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Labyrinth Lost: Chapters 1–6

Alex hates being a bruja, a witch — but when her family disappears, she must embrace her powers in order to save them.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–22, Chapters 23–33, Chapter 34–Epilogue
40 words 208 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. brackish
    slightly salty
    Mom’s Circle usually brought cellophane-wrapped dishes and jars of dirt and tubs of brackish water that made the Hudson River look clean.
  2. mortician
    one whose business is the management of funerals
    Not even the morticians, the Magos de Muerte, could fix her once-lovely face.
  3. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    Raspy voices called out to our gods, the Deos, asking for blessings beyond the veil of our worlds.
  4. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    Her body jerked upward. Her black hair pooled in the air like she was suspended in water. There was still dirt on her skin. The white skirt we buried her in billowed around her slender legs.
  5. canto
    a major division of a long poem
    Black smoke slithered out of her open mouth. It weaved in and out of the circle—one loop over, under, two loops over, under. It tugged Aunt Rosaria higher and higher, matching the rhythm of the canto.
  6. purge
    rid of impurities
    Her body purged black smoke, lowering her back to the ground.
  7. unwavering
    marked by firm determination or resolution
    It’s almost impossible to lie to Rose. Not just because of her gifts, but also because she speaks with a quiet steel and those big, unwavering, brown eyes.
  8. ambrosia
    the food and drink of the gods
    “We have to make the ambrosia before we leave for school. You also might want to clean your altar before the canto tonight.”
  9. votive
    dedicated in fulfillment of a vow
    There’s a cereal bowl and spoon on the drying rack and a green votive candle next to my mom’s favorite good luck rooster.
  10. consecrated
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    Do their condiment shelves share space with jars of consecrated cemetery dirt and blue chicken feet?
  11. ward off
    repel or turn away
    Do they keep the index finger bones of their ancestors in red velvet pouches to ward off thieves?
  12. taper
    stick of wax with a wick in the middle
    She takes a white taper candle and a peacock feather.
  13. incentive
    a positive motivational influence
    Ambrosia is the food of the Deos, and Lula seems to think it’ll be a nice incentive to get them to give us answers. I doubt the gods are interested in bribes made of sugar, but she’ll try anything.
  14. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
    It’s easy for Lula to talk about power. She sees magic as something to be revered.
  15. rosary
    a series of prayers counted using a string of beads
    I put the picture back in place beside my turquoise prex—a bruja’s rosary—and a candle that’s been burned to a tiny stub and not replaced for months.
  16. smirk
    a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure
    She walks with her head tilted to the sky, and a knowing smirk on her face because she can feel heads turning.
  17. fawn
    try to gain favor through flattery or deferential behavior
    Lula fawns over him—his dark hair, his new shirt, the irreverent shape of his earlobes.
  18. unyielding
    resistant to physical force or pressure
    I hate the recoil, the unyielding give-and-take of the universe. My sister can heal, but it comes at a price.
  19. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    When I was a kid, my mom used to put good luck charms in my backpack without telling me, so they’d fall out at school and scare the other kids. No one likes a real rabbit’s paw strung with smelly incense pouches and seashells that jingle with every step.
  20. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    Instead, I’m the girl with a jar of sugar and an impending magic spell waiting for her at sunset.
  21. throng
    a large gathering of people
    The last thing I heard before I took off was Rishi and Lula looking for me in the throng of students.
  22. wallow
    devote oneself entirely to something
    She lets me wallow in my guilty silence.
  23. pallor
    an unnatural lack of color in the skin
    Then I look at myself in the mirror on the kitchen wall: tangled, sweaty hair; bags from sleepless nights under my big, brown eyes; the sickly green pallor to my tan skin.
  24. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    “You conjured, Ale! I mean, he’ll probably have nightmares for a few nights, but the snake disappeared when you did. What did he do to you?”
  25. benevolent
    intending or showing kindness
    Everyone has a theory of why Patricio Mortiz, benevolent brujo and loving family man, disappeared without a trace.
  26. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    It was an accident. Back then, I repeated that like a mantra.
  27. recoil
    a movement back from an impact
    My body shook with recoil. My veins buzzed with freed magic.
  28. precarious
    not secure; beset with difficulties
    Mountains of books balance in precarious stacks, because Deos forbid you need the book all the way at the bottom.
  29. volition
    the capability of conscious choice and decision
    Rose picks up a jar of human eyes, each one with a different color iris. A blue one moves around of its own volition.
  30. fringe
    an ornamental border of short lengths of hanging threads
    The fringe on her clothes bounces when she waves.
  31. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    Lady has always been an enigma to the younger generation of brujas.
  32. beeline
    the most direct route
    I try to blend into the corner of dusty books, but when I don’t move, Lady makes a beeline for me.
  33. armoire
    a large wardrobe or cabinet
    I take a step back, knocking against an armoire.
  34. crescent
    a curved shape tapers at the ends
    The sun is crowned by the sideways crescent of the moon.
  35. cardinal
    serving as an essential component
    He’s got three more matching nicks, one on each cheek and the last on his chin, like the cardinal points of a compass.
  36. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    His smile falters, but not for long.
  37. appraisal
    the classification of something with respect to its worth
    His eyes brighten with surprise, then appraisal.
  38. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    He chuckles, and it makes his face look softer. “That’s a little morbid, even for me.”
  39. clavicle
    bone linking the scapula and sternum
    His blue-green eyes flick from my lips to my clavicle.
  40. quell
    overcome or allay
    My magic swirls at the base of my stomach and I yell at myself internally to quell it.
Created on Wed Sep 04 15:51:45 EDT 2019 (updated Fri Sep 13 13:22:34 EDT 2019)

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