Muñeca

This atmospheric but underbaked gothic novel from Gómez (The Nightmare Box and Other Stories) finds a queer Latina witch trying to reverse a curse in 1960s Oakland. Natalia “Nati” Fuentes has long renounced the witchcraft her grandmother taught her as a child. Then she hears a rumor about Violeta, the heiress to the wealthy Miramontes family, having been paralyzed by a strange illness, and suspects magic may be the culprit. Seeing an opportunity to make some cash, Nati infiltrates the Miramontes house, where her mother was once employed, as a caretaker for Violeta. As Nati searches for a way to break Violeta’s curse, the two quickly fall for each other, communicating first through a system of blinking, and, when Violeta gains more mobility, through the arrangement of Scrabble tiles. Meanwhile, Nati uncovers her own powers and learns there’s something sinister beneath the Miramontes’ gilded lifestyle. Gómez’s historical scene-setting impresses, but Nati and Violeta’s romance is rushed and underdeveloped, making it difficult to fully invest in their love and struggle to break free of their oppressive circumstances. Readers will wish for more depth. (June)