Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

 

Bookcover Source: Novelist Plus database

Author: Kaela Rivera

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Annotation:

Brujeria is a serious crime in the town of Tierra del Sol. The brujas capture and control criaturas - those power spirits roaming the desert and threatening humankind.

But Cecelia Rios is determined to risk it and becomes a bruja. She needed to do that in order to bring back her older sister Juana, who's been kidnapped by a dark criatura El Sombrerón. Although she is against all the odds, luckily, a legendary criatura Coyote is willing to help her. Together they set out on a journey to reunite Cecelia's family.

This book was first published in April 2021. Goodreads gives an overall 4.46/5 rating. There are 352 pages of this book. 

Suraya Jairam, Queens P.L., Hollis, NY commented in the School Library Journal that "courage, determination, and unwavering love are the foundation of this debut". Ryan Calejo, the author of the Charlie Hernández series, referred to this book as "a beautifully written fantasy story with tons of heart”. 

According to Amazon, Kaela Rivera has an English degree from BYU-I as an editor for a marketing company. She believes in the folktales of her Mexican-American and British parents, and her biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences - and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.

Keywords: Adventure, Friendship, Siblings, Courageous, Quest, Survival