Review of 'Bindle Punk Bruja'

Boardwalk Empire meets The Vanishing Half with a touch of earth magic in this sexy and action-packed historical fantasy set in the luminous Golden Twenties from debut author Desideria Mesa, where a part-time reporter and club owner takes on crooked city councilmen, mysterious and deadly mobsters, and society’s deeply rooted sexism and racism, all while keeping her true identity and magical abilities hidden—inspired by an ancient Mexican folktale.

Yo soy quien soy. I am who I am.

Luna—or depending on who’s asking, Rose—is the white-passing daughter of an immigrant mother who has seen what happens to people from her culture. This world is prejudicial, and she must hide her identity in pursuit of owning an illegal jazz club. Using her cunning powers, Rose negotiates with dangerous criminals as she climbs up Kansas City’s bootlegging ladder. Luna, however, runs the risk of losing everything if the crooked city councilmen and ruthless mobsters discover her ties to an immigrant boxcar community that secretly houses witches. Last thing she wants is to put her entire family in danger.

But this bruja with ever-growing magical abilities can never resist a good fight. With her new identity, Rose, an unabashed flapper, defies societal expectations all the while struggling to keep her true self and witchcraft in check. However, the harder she tries to avoid scrutiny, the more her efforts eventually capture unwanted attention. Soon, she finds herself surrounded by greed and every brand of bigotry—from local gangsters who want a piece of the action and businessmen who hate her diverse staff to the Ku Klux Klan and Al Capone. Will her earth magic be enough to save her friends and family? As much as she hates to admit it, she may need to learn to have faith in others—and learning to trust may prove to be her biggest ambition yet.

Review

While Bindle Punk Bruja could hold my attention, it did so with struggle, despite Luna’s charm, taking too much time to develop the storytelling.

Expected More

When the story talks about Bruja’s and Luna’s family being immigrants during the prohibition era, I expected more magic in the storytelling. Instead, magic is separated into branches, into what people can specialize in. Her grandmother can heal and bless the earth; she’s incredibly powerful. Luna specializes in charm. She can use her allure magic to, in a way, hypnotize people by tapping into their desire.

And as a woman who is half white, she can blend into society, going by the name of Rose. Newspaper writer by day, speakeasy owner by night.

There is a lot of storytelling, but there is little magic until the end.

Good Character Growth

Bindle Punk Bruja mainly focuses on Luna as she struggles to escape gangsters to be her own boss and get her family out of the slums. In addition, she has to deal with racism, bigotry, the KKK clan, and sexism and contend with her light-skinned privilege that sometimes divides her and her brother.

There is the relationship she has with her brother and her own fiancé, who struggles with his sexuality. As a gay man, he struggles to find acceptance like Luna does. But together, they build a family, their speakeasy, and find love where they least expect it. How his relationship grows with Luna’s brother is heartwarming and sometimes a little heartbreaking.

And as for Luna, she has to learn to be at peace with her magic and her biracial status before she can let others in. For her, there is no point in being in a relationship if she can’t be who she really is. And her magic also makes her question if the feelings any man feels for her are real or just her magic taking effect.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of character development and story development. But, unfortunately, Bindle Punk Bruja left me wanting more. The pacing drags, and there is very little magic for a story about a bruja until the book’s last quarter. It felt like the story was mostly filler, leaving me waiting for something to happen.

• Writing Quality : 7/10
• Character Development :9/10
• "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 6/10
• Intellectual Depth: 7/10
• Originality: 8/10
• Overall Rating: 3 out of 5.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, son and daughter and their two cats.