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The Sons of El Rey
A timeless, epic novel about a family of luchadores contending with forbidden love and secrets in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and beyond.
Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores—Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes—were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name recognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.
Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father’s gym while Freddy’s own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.
With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.
Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores—Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes—were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name recognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.
Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father’s gym while Freddy’s own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.
With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.
11 pages, Audiobook
First published June 11, 2024
169 people are currently reading
15223 people want to read
About the author
Alex Espinoza
11 books117 followersAlex Espinoza (he/him/his/they) is a queer writer with a disability. He was born in Tijuana, Mexico––on Kumeyaay original lands–– to Purepécha parents from the state of Michoacán and raised in Southern California, on Gabrieliño-Tongva land. His debut novel, Still Water Saints, was published to wide critical acclaim. His second novel, The Five Acts of Diego León, was the winner of a 2014 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. Other awards include fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Macdowell. He is the author of the nonfiction book Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime and has written essays, reviews, and stories for the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Virginia Quarterly Review, the Los Angeles Times, LitHub, and NPR. His short story “Detainment” was selected for inclusion in the 2022 Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories. Alex lives in Los Angeles on Gabrieliño-Tongva land with his husband Kyle and teaches at the University of California, Riverside––within Tongva, Cahuilla, Luiseño & Serrano original lands––where he serves as the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair and Professor of Creative Writing. His newest novel, The Sons of El Rey, will be published in June, 2024 from Simon and Schuster.
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June 26, 2024
4 Stars
I was quite impressed with this novel! Excellent character depth and heartbreaking, yet in ways hopeful, themes. In The Sons of El Rey, Alex Espinoza tells a poignant story that spans three generations with all the characters connected in some way to the vibrant and exotic style of Mexican wrestling, La Lucha Libre. This is a novel that embraces and normalizes queer identity. It shows the pain that love can bring, and its characters yearn to be part of something meaningful and larger than themselves in a broken world.
Permeating the novel is La Lucha Libre, which is brought to life and raised to mythical status. While I’m not a fan of wrestling, Espinoza drew a vibrant world of larger-than-life tecnicos (heroes) and rudos (villains), luchadores fighting it out in eccentric masks, costumes and sometimes capes! Good vs. Evil! Hope vs. Misery! The atmosphere in the arena is spirited and chaotic, with the audience shouting praises or insults at the fighters, always being loud and boisterous. The Lucha Libre arena is also a safe space for gender fluidity - one category of fighters are the exóticos, including, for example, men who fight in drag. The acceptance here informs the struggles of the novel's protagonists. While laden with symbolic meaning in the novel, the energy of La Lucha Libre itself made the reading experience exciting and a lot of fun.
The central character of the novel, Ernesto, is a luchador, a wrestler, a fighter. When he dons his mask, he becomes El Rey Coyote, a tecnico who becomes a national star in Mexico. He struggles against the bad guys, showing his audience that good prevails in a world filled with despair. But life is not as black-and-white when Ernesto takes off his mask. He finds himself falling in love with a man named Julian while married to Elena, who he claims is his only true love. I’m impressed that the novel not only shows Ernesto’s struggles, but Elena’s as well, who is a proud fighter in her own right. The tragedy that love brings to these three is a central element of the novel.
The El Rey Coyote mask, among many concepts, is used as a metaphor for deceitful and honest expression. Elena says at points in the novel, "No te dejes engañar" (Don't let yourself be fooled). Elena knows Ernesto's secret, and she will not be fooled by specious explanations to hide it. To be deceived forfeits the fight. In respect to Ernesto, to what extent does masking his true identity not only hurt himself, but also damage those who are close to him? This conversation develops between El Rey Coyote and Elena, haunting Ernesto as he nears death.
Espinoza tells this story through multiple POVs, each providing one thread of the narrative tapestry. We hear from Ernesto, Elena, El Rey Coyote himself, Ernesto’s son Alfredo, and Ernesto’s grandson, who is also named Julian. Told out of chronological order, Espinoza highlights the timeless qualities that binds them all. They are manifested through Ernesto’s tragedy, Alfredo’s struggle to find meaning in a racist world during economic hardship, and Julian, openly gay, who is afraid of the pain that love might bring. Each character struggles to find themselves and to live their lives authentically and with pride.
While the stories of Ernesto and Alfredo nicely align, the story of Ernesto’s grandson, Julian, seems a bit out of place. His story is overly focused on descriptions of his sexual adventures, and developments in his timeline, including some odd experiences, seem to have little relation to the plot as a whole. It does connect with the novel's narrative that Julian allows himself to be dehumanized and portrayed in racist, stereotypical Latino ways; however, his story otherwise strays away from the concerns of the other protagonists. The hyper focus on sex might diminish the overall impact of other, arguably more relevant, material in the novel. Despite this, other elements of Julian's story tie in nicely with the novel's themes and plot arc.
This lovely yet painful novel captivates the reader with characters who are ”born and reborn in the presence of this mayhem, beautiful and terrifying at once”. Written in clear, expressive and thoughtful prose, its a story that shows us that authenticity, family and love are worth fighting for. If you’re like me, you’ll find this novel ultimately to be deeply touching and affirming. A wonderful Pride month read, but, of course, a powerful tale to be told anytime of the year.
Rating: 4 Stars
Criteria: A 4-star rating is for books that are compelling, thought-provoking, and well-executed across the board. These books offer deep character development, an engaging plot, and a memorable writing style. They might introduce innovative ideas or explore themes in a way that resonates deeply. While not flawless, a 4-star book is one I would eagerly recommend and reflects a high level of enjoyment and appreciation.
I was quite impressed with this novel! Excellent character depth and heartbreaking, yet in ways hopeful, themes. In The Sons of El Rey, Alex Espinoza tells a poignant story that spans three generations with all the characters connected in some way to the vibrant and exotic style of Mexican wrestling, La Lucha Libre. This is a novel that embraces and normalizes queer identity. It shows the pain that love can bring, and its characters yearn to be part of something meaningful and larger than themselves in a broken world.
Permeating the novel is La Lucha Libre, which is brought to life and raised to mythical status. While I’m not a fan of wrestling, Espinoza drew a vibrant world of larger-than-life tecnicos (heroes) and rudos (villains), luchadores fighting it out in eccentric masks, costumes and sometimes capes! Good vs. Evil! Hope vs. Misery! The atmosphere in the arena is spirited and chaotic, with the audience shouting praises or insults at the fighters, always being loud and boisterous. The Lucha Libre arena is also a safe space for gender fluidity - one category of fighters are the exóticos, including, for example, men who fight in drag. The acceptance here informs the struggles of the novel's protagonists. While laden with symbolic meaning in the novel, the energy of La Lucha Libre itself made the reading experience exciting and a lot of fun.
The central character of the novel, Ernesto, is a luchador, a wrestler, a fighter. When he dons his mask, he becomes El Rey Coyote, a tecnico who becomes a national star in Mexico. He struggles against the bad guys, showing his audience that good prevails in a world filled with despair. But life is not as black-and-white when Ernesto takes off his mask. He finds himself falling in love with a man named Julian while married to Elena, who he claims is his only true love. I’m impressed that the novel not only shows Ernesto’s struggles, but Elena’s as well, who is a proud fighter in her own right. The tragedy that love brings to these three is a central element of the novel.
The El Rey Coyote mask, among many concepts, is used as a metaphor for deceitful and honest expression. Elena says at points in the novel, "No te dejes engañar" (Don't let yourself be fooled). Elena knows Ernesto's secret, and she will not be fooled by specious explanations to hide it. To be deceived forfeits the fight. In respect to Ernesto, to what extent does masking his true identity not only hurt himself, but also damage those who are close to him? This conversation develops between El Rey Coyote and Elena, haunting Ernesto as he nears death.
Espinoza tells this story through multiple POVs, each providing one thread of the narrative tapestry. We hear from Ernesto, Elena, El Rey Coyote himself, Ernesto’s son Alfredo, and Ernesto’s grandson, who is also named Julian. Told out of chronological order, Espinoza highlights the timeless qualities that binds them all. They are manifested through Ernesto’s tragedy, Alfredo’s struggle to find meaning in a racist world during economic hardship, and Julian, openly gay, who is afraid of the pain that love might bring. Each character struggles to find themselves and to live their lives authentically and with pride.
While the stories of Ernesto and Alfredo nicely align, the story of Ernesto’s grandson, Julian, seems a bit out of place. His story is overly focused on descriptions of his sexual adventures, and developments in his timeline, including some odd experiences, seem to have little relation to the plot as a whole. It does connect with the novel's narrative that Julian allows himself to be dehumanized and portrayed in racist, stereotypical Latino ways; however, his story otherwise strays away from the concerns of the other protagonists. The hyper focus on sex might diminish the overall impact of other, arguably more relevant, material in the novel. Despite this, other elements of Julian's story tie in nicely with the novel's themes and plot arc.
This lovely yet painful novel captivates the reader with characters who are ”born and reborn in the presence of this mayhem, beautiful and terrifying at once”. Written in clear, expressive and thoughtful prose, its a story that shows us that authenticity, family and love are worth fighting for. If you’re like me, you’ll find this novel ultimately to be deeply touching and affirming. A wonderful Pride month read, but, of course, a powerful tale to be told anytime of the year.
Rating: 4 Stars
Criteria: A 4-star rating is for books that are compelling, thought-provoking, and well-executed across the board. These books offer deep character development, an engaging plot, and a memorable writing style. They might introduce innovative ideas or explore themes in a way that resonates deeply. While not flawless, a 4-star book is one I would eagerly recommend and reflects a high level of enjoyment and appreciation.
May 21, 2024
I’ll be reviewing this in the Boston Globe. Bravo to Espinosa on a fantastic novel.
December 9, 2025
I love this, it's a different kin of family saga, told from various points of view; grandfather Ernesto, who worked his way up from pig farmer to construction worker to finding fame as the luchador “El Rey Coyote”, his wife Elena, his son Freddy and his grandson Julian, from Mexico City to Los Angeles. Once you have all characters settled in your head, it was hard to put down, and the ending is fantastic.
June 5, 2024
I suspect that Alex Espinoza's The Sons of El Rey may wind up being my favorite read of the summer. It's a wonderful read, despite the fact the the novel's characters go through some decidedly un-wonderful experiences, but there's also joy—a lot like real life as we know and live it.
The novel tells the story of three generations of a family that becomes deeply involved in Lucha Libre. Ernesto, the patriarch of the family, is scouted in Mexico City as a potential Luchador. The work is demanding, bruising, exhilarating, and unpredictable. In East Los Angeles, his son Freddy (Alfredo) also becomes a luchador, less successful than his father, but competent; he also is trying to keep afloat the gym Ernesto founded. Freddy's son Julián will never be a luchador. He's fighting his own battles as a gay man of color trying to find a place for himself in the world. He's got an advanced degree and ekes out a living as a teacher of college composition, picking up classes wherever he can at a variety colleges and spending as much time on the freeways as he does in the classroom.
Each of these three men—and other characters as well, inclluding some of the women—narrate parts of this novel. No one has the complete story, and as the narrators alternate family secrets surface again and again. It's the unfolding of these secrets and the ways the characters manage their new knowledge that make this book so wonderful—and the fact that the secrets some of the characters uncover have to do with their own identities. You'll find things to like and dislike about every character, but whether you're liking or disliking them, you'll be glad you're journeying with them across these three generations.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
The novel tells the story of three generations of a family that becomes deeply involved in Lucha Libre. Ernesto, the patriarch of the family, is scouted in Mexico City as a potential Luchador. The work is demanding, bruising, exhilarating, and unpredictable. In East Los Angeles, his son Freddy (Alfredo) also becomes a luchador, less successful than his father, but competent; he also is trying to keep afloat the gym Ernesto founded. Freddy's son Julián will never be a luchador. He's fighting his own battles as a gay man of color trying to find a place for himself in the world. He's got an advanced degree and ekes out a living as a teacher of college composition, picking up classes wherever he can at a variety colleges and spending as much time on the freeways as he does in the classroom.
Each of these three men—and other characters as well, inclluding some of the women—narrate parts of this novel. No one has the complete story, and as the narrators alternate family secrets surface again and again. It's the unfolding of these secrets and the ways the characters manage their new knowledge that make this book so wonderful—and the fact that the secrets some of the characters uncover have to do with their own identities. You'll find things to like and dislike about every character, but whether you're liking or disliking them, you'll be glad you're journeying with them across these three generations.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
March 31, 2024
Thank God for a book that gets that las luchas is gay.
Thanks to the publishers at Simon and Schuster for the chance to read “The Sons of El Rey” by Alex Espinoza!
A family saga that jumps between the Guerra sucias of 1960’s/70’s Mexico, LA in the 90’s, and LA in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, “The Sons of El Rey” is about the life of dying patriarch Ernesto Vega and the legacy of lucha libre that follows into the next generations.
To me, the book is at its best when we spend time in Mexico City. Beautifully written, it uses the backdrop of authoritarian Mexico to get at just how remarkable El Rey Coyote’s rise to fame was, and the personal cost it took from our present day patriarch. There were so many times I had to pause reading and think of the fact that this was the Mexico of my dad’s childhood, and underscores why las luchas are still so beloved to this day.
The problem is that for all the lofty points “The Sons of El Rey” wants to make, the novel might benefit from a re-prioritizing of what content drives home which point. For example, Elena, and many of the other women of the family, are so peripheral to the larger narrative that the book’s theme that Lucha Libre can also be a space to play with gender, push back against sexism, and more feels entirely empty. None of them go through their own journeys of growth. I can’t help but feel that the book is trying to have its cake and eat it too in choosing not to engage with how Lucha Libre can also be a space of sexism but still celebrate Lucha’s glamor and fighting spirit.
The plot twist revealed at the end of the book about the parentage of a character to me is such a good example of this. It doesn’t work for me as a reader for multiple reasons but chief among them:
1) Wildly outta left field. There’s little foreshadowing or even a hint of some attraction there.
2) It makes boils down the only woman who got a POV in the novel down to her reproductive decision. For all of this character’s previous boasts of “somos guerreras” in her chapters, this decision - on top of having no ambition or interests outside of her husband- rings hollow to what the character says she values.
3) It takes what could have been a poly relationship that challenges our notions of a love triangle and family, and becomes instead a weirdly hetero ending that simultaneously invokes the bury your gays trope.
The timing of the reveal was also a little rough. It happens pages before the end, and as a reader, you’re left with no acknowledgement of how this informs any character’s relationships.
I loved this book, and that’s what makes its shortcomings so frustrating. It has the potential to be such an ode to queer Mexicans across generations, but falls painfully short.
I’m hoping other folks find much more catharsis through this book than I did. I’m also hopeful that this book can start some great conversation that can more thoughtfully expand on some of this book’s themes.
Thanks to the publishers at Simon and Schuster for the chance to read “The Sons of El Rey” by Alex Espinoza!
A family saga that jumps between the Guerra sucias of 1960’s/70’s Mexico, LA in the 90’s, and LA in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, “The Sons of El Rey” is about the life of dying patriarch Ernesto Vega and the legacy of lucha libre that follows into the next generations.
To me, the book is at its best when we spend time in Mexico City. Beautifully written, it uses the backdrop of authoritarian Mexico to get at just how remarkable El Rey Coyote’s rise to fame was, and the personal cost it took from our present day patriarch. There were so many times I had to pause reading and think of the fact that this was the Mexico of my dad’s childhood, and underscores why las luchas are still so beloved to this day.
The problem is that for all the lofty points “The Sons of El Rey” wants to make, the novel might benefit from a re-prioritizing of what content drives home which point. For example, Elena, and many of the other women of the family, are so peripheral to the larger narrative that the book’s theme that Lucha Libre can also be a space to play with gender, push back against sexism, and more feels entirely empty. None of them go through their own journeys of growth. I can’t help but feel that the book is trying to have its cake and eat it too in choosing not to engage with how Lucha Libre can also be a space of sexism but still celebrate Lucha’s glamor and fighting spirit.
The plot twist revealed at the end of the book about the parentage of a character to me is such a good example of this. It doesn’t work for me as a reader for multiple reasons but chief among them:
1) Wildly outta left field. There’s little foreshadowing or even a hint of some attraction there.
2) It makes boils down the only woman who got a POV in the novel down to her reproductive decision. For all of this character’s previous boasts of “somos guerreras” in her chapters, this decision - on top of having no ambition or interests outside of her husband- rings hollow to what the character says she values.
3) It takes what could have been a poly relationship that challenges our notions of a love triangle and family, and becomes instead a weirdly hetero ending that simultaneously invokes the bury your gays trope.
The timing of the reveal was also a little rough. It happens pages before the end, and as a reader, you’re left with no acknowledgement of how this informs any character’s relationships.
I loved this book, and that’s what makes its shortcomings so frustrating. It has the potential to be such an ode to queer Mexicans across generations, but falls painfully short.
I’m hoping other folks find much more catharsis through this book than I did. I’m also hopeful that this book can start some great conversation that can more thoughtfully expand on some of this book’s themes.
September 25, 2024
This effin book. I came for the cover. I stayed because it punched me in the heart until I could no longer move. Don’t come looking for me. I live here now, broken in the center of the ring. I submit.
May 30, 2024
Most of this was very average but that last page was worth 18 stars.
February 4, 2024
Wow. A million times wow. I am so grateful to have received an early copy of this novel—I took it down in just a couple of days, unable to stop. What a beautiful, heartbreaking, resonant piece of writing. I can’t recommend this enough.
Read
August 15, 2024OMG. This book was so emotional AND messy. I called it The Iron Claw with luchadores meets a bit of Brokeback Mountain. Full review on Tik Tok!
Read
July 25, 2024Though I like the lucha libre angle, I just can't stay interested in these characters.
June 16, 2024
2024 Pride Month Read #4: 3.5 stars. An inter-generational story of a Mexican-American family. I originally rounded up to 4 stars, but coming back to write a review a few days after finishing the book, I feel that the author wrote a very good story, one I recommend to a variety of readers, but just not a book that will stand out among my other 4- and 5-star reads, maybe. I'll have to think about this more.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
July 6, 2025
this was such a cool book following three generations of men in the Vega family & their deep ties to lucha libre across their journeys in Mexico and the US. so glad my libby finally got a copy!
only slight feeling of incompleteness in julian’s character development and how he was super sexualized until the latter half of the book but otherwise loved how varied each character was & all of the POVs
only slight feeling of incompleteness in julian’s character development and how he was super sexualized until the latter half of the book but otherwise loved how varied each character was & all of the POVs
March 27, 2024
The stunning cover caught my eye.
The intriguing premise pulled me in.
The strong writing sealed the deal and kept me turning pages.
Written with ethnic accuracy, the ambiance of this culturally rich novel gave me exactly what I was hoping for. From the crowded streets of a growing Mexico City, through the decades to present-day Los Angeles, you will traverse time and place within the perspectives of three generations of the Vega family. Interwoven in the mix is the spirit of the matriarch of the family, Elena, along with Ernesto's second self, El Rey Coyote. This generational story laden with forbidden love, sacrifice, and family is one to savor.
Final thoughts? Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. Intriguing, gritty, and honest, this ambitious story flies from the top ring and demands you to take notice.
The intriguing premise pulled me in.
The strong writing sealed the deal and kept me turning pages.
Written with ethnic accuracy, the ambiance of this culturally rich novel gave me exactly what I was hoping for. From the crowded streets of a growing Mexico City, through the decades to present-day Los Angeles, you will traverse time and place within the perspectives of three generations of the Vega family. Interwoven in the mix is the spirit of the matriarch of the family, Elena, along with Ernesto's second self, El Rey Coyote. This generational story laden with forbidden love, sacrifice, and family is one to savor.
Final thoughts? Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. Intriguing, gritty, and honest, this ambitious story flies from the top ring and demands you to take notice.
August 21, 2024
4.5/5 - took a moment to get into the writing but I am a sucker for a multigenerational story like this and it was a good balance of sweet and silly and emotional. I will absolutely be seeking out some lucha libre!
January 18, 2024
The Sons of El Rey is amazing book on the three generations of the Vega men. Each man is dealing with their own insecurities at different points of their lives. Ernesto finds that becoming El Rey Coyote in Mexico City as a way to appease the machismo culture that was embedded in him from his father. Alfredo “Freddy”, is trying to come to grips with the changing landscape of his community, and struggles to save the gym that his father built. Julian, is trying to navigate his life in the shadow of the lucha tradition, while being an openly gay Mexican-American man.
The story is so rich, and while some of the story has some very surreal moments from the point of view of El Rey Coyote himself, it does not hinder the flow of the story. It more to the culture of lucha, and the characters. I found myself thinking about all of these character throughout the day, and wondering how their story was unfold. It is a deeply touching story about love, family, and acceptance.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC.
The story is so rich, and while some of the story has some very surreal moments from the point of view of El Rey Coyote himself, it does not hinder the flow of the story. It more to the culture of lucha, and the characters. I found myself thinking about all of these character throughout the day, and wondering how their story was unfold. It is a deeply touching story about love, family, and acceptance.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC.
June 30, 2024
3.5 ⭐️🌈 🥊 I appreciated the history and culture of luchadores that was weaved into this plot! I also loved the queerness and messiness of these male characters and their relationships with each other.
I wish we could’ve seen more from the women in this book, but overall a really great multigenerational drama :)
I wish we could’ve seen more from the women in this book, but overall a really great multigenerational drama :)
May 20, 2025
3.5 stars. five povs is too many!! elena’s ending confused the fuck out of me. why did you do that alex espinoza? what was the point.
June 20, 2024
The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza
Thank you so much @booksparks #SRC2024 #GameSetRead @simonbooks #simonbooksbuddy #freegift
Blurb:
A masterful exploration of a family reckoning with its most sacred secrets. Mesmerizing and unflinching, Espinoza’s luchadores will wrestle their way deep into your heart.
✨ My thoughts:
The beautiful cover is what drew me in and it’s the beautiful story that won me over. I went into this book completely blind and I was moved by the story. With multiple POVs, this story is rich and full of heart. I was fascinated by the Lucha culture and a family of luchadores. The character depth of the Vega family felt so real and heart wrenching. There’s a lot of quotable lines in this book but unfortunately I failed to stop reading to tab!! This is a book you won’t be able to put down once you’ve started. It’s a story of family, culture, and acceptance… and that ending will hit you in the gut. Sons of El Rey is out now!
“What will you carry with you, Ernesto, when you transition to the other realm?
These memories and realizations?
These voices that loved and complicated you?
The things you never let in?
Everything you resisted? “
Happy reading 📖 🏳️🌈
Thank you so much @booksparks #SRC2024 #GameSetRead @simonbooks #simonbooksbuddy #freegift
Blurb:
A masterful exploration of a family reckoning with its most sacred secrets. Mesmerizing and unflinching, Espinoza’s luchadores will wrestle their way deep into your heart.
✨ My thoughts:
The beautiful cover is what drew me in and it’s the beautiful story that won me over. I went into this book completely blind and I was moved by the story. With multiple POVs, this story is rich and full of heart. I was fascinated by the Lucha culture and a family of luchadores. The character depth of the Vega family felt so real and heart wrenching. There’s a lot of quotable lines in this book but unfortunately I failed to stop reading to tab!! This is a book you won’t be able to put down once you’ve started. It’s a story of family, culture, and acceptance… and that ending will hit you in the gut. Sons of El Rey is out now!
“What will you carry with you, Ernesto, when you transition to the other realm?
These memories and realizations?
These voices that loved and complicated you?
The things you never let in?
Everything you resisted? “
Happy reading 📖 🏳️🌈
April 29, 2024
I really loved the writing in this book, I was lucky enough to get my hands on the ARC through Net Galley and haven’t been able to put the book down. A book of struggles, survival, family, secrets, lies and most of all luchadores. I loved it. Alex writes so fluidly and I was able to feel each part of the story.
October 27, 2024
A bit confusing with time jumps, but that may be because I listened instead of read this, which I would recommend. This book was amazing, and it shone through by the narrators who did a fantastic job. I felt for these men, each struggling with separate issues but tied together by family and love.
September 20, 2025
idk hear me out Elsie silver could learn a couple things
September 27, 2025
This was excellent! Multigenerational multi POV immigrant story that tackled queerness, masculinity, the pressures of being an unhappy wife in a time when divorce was frowned upon, and living under capitalism with grace and humor.
rep: mostly Mexican/Mexican American cast, queer characters
rep: mostly Mexican/Mexican American cast, queer characters
July 4, 2025
I loved this. Gay, Lucha, multi point of view story told from an abuelo, abuelita, father, and son? Fantastic. Wonderful characters, wonderful story, great twists. One of my favorites I've read in awhile.
June 8, 2024
Def one of my fav books this summer and possibly of the year! I loved all of the characters POVs and the big nod to the luchadore culture. I learned a lot.
September 25, 2025
Three generations of a Mexican-American family, of which the grandfather and father were both luchadores in the lucha libre (Mexican wrestling). The grandson is not, however, but he is gay and has a lot of sex.
The storylines involving lucha libre were interesting, all the hardcore sex not so much. Characters remain superficial and too many cliches around immigrants, Covid and Mexicans in general are stuffed into this novel.
The storylines involving lucha libre were interesting, all the hardcore sex not so much. Characters remain superficial and too many cliches around immigrants, Covid and Mexicans in general are stuffed into this novel.
January 25, 2025
A sort of a strange book. It’s told from different perspectives the perspective of the grandfather, the grandfather‘s persona, the grandfather‘s wife, the son and the grandson. I was distracted, almost the entire book because the timelines didn’t really lineup for me. Like the dates they said that they move to LA or the dates they said the sister was born or when the grandson would’ve graduated from college versus gotten his masters. That’s a pet peeve of mine and once I feel there inconsistencies around dates, it makes it harder for me to enjoy a book. Beyond that I think this is written by man most of the characters are men and they’re interesting men living interesting lives, having interesting things happened to them. I really didn’t relate to any of them. And the one female is a very unsympathetic character, dies and is super annoying. The supporting female characters of the sister and the wife of the son are just non-characters. Overall, I think it’s an interesting story but I kept waiting for it to get good and understand the hype. For me it never got good. It was a bit of a slog.
July 25, 2024
elena you’re my #1 😭 this book was incredible, all of the characters had so much depth, it was heartbreaking and beautiful to follow all of their stories. the writing was amazing, when i was reading about the matches it felt like i was actually there. it was so so so SO good!
October 14, 2024
you are latina ENOUGH 💜
June 28, 2024
Ernesto and his wife Elena are looking for a better life so they take the opportunity to move to Mexico City. Ernesto's close friend Julián helps him find a place to stay and a job at a construction site. Ernesto is discovered by a local lucha libre trainer and embarks on a life of fame as El Rey Coyote, becoming part of a world filled with other Mexican wrestlers dressed in colorful costumes and the all important masks. They eventually make their way to LA, where Ernesto opens a gym to help train wrestlers in the luchador tradition.
Year later, Ernesto is in hospice at the end of his life and his son Freddy is trying to save the gym as he watches his father fade. His mother had died years earlier, leaving a hole in the family dynamic. Freddy's own son Julian is struggling with both his career and his love life, made all the more challenging because he is a gay, something that carries a stigma in the Mexican culture.
As Ernesto's life comes to an end, we see the story of this family play out from each man's perspective. We see Ernesto's humble beginnings as he makes his way up in the wrestling world of Mexico City, how he raises he son Freddy to follow in his footsteps, and finally to Julian as he navigates what it is like to be a gay man in a world of hook ups and dating apps. These men's lives show a deep bond with each other and how the fight just isn't inside the ring.
This book completely blew me away. Watching the journey of these three very different men from the same family play out was incredibly powerful. For me, this was a story about the "masks" we wear in life each and every day. The secrets we keep from those we love, the truths we hide, even from ourselves, and the legacies we try, and sometime fail, to live up to. I loved the idea of setting this family amidst the world of luchadors, where masks and fantastical identities are the pillar of the sport, and the way Alex Espinoza wove it all together was masterful. This is easily one of my top books for this year.
Year later, Ernesto is in hospice at the end of his life and his son Freddy is trying to save the gym as he watches his father fade. His mother had died years earlier, leaving a hole in the family dynamic. Freddy's own son Julian is struggling with both his career and his love life, made all the more challenging because he is a gay, something that carries a stigma in the Mexican culture.
As Ernesto's life comes to an end, we see the story of this family play out from each man's perspective. We see Ernesto's humble beginnings as he makes his way up in the wrestling world of Mexico City, how he raises he son Freddy to follow in his footsteps, and finally to Julian as he navigates what it is like to be a gay man in a world of hook ups and dating apps. These men's lives show a deep bond with each other and how the fight just isn't inside the ring.
This book completely blew me away. Watching the journey of these three very different men from the same family play out was incredibly powerful. For me, this was a story about the "masks" we wear in life each and every day. The secrets we keep from those we love, the truths we hide, even from ourselves, and the legacies we try, and sometime fail, to live up to. I loved the idea of setting this family amidst the world of luchadors, where masks and fantastical identities are the pillar of the sport, and the way Alex Espinoza wove it all together was masterful. This is easily one of my top books for this year.
September 23, 2024
This is a rounded up rating.
Though lighter on the luche libre than I expected, those parts were great.
The multiple pov was not my favorite here. I felt that this might have been better told from an all knowing narrator. At any rate, that’s a bit like saying I wish Picasso would have gone thru a green period instead of blue. But regardless of format, there was just something deeper I wanted to experience from the story and characters. That being said…
The author does a great job with setting making the scenes come alive.
The pacing is quick where it needs to be quick and contemplative when that’s appropriate.
The use of language is good. It wasn’t too simplistic or redundant, which I find in a lot of books these days. However it would be helpful to know Spanish. Some parts weren’t in English and I didn’t really know what was going on. In the beginning I looked a few things up, but it became cumbersome.
The author does a great job of touching on political and societal events alongside the more personal interactions. This is not at all preachy. It is critical in setting the stage and helps us understand motivations and experiences of characters.
Ive seen other reviewers say this was a romance novel. I disagree. There are elements of relationships and some intense sex scenes, but I think this novel was ultimately a journey of self discovery on many levels, not just sexuality. What roadblocks are given us in the journey, what blocks do we set ourselves, and how do we get past both? Additionally, I think it asks us what is greater than self? Does this even exist? How does it manifest?
Looking forward to discussing this book at book club.
Though lighter on the luche libre than I expected, those parts were great.
The multiple pov was not my favorite here. I felt that this might have been better told from an all knowing narrator. At any rate, that’s a bit like saying I wish Picasso would have gone thru a green period instead of blue. But regardless of format, there was just something deeper I wanted to experience from the story and characters. That being said…
The author does a great job with setting making the scenes come alive.
The pacing is quick where it needs to be quick and contemplative when that’s appropriate.
The use of language is good. It wasn’t too simplistic or redundant, which I find in a lot of books these days. However it would be helpful to know Spanish. Some parts weren’t in English and I didn’t really know what was going on. In the beginning I looked a few things up, but it became cumbersome.
The author does a great job of touching on political and societal events alongside the more personal interactions. This is not at all preachy. It is critical in setting the stage and helps us understand motivations and experiences of characters.
Ive seen other reviewers say this was a romance novel. I disagree. There are elements of relationships and some intense sex scenes, but I think this novel was ultimately a journey of self discovery on many levels, not just sexuality. What roadblocks are given us in the journey, what blocks do we set ourselves, and how do we get past both? Additionally, I think it asks us what is greater than self? Does this even exist? How does it manifest?
Looking forward to discussing this book at book club.
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