4 out of 5 stars
I do enjoy spending time with Ropa Moyo. She is not-yet-sixteen, but is so responsible. Her grandmother and sister depend on her and she leans on them as a reason to keep going. They live in a crappy old caravan in a slum area of post-apocalyptic Edinburgh, negotiating the poverty, crime, and lack of opportunity. Ropa is a ghostalker with a talent for magic, but she is held back by lack of education and the need for paid employment. When she finally catches the eye of a significant magician, she is disgusted to realize that she'll be an unpaid intern, not a salaried apprentice.
However, Ropa knows an advantage when she has it in her hands, and she is determined to make it work. She juggles the intern work and side hustles while attempting to keep her family fed and together. Ropa's outlook is obviously more mature than we are used to and her vocabulary is colourful and varied. You can't help but root for her and Huchu really puts her through a lot. Just when she thinks that she's made a breakthrough, there's a hitch that sets her back.
I just kept reading, wanting to see how things worked out, if they worked out. Huchu portrays a family living in hard circumstances so well. They love one another and manage to keep body and soul together, but they also have to deal with people who have resources but no empathy. If hard work always resulted in wealth, the Moyos would be very comfortable. Still, they continue to do the work in front of them and hold their heads high. I do hope there will be more adventures to come.
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