LitPick Review
Martika Gálvez looks like any other Latina girl in L.A. except for her eyes. They are amber, catlike eyes like none she has ever seen before. She senses that she is different, but her parents will not tell her why her eyes are the color they are or whom she may have inherited them from. She is left in the dark until the day after her quinceañera, or fifteenth birthday. Then her mother chooses to tell her of their significance to ease her mind. What Martika learns explains the strange dreams she has been having and launches her into a dangerous adventure. She is the only one who can save the rich teenage girl that has been kidnapped. Her gift is calling her, and she must listen to it, but how is the kidnapping related to her powers as a curendera, or witch? Martika must find out, and she must find out soon, both for Jennifer's sake, and her own.
Opinion:
A story of courage, ancient powers, and mystery, Chasing the Jaguar is a one of a kind adventure about a girl, her culture, and her gift. Michele Domínguez Greene brings the ancient Mayan deities and Hispanic culture together in a suspense filled novel that readers can learn from and enjoy. Riddled with Spanish words and phrases used to emphasize excitement, fear, and a combination of the two this book is an excellent read. This is a story that teenage girls and women who enjoy the thrill of an unsolved mystery will find hard to put down.