The History Makers solely through the lens of young, young-adult books, then I say this is a 4-Star story. It tosses out quite a bit surrounding plausibility, alternate-reality, and other elements; concentrating on high-school aged kids as they tackle the societal injustices in which they live.
At its core, this book is a scream for equality, or at least the opportunity for success. In this story, the Aztec way of life is a caste system of the elite and the 'Unders'. However, it adds a cruel layer to this model - namely that the religion fueling this divide is a complete farce, and the Unders pay the ultimate price. They, one a day - once a day, are murdered to appease the deity that allows the Sun to rise.
So, from this particular vantage point, the story provides an catalyst for kids to begin to understand the corruption of power.
Now, I'm not a young, young adult and read plenty. From my perspective, there isn't anything new to devour. You have the have/nots, teen rebellion, and need for reformation. It flows fine, but there isn't much to grab hold. I didn't care about the characters and assumed, rightly so, how the story would end.
3 of 5 Stars - ARC provided.
From the Publisher:
By the time Spanish explorers reached the Americas, the Aztec Empire was one of the greatest in the world. The ancient priests would slaughter sacrifices, sometimes by the thousands, all under the claim that their gods needed blood to make the sun rise every day. What would have happened had this empire prevailed over the Spanish and survived to this day?
How would its bloodthirsty theocracy fit in with our world? Myla is an upper-class teenager in modern-day Azteca, partying her days away with her friends and the man who has claimed her as his wife. On her seventeenth birthday, she is finally “enlightened” and told the truth: that the Priesthood is lying to everyone. Then, in an intriguing twist of fate, she finds herself in the hands of Azteca’s rebels and their leader, Tezca.
Myla must now sort through all the lies she has been told her whole life and confront old secrets buried deep. Can she trust these people? Are they terrorists or revolutionaries? And will she join them to dismantle the theocracy and its lies?