“A heartfelt, swashbuckling, standout novel.” –Kirkus (starred review)

In this Latinx YA fantasy inspired by El Zorro, Lola de La Pea becomes the masked heroine Salvacin in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic it contains…if she doesn’t fall in love with a boy in his company first.

Lola de La Pea 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 mam cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal of sicknesses and wounds. But by night, she is Salvacin, the free-spirit lady vigilante protecting the town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety among the rising tension in Alta California after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

But one night, a woman races 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 about the man who wields it: Damien Hernndez. So when Hernndez arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong and promises of returning Alta California to Mxico, Lola knows its only a matter of time before he brings the region under his ruleall Hernndez 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 races against time as Salvacin to stop his plans. What she didnt count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernndez but doesn’t seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernndez getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans, even teaming up with Alejandrowho she doesnt fully trust but cant help but fall in love with.

Published : May 20, 2025

Language : English

Hardcover : 336 pages

Reading age : 13 – 18 years