Characters and action move between Lupe's world and Ixtumea, allowing Lupe to keep her twenty-first century teenage attitude, complete with eye-rolling and "Whatever." About half way into the book, Lupe does begin to realize that she has a job that only she can do to save both worlds. She also learns that the mother she once thought was dead is still alive in Ixtumea, but has made a pact with the evil Malvado and has become her most dangerous enemy.

Baccellia has cleverly incorporated the legends of Mexico and Peru into this modern day fantasy. Having read some of these tales in other research, I enjoyed seeing these ancient stories coming alive. I enjoyed the characters and the heroic story that unfolded. However, Baccellia mentions rape several times throughout the book, not graphically, but that it happened and there is one instance when gang rape appears eminent. Usually, when a book deals with a fourteen year old, it could be read by children much younger because most children like to read about characters their own age or slightly older. In this case, the book is considered a young adult novel and should be read by more mature teens. This is actually a shame since this book's storyline could be so accessible to younger readers.

Earrings of Ixtumea is a great addition to the sparse literature for young Latina women and will hopefully inspire others to write for this ethnic age group. It is also a good story for young people not of Hispanic ethnicity to read because it is a great adventure in an exotic landscape with a spunky heroine.