Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal sicknesses and wounds. But secretly, she is Salvación, the free-spirited lady vigilante protecting her town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety.

But one night, a woman rides into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja (red salt), a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with, and Señor Hernández, the man who wields it. When Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong men and promises to return Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule. All Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land.

Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola—as Salvación—races against time to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn’t seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans—even teaming up with Alejandro, whom she doesn’t fully trust but can’t help falling in love with.

When I interviewed the author last year I expected a bit of action-adventure mixed with romance, but this blew me away with its complex family relationships.

Lola is your typical historical girl that doesn’t want to be confined to the kitchen and other damsel in distress roles. Her father taught her how to ride, and how to swordfight, and the importance of standing up for the helpless, but never expect her to really use it. Her mother, the town healer, holds their family together and is the reason for their moving from Sonora, Mexico to Coloma, CA to follow the magia calling her. She’s basically the matriarch, the father defers to her, she has the money, and she has the healing. Yet she expects Lola to stay in a dutiful daughter role, like female aren’t capable of holding power on their own.

As Lola continually notes her mother is a good person, it doesn’t mean she is a kind mother. Her father is a strong man who caves to fear and war-mongering. Her brother is the favorite, yet does not have the conviction of Lola. And Lola wants to be a hero yet fears she doesn’t have the courage to do what is necessary to defeat Hernandez for can she still be a hero if she must murder a murderer?

Side note, I was surprised how Victor was involved from the beginning as the summary implies that it is solely Lola’s domain to be Salvación, which she does the main rescue and shooting stuff, but he helps cover her with their parents, break into inns, spy on Hernandez etc. He’s her Tonto at first, but later she realizes he is also Salvación and it is so sweet. She spent so much time struggling with being the shadow to him that she comes to find that her self-worth isn’t tied to him, and she learns to appreciate him as the person who always has her back. I love nice sibling relationships.

Lola’s character was well-done. Even though she initially fits the “not like other girls”, but her growth during the novel changed that. One can feel how much she cared about her community, her horror of Hernandez and her vow to help others overshadowing her desire to prove herself. She becomes selfless, and really struggles with what the right thing to do is, and how the whole community contributed to the problem they are in now.

So very interesting familial drama, constantly shifting and re-evaluated to demonstrate that the people you love are complex, and can hurt and help you in different ways. Just as you have to re-evaluate yourself and your morals when put in an impossible situation.

Hernandez was a great villain, charming on the outside with a plausible cause that others would understandably buy into-fearing another Mexican-American War, the threat of Yankee invasion etc. They do not want a repeat of the past, so Hernandez uses their fear to push them to ignore his aggressive tactics. Additionally, the descriptions of the effects of sal roja and sal negra were horrifying and magical in turns. I could see the action clearly like a movie.

As for the romance, it was overshadowed by the familial relationships I was much more invested in. Honestly, it wasn’t too original. He thinks Lola and Salvación are two different people. He’s on the enemies’ side, but doesn’t not seem as bloodthirsty as them, and helps some people escape Hernandez’s wrath. Lola tries to seduce him to get information. He changes his opinion about women’s capabilities in a fight.

I know, it was supposed to be a send-up of classic Zorro adventures with the femme fatale not in the know of Zorro’s real identity and changing sides, but as I could guess what was going to happen, there was not much romantic tension. Also found it hard to believe he hadn’t figured it out till the end. I suppose that’s also a send-up of the original Zorro tales, still found it ridiculous.

Also why couldn’t Proudman give the indigenous man who tells them the origins of the sal roja and sal negra, and the amulet. He’s just called indigenous man. What? Couldn’t she give him a name even if its stated that its hard for Lola to pronounce.

4 stars.