Why read Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls?

Book cover of Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

Book description

When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Storm Runner and Aru Shah and the End of Time.

Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is…

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Mexico

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Juliana Brandt

Author

When Cece’s older sister is kidnapped by a powerful, dark criatura, she must travel into Devil’s Alley and become a bruja to save her. To me, what makes this book special is Cece’s big, all-encompassing heart. She loves deeply and while it’s her heart that gets her into trouble, but it’s also what ultimately saves her. This was an incredibly meaningful theme to read into a book! I highly recommend this book as an escape; step into Cece’s life to glimpse the shadowy magic of the criaturas and also to experience the deeply moving love in her world.

From Juliana's list on The best middle grade fantasy novels to escape into when life is overwhelming.

Ben Gartner

Author

I think of this book like I do the stories that tell of how the constellations were born. That is, it is epic legendary, and mythical, with a focus on Mexican and Mesoamerican lore.

Cece Rios has heart—she’s trying to save her sister, after all—and strength of character, and she’s extremely brave to go willingly to the creature fights to stake her own creature against the might of the fantastical beasts pitted against one another. But she has to do it if she’s to win a chance at freeing her sister from El Sombrerón.

With a sequel in…

From Ben's list on The best new action-packed middle grade books with heart.