The Last Cuentista is a book I’ve been seeing everywhere and had yet to read. Then when I was sent a copy, I knew I had to take this as a sign to read. And I can’t believe I haven’t read it earlier!!! Don’t be like me! Keep reading this book review of The Last Cuentista for my full thoughts.
Summary
There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.
But Petra’s world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.
Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity’s past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.
Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Last Cuentista is right up my alley. It’s a science fiction middle grade story about a girl who wakes up on a spaceship leaving Earth to figure out she’s the only one who remembers Earth. It’s captivating and I absolutely devoured this book. Not only is it my nightmare to be ‘awake’ and immobilized, The Last Cuentista very much invokes a sense of terror at being the only one to remember. And to have our memories and our worlds denied and discounted. But even more so, The Last Cuentista asks us whether we should discard our history or remember it – so that we don’t fall back into these traps.
“Equality and sameness are two different things”
For these new citizens, they’re trying to make sure that we don’t repeat our mistakes. But by wiping out our history, we not only forget those we’ve left behind, but also the good in what we did. At the same time, we cannot make sure we are not at risk for repeating our mistakes, if we never know what they are. We cannot erase our past. We cannot pretend it never happened. In fact, by remembering our past it ensures we more forward with intention. The Last Cuentista becomes a rich and introspective story about the importance of remembering our past – good and bad – and stories. What will happen to us when we don’t see the value and power of stories? When we forget?
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Find The Last Cuentista on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.