arrives in Coloma, speaking of how her town was destroyed by red salt (sal roja) that essentially eliminates anything it touches. The man that has it, Damien Hernández, arrives to the town with fifty men, promising that they’ll return Alta California to Mèxico, she knows that he wants to have control over everything. All he needs is the full moon and an ancient amulet to find enough sal roja to seize the land by force. When she meets Alejandro, a young man that traveled with Hernández but doesn’t seem to share his views, she can’t help but falling in love with him no matter how frustrating he can be. When they team up to stop Hernández, can Lola trust him to not betray her and the community? Or will Hernández use his charms and violence to get what he wants?

This book was great. You have Lola de La Peña, a clever, daring, protective, and beautiful young woman that wants to take care of her loved ones and chafes under people’s expectations of her. The interactions between Lola and her family were complex but relatable, and I appreciated how the author showed the complicated relationship that the main character had with her parents. The discussion about the effects of colonialism, especially the benefits it gives to settlers at the detriment of Indigenous people, was honest, accurate, and definitely made me think of the horrors the Indigenous tribes suffered for the States to become what it is today. I wanted to hug Lola and Victor many times throughout the book. I couldn’t help but find similarities between many political issues, and figures, that are around today in terms of immigration, colonialism, and the way that Hernández initially got people to his side. The magical element to the story was brilliant, and the twists were well written. Overall, if you like discussions about the effects of colonialism, manipulation, feminine rage, and nature, Zorro, Latino representation, complex characters, great sibling banter, horses, and sweet romance with low amounts of spice, then I would highly recommend this book. Here’s the link with more information: Amazon.com: Salvación eBook : Proudman, Sandra: Kindle Store

Salvacion is a Coming of age YA historical fantasy novel. I love that it is a Zorro gender-bend retelling. It brought back so much nostalgia of watching the old shows with my dad, but this time, through the female lens. Our FMC, Lola, has donned the mask and persona of Salvacion, along with the help of her brother, to protect their small community. Their parents are too misguided to see the danger they face. It’s up to them, and possibly an unlikely friend, to stop the evil that has come for their magia.

I enjoyed Lola as a character and felt she was very relatable and easy to connect to. The pace of the story was good and kept my interest.

I could have used more world building. I would have liked to have known more about their journey to Coloma and why Lola felt the need to take up the Salvacion mantle. I would have also liked to have seen more female characters within the book. The “romance” between Lola and Alejandro seemed rushed. More scenes with the two of them and getting more of Lola’s thoughts on him would have been nice.

Spice level: two quick kissing scenes.

Favorite quote: “We’re only as good as the people who push us to be better than them”

Conclusion: This is a nice debut novel. I really enjoyed reading about Lola and look forward to reading more from the author.

Thank you Netgalley & Wednesday Books for providing an ARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Salvación had me hooked from the start. The rich setting of 19th-century Alta California felt so vivid, and I loved how the author blended history, magic, and action. Lola de La Peña is such a strong and inspiring character—watching her take on the role of Salvación to protect her people was both thrilling and emotional.

The story is fast-paced, full of action, and has just the right amount of romance. I also appreciated the deeper themes of colonialism and resistance, which made the book feel even more powerful. If you love stories about masked vigilantes, rebellion, and a heroine who refuses to back down, Salvación is a must-read.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This cover was giving Zorro, but the female version. If that's your vibe I would recommend reading this book. It was a fun YA fantasy.

the writing was really fun although at times it felt a little bit vague and the love felt a little weak. our protag is awesome. still, 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I received an advanced copy of this e-book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I overall enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to young adult readers interested in vigilante justice. I found it to be a little slow in parts for my preference, though I found the main characters likable and enjoyed the bits of Spanish incorporated throughout the dialogue to depict a more accurate cultural picture. I did not find myself gripped to finish the book in a timely manner, hence why I gave it 3 stars.

DNF @ 30% It took a long time for this book to pick up… as in, it never really picked up. For an El Zorro inspired piece, you expect lots of action and sword fighting, and there was remarkably very little of that. I could forgive that if the characters and world building had been better, but alas, the magic system is confusing and doesn’t seem fleshed out enough (is Mamá the only one who can use magia or not?) and the world a little lackluster.

Side note—it’s continually mentioned that Loli is one of the only young women in town, and that Salvación is a woman that matches her description, and yet everyone is like “wow, wonder who Salvación could be???”

Lastly, the narration is extensively full of telling, not showing. I wish the author had given her YA readers more credit to understand the characters’ emotions and motivations without explicitly saying them, and not given us every little “stage direction” of how the characters moved.

All in all, an incredible premise that I don’t think was executed as well as it could have been.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. As I didn’t finish the book, I won’t be rating this book out of respect for the author.

Simple, repetitive storytelling with the same thoughts circling over and over in Lola’s thoughts which, while it might be in-character, is also tedious. I understand her worry and love for her mother, her frustration with the magic salt and healing people becoming her mother’s new calling … but it feels like every other paragraph wants to remind me of that as if I hadn’t just read it a dozen times already.

This book reads like it’s geared for an audience on the younger side of the YA scale. Lola’s first thoughts on meeting are Alejandro — a boy her age arriving with a large group of armed men who want to take over the village and the sal nega is to wonder if they could be friends. She’s shockingly innocent with very black and white thinking but little emotional reaction to … anything. Part of that is the writing style which leans heavily on telling, and repeating, and retelling; it doesn’t give much room for the Lola to do much more than monologue and infodump.

Oh, yes, and to remind me on almost every page that she is Salvación, again, in case I forgot it. The writing is fine, if simple and repetitive — have I mentioned it’s repetitive? — and the pace is brisk. It’s an easy read and well plotted, but I found it to be a frustrating reading experience. However, it’s nice to see a book using Spanish alongside English in a book that takes place during the United States acquisition of California. I appreciate the nods to the culture, the food, the folk tales and found that to be one of the better parts of the book.

I regret that I didn’t enjoy this book more, but I do think that I’m not the target audience. If I’d read this in middle school, I probably would have loved it. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!