Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera

Cece Rios #1

Middle Grade Fantasy – 349 pgs. – April13, 2021

Source: Edelweiss

I was given a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Summary: 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 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 Sombrer n, 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.

My Thoughts:

This is an old Edelweiss ARC that I had yet to pick up. When I saw the audio available on Libby, I decided to give its try. On the one hand this is your typical middle grade fantasy when the main character stands out and discovers/has magical powers. But on the other hand to has depth to it that was unexpected. Things are not perfect for Cece and that’s putting it kindly. Not only has she become a pariah in her own town, her parents don’t really like her. The only one who is remotely in her corner is her sister. Even then, her sister wants her to be more like them and not herself. When her sister is taken, Cece’s journey begins. And it’s not so much to discover who she is, but more to embrace herself- flaws, differences and all. She makes friends and allies in the unlikeliest of ways, And they are quite the characters. While the initial problem was resolved, and Cece came into her own, this is the first in a series.

My favorite part about this story is how the unlikely allies become a team. They risk a lot for each other, but they are not willing to sacrifice each other. Even when it is the easier of the choices. I also felt bad for Cece because the ones who are supposed to support you and love you no matter what are the ones who hurt her the most. And still she did everything she could to get them back together. Cece was quite a character, and while she struggled she stuck to her morals even when it would have been easier -and reasonable- not to. Which gives her maturity beyond her years. I am not sure how many more books in the series there will be, it may just be a trilogy. If so, all books are out and available.

Always Shine!!!