The Queen of the Cicadas - Powerful and Brutal
One of my most anticipated releases of 2021, The Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro did not disappoint. This story is told in dual timelines of the 1950’s and 2018. In 2018, the story starts off with the main character, Belinda, returning to a plantation wedding in Texas. During the wedding festivities, she learns about a horrific event that took place on the grounds in the 1950’s. Milagros, a Mexican farm worker, was murdered. The circumstances of her death are awful, and she became known as La Reina de Las Chicharras, or The Queen of the Cicadas. Milagros sought revenge on those that wronged her, and she did so in a grisly way. Over the years, legend states that she can be summoned when called three times, very similar to Candyman and Bloody Mary.
As a tribute to Milagros, Belinda begins to investigate more deeply into what happened. It seems that her death was simply brushed under the rug at the time due to her ethnicity and immigration status. The deeper she digs in, the more consumed she becomes. Her trip to Texas started off with a celebration and gradually turns into an exploration of the mysterious lore of The Queen of the Cicadas. Of course, there is a lot of blood shed throughout.
Behind every urban legend is an ugly truth. This story is no different in that aspect. However, the way it is told is unique. V. Castro is Mexican American, and she infuses that culture in her writing. It was refreshing, as a Latina myself, to feel represented. Castro also does not shy away from making her female characters open about their sexuality. She is a shining example of an author normalizing females owning their sex lives.
The Queen of the Cicadas is a powerful and brutal story of an urban legend, sex, revenge and redemption. V. Castro will definitely be an auto read author for me and I will be singing the praises on this for a long time.
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