ALA Booklist (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

In this labor of love for the music scene of early-aughts Mexicali, Mexico owing with sandy beiges, soft orange, and lavender atriz learns that her deceased grandfather made a deal with a demon for musical talent and that the only way to free his soul from his old guitar is to play the perfect song. Illustrations in a classically realistic style guide the story along as expected: the cost of her pursuit is great, but Beatrix is obsessed. She's in a band with her high-school friends and has innate musical talent, and soon she's skipping school and burning bridges in her quest to write the perfect song. Ultimately, this is a cautionary tale, but it does have a happy ending, showing how empathy and some perspective can turn a situation around. Rock n' roll references abound, and there's a guitar or two on nearly every page. Satisfying for any and all music fans.

Kirkus Reviews

Pimienta's debut is a graphic novel set in Mexicali, Mexico, where music is life and-for a brief moment-life threatening.High schooler Beatriz Ana Garza has played guitar in a few bands. Her love of music comes from her grandfather Tata Mario, a former musician whose declining health leads, after long decline, to his death in the hospital. While emptying her Tata's belongings from his home, Beatriz discovers her grandfather's soul is trapped inside his Gibson guitar. Tata's spirit explains that years ago he made a trade with an Indigenous Yaqui man he met while traveling in Sonora, gaining musical talent but forfeiting the ability to finish writing the song that has haunted and eluded him; only her playing it in its entirety will set him free. Determined to liberate Tata's soul, Beatriz joins a band and becomes obsessed with completing the song. Together with her new band mates, she begins to riff and write music. Chronicled in a nonlinear fashion with intermittent flashbacks, the dynamic illustrations pan Beatriz's bedroom, concert venues, garage rehearsal space, and Mexicali streets. Awash in shades of purple and yellow, with splashes of pink and orange, they convey the 1990s setting and help readers feel the music. Refreshingly, colloquial Spanish greetings and nods to Baja California landmarks pepper the pages of the story, immersing readers in the northern Mexican city.Haunting, beautiful, and complex. (author's note, glossary, Mexicali info) (Graphic fiction. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

After discovering that a Yaqui man trapped the soul of her dead grandfather, Tata Mario, in his old guitar, Beatriz Ana Garza sets out to free it. To do so, she must complete the Faustian deal that Tata Mario made in his youth and provide the Yaqui, trapped in a reel-to-reel tape deck, an original song, one that Beatriz must finish on Tata Mario-s behalf. Beatriz joins a band to help further her craft, but tensions rise when a vocalist signs on, since Beatriz believes the song should be solely instrumental. Pimienta uses that pressure point to expose the difference between dedication and fixation, as Beatriz sacrifices everything to pursue her quest: avoiding others and skipping meals to write, and lashing out when the group tries to intervene. Making his solo debut, Pimienta (Soupy Leaves Home) visualizes music played with joy using bold emanations, whereas Beatriz-s obsessive playing is shown as circular and hypnotic, accompanied by a gaze eerily similar to her grandfather-s final stare. Though visual elements can get lost in the busy illustrations, Beatriz-s relatable struggle with burnout and generational expectations sit amid an engaging tale and the backdrop of a mildly spooky -90s Mexicali setting. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 14-up. (May)

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-A teen musician fights for her grandfather's soul in this tale of magical realism set in Mexicali. Beatriz and her grandfather have always bonded over their love of music. When he becomes ill, he reveals the secret behind his talent: Years ago, he made a bargain with a mystical man, gaining extraordinary abilities in exchange for an original song. He never completed the song, so when he dies, debt unpaid, his soul is trapped in a guitar. Beatriz decides to finish the song and free her grandfather's soul. Her band is starting to see success in Mexicali's emerging punk music scene, but her obsession with the song threatens to derail them. Her actions jeopardize her friendships, her bandand her life, as she realizes that nothing comes without a price. While the plot is somewhat predictable, Pimienta deftly intertwines the realistic and the fantastical. Beatriz's journey will resonate with teens, though supporting characters aren't especially well developed. Spanish slang and depictions of Mexicali locations, especially concert scenes, add life. The art illuminates Beatriz's state of mind: swirling and haunted as she's drawn deeper into her fixation, then more clear and composed as she finds redemption. VERDICT Pimienta gives this "devil at the crossroads" tale a fresh twist with the Mexicali punk setting; music lovers and fans of graphic novels will be intrigued. Carla Riemer, Albany High School, CA