My audiobook ARC was glitching until I redownloaded it 8 times and I see now I should have seen that as a sign.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I cannot believe it ended up being one of my least favourites. It started out fine, and I was enjoying it, but there were so many little things that stacked up at the end to make me just want it to be over.

There is a strange trend with YA releasing in the last couple of years where the proof of the strong female main character is found in "just trust me, bro." The reader is told repeatedly how badass she is, how people fear her and how important she is ... but it's never shown on page. I do not know why Lola is the masked vigilante named Salvación, why she supposedly has this reputation of being the protector of this tiny town. She threatens one man (almost unsuccessfully, I'll add) who never comes back again, and that's it. The skills she is purported to have never come to life on page and that disappointed me the most, for a book pitched as Zorro-inspired. Something else that bothered me ... you know how Clark Kent just has to take off his glasses and he's unrecognizable? Yeah, the same seems to apply to Lola for some reason, and it baffled me so much. Especially because we meet three women total in the town, one of whom is Lola, the only young woman, but no one figures out who she is when she wears the mask and talks to them.

The world building was also quite weak. There is some kind of magical salt that heals people, but it is never explained. It's introduced in the first chapter and is just ... there. Her mother had some kind of connection to it that led her across the land to it, but again, never explained. Likewise, there is an opposite, evil salt that the villain uses, but it doesn't really make sense. There is an interesting thread of colonialism and who truly has the right to the land of Mexico, but it was casually referenced and thrown aside until convenient to the story.

The villain in general was pretty uninspiring. I still don't know what he was doing or what he wanted? Threatening everyone with evil salt to go fight in a war that was already happening? Everyone just caved to this man without question, but he had no depth to him. He truly felt like a lackluster caricature. Likewise, the love interest was quite dull. He just shows up and has no personality, but Lola is instantly magentized to him like horses apparently are.

It seems to have left itself open to allow for a sequel in future, but I have no interest in that, I'm afraid.

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book. This is a book, first and foremost, about colonization. The white people have colonized the land that the Spanish have colonized and the cycle continues. Magic, whole thought to be used for good, is taken from the land with little regard for the consequences. The set up for this book is incredibly solid and makes for a thoughtful read.

My real issue lies with the way the book is written. We are sort of thrown into the story and often times it feels like I’m reading a sequel. How did Lola create her alter ego? What was the catalyst for traveling to Coloma? While these things are told to us, the way it is presented makes it seem like this is information we should already know. Also, I really wished we had more time with Salvación and her adventures.

This book has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

This book felt nostalgic since I loved Zorro. This however for me felt more immersed in the culture and time period than what I have seen before. I loved the gender swap and it felt more true to why she would especially want to hide her identity considering the period in time the story was taking place. Not a story I would maybe want to read over and over again but would definitely recommend and was a fun ride from beginning to end

This is a unique take on Zorro and I loved that it was YA. Felt very nostalgic with the added twist of magic as well as the improvement of women in power! Super fun adventure with very interesting family elements.

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.

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 book- 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. The narration was wonderful, I very much enjoyed the Spanish language perfectly dovetailed with the rest of the story.

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan, and Sandra Proudman, for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a delightful debut! The narrator was exceptional and I loved the concept of a Zorro-esque heroine with a dash of magical realism.

The plot was solid, and the characters were well-rounded (I LOVED Lola, Victor, and Alejandro!) The conflict didn't feel silly or overdone. Although this book had an ambiguous ending, I liked that the author still made this feel like a complete tale. You definitely could see a whole series from this book, but it wasn't left so open-ended that you felt like something was missing.

Overall, great story, 3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the alc my opinions are being left voluntarily. This is a phenomenal debut with a twist of a retelling and I super loved it. I loved the story the narration the character development. I am exciting to see where the author does next.

4.5/5☆
Recommend checking it out.