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The Storyteller's Death
From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican teenager who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.
There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child...
Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.
When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.
At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can't solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.
There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child...
Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.
When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.
At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can't solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2022
3444 people are currently reading
23262 people want to read
About the author
Ann Dávila Cardinal
13 books434 followersAnn is a Nuyorican, Vermont-based novelist with an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). She comes from a long line of Puerto Rican writers, including father and son poets Virgilio and José Antonio Dávila, and her cousin, award-winning fiction writer Tere Dávila.
Ann’s first solo novel, a young adult horror novel titled Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen on June 4, 2019. Five Midnights won the 2020 International Latino Book Award in the category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure, an AudioFile’s Earphones Award for the audiobook, and was finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. The story continues in Category Five, also from Tor Teen, released on June 2, 2020. Category Five is a 2021 nominee for the same International Latino Book Award category. Her latest young adult horror novel, Breakup From Hell, was released by HarperCollins on January 3, 2023.
Her first adult novel, the Puerto Rican magical realist mystery The Storyteller’s Death, was released from Sourcebooks Landmark on October 4, 2022. Her second adult novel, We Need No Wings, is scheduled for release in October 2024.
Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology from HarperCollins (2022), Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic from Polis Books (2020) and the Latine young adult collection Our Shadows Have Claws from Workman Publishing (9/6/22),
Ann lives in Vermont with her husband in a lovely little house with a massively creepy basement.
Ann’s first solo novel, a young adult horror novel titled Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen on June 4, 2019. Five Midnights won the 2020 International Latino Book Award in the category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure, an AudioFile’s Earphones Award for the audiobook, and was finalist for the Bram Stoker Award. The story continues in Category Five, also from Tor Teen, released on June 2, 2020. Category Five is a 2021 nominee for the same International Latino Book Award category. Her latest young adult horror novel, Breakup From Hell, was released by HarperCollins on January 3, 2023.
Her first adult novel, the Puerto Rican magical realist mystery The Storyteller’s Death, was released from Sourcebooks Landmark on October 4, 2022. Her second adult novel, We Need No Wings, is scheduled for release in October 2024.
Her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology from HarperCollins (2022), Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic from Polis Books (2020) and the Latine young adult collection Our Shadows Have Claws from Workman Publishing (9/6/22),
Ann lives in Vermont with her husband in a lovely little house with a massively creepy basement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,259 reviews
September 12, 2023
Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life starts to fall apart when her dad passes away. Dumped in Puerto Rico every summer by her alcoholic mother, Isla starts to develop a bond with her great-aunt.
When Isla turns 18, her grandmother dies, leaving behind a gift (or a curse) where Isla has visions. However, not all of the visions are pleasant. In fact, one of the visions involves an old murder mystery.
Is Isla in danger as she comes closer to discovering the truth?
My feelings for The Storyteller’s Death are a bit complicated. First and foremost, this book is a unique read. It has a really interesting plot and storyline, and I am glad that I read it. One of my favorite tropes is imperfect parents.
The book is very easy to read with short paragraphs, and it is a pretty quick read. Amazon currently has it priced at $7.99 so it is also very economical.
For the big reveal at the end, I did not see that one coming, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Now, for some hard truths……
I know that this book is classified as Young Adult, but it should have been a bit more sophisticated.
Victories didn’t feel earned. For example, Isla is essentially looking for a missing clue. What do you know? She finds the missing piece in less than one page. Sigh.
Also, every time Isla wanted to talk to someone, they were always the correct person, always very easy to contact. Everyone always had meaningful information, no false starts. Evidence was very easily located.
Characters should have been more developed. Most seemed to be all good or all bad. What about good people doing bad things? What about good people struggling?
The ending should have been stronger. The ending is cliché and wrapped up too nicely. I would highly recommend that the author read Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman.
Overall, The Storyteller’s Death is a unique read that I found enjoyable; however, this clay needs just a touch more molding.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
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When Isla turns 18, her grandmother dies, leaving behind a gift (or a curse) where Isla has visions. However, not all of the visions are pleasant. In fact, one of the visions involves an old murder mystery.
Is Isla in danger as she comes closer to discovering the truth?
My feelings for The Storyteller’s Death are a bit complicated. First and foremost, this book is a unique read. It has a really interesting plot and storyline, and I am glad that I read it. One of my favorite tropes is imperfect parents.
The book is very easy to read with short paragraphs, and it is a pretty quick read. Amazon currently has it priced at $7.99 so it is also very economical.
For the big reveal at the end, I did not see that one coming, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Now, for some hard truths……
I know that this book is classified as Young Adult, but it should have been a bit more sophisticated.
Victories didn’t feel earned. For example, Isla is essentially looking for a missing clue. What do you know? She finds the missing piece in less than one page. Sigh.
Also, every time Isla wanted to talk to someone, they were always the correct person, always very easy to contact. Everyone always had meaningful information, no false starts. Evidence was very easily located.
Characters should have been more developed. Most seemed to be all good or all bad. What about good people doing bad things? What about good people struggling?
The ending should have been stronger. The ending is cliché and wrapped up too nicely. I would highly recommend that the author read Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman.
Overall, The Storyteller’s Death is a unique read that I found enjoyable; however, this clay needs just a touch more molding.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
August 27, 2022
I’m at a loss for words with how much I needed this book. As a young Puerto Rican woman, as someone who constantly thinks about the importance of stories, and of legacy, and of being remembered.
I don’t want to spoil too much of this book, but if you love books about complex family secrets, challenging tradition, and the literal magic of storytelling itself? You need this book. This is a lovingly & deftly woven tale about complicated, multifaceted women, the secrets and burdens they must carry, and the love that guides the way.
Also, I can’t forget to mention that the descriptions of Puerto Rico made me so homesick I just hugged the book at some points. I need a trip to El Yunque, like, immediately.
This book is my Encanto, and I’m not going to stop thinking about it any time soon.
I don’t want to spoil too much of this book, but if you love books about complex family secrets, challenging tradition, and the literal magic of storytelling itself? You need this book. This is a lovingly & deftly woven tale about complicated, multifaceted women, the secrets and burdens they must carry, and the love that guides the way.
Also, I can’t forget to mention that the descriptions of Puerto Rico made me so homesick I just hugged the book at some points. I need a trip to El Yunque, like, immediately.
This book is my Encanto, and I’m not going to stop thinking about it any time soon.
April 16, 2026
In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices family saga with elements of magical realism. Meant to be Adult Fiction, reads as a poorly-written YA soap opera. The plot had great potential but fails to make a mark. Flat character development. Way too much secret keeping and miscommunication. Way too many subplots. Didn't work for me. YMMV.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Bookish Yays:
🍦 The concept. Gotta give credit to the idea, even if the execution was juvenile.
🍦 The whole slumber-party-icecream scene. The only well-written scene in the entire book, which is a sad thing to say for an OwnVoices book with magical realism.
Bookish Okays:
🌴 The magical realism. Had the most potential, and some of the dream-reality scenes were even tense. But we barely get to explore this angle as all the magical content comes only from Isla’s experience even though the family had other cuentistas.
🌴 Puerto Rico. Excellent description of the location, but barely anything positive about the culture or the society in the 1970s. We barely even realise that it’s the 1970s! And nothing about colonialism or racism. In fact, the only racism we see is what Isla’s PR family doles out to another local community.
Bookish Nays:
🍺 Isla. Whiny, impulsive, and illogical. You might say she’s a typical teen, but I picked up the book expecting an adult work, so I wasn’t prepared for such a typical YA protagonist.
🍺 The character development of almost all the characters – utterly flat. What you see is what you get.
🍺 Can someone give me one good reason how, out of so many cuentistas from the Puerto Rican side of the family, did a half-white, non-local teenager end up as ‘the chosen one’? She was the least eligible!
🍺 The numerous subplots. Not needed in a story where the main plot point was intriguing enough. It made the novel disjointed. The murder mystery angle came out of nowhere.
🍺 The poor pacing and the ad hoc time jumps. The first quarter was nothing but build-up. I also didn’t get why the story had to come from older Isla writing about the 1970s, i.e. the time she was 18. There’s literally no utilisation of the advantage of posterity; no foreshadowing, no mature insights, nothing!
🍺 The plot development – so predictably straightforward! Barely any twists or surprises, especially when Isla goes a-digging into what it means to be a cuentista. Every solution comes her way almost directly, no challenge at all.
🍺 The excessive secret-keeping. A good chunk of the story involves the whole Sanchez family not telling Isla anything and then saying she does not know anything. 🤦🏻♀️
🍺 The token checklist of inclusions, especially the character sexual-preference reveal that comes out of nowhere in the final 10% and doesn’t even have anything to do with the plot.
🍺 The instantaneous flip-around in her mother’s alcoholism at the end. It’s never that easy for severe alcohol addicts to stop drinking!
🍺 The ending. Way too happy and instantaneous for such a plot – straight out of a Bollywood movie, albeit without the dancing. One key reveal is left dangling.
Overall, I expected far better from this book given the premise. But the execution didn’t do any justice to the potential. This is supposedly the author’s first book for adults. Prior to this, she wrote YA fiction, so perhaps that YA tone seeped into this book as well, and not in a good way. If I evaluate it from a YA lens, it does only slightly better, but not by much.
This gets a no from me. But not all reviews are so scathing, so perhaps you might like to peruse those and see if the book appeals to you.
Not really recommended, but it might work better for YA readers. 🤷🏻♀️ Don’t expect Isabel Allende levels of magical realism.
1.5 stars.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing the DRC of “The Storyteller's Death” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work better for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Every summer since Isla Larsen Sanchez's father passed away, her mother has been leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and her great-aunt while she stays back home in New Jersey and drinks. This began when Isla was eight. Now at eighteen, she learns that she has a special ability passed down from the cuentistas (storytellers) in her mother's side of the family: the stories of the dead cuentistas are brought to life and replayed in front of her repeatedly every day. Is this a gift or a curse? Is Isla the only current Sanchez with this ability? Can she stop it somehow? Should she?
The story comes to us in older Isla's first-person perspective, narrating her teen experiences from the contemporary time.
Bookish Yays:
🍦 The concept. Gotta give credit to the idea, even if the execution was juvenile.
🍦 The whole slumber-party-icecream scene. The only well-written scene in the entire book, which is a sad thing to say for an OwnVoices book with magical realism.
Bookish Okays:
🌴 The magical realism. Had the most potential, and some of the dream-reality scenes were even tense. But we barely get to explore this angle as all the magical content comes only from Isla’s experience even though the family had other cuentistas.
🌴 Puerto Rico. Excellent description of the location, but barely anything positive about the culture or the society in the 1970s. We barely even realise that it’s the 1970s! And nothing about colonialism or racism. In fact, the only racism we see is what Isla’s PR family doles out to another local community.
Bookish Nays:
🍺 Isla. Whiny, impulsive, and illogical. You might say she’s a typical teen, but I picked up the book expecting an adult work, so I wasn’t prepared for such a typical YA protagonist.
🍺 The character development of almost all the characters – utterly flat. What you see is what you get.
🍺 Can someone give me one good reason how, out of so many cuentistas from the Puerto Rican side of the family, did a half-white, non-local teenager end up as ‘the chosen one’? She was the least eligible!
🍺 The numerous subplots. Not needed in a story where the main plot point was intriguing enough. It made the novel disjointed. The murder mystery angle came out of nowhere.
🍺 The poor pacing and the ad hoc time jumps. The first quarter was nothing but build-up. I also didn’t get why the story had to come from older Isla writing about the 1970s, i.e. the time she was 18. There’s literally no utilisation of the advantage of posterity; no foreshadowing, no mature insights, nothing!
🍺 The plot development – so predictably straightforward! Barely any twists or surprises, especially when Isla goes a-digging into what it means to be a cuentista. Every solution comes her way almost directly, no challenge at all.
🍺 The excessive secret-keeping. A good chunk of the story involves the whole Sanchez family not telling Isla anything and then saying she does not know anything. 🤦🏻♀️
🍺 The token checklist of inclusions, especially the character sexual-preference reveal that comes out of nowhere in the final 10% and doesn’t even have anything to do with the plot.
🍺 The instantaneous flip-around in her mother’s alcoholism at the end. It’s never that easy for severe alcohol addicts to stop drinking!
🍺 The ending. Way too happy and instantaneous for such a plot – straight out of a Bollywood movie, albeit without the dancing. One key reveal is left dangling.
Overall, I expected far better from this book given the premise. But the execution didn’t do any justice to the potential. This is supposedly the author’s first book for adults. Prior to this, she wrote YA fiction, so perhaps that YA tone seeped into this book as well, and not in a good way. If I evaluate it from a YA lens, it does only slightly better, but not by much.
This gets a no from me. But not all reviews are so scathing, so perhaps you might like to peruse those and see if the book appeals to you.
Not really recommended, but it might work better for YA readers. 🤷🏻♀️ Don’t expect Isabel Allende levels of magical realism.
1.5 stars.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing the DRC of “The Storyteller's Death” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work better for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I follow the Goodreads rating policy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Lifelong favourite!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved the book.
⭐⭐⭐ - I liked the book.
⭐⭐ - I found the book average.
⭐ - I hated the book.
The decimals indicate the degree of the in-between feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
December 2, 2022
Real Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded down
The Publisher Says: From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican woman who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.
There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child...
Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.
When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.
At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can't solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: A young-adult fantasy-with-mystery that utterly charmed me. When Isla's unusual ability to recall, if that's the word, the stories of her family's past. If it involved one of her ancestors, she can see it! Like she was there! What a fascinating, and honestly useful, paranormal ability to have. She's got a window into her family's past that could be hugely important because, well, History is nothing but His Story and isn't it the greatest thing ever when Her Story can be told?! I was so excited!
"Reality" had to intervene, stupid boring reality!, just like it always does...not everything that happened in the past was pretty. We know this, but Isla can see it because her abuelita, on her death, passed the mantle of being a cuentista, Story-Woman, to her. Suddenly Isla's mother's sad descent into alcohol abuse and her consequent abandonments of Isla with her grandmother in Puerto Rico made more sense...it's never explicitly said, but Isla's mother seems like someone who really couldn't handle the very dark gift of becoming a cuentista. Isla's painful childhood of betrayal and loss and coping with mental illness's consequences uniquely prepares her to cope with the true burden of Remembering her family's history. And it gives her the strength to right old wrongs.
What a great idea, right?! And what a great market to target with this message, that everything that happens to you can be used to build something wonderful if you use it that way; something I truly wish more people were taught from little on up to spike the victim gun we tend to hold at our own heads. Isla's struggles with grief...her own, her mother's...at her father's early death were not dwelt on or minimized. Her mother's ongoing struggles with alcoholism are honestly, forthrightly presented as the major issue they can't help but be, yet aren't sensationalized or pounded into dust as the hobby-horse gets ridden. I was completely delighted with the storytelling voice, as well. In all, this sounds like a five-star rave, doesn't it...so why's there a "4" in front of the "5"?
Because, in service of speed I suppose, Isla faces next to no obstacles in her quest to understand the decidedly mixed blessing of becoming a cuentista. Anyone she needs to speak to, they're still alive and they're available now and they're eager to help. Hmm, that's a bit too easy...then there's the underexamined role of colonialism (internalized and not) inherent in stories about Puerto Rico's past and how that impacts her grandmother's growing up, her mother's choices, the whole kit and caboodle. The stories and their injustices were, it's true, redolent with the issues of racism and colorism, but these factors could have benefited from some further reflection in Isla's viewpoint's evolution. It's a small niggle. And it's way more than outweighed by the delight I felt in immersion into a family whose language world is Spanish-inflected English. This is something I very much enjoy and, while I'm bringing it up to you as a positive, there are readers who won't feel comfortable with it and thus might make their decision to read the story or not on that factor.
On the whole I wish they would take the plunge and get the book from the library. Try the waters! There's nothing to lose except a small investment of time in that case. The strong possibility, in my view, of broadening one's horizons a bit more is well worth the risk. It's a lovely story and Cuentista Dávila Cardinal has the chops to bring you along on one really excellent ride.
The Publisher Says: From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican woman who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.
There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child...
Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage.
When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her.
At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can't solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: A young-adult fantasy-with-mystery that utterly charmed me. When Isla's unusual ability to recall, if that's the word, the stories of her family's past. If it involved one of her ancestors, she can see it! Like she was there! What a fascinating, and honestly useful, paranormal ability to have. She's got a window into her family's past that could be hugely important because, well, History is nothing but His Story and isn't it the greatest thing ever when Her Story can be told?! I was so excited!
"Reality" had to intervene, stupid boring reality!, just like it always does...not everything that happened in the past was pretty. We know this, but Isla can see it because her abuelita, on her death, passed the mantle of being a cuentista, Story-Woman, to her. Suddenly Isla's mother's sad descent into alcohol abuse and her consequent abandonments of Isla with her grandmother in Puerto Rico made more sense...it's never explicitly said, but Isla's mother seems like someone who really couldn't handle the very dark gift of becoming a cuentista. Isla's painful childhood of betrayal and loss and coping with mental illness's consequences uniquely prepares her to cope with the true burden of Remembering her family's history. And it gives her the strength to right old wrongs.
What a great idea, right?! And what a great market to target with this message, that everything that happens to you can be used to build something wonderful if you use it that way; something I truly wish more people were taught from little on up to spike the victim gun we tend to hold at our own heads. Isla's struggles with grief...her own, her mother's...at her father's early death were not dwelt on or minimized. Her mother's ongoing struggles with alcoholism are honestly, forthrightly presented as the major issue they can't help but be, yet aren't sensationalized or pounded into dust as the hobby-horse gets ridden. I was completely delighted with the storytelling voice, as well. In all, this sounds like a five-star rave, doesn't it...so why's there a "4" in front of the "5"?
Because, in service of speed I suppose, Isla faces next to no obstacles in her quest to understand the decidedly mixed blessing of becoming a cuentista. Anyone she needs to speak to, they're still alive and they're available now and they're eager to help. Hmm, that's a bit too easy...then there's the underexamined role of colonialism (internalized and not) inherent in stories about Puerto Rico's past and how that impacts her grandmother's growing up, her mother's choices, the whole kit and caboodle. The stories and their injustices were, it's true, redolent with the issues of racism and colorism, but these factors could have benefited from some further reflection in Isla's viewpoint's evolution. It's a small niggle. And it's way more than outweighed by the delight I felt in immersion into a family whose language world is Spanish-inflected English. This is something I very much enjoy and, while I'm bringing it up to you as a positive, there are readers who won't feel comfortable with it and thus might make their decision to read the story or not on that factor.
On the whole I wish they would take the plunge and get the book from the library. Try the waters! There's nothing to lose except a small investment of time in that case. The strong possibility, in my view, of broadening one's horizons a bit more is well worth the risk. It's a lovely story and Cuentista Dávila Cardinal has the chops to bring you along on one really excellent ride.
August 1, 2025
Have you ever received a gift you’ve wanted to return?
So has Isla Larsen Sanchez.
When she’s 18, her grandma dies and Isla starts seeing her stories as visions. At the same time. Every day. Freaky, right?! She finally finds a way to stop the visions … until the day that it doesn’t work and Isla’s forced to solve a murder to stop the visions.
This was a BIG LIBRARY READ through Libby. I never would have chosen it, but I’m so happy to have discovered a new author, and I ended up loving the book so much that I bought one of the author’s backlist. What made this book so enjoyable was the author Zoom yesterday. I love getting to know the author and her characters/writing practices as I feel it adds to the experience.
You’ll want to read this one because:
✔️It’s a love letter to Puerto Rico; the story is rooted in PR culture
✔️It’s lush with magical realism and full of secrets
✔️It explores the power of cuentistas (storytellers)
✔️It reveals the class and colourism on this island
✔️Gripping mystery unfolds through several generations
✔️Great family drama and coming-of-age story
✔️Highlights the difficulty of straddling two cultures
✔️Showcases the stress of growing up with an alcoholic parent
The Storyteller’s Death was inspired by Ann Dávila Cardinal’s summers in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. It loosely follows her personal experience and was written over a period of 17 years. I highly recommend it.
So has Isla Larsen Sanchez.
When she’s 18, her grandma dies and Isla starts seeing her stories as visions. At the same time. Every day. Freaky, right?! She finally finds a way to stop the visions … until the day that it doesn’t work and Isla’s forced to solve a murder to stop the visions.
This was a BIG LIBRARY READ through Libby. I never would have chosen it, but I’m so happy to have discovered a new author, and I ended up loving the book so much that I bought one of the author’s backlist. What made this book so enjoyable was the author Zoom yesterday. I love getting to know the author and her characters/writing practices as I feel it adds to the experience.
You’ll want to read this one because:
✔️It’s a love letter to Puerto Rico; the story is rooted in PR culture
✔️It’s lush with magical realism and full of secrets
✔️It explores the power of cuentistas (storytellers)
✔️It reveals the class and colourism on this island
✔️Gripping mystery unfolds through several generations
✔️Great family drama and coming-of-age story
✔️Highlights the difficulty of straddling two cultures
✔️Showcases the stress of growing up with an alcoholic parent
The Storyteller’s Death was inspired by Ann Dávila Cardinal’s summers in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. It loosely follows her personal experience and was written over a period of 17 years. I highly recommend it.
November 1, 2022
The GOOD: Interesting Puerto Rican setting and culture. Neat idea about inherited story-visions. Fun 1970's timeframe.
The BAD: A bit racially motivated. Speaking to classism, but calling it racism. A tiresome topic. A smidge of irritating feminism reactions for no other reason than modern culture over-sensitivity. Shoved in a same sex relationship at 93% with obvious purpose to sneak it in at the end of the book and only to satisfy a diversity bingo checklist. I bailed 🪂 at this point (93%) as it's super annoying and patronizing.
The BAD: A bit racially motivated. Speaking to classism, but calling it racism. A tiresome topic. A smidge of irritating feminism reactions for no other reason than modern culture over-sensitivity. Shoved in a same sex relationship at 93% with obvious purpose to sneak it in at the end of the book and only to satisfy a diversity bingo checklist. I bailed 🪂 at this point (93%) as it's super annoying and patronizing.
August 20, 2025
Stories that split us apart or hold us together
A lovely fiction/HF with magic-realism elements. A Puerto-Rican woman loses her father and we follow her many visits to her family in PR who recount her to the oral folklore of her homeland. Her relationship with her mother is complex, playful, but also strained. Beautiful Puerto Rico is richly described in lush detail. I could feel the sun and hear the rustling of tropical branches as well as feel the cold smooth white marble of historical ruins on the beach. This story increasingly interweaves a murder mystery, as well as the mysteious ability to see visions, or hold on to memories for a people. It's about how stories are passed down, the traditions that split us apart or hold us together.
A lovely fiction/HF with magic-realism elements. A Puerto-Rican woman loses her father and we follow her many visits to her family in PR who recount her to the oral folklore of her homeland. Her relationship with her mother is complex, playful, but also strained. Beautiful Puerto Rico is richly described in lush detail. I could feel the sun and hear the rustling of tropical branches as well as feel the cold smooth white marble of historical ruins on the beach. This story increasingly interweaves a murder mystery, as well as the mysteious ability to see visions, or hold on to memories for a people. It's about how stories are passed down, the traditions that split us apart or hold us together.
March 25, 2024
Following in the tradition of Latin American magical realism, this is a family drama and mystery wrapped together.
Nothing really happens in the first ten chapters. Unless you love books that make you relive high school (I don’t), you can skip the whole beginning. It’s half-way through the book before the mystery element comes in.
Part of the mystery was so obvious, Isla looked like a moron for not catching on. But it wasn’t as simple as it appeared at first, and that was good. I wish the mystery had been a greater focus of the book. At least, that was what I’d expected.
It was a little heavy-handed with the Bigotry Bad! messaging, but it was a good story about family and belonging and acceptance.
Every little Spanish phrase was immediately translated into English. I found this unnecessary but non-Spanish speakers may appreciate it. The narrator’s accent sounded Mexican to me. This was actually good because Puerto Rican Spanish is unintelligible. Even other native Hispanics have a hard time with it.
*Reader’s Choice Nominee Spring 2024*
Language: Rare use of strong language
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Gun violence
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
Nothing really happens in the first ten chapters. Unless you love books that make you relive high school (I don’t), you can skip the whole beginning. It’s half-way through the book before the mystery element comes in.
Part of the mystery was so obvious, Isla looked like a moron for not catching on. But it wasn’t as simple as it appeared at first, and that was good. I wish the mystery had been a greater focus of the book. At least, that was what I’d expected.
It was a little heavy-handed with the Bigotry Bad! messaging, but it was a good story about family and belonging and acceptance.
Every little Spanish phrase was immediately translated into English. I found this unnecessary but non-Spanish speakers may appreciate it. The narrator’s accent sounded Mexican to me. This was actually good because Puerto Rican Spanish is unintelligible. Even other native Hispanics have a hard time with it.
*Reader’s Choice Nominee Spring 2024*
Language: Rare use of strong language
Sexual Content: None
Violence/Gore: Gun violence
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
October 9, 2022
I wanted to love this one, and after reading the opening sentence, I was positive I would. I liked Isla and felt most connected to her whenever she interacted with her alcoholic mother, but I had a hard time staying invested when the storylines shifted from NJ to Puerto Rico. I wanted her to stay in PR longer so that I could become completely absorbed in her family, but just when I thought I had everyone straight and was getting pulled into the mystery, she'd leave and the focus would change. I loved the genre-blending in this novel. Historical fiction, mystery, paranormal themes, and romance mixed in creative and colorful ways. I'll definitely try this author again.
April 16, 2023
What really stood out to me about this book was the author’s note where she references Kei Miller collection, Thing I Have Withheld . In this collection he mentions an old woman in the back room that we don’t walk about. Author Ann Dávila Cardinal explores that in her novel so beautifully.
We meet Isla Larsen Sanchez as she is being sent back to Puerto Rico by her mother because her dad is dying. She spends the majority of her time with her Aunty in the rural part of Puerto Rico. After the summer is over, she goes back to New Jersey to find out that her dad died, and her mom cleared out all his things. She does not know how to navigate life, she hardly has friends in New Jersey and when she goes back to Puerto Rico for summer she feels judged by her cousins.
Isla spends a lot of time with her Grand Aunty because her grandmother and Mother do not get along. They really do not like each other. When Isla turns 18 and her grandmother passes, she starts having these visions and dreams that she is not sure what to make of them. There are some deep family secrets, but everyone is very tight-lipped. She decides to go digging.
What I really enjoyed about this book was getting to see Isla grown into her own as a young woman in the world. I loved learning about the different cultures and the history of the family. The book dragged a little in the middle but overall I enjoyed it.
We meet Isla Larsen Sanchez as she is being sent back to Puerto Rico by her mother because her dad is dying. She spends the majority of her time with her Aunty in the rural part of Puerto Rico. After the summer is over, she goes back to New Jersey to find out that her dad died, and her mom cleared out all his things. She does not know how to navigate life, she hardly has friends in New Jersey and when she goes back to Puerto Rico for summer she feels judged by her cousins.
Isla spends a lot of time with her Grand Aunty because her grandmother and Mother do not get along. They really do not like each other. When Isla turns 18 and her grandmother passes, she starts having these visions and dreams that she is not sure what to make of them. There are some deep family secrets, but everyone is very tight-lipped. She decides to go digging.
What I really enjoyed about this book was getting to see Isla grown into her own as a young woman in the world. I loved learning about the different cultures and the history of the family. The book dragged a little in the middle but overall I enjoyed it.
November 11, 2022
A family saga looped in with magical realism. This beautiful story steeped in magical realism delves into identity, home, family, history, colorism and racism. Full review to come.
EDIT: If The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits were to to have literary offspring, you'd get The Storyteller's Death. It was an absolutely beautiful story of coming-of-age in grief, abandonment, struggling with your identity and heritage, finding yourself when you feel discarded, generational trauma, and finding magic within yourself.
Told from Isla's perspective, the main narrative of this story is Isla growing up and observing her world. Her mother is distant and troubled, she's dealing with the grief of the loss of her father, and on top of that, her mother deposits her in Puerto Rico every summer to spend several months alone with her extended family. Isla's relationship with her alcoholic mother is rocky, at best, and turbulent far too often. She feels the weight of not having a caregiving mother who seems more concerned with her own self rather than mothering her. The familial relationships and caring she witnesses and receives there nurture her, of course, but they also weigh on her as she reflects on her relationship with her mother.
On the surface, this was Isla's story. As the story progresses, it opens, expands and surprises by becoming an intergenerational family saga interwoven with magical realism reckoning past family history with current day dynamics rooted in colorism and racism. Puerto Rican politics and colonialism came into play in the story line as well as well. All these systemic issues are tied back to the family history, which is cracked open to the reveal the truth through Isla's on-going investigation to get at the truth during her long summers on Puerto Rico.
I haven't seen this book anywhere and hope you all consider picking it up. It's in my top 10 of the year.
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You can support me as well as find this book as well almost 250 Latinx titles on my 2022 Latinx Releases Bookshop Shelf .
EDIT: If The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits were to to have literary offspring, you'd get The Storyteller's Death. It was an absolutely beautiful story of coming-of-age in grief, abandonment, struggling with your identity and heritage, finding yourself when you feel discarded, generational trauma, and finding magic within yourself.
Told from Isla's perspective, the main narrative of this story is Isla growing up and observing her world. Her mother is distant and troubled, she's dealing with the grief of the loss of her father, and on top of that, her mother deposits her in Puerto Rico every summer to spend several months alone with her extended family. Isla's relationship with her alcoholic mother is rocky, at best, and turbulent far too often. She feels the weight of not having a caregiving mother who seems more concerned with her own self rather than mothering her. The familial relationships and caring she witnesses and receives there nurture her, of course, but they also weigh on her as she reflects on her relationship with her mother.
On the surface, this was Isla's story. As the story progresses, it opens, expands and surprises by becoming an intergenerational family saga interwoven with magical realism reckoning past family history with current day dynamics rooted in colorism and racism. Puerto Rican politics and colonialism came into play in the story line as well as well. All these systemic issues are tied back to the family history, which is cracked open to the reveal the truth through Isla's on-going investigation to get at the truth during her long summers on Puerto Rico.
I haven't seen this book anywhere and hope you all consider picking it up. It's in my top 10 of the year.
Follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok .
You can support me as well as find this book as well almost 250 Latinx titles on my 2022 Latinx Releases Bookshop Shelf .
May 16, 2022
This luscious tale, set mostly in Puerto Rico, combines mystery and fantasy with a metaphysical twist! Isla Lauren Sanchez' life in New Jersey with her parents, with summer visits to her mother's aunt in Bayamón, is suddenly changed after her father dies. While her mother manages her grief with drinking, Isla is left to grow up on her own. She begins to spend more time in Puerto Rico, yet never sees her own grandmother because of a rift between Abuela and her own mother. Abuela is a cuentista, a storyteller, and proud of the family's "pure" Spanish roots. When Isla begins to have strange visions, she's able to connect Abuela's stories with mysterious parts of the family's history. She also discovers how greed, political differences, and race are intertwined, becoming more aware of all she does not know about Puerto Rico, her family, and herself. Rich in detail and heart, readers will find themselves transported by this beautiful story.
May 21, 2024
This review was first published on Living My Adventure Filled Life
5 stars
This book absolutely amazed me. I went in with zero expectations, but ended up absolutely loving it. The story kind of jumps through time, sometimes it's small jumps, sometimes bigger jumps. It is story that covers quite some years and a lot of family history. It being written this way made sure that we, as readers, know everything we need to know in order to read and understand the story.
The story was captivating, I wanted to know more and more. If I would have had the time I could have finished it in one sit. There was so much to read about and experience. The story itself did not move super quickly but it is written in a way that makes it so easy to glide through the book.
The characters are so well described. You can really see them develop throughout time. They really grow and mature when they get older. It makes the characters very realistic and like an actual family. I loved the way how the bonds between the different characters were described and how those relationships developed throughout the story.
The story was not predictable at all. I had no idea where the story was going and what was going to happen. So, ofcourse, I did not expect this ending.
5 stars
This book absolutely amazed me. I went in with zero expectations, but ended up absolutely loving it. The story kind of jumps through time, sometimes it's small jumps, sometimes bigger jumps. It is story that covers quite some years and a lot of family history. It being written this way made sure that we, as readers, know everything we need to know in order to read and understand the story.
The story was captivating, I wanted to know more and more. If I would have had the time I could have finished it in one sit. There was so much to read about and experience. The story itself did not move super quickly but it is written in a way that makes it so easy to glide through the book.
The characters are so well described. You can really see them develop throughout time. They really grow and mature when they get older. It makes the characters very realistic and like an actual family. I loved the way how the bonds between the different characters were described and how those relationships developed throughout the story.
The story was not predictable at all. I had no idea where the story was going and what was going to happen. So, ofcourse, I did not expect this ending.
July 23, 2025
Not that exciting to be honest, not that well paced. It took a while to get started and once it did it was a bit of a letdown. I thought this book would have more magical realism in it, but even without it the plot wasn’t strong enough to make for an engaging read. I get that the author was trying to explore generational trauma but it just wasn’t all that gripping nor did I care for any characters except for the cousin. The ending also felt rushed and wasn’t convincing.
July 29, 2025
Extremely good and ripe with Puerto Rican culture!
October 25, 2022
The first quarter sucked me in with its vivid descriptions and beautiful character work. Your heart breaks for Isla who is a girl torn between two worlds - her loving Puerto Rican family and her isolated New Jersey family. As she splits her time between the two places she discovers she has a secret talent for seeing stories from the past and these stories don’t disappear until they are told.
Isla is fascinating in the beginning and you wonder how this dissonance between the two families will manifest in the story. Her angst is real, her heart ache is real, her trauma is real. And then it never quite connects with the story telling element. This whole beautiful fantastical ability to see stories shows up and it’s never properly tied into who Isla is as a person. Then we suddenly are told all these other people have this ability too and that these deep family secrets must be told and I just wanted more depth.
The author tries to cover so much ground here - identity, racism, Puerto Rican statehood, family drama, alcoholism and more and none of it is really given much space to breathe. However the one thing this author clearly excels at is setting an atmosphere and descriptive writing and so for that 3.5 stars.
Isla is fascinating in the beginning and you wonder how this dissonance between the two families will manifest in the story. Her angst is real, her heart ache is real, her trauma is real. And then it never quite connects with the story telling element. This whole beautiful fantastical ability to see stories shows up and it’s never properly tied into who Isla is as a person. Then we suddenly are told all these other people have this ability too and that these deep family secrets must be told and I just wanted more depth.
The author tries to cover so much ground here - identity, racism, Puerto Rican statehood, family drama, alcoholism and more and none of it is really given much space to breathe. However the one thing this author clearly excels at is setting an atmosphere and descriptive writing and so for that 3.5 stars.
August 30, 2022
Every family has a story, but when your family has a legacy as storytellers, your story is so much more complex. Isla loses her father and begins spending more time with her grandmother, a wonderful story teller, in Puerto Rico.
When he grandmother dies, Isla discovers the story telling is a gift that has been passed down to her and she embraces it. Then she finds that it’s more than just telling stories, but that it’s a continuous cycle and soon has a vision that could cost her more than she’s knew they gift would cost her.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! It is beyond anything I could have expected. It’s touching, it’s heartbreaking, it’s yard to put down, and it’s fabulous!
When he grandmother dies, Isla discovers the story telling is a gift that has been passed down to her and she embraces it. Then she finds that it’s more than just telling stories, but that it’s a continuous cycle and soon has a vision that could cost her more than she’s knew they gift would cost her.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! It is beyond anything I could have expected. It’s touching, it’s heartbreaking, it’s yard to put down, and it’s fabulous!
July 24, 2025
I read this because my friend has event involving the book but I ended up liking it a fair bit.
The book has drawn comparison with Isabel Allende but I don't see it. Too slow and nowhere near dark enough, only common elements with Allende are magic realism and the fact it's set in south America and some similar themes. It's book about family lore, secrets and how burdens of previous generations affect new ones in what is essentially coming of age story. So good themes and this books tackles them well for most part although first half of the book could have been better paced.
The book has drawn comparison with Isabel Allende but I don't see it. Too slow and nowhere near dark enough, only common elements with Allende are magic realism and the fact it's set in south America and some similar themes. It's book about family lore, secrets and how burdens of previous generations affect new ones in what is essentially coming of age story. So good themes and this books tackles them well for most part although first half of the book could have been better paced.
August 4, 2025
Recommended for clear anti-colonial themes and immersive sensory experiences!
Read my blog post:
Lyrical and Transcendent Storytelling
https://lplks.org/blogs/post/lyrical-...
An engaging story of resilience, this Puerto Rican generational family story is such a vivid pleasure with layers of magical stories! Isla is coming of age, 8 to 18 through this book. She's discovering some of her family's secrets in her Puerto Rican heritage (Mom's side of her family). While racism and economic class prejudice are visceral experiences within, this is an uplifting, suspenseful, tale of magical realism and I anticipate reliving scenes for years.
Author's website http://annhcardinal.com/
Notes saved while reading:
November 8, 2022 – Finished Reading
November 5, 2022 – page 320
100.0% "Wow, certainly a contender for the best of 2022!
An engaging story of resilience worthy of 5 stars. I love the author interview at the end! Grateful I got an ARC!
I am compelled to draft a thoughtful review as soon as I can; looking forward to reading author's acknowledgements and recommending for book clubs too."
November 3, 2022 – page 296
92.5% "Immersive, propulsive, and a few mysteries are revealed!"
October 31, 2022 – page 251
78.44% "Reading this Puerto Rican generational family story is such a vivid pleasure! Suspenseful, emotionally moving, and with magical realism; I anticipate reliving scenes for years to come.
Gratitude to Ann Dávila Cardinal and Sourcebooks!"
October 31, 2022 – page 223
69.69%
October 30, 2022 – page 165
51.56%
October 27, 2022 – page 144
45.0% "I am relishing the layers of story here! Isla is coming of age, 18 at this time in the book. She's discovering some of her family's secrets in her Puerto Rican heritage; racism and economic class prejudice are visceral experiences."
October 26, 2022 – page 121
37.81%
October 5, 2022 – page 97
30.31%
September 28, 2022 – page 85
26.56% "I am having fun with this charming, magical story!"
September 14, 2022 – page 72
22.5%
August 31, 2022 – page 58
18.13%
August 18, 2022 – page 47
14.69% "This coming of age story features a very downtrodden heroine and yet somehow an overall fun read so far!"
July 27, 2022 – page 25
7.81%
July 27, 2022 – Started Reading
Read my blog post:
Lyrical and Transcendent Storytelling
https://lplks.org/blogs/post/lyrical-...
An engaging story of resilience, this Puerto Rican generational family story is such a vivid pleasure with layers of magical stories! Isla is coming of age, 8 to 18 through this book. She's discovering some of her family's secrets in her Puerto Rican heritage (Mom's side of her family). While racism and economic class prejudice are visceral experiences within, this is an uplifting, suspenseful, tale of magical realism and I anticipate reliving scenes for years.
Author's website http://annhcardinal.com/
Notes saved while reading:
November 8, 2022 – Finished Reading
November 5, 2022 – page 320
100.0% "Wow, certainly a contender for the best of 2022!
An engaging story of resilience worthy of 5 stars. I love the author interview at the end! Grateful I got an ARC!
I am compelled to draft a thoughtful review as soon as I can; looking forward to reading author's acknowledgements and recommending for book clubs too."
November 3, 2022 – page 296
92.5% "Immersive, propulsive, and a few mysteries are revealed!"
October 31, 2022 – page 251
78.44% "Reading this Puerto Rican generational family story is such a vivid pleasure! Suspenseful, emotionally moving, and with magical realism; I anticipate reliving scenes for years to come.
Gratitude to Ann Dávila Cardinal and Sourcebooks!"
October 31, 2022 – page 223
69.69%
October 30, 2022 – page 165
51.56%
October 27, 2022 – page 144
45.0% "I am relishing the layers of story here! Isla is coming of age, 18 at this time in the book. She's discovering some of her family's secrets in her Puerto Rican heritage; racism and economic class prejudice are visceral experiences."
October 26, 2022 – page 121
37.81%
October 5, 2022 – page 97
30.31%
September 28, 2022 – page 85
26.56% "I am having fun with this charming, magical story!"
September 14, 2022 – page 72
22.5%
August 31, 2022 – page 58
18.13%
August 18, 2022 – page 47
14.69% "This coming of age story features a very downtrodden heroine and yet somehow an overall fun read so far!"
July 27, 2022 – page 25
7.81%
July 27, 2022 – Started Reading
June 12, 2022
This delightful tale, set in Puerto Rico, focusses on the life of Isla - growing up between summers with her great Aunt on the Island, and home in New Jersey. With the constant back and forth, she doesn’t feel like she really belongs in either location - always an outsider.
To add to her confusion, Isla is also a storyteller, part of a long line of storytellers within the Sanchez family. Is it a blessing, or a curse? The fact that it’s not even allowed to be discussed makes deciding that even more difficult.
A beautiful tale of growing up, of family, of the rich culture of Puerto Rico, of racism and privilege. I loved this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.
To add to her confusion, Isla is also a storyteller, part of a long line of storytellers within the Sanchez family. Is it a blessing, or a curse? The fact that it’s not even allowed to be discussed makes deciding that even more difficult.
A beautiful tale of growing up, of family, of the rich culture of Puerto Rico, of racism and privilege. I loved this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.
August 8, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. It was such a beautiful and emotional read. It really touches on how families have dark pasts and try to hide them. It involves conservatism, racism, classism, and even the struggle of having a parent who deals with substance abuse. I truly think this is the best story I have read in a while.
July 31, 2025
4.25 stars
July 19, 2025
This was a great story. It was very well written, and I enjoyed the character development. The pacing was consistent and pleasant. It's the type of book you can continue reading and not notice how much time passes. I read this as a traveling book in LiterALLy BOOKiSh Book Club on Facebook.
November 16, 2025
This story was not what I was expecting. I thought going into it, it would be more storytelling. Instead it is more of a murder/mystery type story. It still ended up being a good story and it was fun going on the adventure on trying to find out what happened.
September 24, 2022
The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Davila Cardinal. Thanks to @sourcebookslandmark for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Isla’s grandmother has always been a storyteller. She’d spend each summer with her family in Puerto Rico, hearing her grandmother’s stories. When she turns eighteen, her grandmother passes and suddenly Isla sees the stories brought to life.
I loved the culture and Puerto Rican aspect to the story. It was really interesting to read and brought a real feel to the novel. The coming of age story was also enjoyable. I loved the main character and growing up with her. I enjoyed the beginning half much more than the second half, when it began to get a bit magical. I don’t typically like dreams or visions in stories and that was a main part of the plot. The mystery then made it interesting again for me!
The Storyteller’s Death comes out 10/4.
Isla’s grandmother has always been a storyteller. She’d spend each summer with her family in Puerto Rico, hearing her grandmother’s stories. When she turns eighteen, her grandmother passes and suddenly Isla sees the stories brought to life.
I loved the culture and Puerto Rican aspect to the story. It was really interesting to read and brought a real feel to the novel. The coming of age story was also enjoyable. I loved the main character and growing up with her. I enjoyed the beginning half much more than the second half, when it began to get a bit magical. I don’t typically like dreams or visions in stories and that was a main part of the plot. The mystery then made it interesting again for me!
The Storyteller’s Death comes out 10/4.
October 8, 2022
Isla Larsen Sanchez grows up in New Jersey but spends summers with her extended family in Puerto Rico. It is there that she learns of her gift as a storyteller, cuentistas, as did several other women in her family. When a loved one passes away, their spirit visits the cuentista to tell their story. This story is often an unknown part of their life and sometimes exposes a dark secret. The visits continue until the mystery is solved.
What I didn't like about this book is that I felt as though this fell into the agenda-driven category. There were sprinklings throughout the book, and at the very end - another one was introduced and then dropped just a quickly - seemingly just to check another demographic off the list.
What I didn't like about this book is that I felt as though this fell into the agenda-driven category. There were sprinklings throughout the book, and at the very end - another one was introduced and then dropped just a quickly - seemingly just to check another demographic off the list.
August 3, 2025
2 and 1/2 stars rounded up to 3
While I appreciate the intention of the author, and the original idea that sparked this novel, the execution and the writing style were difficult to get through, routinely feeling pedestrian and meh.
There are some interesting scenes and elements, but overall this work did not connect with me and felt underbaked.
While I appreciate the intention of the author, and the original idea that sparked this novel, the execution and the writing style were difficult to get through, routinely feeling pedestrian and meh.
There are some interesting scenes and elements, but overall this work did not connect with me and felt underbaked.
August 22, 2025
Perfection !!!!!!
October 17, 2022
[warning: contains spoilers]
I loved The Storyteller's Death -- in its first half. The first half was intriguing, fresh, bright and relatable. My heart wrenched for little Isla. As a third culture kid myself, I know what it's like to live between two places, not being able to call either of them home. Little Isla had to grow up fast to take care of herself and her Mother, who would abandon her every summer so she could get drunk and forget about her responsibilities. When Isla started having visions related to her Puerto Rican relatives, I was deliciously hooked onto this family mystery and couldn't wait to see where it led Isla.
But then, as I kept reading, I was less and less intrigued. While I still enjoyed it, the second half left a lot more to be desired. I felt exasperated with Isla many times at her comments on privilege and race -- they were so ignorant for a Latina woman. She calls herself ignorant and does feel ashamed about it, but I couldn't really believe that a mixed-race girl who had to grow up that fast would be so ignorant of such issues. Following that, the themes around class, race, and Puerto Rican history weren't developed as much as it seemed they would. I thought surely, the book will delve into race issues more (I thought at first that there was a sinister racial connotation in Isla's first vision, of Abuela's story about the monkeys), but I was disappointed. The book glanced at race issues, but it wasn't explored in depth. The prejudice of Isla's family and their Spanish-colonial ancestry seemed to be ignored once Isla found that her bigoted great-aunt actually wanted to marry a dark-skinned man when she was younger (good for her, I guess?)
And what about Isla and her Mom? With so much pent up frustration and feelings of abandonment, I couldn't believe that Isla and her Mom's relationship was fully resolved at the end. In my experience, such relationships don't have a clean resolution. I wanted complexity. I wanted nuance. Not Isla just deciding to be okay with her Mom because they actually have a shared experience. Either that, or further development and time perhaps so that they could arrive at the resolution in a more or less believable way.
If the story was given more time -- for instance, Isla's story doesn't end when she's 18, but it instead keeps going, past Isla's 30s and 40s. I can definitely see an older Mom and Isla coming to a resolution partly out of what they've learned in recent years about each other, but partly because they're running out of time to find resolution. Mortality gives us urgency to right our relationships and the wisdom to know that it's simpler than we thought. I can also see the themes of race and class better explored through time -- perhaps Isla doesn't get her happy ending with José. Instead, history repeats itself. From Alma to Isla, they both don't get to be with the man they originally want to be with because of their family's prejudice, and the two women grow to be bitter and old. Tragic? Yes. Satisfying? Partly, because we can see that their prejudice ends up biting this white family in the butt. But the difference would be that Isla can realize this cycle later on in life and truly reflect on the origin and nature of her family's prejudice beyond just "you can't date the black kid."
On the note of white families getting karma'd due to their prejudice, it would've been cool to better understand how prejudice played a part in Abuela wanting to assassinate(!!!) her own father and sister. Because in hindsight, this is clear to me, but when reading that part, I was just confused. I think a clearer picture of how Bisabuelo's own prejudice/colonial-patriarchal identity influenced Abuela wanting to kill him would be a really cool way to insert irony into the story.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Do you agree with me? What do you think? I ended up giving this 3 stars because it was memorable and still an enjoyable read.
I loved The Storyteller's Death -- in its first half. The first half was intriguing, fresh, bright and relatable. My heart wrenched for little Isla. As a third culture kid myself, I know what it's like to live between two places, not being able to call either of them home. Little Isla had to grow up fast to take care of herself and her Mother, who would abandon her every summer so she could get drunk and forget about her responsibilities. When Isla started having visions related to her Puerto Rican relatives, I was deliciously hooked onto this family mystery and couldn't wait to see where it led Isla.
But then, as I kept reading, I was less and less intrigued. While I still enjoyed it, the second half left a lot more to be desired. I felt exasperated with Isla many times at her comments on privilege and race -- they were so ignorant for a Latina woman. She calls herself ignorant and does feel ashamed about it, but I couldn't really believe that a mixed-race girl who had to grow up that fast would be so ignorant of such issues. Following that, the themes around class, race, and Puerto Rican history weren't developed as much as it seemed they would. I thought surely, the book will delve into race issues more (I thought at first that there was a sinister racial connotation in Isla's first vision, of Abuela's story about the monkeys), but I was disappointed. The book glanced at race issues, but it wasn't explored in depth. The prejudice of Isla's family and their Spanish-colonial ancestry seemed to be ignored once Isla found that her bigoted great-aunt actually wanted to marry a dark-skinned man when she was younger (good for her, I guess?)
And what about Isla and her Mom? With so much pent up frustration and feelings of abandonment, I couldn't believe that Isla and her Mom's relationship was fully resolved at the end. In my experience, such relationships don't have a clean resolution. I wanted complexity. I wanted nuance. Not Isla just deciding to be okay with her Mom because they actually have a shared experience. Either that, or further development and time perhaps so that they could arrive at the resolution in a more or less believable way.
If the story was given more time -- for instance, Isla's story doesn't end when she's 18, but it instead keeps going, past Isla's 30s and 40s. I can definitely see an older Mom and Isla coming to a resolution partly out of what they've learned in recent years about each other, but partly because they're running out of time to find resolution. Mortality gives us urgency to right our relationships and the wisdom to know that it's simpler than we thought. I can also see the themes of race and class better explored through time -- perhaps Isla doesn't get her happy ending with José. Instead, history repeats itself. From Alma to Isla, they both don't get to be with the man they originally want to be with because of their family's prejudice, and the two women grow to be bitter and old. Tragic? Yes. Satisfying? Partly, because we can see that their prejudice ends up biting this white family in the butt. But the difference would be that Isla can realize this cycle later on in life and truly reflect on the origin and nature of her family's prejudice beyond just "you can't date the black kid."
On the note of white families getting karma'd due to their prejudice, it would've been cool to better understand how prejudice played a part in Abuela wanting to assassinate(!!!) her own father and sister. Because in hindsight, this is clear to me, but when reading that part, I was just confused. I think a clearer picture of how Bisabuelo's own prejudice/colonial-patriarchal identity influenced Abuela wanting to kill him would be a really cool way to insert irony into the story.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Do you agree with me? What do you think? I ended up giving this 3 stars because it was memorable and still an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2022
I loved how Cardinal weaved island life, culture, and history into an overarching coming-of-age story tackling issues such as racism, neglectful parenting/ family drama, and alcoholism. Although this book tackles a lot, it was spread throughout the story and did not feel overwhelming.
All the characters in the book were well developed. I quickly connected with the main character, Isla, and sympathized with her relationship with her mother. I also enjoyed seeing Isla and José’s friendship blossom throughout the years.
The first half of this story felt a bit slow, but after finishing the story, I understand why. The author is carefully developing the characters and overall plot. The second half picked up the pace once Isla started to unravel her family’s secrets and visions.
I appreciated the way the author mixed the Spanish and English languages into the story. It felt very authentic but still allowed the story to be easily read and understood.
I really enjoyed the ending and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys coming-of-age stories about family, love, privilege, and the culture of Puerto Rico.
Thank you, Sourcebooks, for my review copy.
All the characters in the book were well developed. I quickly connected with the main character, Isla, and sympathized with her relationship with her mother. I also enjoyed seeing Isla and José’s friendship blossom throughout the years.
The first half of this story felt a bit slow, but after finishing the story, I understand why. The author is carefully developing the characters and overall plot. The second half picked up the pace once Isla started to unravel her family’s secrets and visions.
I appreciated the way the author mixed the Spanish and English languages into the story. It felt very authentic but still allowed the story to be easily read and understood.
I really enjoyed the ending and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys coming-of-age stories about family, love, privilege, and the culture of Puerto Rico.
Thank you, Sourcebooks, for my review copy.
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