Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories Amparo Ortiz 9781643754048

From zombies to cannibals to death incarnate, this cross-genre anthology offers something for every monster lover. In Our Shadows Have Claws, bloodthirsty vampires are hunted by a quick-witted slayer; children are stolen from their beds by "el viejo de la bolsa" while a military dictatorship steals their parents; and anyone you love, absolutely anyone, might be a shapeshifter waiting to hunt.

The worlds of these stories are dark but also magical ones, where a ghost-witch can make your cheating boyfriend pay, bullies are brought to their knees by vicious wolf-gods, a jar of fireflies can protect you from the reality-warping magic of a bruja-and maybe you'll even live long enough to tell the tale. Set across Latin America and its diaspora, this collection offers bold, imaginative stories of oppression, grief, sisterhood, first love, and empowerment.

Full contributor list: Chantel Acevedo, Courtney Alameda, Julia Alvarez, Ann Davila Cardinal, M. Garcia Pena, Racquel Marie, Gabriela Martins, Yamile Saied Mendez, Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, Claribel A. Ortega, Amparo Ortiz, Lilliam Rivera, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Ari Tison, and Alexandra Villasante.

Yamile Saied Mendez is the author of many books for young readers, including Furia, a Reese's YA Book Club selection and the 2021 Inaugural Pura Belpre Young Adult Gold Medalist. She was born and raised in Rosario, Argentina. An Inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she is also a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She's a founding member of Las Musas, a marketing collective of Latine authors.

Amparo Ortiz is the author of Blazewrath Games and Dragonblood Ring (Page Street Kids). She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and currently lives on the island's northeastern coast. When she's not teaching ESL, she's streaming Kpop videos, vlogging for her eponymous YouTube channel, and writing about worlds both contemporary and fantastical.