Latine Heritage Month isn’t over yet!! Day 28 of #LHMBookstaChallenge focuses on An Afro-Latine and/or a Latine-Indigenous author, book, and/or character so I chose a couple of books to recommend to y’all.

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall

This is the 1st book in an awesome duology about a girl named Pilar who aspires to be a filmmaker. She’s creating a film about the Dominican Republic and her family but there’s one big part of the story that she can’t get her mamí or abuela to share: her cousin’s disappearance in D.R. 50 years ago. Determined to find out the answers for herself, Pilar ends up on the mystical island of Zafa, searching for her cousin as coconut-shaped demons chase her and Las Mariposas guide her.

I recommend this book a lot because I love the way that Randall writes and the story is so original!

Asiri and The Amaru by Natalia Hernandez

Asiri seeks a normal life after escaping her community when she realizes her ability to speak to animals is being abused. When she arrives in a new village, Dario the animal healer immediately draws her in. 

This cozy romance is spicier than you think and packed with some of my favorite tropes like found family. I recommend a lot of Hernandez’s work for similar reasons to Randall’s. It’s always fresh, fascinating, and heartfelt.