Book Review | Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera

Source: preordered purchase. This is a review of my reading experience.

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is a debut middle grade fantasy/horror novel by Kaela Rivera.

Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime.

When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey.

With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.

I fell in love with Cece Rios right away. We quickly learn about Cece, her town, the local criaturas, her family, the folklore... we learn so many things right off the bat, and I was pulled right into Cece's story. I was so invested in her future and her familia.

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is filled with Mexican folklore. You will likely recognize the names of the criaturas that were inspired by legends such as La Llorona, El Cucuy, El Chupacabra, While Kaela Rivera doesn't provide much information on the legends of the criaturas, it's not necessary to know the folklore in order to understand Cece's story.

I adored Cece's character and the unlikely friendships she made in this book. Cece shows the reader how patience, kindness, and showing love to others are qualities that make you strong. It's not always physical strength or fury that makes you strong.

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is the first book in a planned series. This book can certainly stand on its own, but there's a lot I'm looking forward to (hopefully) getting to see in the rest of the series (like darker settings and specific characters we didn't get to meet).

If you are a fan of the Rick Riordan Presents books (especially Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia), I think you'll love Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★
4/5 stars

Content warnings: kidnapping, parental abuse, alcoholism

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Book Review | The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

The Girl and the Ghost is a middle grade horror novel by Hanna Alkaf.

I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.

Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable.

But Suraya doesn’t know that pelesits have a dark side—and when Pink’s shadows threaten to consume them both, they must find enough light to survive . . . before they are both lost to the darkness.

I started researching Hanna Alkaf's previous works immediately after beginning The Girl and the Ghost. I knew right away I would need more from her!

The Girl and the Ghost is so dark, and the writing is so gorgeous. This book has everything I want in a middle grade novel. I loved the friendships, and this book tore at my heart so many times.

The horror in this book was scary and downright disturbing. The origin story of the ghost might actually dethrone Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter as the scariest middle grade content I've ever read.

I'm adding The Girl and the Ghost to my growing list of spooky MG books that I highly recommend. I hope we get more from Hanna Alkaf in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
4.5/5 stars

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Book Review | Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Rebecca is a gothic classic by Daphne du Maurier.

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

I read Rebecca last year as part of the first Ladies of Horror Fiction readalong. It was so good and so fun to read it along with the community. I joined a brand new (in person) book club a couple of months ago, and the first book they voted on to read last month was Rebecca! I'm taking that as a very good sign.

It was really great to revisit Rebecca all over again (even though it had only been a year!) I really love Daphne du Maurier's writing. I enjoyed the characters even more this time around since I already knew who was a nitwit and what decisions everyone would make. Their transformations were easier to see this time around, and I just really enjoyed it.

Rebecca is a beautiful book. There's mystery and suspense and surprises, and I highly recommend it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman | Storybook Sunday

What a weird little book.

Book Description

What if you wanted your best friend's two goldfish so much that you'd swap anything for them, even your father?

What if your mother came home and found out what you'd done?

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is a hilarious adventure and was the first book for younger readers from the acclaimed author and illustrator of the New York Times best-sellers The Wolves in the Walls and Coraline. Chosen as one of Newsweek magazine's Best Children's Books of the Year, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is beloved by readers of all ages. This new edition features brand-new jacket art and an afterword by the author on the origins of this unique and wonderfully funny story.

Review

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is Neil Gaiman's first children's book. The main character and his little sister are playing out in the yard when a friend arrives with a goldfish bowl. Inside the bowl are too very gold goldfish. "I'll swap you for them," says the MC. He names a list of things he can swap before he has a big idea to swap his dad.

"I'll swap you my dad," I said.
"Oh-oh," said my little sister.

It's a great swap until his mom comes home. Whoops. The MC has to trade the goldfish back for his dad, but he finds out his dad has been traded again and again amongst the children.

It's a cute story, but it's kind of strange. The dad just gets passed from kid to kid. On one hand, I see the correlation to dads who sit at home and read the paper without paying much attention to the family, but there was no real need to have the dad back other than to please the mom so she would feed them their dinner. I've never been of the mind set that children's books need to teach values, but a piece of that was missing here for me even though it was told through the perspective of a child.

That being said, there was plenty to make me smile, especially the very end. I grew a little tired of all the items that were traded for their dad, but the ending was cute. This is a good book to keep an eye out for at the library.

6/10: Good Read

Book Review | The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

The Lorien Legacies series from "Pittacus Lore" is one of my favorite book series. It's a lot of fun with a lot of action, and there is an awesome dog character in it to boot. The Rise of Nine is the third book in Lorien Legacies series.

I loved the first two books - I Am Number Four and The Power of Six - hard core. The Rise of Nine, however, I didn't like near as much. Don't get me wrong, if you read and loved the first two, I highly recommend you read The Rise of Nine as well.

My main complaint is I didn't feel like I got a complete story. The Rise of Nine reads very much like a middle of the series book. It is a middle of the series book, but I firmly believe you should be able to walk into a library, pluck any book off the shelf, and get a complete story whether it is part of a series or just a stand alone novel. A random reader wouldn't understand anything that is happening in The Rise of Nine without having read the first two and the ending was less than a satisfying ending (whether you've read the series or not).

I also had some issues with the characters. The characters in the previous books were all very likeable. In The Rise of Nine, the characters we already know are split up and are never given the same chance to shine as in the previous books. We are now getting to know new characters who just aren't as likeable as the original cast. I also require a much larger dose of Bernie Kosar, the aforementioned awesome dog.

I'm griping about this book a lot more than I would like to be because I'm still a huge fan of this series. The Rise of Nine gave me more of the super power coolness and good guy vs bad guy action I have grown to really love. Even though I didn't love it as much as the previous releases, I'm just as anxious for the next book as I was for this one. I'm also anxious for my boys to be old enough to read or be read this series. I know they are going to dig it just as much as I do.

Despite the flaws in The Rise of Nine, I highly recommend the Lorien Legacies series as a whole.

6/10: Good read

Have you read any of the Lorien Legacies series? I'm curious if anyone has read the Lorien Legacies Lost Files that have been released between books? I got the first one and still have not read it. I'd love to hear what you think of those.

Book Review: Ghosts by Gaslight edited by Jack Danin and Nick Gevers

Ghosts by Gaslight is an anthology of steampunk and supernatural suspense edited by Jack Danin and Nick Gevers.

Book Description

Seventeen all-new stories illuminate the steampunk world of fog and fear!

Modern masters of the supernatural weave their magic to revitalize the chilling Victorian and Edwardian ghostly tale: here are haunted houses, arcane inventions, spirits reaching across the centuries, ghosts in the machine, fateful revelations, gaslit streets scarcely keeping the dark at bay, and other twisted variations on the immortal classics that frighten us still.

I've been reading stories from Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense all month, and it is such a gorgeous book. I'm a huge fan of anthologies, especially in October, and there is a certain literary beauty to the Victorian tales in Ghosts by Gaslight.

While every story in Ghosts by Gaslight is supernatural in nature, the steampunk element is subtlety interlaced throughout the anthology. This was perfect for me since I just started getting acquainted with the steampunk genre this past year.

If you love Victorian style ghost stories, Lovecraftian tales, and an eerie side to your steampunk, you are sure to appreciate Ghosts by Gaslight. It's an anthology that will go in my permanent collection.

7/10: Recommended Read

Review copy provided by publisher