Category: Authors

Authors, Aztec, Book Review, Books, Colin Falconer, Malinali Tenepal, Malinche, Mexican History, Strong Women

La Malinche: Heroine or Traitor?

Mona Alvarado Frazier

Aztec by Colin Falconer: Book Review.



I read my fair share of books. If I took a photo of my bedroom (and I won’t because the camera on my iPhone 3GS is crappy) you’d see two to three deep rows of books lined up back to back in my tall bookshelf. There are smaller books on top of those rows, only one book deep because I may be messy but i don’t want to squash the books on the bottom.
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Books totter on an end table, hold up a lamp, crowd on a footstool, and fill a magazine holder meant for, yes, skinny magazines not chunky books. I won’t take you on a tour of the family room or my bathroom. At least my Kindle Fire is dust free and orderly.  


Most of the time I don’t write a review about books that I’ve read. If I had to guess, I’d say I write one long review for every 15 or so books. The rest of the time, and if I remember, I rate the books I read on my Goodreads page or on Amazon. 


Today I felt compelled to review the book “Aztec” by Colin Falconer because it was one of the historical fiction books that left an impression on me, much like Michener’s “Hawaii,” and Villasenor’s “Rain of Gold.” 


“Aztec,” is the story of Hernan Cortes’ invasion and conquest of the Mexica (pronounced Meh-she-ca) natives in the early 16th Century. Falconer tells this enthralling story via several narrators. Cortes and Malinali are the main characters but this is primarily Malinali Tepenal’s (commonly called Malinche) story. 


The main reason for loving this book is because it is told primarily through her perspective. This gives us an understanding of her motivations for doing what she did.The book tells the story of her life, role, and motives as Cortés’ translator of Chontal Mayan and Nahautl, the Aztec language. She became baptized, his concubine and renamed Doña Marina. (Doña is a title like My Lady).


Whether Malinali was a traitor or harlot has been debated for centuries. Historians agree that she was the daughter of a noble Aztec family. Upon the death of her father, a chief, her mother remarried and gave birth to a son. Deciding that he rather than Marina, should rule, she turned her young daughter over to some passing traders and thereafter proclaimed her dead. She wound up as a slave of the Cacique (the military chief) of Tabasco. 

from Codex of Txlacala-Mexico 1519

The Aztecs called Malinali, Malinche. Even today, the word malinchista is a deadly insult, meaning traitor to the Mexican people. This name is also used to say a woman is someone’s mistress or a harlot.

By the time Cortes arrived, Malinali had learned the Mayan dialects used in the Yucatan while still understanding Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs and most Non-Mayan Indians. She soon learned Spanish. What is not debated in history is a letter preserved in the Spanish archives, from Cortés, which states, “After God we owe this conquest of New Spain to Doña Marina.”
The other facts that arise from this book and history are that Malinali Tenepal was an intelligent, loyal, and fearless woman. She loved Cortés, remained faithful to him, and bore his son, Martín Cortés, who became the first Mexican (a mixture of Spanish and Aztec or native blood).
I enjoyed the way this book was written but it did take a little readjustment in the beginning, especially with the different points of view. It does work, especially since the headings list who is telling the story. This provided for a 360-degree view of the characters motives. I agree with a previous reviewer: there are some typos, but not enough to make me stop reading.
Settings are vivid, descriptive, and in keeping with the landscape, customs, and clothing of the era. The lush imagery and authentic dialogue places one into the setting, giving us an understanding of the motives for the main characters.
Although some of the imagery is gruesome, it is necessary to tell the story. The themes of religion, culture, oppression, ambition, greed, good, evil and love are all explored. The historical facts seem accurate, as well as the use of the native language, description of dress, customs, music, and food.
This book would make for a fascinating screenplay and movie. Colin Falconer is a darn good storyteller.


Just so you know, I did not receive any compensation for this review.
Authors, Books, Christian suspense, Faith, Honor Killing, Nikki Arana, Strong Women, The Next Target review

Honor killings and The Next Target: A Book Review

Mona Alvarado Frazier

After I finished my last manuscript I put it on a flash drive and let it simmer for three weeks. Maybe I should say I let myself ‘simmer’ for a period of time because after I’m done writing the first draft of a story I’m mentally exhausted. During the writing break I take a very low cost vacation:

                                                                            I read for pleasure

It was during one of these breaks that I agreed to read an advanced reading copy (ARC) of a novel listed by an author blog I follow. I love to read and agree to do reviews if the novel is in a genre I enjoy.  This was the first time I read a suspense thriller with Christian themes. I like suspense and appreciate fiction without gratuitous sex, gore, and excessive profanity. So when author Nikki Arana announced that an ARC for her novel, The Next Target, was available to her blog followers, I requested a copy. 

                                                                            Here is my review*: 
Award winning author, Nikki Arana, shows a depth of knowledge about radical Islam, the clash of Muslim culture in American communities, and the risk to Christian outreach workers in this fiction novel, The Next Target.

The backdrop of an ‘honor’ killing of a young Muslim woman begins an engrossing chain of events that takes the reader into another culture, religion, and perspective that is both horrifying and illuminating. Austria Donatelli is a young and recently widowed ESL teacher who runs a Career Center to help immigrants find jobs and learn English. She also ministers to those who want to know about Christianity. The victim of the honor killing was a young woman whose conversion was the cause of her death. This places Austria and those dear to her in the crosshairs of radical Islamists.

Austria is the main character but there are several viewpoint characters with their own story arc, which keeps the reader in the head of each character’s motivations and allows us to see the different and often incompatible perspectives on Islam, Muslim culture, American society and Christianity. The deceit and conflict that surround Austria, the Career Center, her family, and the Muslim community test their resolve, their character, and their faith.

This fast paced suspense story grabs the reader and takes them through the twist and turns of a race between Austria and another convert, an undercover FBI agent, and a terrorist cell intent on killing Austria and initiating an attack on America. These cross-purposes quickly spiral into one of self-doubt and self-preservation. Can Austria and the ones who love her withstand this challenge? Can she continue her work or will she die trying, as others have, including her husband? No character remains the same by the end of this novel.

Readers will find themselves turning the pages as fast as they can because of the quick pace, action, and suspense. The storyline and characters will keep readers captivated until the end because we come to care about the characters and their outcomes.

Nikki Arana’s respectful and non-judgmental treatment of other cultures comes through in her writing, which makes for a quality story. She shows an accuracy of details that is evident of a person who has intimate knowledge of Muslim communities in America, their culture, language, and the challenges of Christian outreach. This novel debuts in June 2012 and you will want to pick up a copy of what is sure to become another best-seller. 

Does this sound like a book you’d enjoy? Are there any other Christian suspense/thriller novels you can recommend? 
If you’re a writer, what do you do to relax after writing a piece? 


*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review.