Buy a Copy:

Also Available:

Description:

Fourteen-year-old Lupe Hernandez wishes she was blond, white, and popular. She dismisses the legend her Mexican grandmother tells about a treasured family heirloom—a pair of ruby earrings—as a silly fairytale, despite recurring nightmares of human sacrifice whenever she wears them. But when the earrings thrust her into the parallel world of Ixtumea, she must confront the very thing she shuns the most—her cultural heritage.

Lupe’s journey takes her through a dense Mayan jungle to the damp underground kingdom of Malvado, where a rebel leader plots to keep her from fulfilling her destiny. She is guided by a hot warrior protector named Teancum, who tells her about a prophecy of a long-awaited young prophetess—which happens to be Lupe. She trains with the Spider Goddess, who teaches her the sacred knots that bind both worlds together. And she meets her long-lost mother, Concha—who is now a dangerous enemy.

Life as Lupe knows it will never be the same!

"Refreshing use of Latino folk tales and culture gives a new twist to a familiar tale."

—Writer's Post Journal

Excerpt:

Lupe's world dissolved into madness. Fear gripped her. Whoever those men were, she just knew they weren't raining down from the sky to make her happy. Instead of slamming into the road, the men lightly touched the ground and sprang back up. You would've thought the pavement was one humongous trampoline. Both men were dark skinned and incredibly muscular, but that wasn't what got her attention.

Ohmigod. They wore strange bristly weapons strapped to their hips, the same weapons she'd seen in her dream! In both of their hands were wicked looking clubs. The tops of the weapons were surrounded by pieces of razor sharp serrated blades. Frantic, she looked for help. Why didn't anyone else notice these strange men? But no one did. The shoppers continued to shop, the hound to waddle. She felt as if she was in one of those snow globes; only instead of snowflakes she ha, two menacing men raining down on her. The two men took wide stances a few yards in front of her and Teancum. Grimacing evilly, they began to advance.

Lupe's heart clutched. "Oh my God!"

Teancum's face darkened. "Lupe, we can not go to your Abuela's. We need to leave, now."

"Right. Let's...leave." Lupe's body refused to move. Paralyzed with shock she stared at the thugs moving towards them.

"Trust me." Teancum's voice sounded strained. "Give me your hand!"

Teancum didn't wait. He grabbed her hand, his own scratchy with calluses. Teancum fell to his knees and spoke to the air. Lupe's eyes widened as she recognized some of the ancient words from Abuela's tales.

"What's going on!" she shouted, but the wind drowned out her words.

Crack. She looked up. The sky lightened, brightened. A small square opened in the East. It looked... inviting somehow. She seemed to be floating towards it. Teancum too. Lupe tried to pull back, to stop the feeling of being sucked into the sky.

"Teancum," she screamed, resisting.

"Go, now!" With a rough shove, Teancum pushed her though the opening.

Customer Reviews:

I really liked this book. The story took me on twists and turns that I had not expected. A great YA novel that is rich in story. Well researched.

Great job. Makes me wish I had edited this story.

Jake George

Earrings of Ixtumea is a fantastic book, it brings you into an amazing imaginary world. You travel through this magical world of both fantasy and mythologies from the Ancient Mesoamerican culture. I hardly read fiction books, but this one is totally worth reading, you never lose interest and it is really hard to put this book down. The story is so vivid and well written that you feel as if you are actually there. This book makes me want to read fiction again. I hope they make this book into a movie because I would love to see it animated and at the theaters. I can't wait for the author to come out with more books.