Lucha of the Night Forest was well received by critics, including a starred review from Shelf Awareness, whose Samantha Zaboski called the novel "immersive and lush".

[1] Kirkus Reviews called the novel "spellbinding", noting that it "features the author’s hallmark lush prose and rich fantasy trappings as it tells a captivating story in a Latin American–coded world.

While some elements of the worldbuilding could have been more fully fleshed out, this story is inspiring and empowering, existing in the intersections between destiny and choice, history and myth, with strong roots in family bonds as well as a budding queer romance between Lucha and Paz.

"[2] Booklist's Allie Stevens called the novel "thought provoking and immersive", referring to the novel's setting "lushly described, dark, [and] gritty" and the plot "adventurous" and "fast-paced".

"[4] They mentioned that the worldbuilding is limited, and the pacing is uneven, though this is "balanced out by high stakes, a lushly described Latin America–inspired setting teeming with dark atmospherics, and an unforgettable queer romance.