By Kaylie Seed
Bindle Punk Bruja takes readers to the Roaring ‘Twenties in Kansas City, Missouri, and follows Luna Alvarado, a white-passing daughter of a Mexican mother and white father. Luna is a bruja (also known as a witch) and is trying to fully understand her powers. Luna is also one of the first women to own a speakeasy and is known around town as Rose Lane (she has to hide her true identity due to rampant racism in a prejudiced world). Mesa packs a punch with her novel Bindle Punk Bruja that tackles a number of heavy topics, including sexism, racism, and homophobia.
When readers think of historical fiction, they are likely not going to think about the 1920s but it is clear that Mesa has done the research to ensure that her tale is authentic. Mesa includes descriptions of fashion, politics, and historical figures from that time, as well as the language that was used during that time. While there is quite a bit of slang used throughout Bindle Punk Bruja, the overall prose was easy to read and beautifully written.
The characters were all fleshed out quite well and each brought their own eccentricities to the story to keep readers engaged. At the same time, there are a number of people out to get Luna and it starts to feel a little overdone. It can be hard to remember who everyone is and what they want from Luna; instead of having numerous “bad guys”, having one to focus on would’ve been enough and would have made the story just as powerful.
Bindle Punk Bruja begins as a slow burn but picks up pace as the story progresses. Luna is a strong female lead and those looking for that in a novel will likely enjoy this one. Those who are looking for a historical fantasy will want to pick this one up too as Mesa has done a great job at writing a compelling historical fiction read with a magic system that is fleshed out and bound to make fantasy readers swoon.
Thank you, HarperCollins Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.