La Ciudad de las Bestias

Young adult fiction from Isabelle Allende

This book is on a list of Time magazine’s top 100 young adult novels of all time, and by the wonderful Chilean author Isabelle Allende.

As a language learner this was a good read, more challenging than a children’s book, but easier to read than a standard novel. I thought it was a little harder than Harry Potter but not by much.

I enjoyed the mix of adventure and exploration in the Amazon. The story went in directions I didn’t expect and came to a satisfying conclusion. Works fine as a stand

A vibrant YA tale of the Amazon

La Ciudad de las Bestias follows two young teenagers, Alexander Cold and Nadia Santos, as they accompany a team delving into the Amazon rainforest in search of an enormous beast, and must work with both the international team assigned to the mission and the local natives in order to resolve the mystery peacefully.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book; Isabel Allende's prose is wonderful, and I could feel the wonder of the rainforest alongside Alex, even during sections where my compreh