HEARTS OF FIRE AND SNOW

Teen heirs realize they share a present-day zeal for social justice and a tragic past-life love story.

Seventeen-year-old Blanca Montes is passionate about Indigenous rights and potable water for communities in need. But neither her longtime boyfriend nor the godfather who’s raised her in Nevada and managed her estate since her parents’ deaths feel the same way. Increasingly disappointed by these entitled men, she’s drawn to rich, handsome Gregorio Chan, 18, a mysterious Mexican transfer student from a Swiss international school. Written in straightforward, page-turning prose, the novel follows Blanca’s and Greg’s sympathetic alternating perspectives as they discover secrets about their identities. Blanca was Lady Iztac, who, according to Aztec and Nahua tradition, killed herself after being deceived into thinking her love, the warrior Popoca, was dead. When Popoca found Iztac’s body, his reaction and ensuing bloodshed triggered a 1,000-year-old curse involving the lovers and people whose souls are intertwined with theirs. Greg—who’s Popoca—has just awoken with amnesia and the supernatural ability to wield heat. With the help of goddess guides, Greg must piece together lessons from flashbacks of all his failed attempts to find Iztac and also help Blanca to remember her past life and embrace her newfound power to control ice as the two try to identify and defeat the reincarnated power-hungry traitor in their midst. While some elements are initially confusing, the interesting premise will keep the pages turning until everything comes together at the end.

An intriguing tale of love and repentance.