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Each culture has a heritage of stories, legends and lore that is passed down to cement their understanding of their past, present and to guide their future in a hopeful direction. Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories features young adult stories that integrate the darker legends of peoples of the Latin American diaspora. Each story features a young protagonist who must confront the fact that legends can often be (or is an entrenched part of their) reality, along with the often dark aspects of humanity as well.

The fifteen stories in this volume varied greatly in subject matter and tone. Both an educational journey and a rollercoaster of emotions as the young people in the stories face their fears and heartbreaks of growing up through the lens of their Latin heritage. As a folklore lover, this volume allowed this reader an opportunity to delve into legends that were unknown, and also learn the cultural context of others, such as the vampire and Chupacabra. While the occasional story failed to meet expectations, either too short, or the writing veering too far into camp, this was overall a very strong collection. Many of the stories were very scary. The character work is a highlight of almost every story, as the legends and lore mean nothing if there is no intersection and confrontation with a person navigating through both daily trials (often quite distressing) and the angst of growing up. The accompanying illustrations by Ricardo López Ortiz at the beginning and end of each story absolutely add to the tone and the appeal of this collection. This volume is very much recommended to readers of dark fantasy, especially those who enjoy folklore and learning/exploring diverse cultures.

This book was provided as an ARC for review from Algonquin Young Readers through Netgalley.