Firesnake

The Last Cuentista #3

by Donna Barba Higuera

New York Times bestselling author Donna Barba Higuera, Firesnake delivers a triumphant finale to the story that began with the Newbery Medal-winning The Last Cuentista and continued in the Pura Belpré Honor-winning Alebrijes.

Itzel has never known a life on Earth. Growing up on Sagan, the granddaughter of the Cuentista, her years have been spent among the dactyls, griblets, and billow seeds of their new planet. But when a mysterious message arrives from across the cosmos, Itzel realizes that the home they thought destroyed hundreds of years ago has survived...and with it, another community of humans. Will she and the other Saganites brave the journey back to Earth? And what will they find? For they are not the only ones who have received this message...

Master storyteller Donna Barba Higuera brings her beloved Cuentista trilogy to a close in a book full of old friends and new, jaw-dropping twists, and a journey to the stars and back.

Genres: Middle Grade, Dystopia, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

400 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Mary-Rose Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great finale!

[Michael Drew]

Firesnake has exceptional marketing potential, benefiting from an established, award-winning series, a bestselling author, and a loyal middle grade readership. As the concluding installment in the acclaimed Cuentista Trilogy, it already enters the market with significant momentum while offering opportunities to attract both returning fans and new readers discovering the series for the first time.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its connection to The Last Cuentista, a Newbery Medal-winning novel that earned widespread critical acclaim for its imaginative storytelling, cultural richness, and emotional depth. Readers who have followed the trilogy will be eager to discover how Itzel's journey concludes, while educators, librarians, and parents continue to seek high-quality middle-grade science fiction with meaningful themes.

The novel combines exciting space adventure with emotionally resonant topics including identity, heritage, family legacy, survival, hope, belonging, and humanity's future. These universal themes broaden its appeal beyond traditional science fiction readers, making it attractive to classrooms, school libraries, book clubs, STEM programs, multicultural reading initiatives, and literary festivals.

Its fast-paced plot, memorable world-building, and blend of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian elements position Firesnake to perform well across multiple reader communities. The return to Earth after generations on another planet provides a compelling marketing hook, while the trilogy's strong reputation creates opportunities for complete-series promotions, boxed sets, educator guides, and library programming.

With strategic promotion centered on its award-winning legacy, thrilling conclusion, multicultural storytelling, and educational value, Firesnake has outstanding potential to achieve sustained commercial success while further cementing Donna Barba Higuera's reputation as one of today's leading middle grade authors.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expectations mix with anxiousness, tension, and a pioneering spirit with a character to connect with the entire way through.

First off, I did not read the first two books in the series and went into this aware that I'd be missing a lot. And I wasn't wrong. While the author does an amazing job at letting the world quickly unfold with the richness, and Itzel's character sinks right into the heart with her inspiring personality and naturalness, this is a complex world. We meet Itzel, her grandmother, and the rest as they are going through their daily lives on Sagan. Itzel has her concerns as her school days are numbered since she's at that age, but the big twist hits, when they have reason to believe that some humans have survived on Earth. Now, they're faced with the possibility of returning, which is a danger in and of itself but also holds the uncertainty of what awaits them when they do return. So, the plot comes full-circle to round off the series nicely.

The writing style is grabbing, and it's very easy to sink right into Itzel and her world. There's a lot going on, and it's handled nicely for the most part, keeping the story flowing quickly. There are some moments which speed by a bit quick and loose a little power because of it, and I did stumble on several characters, which are popped in...ones from one of the early books, it appears (my fault, though). But Itzel is a girl to cheer for and hope she makes it through. The world has an unique feel and creates an original atmosphere with familiar science fiction aspects to enjoy. I do recommend this for scifi fans, who enjoy a bit of heart.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought packing for a weekend trip was stressful, but imagine having to pack your entire life to travel across the cosmos back to Earth! 🚀✨👇

I just finished Firesnake by the brilliant, Newbery Medal-winning Donna Barba Higuera, and my sci-fi-loving heart is totally soaring. If you loved The Last Cuentista, you need to drop everything and add this companion novel to your shelf immediately because it is a breathtaking masterpiece.

The story follows Itzel, a girl who has only ever known life on the planet Sagan surrounded by wild alien creatures like dactyls and griblets. But when a mysterious message arrives hinting that Earth actually survived its destruction centuries ago, Itzel and her community have to make an impossible choice: stay safe on Sagan, or brave the journey back home?

Donna Barba Higuera has this magical way of weaving together folklore, high-stakes space exploration, and deeply moving themes about humanity, memory, and what it truly means to belong. Itzel is such a courageous, warm protagonist, and the pacing keeps you completely glued to the page while your jaw repeatedly hits the floor. It is beautiful, intense, and wonderfully imaginative.

This is the absolute perfect middle-grade sci-fi read to completely lose yourself in this season.

✨️Thank you Levine Querido and Donna Barba Higuera for sharing Firesnake with me!

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a trilogy that began with 12 year old Petra Pena, who left Earth to go into space with her family. Their plan was to settle on the planet Sagan, and the first book is about Petra's experience.

This story, the conclusion of the trilogy, is set hundreds of years later, and focuses on Itzel, a descendant of Petra's, who is now returning to Earth with her father, after her mother's strange disappearance.

Sweeping, mysterious, and insightful, this is a story which ensures that the reader becomes immersed and invested in Itzel's journey. The book can be read as a stand-alone adventure, despite being part of a series, and is worth checking out.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. The writing was often shallow and seemed to breeze through what should have been important pieces of the plot. The main character Itzel was a shallow cliche of similarly strong girls in the genre. Part I was suspenseful, while Part II lost the thread of the trilogy and petered out leaving me rushing to finish just for the sake of finishing. Characters from the first book were rapidly and clumsily introduced and just a rapidly and clumsily disposed of within a matter of pages and paragraphs. Even the title was a stretch, in that it wasn’t convincingly tied to the plot of the book. “Firesnake” was almost an after thought. In the end, I gave it a Three Star rating only because I enjoyed the first two books of the trilogy so much.

[Chris G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third book in The Last Cuentista series will be most enjoyed by those who have read the first two. Life on planet Sagan is grim for Itzel and her father. Her mother has disappeared and is assumed dead, her grandmother, one of the original settlers who came from earth, is in poor health. Itzel will soon have to leave school to help with subsistence farming - but then an enormous spaceship appears with the offer of transporting to earth everyone who wishes to leave Sagan. Some earth communities have survived the disaster that provoked the flight to Sagan, but can the divisions between communities on Sagan and earth be overcome? Earc from Edelweiss.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRESNAKE by Donna Barba Higuera

Life is hard on planet Sagan, so when a message comes inviting wanderers back to earth, some go, but can they really trust the descendants of the Collective (now called the Liberated)? Complicated problems are faced by brave, loyal, clever allies, as Itzel and her father work to put down roots in the unfamiliar soil that once was, and may yet be, home. 
This is a twisty, complicated plot, with much suspense and many surprises to reward the reader and stories to help make sense of it all.
I would suggest beginning with the first two in the series, THE LAST CUENTISTA and ALEBRIJES, for clarity, suspense, and deeper understanding.

[Kyra Dawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read The Last Cuentista trilogy. While the first book was still my favorite, that always tends to be true for me in a series, and Firesnake was an incredibly strong ending. I really appreciated Itzel as a character, and I also think, without spoilers, that the story does an excellent job of layering in the weight of stories and legacies from the previous two books. This whole series was the ultimate odyssey, and I'm glad I spent the final moments with Itzel.

P.S. I think that The Last Cuentista series is this generation's Time Quintet (by Madeleine L'Engle). It reaches the same caliber of taking children's imaginations seriously with beauty, mystery, and splendor.

[Melissa Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited for this book to come out, and it was a huge let down. The first book in this series is amazing. This third installment tries to connect the different characters and settings of the first two books, but it ends up being chaotic. The main character, Itzel, doesn’t have a focal conflict until the last ten chapters of the books. Itzel is also a shadow of a character without her own true purpose or personality. The author relied too much on the events from the previous books without ensuring this book had elements to keep it interesting for the audience.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful end to "The Last Cuentista" trilogy. There was so much depth in what on the surface is an exciting middle grade science fiction story: the blending of science and story, human brokenness and hope. This would be a great book group choice, even for adults, although people really need to read all three volumes to follow the themes to the conclusion. A book I can't wait to get into the hands of middle grade readers.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice way to tie both previous books together and give closure to the tales of all involved. For me, it was the least epic of the three but still provided a much needed ending. It felt a bit disjointed at times, and I wish there was a little more time spent in the nostalgia of the past characters. Especially since this installment didn't provide much to connect with on it's own.

[Kaley Symalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10 I really, really enjoyed this trilogy! I know they’re YA because of the young characters but I think they are for readers of any age. Stories meet science in this cross planet/cross centuries tale.

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the second one, but not better than the first. The tension in this one isn't as great as in the first. This is a good wrap up to the series, but I really wish I knew exactly what happened to Itzel's mom. :(

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Emily Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

tears. so many tears. An amazing conclusion to the trilogy. So moving, with some truly unexpected points. Cannot recommend the series enough.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of wish I had reread the others before this one, but I'll just reread the whole trilogy at some point.