I love the Hispanic element to this story, it gives it a tinge of central American magical realism, like "House of Spirits" or "A Hundred Years of Solitude" except for young adults.
@JokerOfClover, YES! From two of my FAVORITE authors ever. You would probably love them. Look up Isabel Allende (Chilean) or Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Mexican). Magical realism is the coolest genre ever. "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Marquez left me absolutely gutted.