Amid the festive mayhem of the Parade of Heroes in the Baja California town of Punta Colonet, Lucinda and her abuelita, Herminia Carillo, cross paths with El Jaguar—a local gang boss who claims to be a brujo or witch, feared and loathed by most of the townspeople. The unfortunate encounter turns into a fiasco when El Jaguar threatens Lucinda, his fearsome Rottweiler chomps on her thigh, and—dizzy from pain—Lucinda watches in disbelief as her abuelita seemingly morphs into a puma and El Jaguar “a scarecrow man with an oft-broken nose.” 

The book that follows lives up this bizarre encounter, exciting encounter, setting the stage for a surreal adventure starring Lucinda, her friend Eva, and El Jaguar's brooding son, Mateo, who must play supernatural sleuths in the mystery of who cursed Abuelita. Using a mortar and pestle in El Jaguar's mausoleum, the trio whisk away into the labyrinthine memories of Abuelita's past, journeying through her days of apprenticeship and witchcraft to find clues on how to reverse the curse.

Barnes dazzles with his sharp characterization, briskly engaging prose, and dazzling worldbuilding, crafting the Beyond—a parallel universe where reality bends and twists at the will and intent of witches—into a vivid, immersive landscape. The novel is a spellbinding blend of magic and mystery, alive with tension, laughs, and real emotional resonance. Standout setpieces abound, involving lizard guides with stitched mouths and eyes, ancient cave pictographs, and supernatural bonds with witches and their animal allies, conferring Spiritual, Mental, or Physical power.

While the book is lengthy, it does not bore. Beneath the enchanting and sinister world of witchcraft Barnes conjures with effortless skill is a meditation on power—how it can be wielded for good or evil—the effort and intent needed to reach one's potential, mastering fear, and how trauma shapes the becoming of a person. Barnes invites readers to see the humanity in every character throughout this multi-layered tale that will surely cast a spell on the readers.

Takeaway: Fun, epic adventure of a girl fighting to save her abuelita from a curse.