Review: The 52nd by Dela

Review: The 52nd by Dela The 52nd by Dela
Published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing on October 27th 2014
Pages: 472
Format:Paperback
Source:Copy provided by author for review

Not one of the sacrifices chosen over the long history had survived--until now.

On the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, the immortal Castillo family gathers in Tulum. Weary and haunted, they receive the names of fifty-two human sacrifices chosen once every fifty-two years for the Underworld, a tradition thought to have disappeared with the fall of the Aztec and Mayan empires.

Driving home one night, college freshman Zara Moss swerves to avoid hitting a ghastly figure in the road. Lucas Castillo witnesses the car crash, but when it comes time to supervise her abduction from the wreckage, he intervenes. Something is different about Zara: Lucas has been having dreams of her arrival for five hundred years.

As Lucas and Zara come together to put an end to the bloody sacrifices, they discover that the ancient tradition isn't so easily broken. The gods are angry, and they have until the Winter Solstice to drag Zara to the Underworld.

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Can we please just stop for a moment and talk about the uniqueness and diversity in this book? It is a huge win. Not only are most of the characters (ancient) Mexican, but the whole story is based on cultural rituals from the Aztecs and Mayans. So yeah, very unique, very refreshing to see some fantastical and magical elements that are related to a whole distinct genre of character.

What I Liked: Obviously, the unique elements were very key. These elements were all so completely new, and so fascinating. I had never heard of this before, and found it both terrifying and intriguing. I even looked up more information about the ancient practice because I wanted even more information! I loved how the author made it work in the modern world, adding some magic elements to the Castillo family and the enemies they seek to take down.

Zara was, for the most part, a likable character. She was just a typical college student trying to figure out her place in the world when she is involved in this tradition, and ultimately, the attempt to eradicate it when she discovers that she is far more than just another sacrifice. I also enjoyed Lucas and his family. I thought they were fun, and even though some of their ways of thinking were incredibly outdated, it made perfect sense in context. In fact, had they not had some of the thought patterns, I’d have doubted the story.  I also really appreciated that the author included Zara’s family into the mix. So many times in modern setting fantasies, the families are just kind of in the background, but Zara’s was involved, and it made things much more realistic.

There was a lot of action, and some amazing locales. I loved reading the scenes in Mexico, it really brought something special to the story, having a big chunk of the action-oriented plot taking place there.

What I Didn’t: There was some parts of the book during which I felt really overwhelmed with information. Since it is already a bit of a lesser known subject matter, adding in the fictional elements was a lot to get accustomed to. Add in quite the plethora of characters, and at times I felt a  bit bogged down. Especially in the beginning/middle when I was trying to get a grasp on things, I felt like I was mixing up characters left and right. Though by the time the action really got started, I had a pretty good idea of who was who. I also didn’t really see the point of adding Zara’s friends into the mix. On one hand, yes, it was obviously believable that she had family and friends, and that they were concerned for her welfare. But the whole gang of friends seemed unnecessary, and I barely remembered them.

I also didn’t like how Zara was constantly allowing her actions to be dictated by Lucas. Again, I know why Lucas felt the need to control everything, but why exactly did Zara go along so easily? I mean, question things a bit more, girl.

Bottom Line: Though there was a chunk in the beginning-to-early-middle of the book that I felt was a little drawn out, I did really enjoy the story, especially when things started to get really intense. I enjoyed watching Zara and Lucas’s relationship develop, and while I am not completely sure that this is  a series (though it is definitely set up to be one and would work quite well as one) I would certainly read another installment.3star

Do you have any historical theme or time period that you would love to see in a book? Have you read any other books with the Aztec/Mayan theme?

Posted October 27, 2014 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Review , / 9 Comments

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9 responses to “Review: The 52nd by Dela

  1. This is the first time that I hear about this book, but it looks really interesting. I’ve never read a book about Aztec/Mayan culture, but they always fascinated me.
    Great review, Shannon.

  2. I agree the premise sounds so unique! They actually have families! Sounds like of those books where you felt like you had to take notes to keep everything straight. I’m glad that overall you liked the book. 🙂 I think that most time periods have been done that I’m interested in. I read quite a bit of historical fantasy. I haven’t read anything about the Mayans/Aztecs though.

    • Yes, that was my issue with part of it, it was a bit wordy. But then it got pretty good, and I think now that the world has been explained, the next books (if it happens!) could focus on the good stuff the whole time 😉

  3. Hmm…I’m not sure what to think about this Sharon! On one hand, I love the sound of the diversity and the rich historical atmosphere it has to it; but on the other I’m not sure how I’d do with the infodumping and the slow pacing in the beginning. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

  4. It does sound pretty unique, and the main reason I loved The Witch of Salt & Storm was because of a tribe culture, love learning knew things, and this especially does sound pretty unique and incorporated well, so double score. Families that are actually present, too, don’t seem to get that much lately. But yeah, information overload a little, especially since it already has a lot to contend with, and maybe she needs a backbone a little? Still, sounds more positives than negatives! I think I’ve read one with Aztec before, can’t remember which one though, but I want to read more on the 1920’s, I think I’ve read two, which I loved, so I just have to search them out. 🙂

    • Well, this certainly leaves me even more excited for Salt & Storm! I do love that the families were SO important- not even just “there”. It was so much more reasonable sounding than the typical absent family. I think the positives did outweigh the negatives, and if you can get through the lengthy descriptions, it really is a good story!

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