Upon her birth, which caused her mother's death, Itacate was declared by Aztec priests to be a curse, that she would bring ruin to those around her. As she grows up, her twin brother Mitotiqui enjoys the freedom and education allowed boys while she feels hemmed in by domestic duties. What saves her is her natural talent working with gold; her father secretly allows her to help in his workshop. But the violent arrival of Cortes and the Spaniards turns life in Tenochititlan, and the population's long-held beliefs, upside-down. Some graphic scenes of sacrifice and violence, and an implied sex scene. This story of a misfit teen seeing her beliefs and culture shaken to the core makes compelling reading. ( )

This is a nice introduction to the Aztec culture and it's demise under the Spanish invasion of the Americas. Lots of action, some romance and interesting facts about the Aztec's religion, I found this book an interesting read. ( )

2.5**

A novel set in the 15th century city of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire ruled by Montezuma. Fifteen-year-old Itacate has lived under a cloud of darkness since she was born and the priests predicted she would bring ruin to her family. Her mother died in childbirth, but her father has cared for her and her twin brother Mitotiqui. As they leave childhood behind their paths diverge – Mitotiqui begins formal schooling, while Itacate, like other girls her age, begins to learn household skills such as cooking, cleaning and weaving. But when her father discovers Itacate’s natural talent for designing and crafting fine jewelry he defies convention to make her his apprentice (though only in secret).

I had such high hopes for this story. I definitely enjoyed the information on the culture and society that was the Aztec empire. I liked how Landman revealed the differences in the religious beliefs of the Spanish conquistadors and the Aztec people. I wasn’t particularly bothered by the historical inaccuracies (Landman explains in a note at the end that she combined elements of histories of Peru and the Caribbean to make the story work). I thought the “Romeo & Juliet” side story was unnecessary and predictable, but appropriate for the target audience. In total, it was a quick read and held my interest. So why only 2.5 stars?

I was sorely disappointed with the constant message that all the bad things that happened were the fault of Itacate and her defiance of the restrictions placed on women of that society. Really? Cortez invaded the city because she began to apprentice to her father? Yes, she eventually comes to the conclusion that this is poppycock, but the repeated message before that realization really made my teeth hurt. I certainly wouldn’t want my daughter or son reading (and absorbing) this kind of message.
( )

This is a historical fiction novel with an unusual setting: ancient Mexico during the time of Montezuma. The heroine, Itacate, and her twin brother lost their mother at birth. Growing up with a surly, distant father, Itacate slowly starts to grow apart from her brother, Mitotoiqui, as he is given the perks of a boy’s life: school and an apprenticeship with the father, while Itacate is chained to domestic chores all day. Eventually, the father realizes the real talent is not with his son, but with his daughter who was given an ill omen at birth. Itacate’s sculptures in gold catch the attention of emperor, and Montezuma solicits the father to create some sculptures. Itacate comes with him of course, but no one knows she is the real sculptor. But strange things begin happening in Tenochtitlan. Rumors of strangers with strange weapons and brutal ways, all in the name of their god, are on their way. When they arrive, Itacate’s life becomes intertwined with one of the Spanish soldiers, Francisco. She disguises herself as a boy to go to the palace to fulfill the request for a gold Virgin Mary, and she develops her relationship with Francisco.

This was a very interesting book with known facts about Aztec life mixed with a girl’s reaction to the strange events in her world. It was a very tumultuous time for a people who had established customs and religion for a long time before the Spanish. ( )

Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Fifteen-year-old Itacate, an Aztec girl who lives in the great city of Tenochtitlán, began her life by defying the gods, refusing to be cast aside in the corner and left to die. Born under a bad sky a few moments before her twin brother's welcome birth, the priests predict that she will bring ill fortune to all those around her, while her brother is destined to be a great warrior.

Itacate loves her brother, Mitotiqui, dearly, but cannot help but feel resentment as their paths diverge in life - his to education and a life blessed by the gods, and hers to a life of drudgery, chained to a loom and pounding maize, with no hope for anything better.

One day, their father, a goldsmith, recognizes Itacate's eye for working with stones and fine metal, and Itacate unwittingly replaces her brother as her father's assistant, incurring his jealousy. While they must keep Itacate's involvement in her father's workshop a secret, since it is forbidden for a woman to work with gold, the gods appear displeased, for a fire and then a flood attack their city.

Soon after, rumors begin circulating that strangers have appeared in the land of the Maya, and they are traveling towards Tenochtitlán. Itacate and her father, commissioned by the great leader, Montezuma, to work in the palace, soon find themselves involved firsthand when the Spanish invade the inner court of Montezuma's palace. With the destruction, war, and loss that inevitably befall the entire Aztec empire, Itacate wonders if the prediction made at the time of her birth was true, or if something akin to peace may indeed be found in her future.

Although the author took much liberty regarding the sequence and particulars of these ancient events, I found myself captivated by her treatment of this historical period. Seeing the world through the eyes of a young Aztec woman, one of the silent majority who have left little mark on historical records, brings a fresh view to the everyday life of the citizens of this once great empire. ( )