So when I started this book what I really liked was the family. Alejandra lives in Brooklyn, the middle of three sisters, with a single mother. They're all brujas, but that doesn't dominate their relationship. In some ways they could be any group of sisters--they reminded me of my own mom talking about growing up with her own sister nearby.

Then, all too soon--poof! The family disappears. Literally they go poof. Then we have to follow Alex to a magical fantasy world to get them back and I have much less interest in anything going on. Although the mythology is connected to specific cultural histories, it still feels very generic. The characters walk through the land meeting one group of magical creatures after another, learn their history and situation, learn about the big bad who is after Alex. There's a lot of expositional dialogue.

Words, the most interesting character moments all seem left with the family. Alex by herself is beset by issues that it seems like we see all the time. She desperately wants to be normal but as it turns out she's the most special even among the specials and that's a big burden. Her sisters all have some type of magic but she has all the magic and is a special kind of bruja yadda yadda of course. Also she's got misplaced guilt, carrying around what she thinks is a terrible secret that makes her a terrible secret even though she's clearly not responsible for whatever happened. However, her desire to get away from magic causes her to do something truly bad and now she's got real guilt and feel selfish--even though her action was more dumb or self-absorbed than selfish.

Her sisters are replaced by the boy and the bff, both of which all also seem very familiar. Rishi, the friend, is quirky and funny and adorable. Nova, the boy, is snarky with a tragic past and a reveal that's not really surprising. Both characters are seriously taken with Alex for no real apparent reason. So after a book with flying women and faun kings, the moment that stays with me the most is Alex walking into the kitchen and seeing her older sister wearing Alex's favorite sweater. And her aunt's story of going to a party in the 80s with Alex's mother and meeting Alex's father.