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Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything
A Mexican American teen discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life.
It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.”
Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home.
Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive.
As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous.
It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.”
Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home.
Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive.
As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2020
99 people are currently reading
10270 people want to read
About the author
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
10 books978 followersRaquel Vasquez Gilliland is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and painter. She received an MFA in poetry from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in 2017. She’s most inspired by fog and seeds and the lineages of all things. When not writing, Raquel tells stories to her plants and they tell her stories back. She lives in Tennessee with her beloved family and mountains. Raquel has published two books of poetry. Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 607 reviews
August 15, 2020
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is a gorgeous book all the way from the prose to the themes to the beautiful cover.
This book has many layers to it and is incredibly unique. At first glance, it is a coming of age YA contemporary romance. But woven throughout are deeper topics of friendship, sexual assault, grief and immigration. Continue reading and discover sci-fi and magical realism elements. Sia Martinez is genre-bending, not easily categorised and beautifully authentic.
What immediately captured me was the lyrical writing. Everything is described in a way that feels almost poetic. This really brought Sia to life for me, as it felt as if I was in her head, seeing the world through her eyes. I was seeing things in ways I had never before, from dancing corn to the stunning desert- neither of which I typically find entrancing.
After I connected with Sia, the rest of the story flew by. While I have heard a few reviews saying the first section was slow, I felt the opposite. I adored the contemporary half of the book. The romance felt realistic and well paced, something that tends to be a rarity in YA romances. I appreciated how Sia wasn't instantly 'healed' after her sexual assault (which happened prior to the book) by the love interest, and that he gave her time and space when she needed. However, for a young adult this gets pretty steamy! I liked how sex-positive it was and that it didn't shy away from those aspects.
I haven't had the best experience with magical realism, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it in this book! It effortlessly blends Mexican folklore into the story in a way that doesn't feel jarring.
However, something I did find jarring was the sci-fi plot line. When it was first introduced, I liked the conspiracy theory take on it- but when the book drastically changed in tone and read like an action film- I was disappointed. I was pretty confused about the change in direction and the ending as a whole. After being so invested in the rest of the story, it was dispiriting to lose interest right at the finale. That being said, I am certain many readers will enjoy the twist. Unfortunately, It fell flat for me personally.
If I think of the story as a whole, I had overwhelmingly more positive experiences than negative ones. I adored the characters, writing and majority of the plot. I would without a doubt pick up any other novels by this author, and recommend you do too!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for this ALC
Release Date: 11 August 2020
This book has many layers to it and is incredibly unique. At first glance, it is a coming of age YA contemporary romance. But woven throughout are deeper topics of friendship, sexual assault, grief and immigration. Continue reading and discover sci-fi and magical realism elements. Sia Martinez is genre-bending, not easily categorised and beautifully authentic.
What immediately captured me was the lyrical writing. Everything is described in a way that feels almost poetic. This really brought Sia to life for me, as it felt as if I was in her head, seeing the world through her eyes. I was seeing things in ways I had never before, from dancing corn to the stunning desert- neither of which I typically find entrancing.
After I connected with Sia, the rest of the story flew by. While I have heard a few reviews saying the first section was slow, I felt the opposite. I adored the contemporary half of the book. The romance felt realistic and well paced, something that tends to be a rarity in YA romances. I appreciated how Sia wasn't instantly 'healed' after her sexual assault (which happened prior to the book) by the love interest, and that he gave her time and space when she needed. However, for a young adult this gets pretty steamy! I liked how sex-positive it was and that it didn't shy away from those aspects.
I haven't had the best experience with magical realism, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it in this book! It effortlessly blends Mexican folklore into the story in a way that doesn't feel jarring.
However, something I did find jarring was the sci-fi plot line. When it was first introduced, I liked the conspiracy theory take on it- but when the book drastically changed in tone and read like an action film- I was disappointed. I was pretty confused about the change in direction and the ending as a whole. After being so invested in the rest of the story, it was dispiriting to lose interest right at the finale. That being said, I am certain many readers will enjoy the twist. Unfortunately, It fell flat for me personally.
If I think of the story as a whole, I had overwhelmingly more positive experiences than negative ones. I adored the characters, writing and majority of the plot. I would without a doubt pick up any other novels by this author, and recommend you do too!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for this ALC
Release Date: 11 August 2020
August 9, 2020
I had never heard of this new release until I saw it as an option for Libro.fm's ALC (advance listening copy) program and thought it sounded so unique, so I went ahead and downloaded it.
First off, trigger warning for death of a parent, grief, and sexual assault. Sia's mother was deported over a year ago and died trying to make her way back to American from Mexico. Sia has to go to school with the son of the officer who deported her mother and is constantly reminded of it. My heart went out to Sia and how she had to continue on in life while dealing with prejudices because of where her parents are from and for her culture. I really loved Sia's close relationship with her best friend, Rose, and I thought her budding romance with Noah was so cute. I appreciated how her and Rose hit some road bumps in their friendship when they both started kind of dating people and had to figure out how to balance their time and relationships.
While the beginning of this book reads contemporary, aliens do enter the picture about halfway through the book. I thought this was really fun and enjoyed this lens when viewing immigration and the US government. I will say, I do think the ending kind of wrapped up too quickly and I'm still not sure where things are supposed to have gone, but I actually liked how there were aliens that showed up and Sia had to figure out what to do about that.
Overall, this was a really fun book dealing with grief, first love, friendship, and alien invasions. There was a really strong relationship between Sia and her father, which I always love in books, and I was hooked on the story until the end.
First off, trigger warning for death of a parent, grief, and sexual assault. Sia's mother was deported over a year ago and died trying to make her way back to American from Mexico. Sia has to go to school with the son of the officer who deported her mother and is constantly reminded of it. My heart went out to Sia and how she had to continue on in life while dealing with prejudices because of where her parents are from and for her culture. I really loved Sia's close relationship with her best friend, Rose, and I thought her budding romance with Noah was so cute. I appreciated how her and Rose hit some road bumps in their friendship when they both started kind of dating people and had to figure out how to balance their time and relationships.
While the beginning of this book reads contemporary, aliens do enter the picture about halfway through the book. I thought this was really fun and enjoyed this lens when viewing immigration and the US government. I will say, I do think the ending kind of wrapped up too quickly and I'm still not sure where things are supposed to have gone, but I actually liked how there were aliens that showed up and Sia had to figure out what to do about that.
Overall, this was a really fun book dealing with grief, first love, friendship, and alien invasions. There was a really strong relationship between Sia and her father, which I always love in books, and I was hooked on the story until the end.
August 15, 2020
I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and I did enjoy it for the most part but it fell short in pulling me into the story completely. It tried to do and take on way too much, it kept jumping around from topic to topic, which sometimes felt like whiplash and it never delved too deep into any of them. I think that's the most disappointing part for me, I expected to be dealt an emotional punch but instead I'm feeling lukewarm. Still a good read though!
thank you to libro.fm for an ALC of this book. all thoughts are my own.
thank you to libro.fm for an ALC of this book. all thoughts are my own.
September 26, 2023
That was SOOOO weird. Like the last third of the book was written for a completely different storyline. I dunno, man. I just don't know.
It was all beautiful folklore and cultural fiction, and then BOOM men-in-black meets X-files! 🤷🏻♀️🙃
It was all beautiful folklore and cultural fiction, and then BOOM men-in-black meets X-files! 🤷🏻♀️🙃
December 13, 2020
Thank you to libro.fm for this copy, through their ALC program.
Why you may not like this book: I'll start off by saying that I wouldn't recommend the audiobook for reading this. While the narrator did a fine job, this book is made up of 200+ micro chapters, something that becomes very disruptive when the narrator is pausing every few minutes to number the chapters. In general, I think the short chapters worked better sometimes rather than others. They were poetic at times, and other times they were used to ratchet up the suspense in very needless ways.
This is a science fiction story with a bit of magic, aliens and ghosts and very real current issues all mixed up in one. You'll bounce back and forth between the different elements, which is something to be aware of.
Content warnings for sexual assault, physical assault, PTSD, domestic abuse, child abuse, death of a parent (explored and on page), grief, racism and sexism.
Why I enjoyed this book: For all the many things this book did, I just absolutely loved the character and their relationships. Sia and her father, Sia and the ghost of her grandmother, and especially Sia and her best friend. I was heartbroken reading about the friendship crumbling under stress, a type of grief I love seeing explored in fiction.
I was a little unsold on how the plot progressed, and the more sci-fi elements of this, but ultimately, I think it was an engaging and heartfelt story with a lot to say, a lot of wonderful and positive messages about survival and the good and bad in people, it was sex-positive, and it convinced me the characters were real.
Why you may not like this book: I'll start off by saying that I wouldn't recommend the audiobook for reading this. While the narrator did a fine job, this book is made up of 200+ micro chapters, something that becomes very disruptive when the narrator is pausing every few minutes to number the chapters. In general, I think the short chapters worked better sometimes rather than others. They were poetic at times, and other times they were used to ratchet up the suspense in very needless ways.
This is a science fiction story with a bit of magic, aliens and ghosts and very real current issues all mixed up in one. You'll bounce back and forth between the different elements, which is something to be aware of.
Content warnings for sexual assault, physical assault, PTSD, domestic abuse, child abuse, death of a parent (explored and on page), grief, racism and sexism.
Why I enjoyed this book: For all the many things this book did, I just absolutely loved the character and their relationships. Sia and her father, Sia and the ghost of her grandmother, and especially Sia and her best friend. I was heartbroken reading about the friendship crumbling under stress, a type of grief I love seeing explored in fiction.
I was a little unsold on how the plot progressed, and the more sci-fi elements of this, but ultimately, I think it was an engaging and heartfelt story with a lot to say, a lot of wonderful and positive messages about survival and the good and bad in people, it was sex-positive, and it convinced me the characters were real.
September 6, 2020
do yourself a favour and don't read the synopsis. let yourself be surprised. I swear it'll be worth it (4.5)
trigger warnings: sexual assault, ptsd, physical abuse, parental death, racist violence
thank you libro.fm and Simon Pulse for the audio listening copy
trigger warnings: sexual assault, ptsd, physical abuse, parental death, racist violence
thank you libro.fm and Simon Pulse for the audio listening copy
September 3, 2020
This is definitely one of the most interesting books I've read - and the more I think about it, the more I love it.
- Follows Sia, a Mexican-American teen who grieves the death of her mother. When there's a new boy in town, Sia falls in love with him, but she later discovers that he has secrets of his own that are connected to Sia's mother's death. But when a spacecraft crash lands in front of her, and who is inside will upend her life.
- This is indeed a genre-bending book! The first half has elements of a contemporary novel, with its exploration of grief, friendship, trauma, and love, whilst the second half has elements of a science-fiction.
- I... did not read the blurb before reading this, so I was really swept off my feet when the SFF elements kicked in. At first, it was jarring, but after, I was... actually really fascinated and intrigued. And I think this book is incredibly brave for taking a leap of faith.
- A shallow reading of this book will lead you to think that the SFF elements are only intended to be 'action-packed'. But Sia Martinez is much more than that; the SFF elements were a fantastic allegory of displacement, the nightmare-ish imagination and reality that many immigrants and people deported experience, and the pain of loss - and how far you'll go for someone you love.
- At its heart, this book is about the ways in which Mexican people view violent immigration and institutions. But it's also about how life is messy, people are messy, but that there's hope also. (And I also think it's a love letter to X-Files!)
I can't wait to write my review for this book. I was provided an ALC of this book from Libro.fm. This does not influence my opinions of the book in any way.
Trigger/content warning:
- Follows Sia, a Mexican-American teen who grieves the death of her mother. When there's a new boy in town, Sia falls in love with him, but she later discovers that he has secrets of his own that are connected to Sia's mother's death. But when a spacecraft crash lands in front of her, and who is inside will upend her life.
- This is indeed a genre-bending book! The first half has elements of a contemporary novel, with its exploration of grief, friendship, trauma, and love, whilst the second half has elements of a science-fiction.
- I... did not read the blurb before reading this, so I was really swept off my feet when the SFF elements kicked in. At first, it was jarring, but after, I was... actually really fascinated and intrigued. And I think this book is incredibly brave for taking a leap of faith.
- A shallow reading of this book will lead you to think that the SFF elements are only intended to be 'action-packed'. But Sia Martinez is much more than that; the SFF elements were a fantastic allegory of displacement, the nightmare-ish imagination and reality that many immigrants and people deported experience, and the pain of loss - and how far you'll go for someone you love.
- At its heart, this book is about the ways in which Mexican people view violent immigration and institutions. But it's also about how life is messy, people are messy, but that there's hope also. (And I also think it's a love letter to X-Files!)
I can't wait to write my review for this book. I was provided an ALC of this book from Libro.fm. This does not influence my opinions of the book in any way.
Trigger/content warning:
January 19, 2019
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything changed my soul. It nourished me. It is one of my favorite YAs I've ever read in the history of the world and young adult literature.
This book, like all beautiful art, contains layers that weave into an unforgettable story.
One layer is a YA contemp, beautifully written and plotted, about a Mexican-American teen grieving the deportation, then death, of her mother who has lived in the US since she was six months old. It is a relevant and timely look at ICE and racism and daily microaggressions.
Another layer is the speculative fiction alien abduction of her mother, complete with X-Files references and comic relief with a conspiracy theorist blogger.
It is a steamy love story between two teenagers finding themselves.
And my favorite layer, the magical realism, and the stories of Sia's abuela. Gilliland paints striking images in clean prose that bleeds like poetry.
I wish every wonderful thing for this fantastic debut. It reminded me of Bone Gap, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and Anna-Marie McLemore's stunning books.
This book, like all beautiful art, contains layers that weave into an unforgettable story.
One layer is a YA contemp, beautifully written and plotted, about a Mexican-American teen grieving the deportation, then death, of her mother who has lived in the US since she was six months old. It is a relevant and timely look at ICE and racism and daily microaggressions.
Another layer is the speculative fiction alien abduction of her mother, complete with X-Files references and comic relief with a conspiracy theorist blogger.
It is a steamy love story between two teenagers finding themselves.
And my favorite layer, the magical realism, and the stories of Sia's abuela. Gilliland paints striking images in clean prose that bleeds like poetry.
I wish every wonderful thing for this fantastic debut. It reminded me of Bone Gap, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and Anna-Marie McLemore's stunning books.
December 24, 2020
I've never read a book set in the desert. I loved Sia's connection to the desert and why she chose her spot to do her thinking.
Immigration was a huge part of this book. I liked reading from a new perspective. Things are not always black and white. I liked that the author batted back with many of the frequently asked questions you hear about immigration.
A book that starts as a girl grieving her Mother, quickly morphs into a race to save that Mother from aliens.
This book covered SO MUCH. The author managed to touch on grief, immigration, sexual assault, religion, racism, domestic abuse, child abuse, and aliens.
This one was so uniquely beautiful.
Immigration was a huge part of this book. I liked reading from a new perspective. Things are not always black and white. I liked that the author batted back with many of the frequently asked questions you hear about immigration.
A book that starts as a girl grieving her Mother, quickly morphs into a race to save that Mother from aliens.
This book covered SO MUCH. The author managed to touch on grief, immigration, sexual assault, religion, racism, domestic abuse, child abuse, and aliens.
This one was so uniquely beautiful.
March 22, 2022
Read for MLIS elective
RTC
Content warning: racism, sexism, police brutality, death of parent (ignore the twist), human torture and experimentation, attempted sexual assault, child abuse, murder, bullying, deportation, Harry Potter and Buffy references, (brief) sexual content, grief as a theme
RTC
Content warning: racism, sexism, police brutality, death of parent (ignore the twist), human torture and experimentation, attempted sexual assault, child abuse, murder, bullying, deportation, Harry Potter and Buffy references, (brief) sexual content, grief as a theme
November 4, 2020
I try not to read synopsis when I go into books. I started this book and it was so good. Then it changed for me. It became a science fiction book when it was a work of fiction when I started. I really enjoyed most of the book but the change of genre on me left me having to dock some stars. 3 1/2 🌟 from me.
July 20, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Anuska G
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is going to be one of the most beautiful books you ever read, and not only because of that supremely lovely cover. It tells one of those mesmerising, cosy stories that stick with you for a long time.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is going to be one of the most beautiful books you ever read, and not only because of that supremely lovely cover. It tells one of those mesmerising, cosy stories that stick with you for a long time.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
January 10, 2021
An incredibly unique story exploring grief, racism, immigration and deportation, sexual assault and trauma, friendship, and growing into adulthood.... mixed with aliens. And somehow it all comes together beautifully!
I loved Sia’s strength of character and sense of self. I appreciated the exploration of her PTSD and the modeling of empathetic support and enthusiastic consent for teenagers.
I also can’t express how much joy I felt in seeing the trigger warnings right at the beginning of the book. This is what we need across publishing! Showing empathy and providing support to readers with trauma is long overdue.
I also must say that I quite enjoyed the sci-fi element here, though I wish we’d had a bit more time after this element was introduced to explore it further. Overall the pacing wasn’t my absolute favourite and the miscommunication trope is a personal pet peeve, but otherwise this was such a solid read that brought me to tears more than once. Highly recommend this to teens everywhere!
TW: Sexual Assault, PTSD, Physical Abuse, Parental Death, Racial Violence
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC!
*I wanted to add a note here for fellow adult readers consideribg picking this one up. While I am all for sex positive representation in YA (seriously, I wish I’d had this when I was a teen!) I must admit as an adult it makes me quite uncomfortable to read about underage teens exploring their sexuality in explicit detail. I didn’t take this into account in my rating, because of course I am not the target demographic of this book, but I did want to mention this to others! I still think the book is well worth reading but you might want to prepare yourself.
VIDEO REVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEUKd...
You can find me on...
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I loved Sia’s strength of character and sense of self. I appreciated the exploration of her PTSD and the modeling of empathetic support and enthusiastic consent for teenagers.
I also can’t express how much joy I felt in seeing the trigger warnings right at the beginning of the book. This is what we need across publishing! Showing empathy and providing support to readers with trauma is long overdue.
I also must say that I quite enjoyed the sci-fi element here, though I wish we’d had a bit more time after this element was introduced to explore it further. Overall the pacing wasn’t my absolute favourite and the miscommunication trope is a personal pet peeve, but otherwise this was such a solid read that brought me to tears more than once. Highly recommend this to teens everywhere!
TW: Sexual Assault, PTSD, Physical Abuse, Parental Death, Racial Violence
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC!
*I wanted to add a note here for fellow adult readers consideribg picking this one up. While I am all for sex positive representation in YA (seriously, I wish I’d had this when I was a teen!) I must admit as an adult it makes me quite uncomfortable to read about underage teens exploring their sexuality in explicit detail. I didn’t take this into account in my rating, because of course I am not the target demographic of this book, but I did want to mention this to others! I still think the book is well worth reading but you might want to prepare yourself.
VIDEO REVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEUKd...
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | Twitter
October 5, 2020
YA contemporary meets Roswell and I kind of loved it! It may not work for everyone as it subverts expectations and plays across genres, but I was a big fan.
In this debut coming of age story, Sia Martinez is grieving the death of her mother, angry at the sheriff who deported her, dealing with PTSD from a sexual assault, and grappling with everyday racism. I like that trigger warnings are included at the beginning of the books, and I loved how this handled healing from trauma in a sex-positive way, and the complexities of navigating friendships during such a turbulent time of your life.
Oh, and did I mention this has aliens?! Because it's both a love letter to the X-Files, as well as an intentional play on the dual meaning of the word alien (i.e., an immigrant vs. a being from outer space) and the violence often caught up in the treatment of both. I don't want to say too much more about this one, but it's a genre-bending tale that is beautiful with a cast of characters I cared about. I received an audio influencer copy of this from Libro.FM, all opinions are my own.
In this debut coming of age story, Sia Martinez is grieving the death of her mother, angry at the sheriff who deported her, dealing with PTSD from a sexual assault, and grappling with everyday racism. I like that trigger warnings are included at the beginning of the books, and I loved how this handled healing from trauma in a sex-positive way, and the complexities of navigating friendships during such a turbulent time of your life.
Oh, and did I mention this has aliens?! Because it's both a love letter to the X-Files, as well as an intentional play on the dual meaning of the word alien (i.e., an immigrant vs. a being from outer space) and the violence often caught up in the treatment of both. I don't want to say too much more about this one, but it's a genre-bending tale that is beautiful with a cast of characters I cared about. I received an audio influencer copy of this from Libro.FM, all opinions are my own.
January 7, 2021
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases and still, it took me by surprise. The story follows Sia, a Mexican-American teen, grieving her mother after she was deported and tried to cross back, dying in the desert. The first half of the book explores Sia’s anger, sadness, and pain, and also love when she starts falling for the new boy in town. The later half offers a genre-bended, when Sia stumbles onto a spaceship in the middle of the desert, forcing her in a race against time to save her loved ones.
Raquel wrote such a beautiful and honest story, quite daring, and with some of the best characters that I have read. I finished this book and I had to sit down to grief and hope for a whole minute.
Read my full review on my blog, Cande Reads
Raquel wrote such a beautiful and honest story, quite daring, and with some of the best characters that I have read. I finished this book and I had to sit down to grief and hope for a whole minute.
Read my full review on my blog, Cande Reads
April 21, 2021
Unfortunately, this didn't work for me as a whole. I liked the characters, I loved the diversity and representation, and I thought the first half of the book was good. I especially admire how the author managed the characters' experience with some heavy topics around racism and abuse. (Also, the author included content warnings at the beginning of the book, which was great.)
However, once the sci-fi aspects took over in the second half, it was like reading a totally different book. None of the sci-fi developments worked for me, and I lost the connection with the characters because of the frequent leaps in plot and logic.
Also, and this is where my own feelings as a reader come into play, this felt very YA. That worked in the first half, since it seemed to be a contemporary YA about from Sia's point of view, but once it became more sci-fi in nature, it suffered from a lack of depth. However, readers who enjoy YA will definitely enjoy this more than I did!
However, once the sci-fi aspects took over in the second half, it was like reading a totally different book. None of the sci-fi developments worked for me, and I lost the connection with the characters because of the frequent leaps in plot and logic.
Also, and this is where my own feelings as a reader come into play, this felt very YA. That worked in the first half, since it seemed to be a contemporary YA about from Sia's point of view, but once it became more sci-fi in nature, it suffered from a lack of depth. However, readers who enjoy YA will definitely enjoy this more than I did!
August 25, 2020
3,5 stars
I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book, I liked getting to know Sia and seeing life from her perspective. I even enjoyed the rather complicated romance. But the second half was way too messy and tried to do too many things at once to be truly enjoyable. I also disliked the super short chapters, they mostly felt as if the author hit Enter after a few paragraphs and called it a chapter, it was kind of annoying.
I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book, I liked getting to know Sia and seeing life from her perspective. I even enjoyed the rather complicated romance. But the second half was way too messy and tried to do too many things at once to be truly enjoyable. I also disliked the super short chapters, they mostly felt as if the author hit Enter after a few paragraphs and called it a chapter, it was kind of annoying.
September 24, 2020
Quick story: I fell in love with this title first. Then the cover. And now I am in love with what Raquel Vasquez Gilliland wrote in Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything. It's quirky, unusual, and UNIQUE.
Another story: Sometimes the book summarizes itself better than I could. And this quote just about sums it up for you:
"Aliens, government conspiracies, secret experiments. That's all unbelievable enough as it is. No need to add meddling dead abuelas to the mix."
When the synopsis says this is a mesh of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets Roswell (a.k.a. aliens), they are actually on the money. Gilliland's style of writing is that straightforward yet poetic manner similar to Sáenz. It differs by infusing itself with Mexican folklore inspiration, a dash of magical realism, and the "genre-bending."
I didn't understand what that meant until I found that there were moments where it didn't go full-throttle sci-fi and action, but it wasn't exactly contemporary romance or magical realism either. To that, Gilliland just did her own thing and I am here for it!
However, I personally felt like it needed a little bit more to make it a five star.
1. I would have liked the romance to have been more subtle.
The first half of it is very much contemporary and coming-of-age. We find out Sia Martinez's mom was detained by ICE and instead of staying in Mexico, decided to cross the desert to come back to Sia and her dad. In the process, her mom is presumed dead. There is also this new kid on the block and that’s who the romance occurs with.
However, there were points where I would have liked the romance to back-off, thank you very much. There would be a tension-filled moment, but teenage hormones just had to get in the way! Yes, by allll means let's just take a makeout session in the middle of running from a crazy alien and the government. Also, they don't have penetrative sex, but do lots of other orgasmic-inducing activities, so that label of age 12 and up is misleading. I just felt like the more that I wanted could have happened if there were less romance scenes.
2. Similarly, the interspersed discussion on undocumented immigrants, racism, and Latinx/Hispanic community felt often times random. That doesn’t mean it was bad. I just think it could have been woven in more impactfully with the UFO plotline.
I really loved what Gilliand did by tying-in between alien (extraterrestrial) and undocumented immigrants (often crudely called*llegal al*en). She did a great job talking about the inhumane locking up and separating families and how it relates so well to the recent news of performing hysterectomies on women in detainment. So, as scary as it is, that secret experiment mentioned in here doesn't feel so far off from reality. Also, it was really beautiful how, no matter the species, parents will always want what's best for their child. And those parents are their parent's children too.
Overall, this is such a solid debut novel and its short chapters make it so easy to fly through. Gilliand's experience in poetry and manner of approaching tough Latinx/Hispanic subjects with UFOs, cacti, and conspiracies was a blend that just worked. I was charmed.
P.S. I appreciated the trigger warnings at the beginning. I think more books should have that included somewhere, either in the synopsis or the first pages.
Another story: Sometimes the book summarizes itself better than I could. And this quote just about sums it up for you:
"Aliens, government conspiracies, secret experiments. That's all unbelievable enough as it is. No need to add meddling dead abuelas to the mix."
When the synopsis says this is a mesh of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets Roswell (a.k.a. aliens), they are actually on the money. Gilliland's style of writing is that straightforward yet poetic manner similar to Sáenz. It differs by infusing itself with Mexican folklore inspiration, a dash of magical realism, and the "genre-bending."
I didn't understand what that meant until I found that there were moments where it didn't go full-throttle sci-fi and action, but it wasn't exactly contemporary romance or magical realism either. To that, Gilliland just did her own thing and I am here for it!
However, I personally felt like it needed a little bit more to make it a five star.
1. I would have liked the romance to have been more subtle.
The first half of it is very much contemporary and coming-of-age. We find out Sia Martinez's mom was detained by ICE and instead of staying in Mexico, decided to cross the desert to come back to Sia and her dad. In the process, her mom is presumed dead. There is also this new kid on the block and that’s who the romance occurs with.
However, there were points where I would have liked the romance to back-off, thank you very much. There would be a tension-filled moment, but teenage hormones just had to get in the way! Yes, by allll means let's just take a makeout session in the middle of running from a crazy alien and the government. Also, they don't have penetrative sex, but do lots of other orgasmic-inducing activities, so that label of age 12 and up is misleading. I just felt like the more that I wanted could have happened if there were less romance scenes.
2. Similarly, the interspersed discussion on undocumented immigrants, racism, and Latinx/Hispanic community felt often times random. That doesn’t mean it was bad. I just think it could have been woven in more impactfully with the UFO plotline.
I really loved what Gilliand did by tying-in between alien (extraterrestrial) and undocumented immigrants (often crudely called
Overall, this is such a solid debut novel and its short chapters make it so easy to fly through. Gilliand's experience in poetry and manner of approaching tough Latinx/Hispanic subjects with UFOs, cacti, and conspiracies was a blend that just worked. I was charmed.
P.S. I appreciated the trigger warnings at the beginning. I think more books should have that included somewhere, either in the synopsis or the first pages.
June 26, 2020
This is a review of a ARC from Edelweiss.
Sia Martinez lost her mother to the desert three years ago. Technically, she lost her before that, when ICE sent her back to Mexico, and her mother made a terrible choice to try to return. She's trying to keep going with her life, even though her best friend Rose is becoming strangely distant, and a new boy who may or may not be trustworthy (but is certainly cute enters her life). Sia seeks comfort in the desert "where the world began" as her grandmother said, and where lights candles to help her mother make her way home. Then one night she sees other lights, dancing in the sky the way no stars could, and everything changes.
Oof. This book is a LOT. We've got the dead mother, racist classmates, one character who's suffered a sexual assault, another who is coming out, and another being abused by a parent. And that's the first half of the book, before it takes a turn into aliens, government conspiracies, genetically engineered superpowers and more.
My main problem was not that the author is trying to cram in too much stuff (although yes, there is TOO MUCH STUFF) it's that the tone just shifts wildly depending on whether we're dealing with the serious teen issues story or the wacky alien superpower story. It's extremely jarring and just doesn't fit together at all for me.
My favorite parts were actually the small moments between Sia and Rose, watching their friendship move apart and back together as they grow. But there's so much going on that they're really the only characters who get to have any depth. I also loved Sia's Abuela, who doesn't let death stop her from bossing her family around. I would have really liked a book with just that.
Sia Martinez lost her mother to the desert three years ago. Technically, she lost her before that, when ICE sent her back to Mexico, and her mother made a terrible choice to try to return. She's trying to keep going with her life, even though her best friend Rose is becoming strangely distant, and a new boy who may or may not be trustworthy (but is certainly cute enters her life). Sia seeks comfort in the desert "where the world began" as her grandmother said, and where lights candles to help her mother make her way home. Then one night she sees other lights, dancing in the sky the way no stars could, and everything changes.
Oof. This book is a LOT. We've got the dead mother, racist classmates, one character who's suffered a sexual assault, another who is coming out, and another being abused by a parent. And that's the first half of the book, before it takes a turn into aliens, government conspiracies, genetically engineered superpowers and more.
My main problem was not that the author is trying to cram in too much stuff (although yes, there is TOO MUCH STUFF) it's that the tone just shifts wildly depending on whether we're dealing with the serious teen issues story or the wacky alien superpower story. It's extremely jarring and just doesn't fit together at all for me.
My favorite parts were actually the small moments between Sia and Rose, watching their friendship move apart and back together as they grow. But there's so much going on that they're really the only characters who get to have any depth. I also loved Sia's Abuela, who doesn't let death stop her from bossing her family around. I would have really liked a book with just that.
March 2, 2019
Voice is so huge to me when it comes to reading, so please understand when I say SIA HAS ONE OF THE BEST VOICES I'VE READ IN A LONG LONG TIME. Like, she could describe an old shoe to me and I would be moony as hell. Vasquez Gilliland's beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking voice builds the desert world of Arizona into a wonderland of in-between spaces and histories within histories.
Artemisia is trying to mourn the death of her mother, lost in the Sonoran Desert after the local sheriff cruelly has her deported. But her grandmother's pesky spirit won't let Sia rest, insisting that her mother is still out there somewhere. Still trying to find her way back to Sia. But all Sia wants to do is guide her soul home, driving out to the beginning of the world in the desert to light her candles and show her mama the way. But when she meets a handsome boy with poetry in his soul out there one night, it starts her (and him) on a journey to discovering the side-by-side worlds we inhabit and the ones we didn't know we came from.
I spent the first half of the book luxuriating in the prose, the poetry, the shape and movement of the text. And then laughing out loud when Sia cracks her wit like a whip. Then I spent the second half of the book flipping pages as fast as I could to just find out WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON and WERE MY BABIES GONNA BE OKAY.
There is steamy, romantic love. There is ages-old witchcraft. And maybe a space craft (I'M NOT TELLING, YOU GOTTA READ FOR YOURSELF).
This isn't a must read, it's a "which specific herbs do I need to burn to get this book in my hands right now" read. Get it and fall in love with Sia for yourself.
Artemisia is trying to mourn the death of her mother, lost in the Sonoran Desert after the local sheriff cruelly has her deported. But her grandmother's pesky spirit won't let Sia rest, insisting that her mother is still out there somewhere. Still trying to find her way back to Sia. But all Sia wants to do is guide her soul home, driving out to the beginning of the world in the desert to light her candles and show her mama the way. But when she meets a handsome boy with poetry in his soul out there one night, it starts her (and him) on a journey to discovering the side-by-side worlds we inhabit and the ones we didn't know we came from.
I spent the first half of the book luxuriating in the prose, the poetry, the shape and movement of the text. And then laughing out loud when Sia cracks her wit like a whip. Then I spent the second half of the book flipping pages as fast as I could to just find out WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON and WERE MY BABIES GONNA BE OKAY.
There is steamy, romantic love. There is ages-old witchcraft. And maybe a space craft (I'M NOT TELLING, YOU GOTTA READ FOR YOURSELF).
This isn't a must read, it's a "which specific herbs do I need to burn to get this book in my hands right now" read. Get it and fall in love with Sia for yourself.
March 10, 2021
3.5 stars!
August 17, 2020
Sia is dealing with the fact that her mother went missing after trying to cross the border illegally. She was deported by ICE after she was flagged by the local sheriff. Sia is just trying to get through the struggles of high school with the support of her father and best friend, Rose. Sia’s world is turned upside down when her mother suddenly reappears in the middle of the desert one night from a spaceship that crashes. Her mother is on the run from the government who have been illegally detaining deported immigrants and testing on them. Sia is now being chased as well because she has the same DNA as her mother and she was one of their few experiments that were successful.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything deals with a wide variety of prevalent issues for young adults today. Sia faces racism, sexual assault, immigration issues, religion, navigating relationships and intimacy as well as including an LGBTQ+ character. Sia is a very likeable and great heroine for a YA novel. I adored the first half but the second half kind of lost me. I am all for a little sci fi now and then but I just found the execution to be a little disappointing. The chapters were nice and short and Sia’s narrative was very ente
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything deals with a wide variety of prevalent issues for young adults today. Sia faces racism, sexual assault, immigration issues, religion, navigating relationships and intimacy as well as including an LGBTQ+ character. Sia is a very likeable and great heroine for a YA novel. I adored the first half but the second half kind of lost me. I am all for a little sci fi now and then but I just found the execution to be a little disappointing. The chapters were nice and short and Sia’s narrative was very ente
February 6, 2019
I stayed up WAY past my bedtime to finish, Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything, because I just couldn't put it down. It's the genre-bending YA book that I didn't know I needed. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was getting into, and in a way, the zero expectations I had, allowed me to take in the story organically, as if I was walking into an unfamiliar forest—not knowing what was up ahead, but enjoying the journey, tree by tree, flower by flower, leaf by leaf, rock by rock.
The plot is hard to describe in just a few sentences. But as I was reading it, I was reminded in some way or another of films and TV shows that I have enjoyed in the past. Namely, Gas, Food, Lodging + Like Water for Chocolate + Sense 8 + The X Files. It sounds like a weird combination, but it really, truly works.
The basic premise is a contemporary story about Sia, a Mexican-American teenage girl who is grappling with the disappearance and then death of her mother, who is deported by ICE. Sia is a wonderfully complex main character filled with anger, sadness and love. She grows heirloom corn, and herbs, practices herbalism, which she learned from her mother and grandmother, treks into the desert lighting candles for the spirits, and rocks out to Fleetwood Mac. As the story progresses, the author seamlessly weaves in a steamy romance, Mexican folklore, conspiracy theories, alien abductions and superpowers. All this, written with the most exquisite prose, that at times reads like poetry.
If you're looking for a genre-bending YA contemporary story that will surprise you, enthrall you and break your heart into smithereens, then I highly recommend this stunning debut by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland.
The plot is hard to describe in just a few sentences. But as I was reading it, I was reminded in some way or another of films and TV shows that I have enjoyed in the past. Namely, Gas, Food, Lodging + Like Water for Chocolate + Sense 8 + The X Files. It sounds like a weird combination, but it really, truly works.
The basic premise is a contemporary story about Sia, a Mexican-American teenage girl who is grappling with the disappearance and then death of her mother, who is deported by ICE. Sia is a wonderfully complex main character filled with anger, sadness and love. She grows heirloom corn, and herbs, practices herbalism, which she learned from her mother and grandmother, treks into the desert lighting candles for the spirits, and rocks out to Fleetwood Mac. As the story progresses, the author seamlessly weaves in a steamy romance, Mexican folklore, conspiracy theories, alien abductions and superpowers. All this, written with the most exquisite prose, that at times reads like poetry.
If you're looking for a genre-bending YA contemporary story that will surprise you, enthrall you and break your heart into smithereens, then I highly recommend this stunning debut by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland.
August 24, 2023
This book was so disappointing on so many levels. Not only was the plot confusing and felt like the genres of fiction and sci fi were fighting for control, the author put down religions and races of people. First off, this author painted the catholic religion in a horrible light making it seem extremely strict and abusive to family which is so untrue and against what the religion stands for. Second, this author made it seem like all of white people are heartless monsters. There are good people and there bad people in all races but to say an entire race of people are cruel and heartless is completely unfair. The instances in which both of those were shone throughout the whole book ruined it for me and left me wishing I never picked it up.
If you are looking for a coming of age/sci fi with Hispanic culture I suggest the book The Last Cuentista, one of the best books I’ve ever read in my entire life and so much more well done.
If you are looking for a coming of age/sci fi with Hispanic culture I suggest the book The Last Cuentista, one of the best books I’ve ever read in my entire life and so much more well done.
August 3, 2020
Wow this was so strange and beautiful, I am in awe. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did such an astounding job at inflicting emotion, it worked so well with the author's prose. Wonderful! If this book isn't on your radar already, I hope you'll give it a chance! I love that it's being called a mix between Ari & Dante meets Roswell, because that is literally the most perfect way of describing this book.
August 30, 2020
*3.5🌟
Somehow I went into this thinking it was a contemporary about growing up (like Aristotle and Dante), but it suddenly included aliens in like the second half of the book 😂 So I was a little bit surprised 🙈 However it also deals with heavy subjects such as death, grief and racism, which definitely made the book interesting enough to keep reading! 🙌🏻 Also - it has super short chapters which I always enjoy!
Somehow I went into this thinking it was a contemporary about growing up (like Aristotle and Dante), but it suddenly included aliens in like the second half of the book 😂 So I was a little bit surprised 🙈 However it also deals with heavy subjects such as death, grief and racism, which definitely made the book interesting enough to keep reading! 🙌🏻 Also - it has super short chapters which I always enjoy!
March 30, 2021
★★★.5
The scenes in this book were too intimate and steamy for a YA novel, so it's definitely not meant for the younger side. Other than that, I quite enjoyed the plot and the idea of sci-fi interwoven with magical realism.
The scenes in this book were too intimate and steamy for a YA novel, so it's definitely not meant for the younger side. Other than that, I quite enjoyed the plot and the idea of sci-fi interwoven with magical realism.
November 27, 2021
I'm not exaggerating when I say that books like this are why I read YA. This was a 5 star prediction for me, and I'm so glad I was right. Poets writing prose just hit different, and the way this played with genre was so superb.
July 5, 2021
TW : HP References
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
January 6, 2026
“and when we turn the lights out, i look at the stars out the window, wondering about how old they are. do they fall in and out of love, do they tell stories? and which nebulae are their mothers, and do they long for their mothers so much, they feel their hearts are breaking at every moment, even when things are supposed to be normal and happy?”
this book is so uniquely cool!! i don’t want to go into too much detail, because i think going into this book pretty much blind is your best bet (if you haven’t read the goodreads synopsis yet- don’t, it doesn’t spoil anything but it makes it slightly less fun.) but it follows sia, who lost her immigrant mother to the desert when she tried to cross the border. a lot of this book is about grief, about grieving loved ones and living loves and moments in your life. it’s also about hope, and the night sky, and suspending belief.
without giving too much away, this book isn’t fully contemporary, there are some sci-fi aspects, and it was fascinating!!! i think anybody who’s a fan of young adult contemporary would still adore this, but just a heads up. the author stunningly used these parts of the story and made them political, used them to show the unjustness of the immigration system, racism, and ICE. there are heavy topics in this book, and the way they were intertwined between love and fantasy were gorgeous.
the writing in this book was also just drop dead gorgeous. i feel like i say that about every book i read, but it’s true!! as you can see in the quote above, raquel vasquez gilliland was able to use themes of the night sky and just the philosophical ways of the world to her advantage, completely creating a comprehensive novel. i don’t think there are plans for a sequel, but like,, it ended on a cliffhanger?? i have mixed opinions about ending a standalone openly, and i think it provided closure. but also i wouldn’t complain about a sequel.
content warnings: sexual assault, PTSD, physical abuse, parental death, racist violence, police, harry potter references
this book is so uniquely cool!! i don’t want to go into too much detail, because i think going into this book pretty much blind is your best bet (if you haven’t read the goodreads synopsis yet- don’t, it doesn’t spoil anything but it makes it slightly less fun.) but it follows sia, who lost her immigrant mother to the desert when she tried to cross the border. a lot of this book is about grief, about grieving loved ones and living loves and moments in your life. it’s also about hope, and the night sky, and suspending belief.
without giving too much away, this book isn’t fully contemporary, there are some sci-fi aspects, and it was fascinating!!! i think anybody who’s a fan of young adult contemporary would still adore this, but just a heads up. the author stunningly used these parts of the story and made them political, used them to show the unjustness of the immigration system, racism, and ICE. there are heavy topics in this book, and the way they were intertwined between love and fantasy were gorgeous.
the writing in this book was also just drop dead gorgeous. i feel like i say that about every book i read, but it’s true!! as you can see in the quote above, raquel vasquez gilliland was able to use themes of the night sky and just the philosophical ways of the world to her advantage, completely creating a comprehensive novel. i don’t think there are plans for a sequel, but like,, it ended on a cliffhanger?? i have mixed opinions about ending a standalone openly, and i think it provided closure. but also i wouldn’t complain about a sequel.
content warnings: sexual assault, PTSD, physical abuse, parental death, racist violence, police, harry potter references
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