Lizz Huerta

A lush, immersive debut fantasy about a group of women whose way of life is threatened by a new king; a fierce celebration of community, sisterhood, and finding our power.

Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end—an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent change shakes Indir’s world to its core, she is forced to make an impossible choice: fight for her home or fight to survive.

Saya is a seer, but not a Dreamer—she has never been formally trained. Her mother exploits her daughter’s gift, passing it off as her own as they travel from village to village, never staying in one place too long. Almost as if they’re running from something. Almost as if they’re being hunted. When Saya loses the necklace she’s worn since birth, she discovers that seeing isn’t her only gift—and begins to suspect that everything she knows about her life has been a carefully-constructed lie. As she comes to distrust the only family she’s ever known, Saya will do what she’s never done before, go where she’s never been, and risk it all in the search of answers.

With a detailed, supernaturally-charged setting and topical themes of patriarchal power and female strength, Lizz Huerta's The Lost Dreamer brings an ancient world to life, mirroring the challenges of our modern one.

Reviews
“A transcendent story of community, sisterhood, and resilience set in a richly drawn world. Lizz Huerta is a powerful new voice in fantasy.” —Katy Rose Pool, author of There Will Come a Darkness

“Lizz Huerta’s radiant debut reminds us that our power is in our own instincts, even in moments of chaotic change.” —Xochitl González, author of Olga Dies Dreaming

"This story with Mesoamerican influences unwinds in chapters of alternating first-person perspectives from Indir and Saya as they grapple with their identities as Dreamers, struggle in their relationships with the women who raised them, and discover their roles in the larger story as chaos threatens to destroy both the Dream and the Waking World. Huerta conjures a deep, sensual world in which many cultures share fragments of a larger tradition based on the myths of the Dream and told through Song and story. It is evident through their shared ties to the Dream that Indir and Saya are linked, but the revelation of their true relationship provides the climax, leaving readers hanging on what the symbols and prophecies discovered on their journeys mean for the Waking World. Those who crave intentional worldbuilding and deep knowledge of characters will find that this slow and intimate build leaves them longing for more. Sensual fantasy with a feminine gaze and intimate worldbuilding. (Fantasy. 14-18)" - Kirkus Reviews

"The magical world Huerta has crafted within this novel is punctuated with Indigenous motifs and themes. Ancient Mesoamerican cultures are at the forefront of this novel. Huerta blends both real, Indigenous life practices and rituals alongside the magic and spiritual connections that buoyed these populations..... I highly recommend The Lost Dreamer my myriad reasons: It is beautifully written; it is historically relevant; it is magically captivating." - Cris Rhodes review for Social Justice Books

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 14 to 18.

Additional Information
384 pages | 5.45" x 8.20" | Paperback