Sundown in San Ojuela

In this somewhat stilted debut, Olivas riffs on the haunted house trope with the addition of Aztec mythology. Liz Remolina, 19, returns to the desert town of San Ojuela, Calif., after the death of her aunt Marisol. At Casa Coyotl, Marisol’s house and the childhood home of Liz and her sister, Mary, the siblings take note of necessary repairs and sort through their aunt’s possessions. Among the house’s dusty furniture and Aztec artifacts, Liz hopes to find her soul, which she lost as a 14-year-old after an encounter with La Muerte, or death itself. Instead, she’s reluctantly reunited with her childhood friend Julian, who now helps longtime groundskeeper Samuel maintain Casa Coyotl. Then Liz receives a warning about Samuel from Marisol’s ghost, who tasks her with killing the groundskeeper to prevent more deaths. Meanwhile, a snake bite leaves Julian with Teōtl powers and an internal struggle as he fights to maintain his humanity. A revelation about Samuel forces Liz and Julian to overcome their estrangement to save Casa Coyotl. Olivas’s vivid prose breathes life into Casa Coyotl and the desert setting as Liz and Julian grapple with their Mexican American identities. There’s plenty of promise here, but a somewhat baffling narrative structure—the book is divided into three sections without much rhyme or reason—and the inclusion of some tertiary POV characters slows momentum. It’s a mixed bag. (Nov.)