Book Blurb:
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.
My Review:
I wanted to like this book. It was the selection from the book club for the quarter. They go for an eclectic selection of books—those I would probably not read on my own—this being one.
Usually, if I can find an audiobook for the book club selection, I’ll choose that over reading it. I’m glad I did this time as well, the narration did help, with a couple exceptions.
I loved the main character’s name, Isla. I thought very pretty right up until one of her aunt’s drew it out in exaggerated pronunciation for the umpteenth time in that high-pitched irritating voice.
Isla Sanchez is sent to Puerto Rico every summer where she develops a strong bond with her great aunt. Her mother is an alcoholic and does not get along with her mother who cares for Isla.
But her grandmother passes away when Isla turns 18 and it quickly appears that she has imparted a gift of visions to Isla. Unfortunately, not all of the visions are benign and involve her beloved great aunt.
As the visions progress from alarming to dangerous, she realizes that the mystery of the murder must be solved. It never felt, however, that she was really in mortal danger.
I must admit that my attention wandered from time to time and like a petulant teenager who “tunes out” I did so with parts of the storyline I felt lagging or redundant. I enjoyed info bits about Puerto Rico, the customs, the foods, and celebrations. But part of my problem is that Isla comes from an entitled family—money—class—land, an irksome trope. And she becomes aware of that class distinction when she meets José.
While I enjoyed the storyteller aspect of the plot, her investigation successes came quickly, always seeking and easily finding the person who would supply that part of the information. No tension or suspense. Her time is her own, she has the money and resources to go where and when she wants. It’s all too easy.
There is a twist at the conclusion that did come as a surprise. Still, I’m a little underwhelmed with this one.
I listened to a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.
Book Details:
Genre: Magical Realism Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction, Family Life Fiction
Publisher: Recorded Books
ISBN-10: 1728250773
ISBN-13: 978-1728250779
ASIN: B0B5JPP7D4
Listening Length: 9 hrs 48 mins
Narrator: Marisol Ramirez
Publication Date: October 4, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: The Storyteller’s Death [Amazon]
Rosepoint Publishing: Three Point Five Stars 
The Author: Ann Dávila Cardinal is an International Latino Book Award winning novelist and aging tattooed punk. Her first young adult horror novel Five Midnights, was released by Tor Teen (2019), as was the sequel, Category Five (2020). Her adult debut, the novel The Storyteller’s Death, was released by Sourcebooks and is a finalist for the Vermont Book Awards for 2022. Her next magical realist adult novel, We Need No Wings, will be released from Sourcebooks in October 2024. Her young adult, horror rom-com, Breakup From Hell, came out from HarperTeen in January of 2023.
Five Midnights won an AudioFile Earphones Award, an International Latino Book Award 2020, and was a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award. Category Five was a finalist for the 2021 International Latino Book Award. The Storyteller’s Death is a finalist for the Vermont Book Award.
Her stories have appeared in a number of anthologies, including Our Shadows Have Claws (2022), Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (2022), Lockdown: Stories of Crime, Terror, and Hope During a Pandemic (2020); and Women Writing the Weird (2012) and she contributed to the Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, And Society in the United States edited by Ilan Stavans.
Ann lives in Vermont, needle-felts tiny reading creatures, and prepares for the zombie apocalypse.
©2023 V Williams
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