Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

by Kaela Rivera

Overview

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 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062947574
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Series:	Cece Rios , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	959 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kaela Rivera was raised to believe in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even scary stories couldn’t stop her from reading in the isolated treetops, caves, and creeks of Tennessee’s Appalachian forests.

She still believes in the folktales of her Mexican-American and British parents, but now she writes about them from the adventure-filled mountains of the Wild West. When she’s not crafting stories, she’s using her English degree from BYU-I as an editor for a marketing company (or secretly doodling her characters in the margins of her notebook).

Her biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences—and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/22/2021

Pretending to be an apprentice bruja, an unassuming preteen enters a dangerous competition to rescue her 15-year-old sister from monstrous forces in this mesmerizing middle grade fantasy. In Tierra del Sol, an isolated town plagued by magical criaturas that roam the surrounding desert, 12-year-old Cece Rios lives as “a shadow cast from the light of other people’s fires.” While her older sister Juana wields fire opal in rituals to protect the town and burns “bright like the Sun,” everyone believes a childhood encounter with a criatura cursed Cece with a soul like water—and left her “the weakest person in the village.” But when a “powerful dark criatura” known as “El Sombrerón, the Bride Stealer” snatches Juana right before her eyes, Cece must tap into her inner strength and enter a world of battles and brujas to get her sister back. With excellent pacing and rich world-building, debut author Rivera flawlessly immerses readers in the landscape of Tierra del Sol and Cece’s journey (“The town lights grew brighter, each building like a lantern warming the edges of the desert”). An enthralling, finely crafted read. Includes a glossary of Spanish words with limited pronunciations. Ages 8–12. Agent: Serene Hakim, Ayesha Pande Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Rivera’s spellbinding debut feels incredibly fresh. Enchanted readers will hope for more from Cece and her extraordinary, magical world." — Booklist (starred review)

"Mesmerizing... With excellent pacing and rich world-building, debut author Rivera flawlessly immerses readers in the landscape of Tierra del Sol and Cece’s journey." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Intertwined with rich Mexican folklore and culturally infused language, this is a brilliantly unveiled coming-of-age story not for the faint of heart.... Courage, determination, and unwavering love are the foundation of this debut." — School Library Journal

"...Packed with magic, adventure, friendship, and Latinx-inspired mythology... [Readers] will delight in exploring Cece’s world." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Rich world-building and enticing characterization strike hope for a sequel about the dauntless Cece." — Horn Book Magazine

"With distinct voices for the human and supernatural characters, Guerra’s narration enhances the magical realism of the mythological fantasy. Listeners will be cheering for the endearing heroine to prove herself and rescue her sister." — Booklist

"Glorious world-building, pitch-perfect narration, and stellar storytelling." — Sean T, Audible.com editor

"An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic."
—   ­J.C. Cervantes, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Storm Runner series 

"Flush with incredible worldbuilding, mucho español throughout, and an unforgettable cast, this book reminds us that our greatest strengths can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places." — Pablo Cartaya, award-winning author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora   

"Pokemon meets Coco in a spirited and moving adventure, at once familiar and tantalizingly strange, peopled by beautifully crafted and vivid characters." — David Bowles, award-winning author of They Call Me Güero

“A new Narnia full of desert heat and danger, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls mixes familiar myth, inventive magic, and vivid characters to capture readers.”  — Anna Meriano, author of the Love Sugar Magic series

“A beautifully written fantasy story with tons of heart!” — Ryan Calejo, author of the Charlie Hernández series

From the Publisher

"Rivera’s spellbinding debut feels incredibly fresh. Enchanted readers will hope for more from Cece and her extraordinary, magical world."

Booklist (starred review)

"An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic."

­J.C. Cervantes

"Flush with incredible worldbuilding, mucho español throughout, and an unforgettable cast, this book reminds us that our greatest strengths can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places."

Pablo Cartaya

"With distinct voices for the human and supernatural characters, Guerra’s narration enhances the magical realism of the mythological fantasy. Listeners will be cheering for the endearing heroine to prove herself and rescue her sister."

Booklist

"Glorious world-building, pitch-perfect narration, and stellar storytelling."

Sean T

"...Packed with magic, adventure, friendship, and Latinx-inspired mythology... [Readers] will delight in exploring Cece’s world."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Rich world-building and enticing characterization strike hope for a sequel about the dauntless Cece."

Horn Book Magazine

"Pokemon meets Coco in a spirited and moving adventure, at once familiar and tantalizingly strange, peopled by beautifully crafted and vivid characters."

David Bowles

"With distinct voices for the human and supernatural characters, Guerra’s narration enhances the magical realism of the mythological fantasy. Listeners will be cheering for the endearing heroine to prove herself and rescue her sister."

Booklist

A new Narnia full of desert heat and danger, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls mixes familiar myth, inventive magic, and vivid characters to capture readers.” 

Anna Meriano

"An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic."

  ­J.C. Cervantes

A beautifully written fantasy story with tons of heart!

Ryan Calejo

"An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic."

­J.C. Cervantes

"...Packed with magic, adventure, friendship, and Latinx-inspired mythology... [Readers] will delight in exploring Cece’s world."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic."

  ­J.C. Cervantes

03/01/2021

Gr 5 Up—Cecelia Rios does the unthinkable by freeing a dark criatura from the grips of her village. Criaturas have long plagued the residents of the Tierra del Sol desert. Forewarned by her Mama, Cece knows that criaturas were creatures born from the dust and the words of the Great Namer, which aim to harm humans. Shadowed by betrayal and shame, Cece deems herself weak, believing the town whispers that water smothered her inner fire. But when her sister Juana is kidnapped by the criatura, El Sombreron, Cece grapples with a decision that rivals her Mama's beliefs. Her powerful choice unearths secrets of her family's past and leads Cece down a forbidden path. Confronted with her fears, Cece forms unexpected alliances while battling a foe unlike any criatura: herself. Set against the Tierra del Sol backdrop, intertwined with rich Mexican folklore and culturally infused language, this is a brilliantly unveiled coming-of-age story not for the faint of heart. Rivera cultivates a valiant heroine unafraid to follow her heart and stand against the norm. With a captivating story line and adversaries lurking between the pages, readers will remain engrossed as fantasy mingles with the real world. The engaging plot unravels with twists and turns, keeping readers on edge even after Cece's revelation. VERDICT Courage, determination, and unwavering love are the foundation of this debut; a much-needed addition to public and school libraries.—Suraya Jairam, Queens P.L., Hollis, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2021-02-09
A tween dabbles in dark magic, hoping to do one good deed.

In Tierra del Sol, criaturas are feared and reviled. Some are dark spirits while others, relatively harmless, shape-shift into animals. At 7, Cece wanders too far into the desert and encounters the Criatura of Stars and Devouring, Tzizimitl, who turns out to be more kindly old woman than scary beast. She walks Cece home only to be met with angry, murderous townsfolk. Before Tzizimitl flees, freed by Cece, she observes that Cece has a soul like water—perhaps not what you want as Sun god descendants. Now 12, Cece encounters the Bride Stealer El Sombrerón, another criatura, whose magic guitar bewitches young women. Before Cece can stop him from playing, her sister, Juana, is entranced by his song and kidnapped. Her family mourns, but Cece is determined to get Juana back—but she’ll have to enter the Bruja Fights for aspiring dark witches to get into Devil’s Alley, where El Sombrerón lives. There’s the small problem of her not wanting to actually be a dark witch, but she’ll just fake it and no one will be the wiser, right? Set in a fantasy world filled with figures from Aztec mythology, this culturally rich adventure weaves Spanish and Nahuatl throughout the text. With strong ties to Mesoamerican lore and culture, the story hits the sweet spot between dark and light.

Lively, endearing, and full of character. (glossary) (Fantasy. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews