The 52nd by Dela

5/5

“We were once a legend, a ghost story told to children at night by mothers of the Promised Land. But life moved on, and our unwritten stories were forgotten- we were forgotten.”

Marking the fifty-second year, the last year of the Mayan calendar, Mulac, also known as Lucas, became an immortal as a gift from the Celestials but every gift comes with rules. As fifty-two human sacrifices are made once every fifty-two years, nobody has survived the sacrifice-until now. As Lucas and the woman from his dreams, literally, fight the prophecy, nobody will expect how the Xibalban gods plan to collect her and sacrifice her in the underworld. As Zara and Lucas band together, this 485-year-old and college freshman have their days numbered.

Dela explained the Aztecs and Mayan culture beautifully and really grabbed the readers interest in how the culture and traditional beliefs grew with every chapter.The sentence structure within “The 52nd” just ‘wow’d’ me. “I imagined the rowdiness of kissing strangers. It made me smile briefly, before the thoughts of death returned.” LIKE OK DELA YOU GOT ME THERE.

I love how the background history was discussed and integrated into the story in such a way that the reader can connection with the storyline and the characters emotions. I felt like I was reading the coolest sci-fi history book i’ve ever seen! The relationship between Lucas and Zara was witty and amusing and gave me chills to the point where I couldn’t put the book down. The transition from the real-world to the underworld were flawless and I found the pace to be spot on

“I mean a war, Zara, a war I’m afraid we haven't got the power to fight”

I honestly have no complains for this book! It was very well-written and kept me on my toes the entire way through. I felt as if this book could be turned into a movie as the detail and plot are extremely fascinating and cleverly put together.

I would recommend this book to lovers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance genres as this book is a perfect description of what hard work looks like. Way to go Dela! I think I found my new favourite author.