Review: "The Last Cuentista," by Donna Barba Higuera

An end of Earth event is likely to occur pretty soon, so Petra Pena and her family, including her scientist parents, are chosen to go inhabit a new planet. It's going to take over 400 years to arrive at the new planet, so there are people aboard the ship whose jobs are to watch over the sleeping "chosen ones" and continue to procreate to have new caretakers ready when the originals pass on. But when Petra wakes up, nothing is as it's supposed to be. The caretakers on the ship have evolved into their masters, using the sleeping shipgoers as their bait when exploring the new planet. Petra doesn't understand everything that has happened while she was sleeping, but she has the stories her abuelita used to tell her as a way to cope. She wants to be a cuentista, or storyteller, just like her abuelita was, and she does whatever it takes to not only survive this new reality, but search for her parents and brother. Highly recommended audiobook!

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ****

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