Musician Beatriz Ana Garza is either fighting to save the soul of her dead grandfather from a crossroads deal he made as a young man or she is having a mental health crisis as she falls into an obsessive spiral of songwriting out of grief over his death. This is meant to spice up a fairly standard story about a group of teenagers forming a band and struggling to keep it together as they try to become a success on the local music scene in Mexicali, Mexico. While fairly well done, I just couldn't find the toehold I needed to really invest myself in the story's outcome. ( )

For a moment, I thought this was a hidden allegory about substance abuse, but, no, it’s more so about the opposite of a creative block – when you cannot stop the creative juices from flowing. I liked the Mexicali setting, cheerful Eduardo, and the colorfulness. I enjoyed the musical premise, but I wish I would have enjoyed the fantasy bits more. Also, if I were one of Beatriz’s bandmates, I would be heated, man. ( )

I found this graphic novel to be absolutely riveting. The artwork hooked me from the very first page and Beatriz's story didn't let me go at all. I appreciated the creator's attention to detail in paying homage to his hometown and to the music scene at the beginning of the millennium. Beatriz is a teenage girl with a passion for music who becomes obsessed with her art in order to free her dead grandfather's soul from a bargain he'd made in his youth, and in her obsession becomes someone that, when she's lucid, doesn't like. Art and ego are so entwined and even though this is a story about Beatriz freeing her grandfather's spirit, it's also about her ego and learning to let go of it and be a collaborator. I cannot emphasize enough how phenomenal the artwork is--it's absolutely visceral, it's heartwrenching, it's ecstatic, it's everything and it really makes this story soar. ( )

Beatriz grew up learning and playing guitar with her beloved grandfather Tata. In her teen years he dies after a long illness. While the family packs up his house, his spirit speaks to Beatriz from his electric guitar, asking her to free his spirit by finishing writing the "killer song" he was never able to complete. This was a deal he made long ago with a Yaqui man in exchange for songwriting talent. Beatriz becomes obsessed with fulfilling Tata's wish and this obsession affects her relationship with her bandmates, her schoolwork and mental health. Teens will find much unique appeal here: the embodiment of the music scene and potential stardom, the social nuances of being part of a band, Beatriz's personal struggle to find her place, and ghostly magical realism to propel the plot. ( )