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popthebutterfly 's review for:
The Castle of Bones
by Ryan Calejo
Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher! Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Author: Ryan Calejo
Book Series: Book Two of the Charlie Hernandez series
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Aladdin
Recommended Age: 10+ (little blood, some scary moments)
Synopsis: Inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America, this bold sequel to Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows, which Booklist called “a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan” in a starred review, follows Charlie as he continues on his quest to embrace his morphling identity.
Charlie Hernandez still likes to think of himself as a normal kid. But what’s normal about being a demon-slaying preteen with an encyclopedic knowledge of Hispanic and Latino mythology who can partially manifest nearly any animal trait found in nature? Well, not much. But, Charlie believes he can get used to this new “normal,” because being able to sprout wings or morph fins is pretty cool.
But there is a downside: it means having to constantly watch his back for La Mano Peluda’s sinister schemes. And when the leader of La Liga, the Witch Queen Jo herself, is suddenly kidnapped, Charlie’s sure they’re at it again.
Determined to save the queen and keep La Liga’s alliances intact, Charlie and his good friend Violet Rey embark on a perilous journey to track down her captors. As Charlie and Violet are drawn deeper into a world of monstruos and magia they are soon left with more questions than answers—like, why do they keep hearing rumors of dead men walking, and why is Charlie suddenly having visions of an ancient evil: a necromancer priest who’s been dead for more than five centuries?
Charlie’s abuela once told him that when dead men walk, the living run in fear. And Charlie’s about to learn the truth of that—the hard way.
Review: I really really enjoyed this one! It was full of mystery and intrigue. The book was excellently written and the characters were very well developed. The plot was intriguing from start to finish and overall a greatly enjoyable read.
My only concern is that the length of the book is quite long for a middle grade book (not needlessly long, all of it was required for the plot), and the pacing can be slow at times. The fighting scenes are also a bit chaotic and a little hard to follow as well.
Verdict: I definitely recommend this one!
Author: Ryan Calejo
Book Series: Book Two of the Charlie Hernandez series
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Aladdin
Recommended Age: 10+ (little blood, some scary moments)
Synopsis: Inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America, this bold sequel to Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows, which Booklist called “a perfect pick for kids who love Rick Riordan” in a starred review, follows Charlie as he continues on his quest to embrace his morphling identity.
Charlie Hernandez still likes to think of himself as a normal kid. But what’s normal about being a demon-slaying preteen with an encyclopedic knowledge of Hispanic and Latino mythology who can partially manifest nearly any animal trait found in nature? Well, not much. But, Charlie believes he can get used to this new “normal,” because being able to sprout wings or morph fins is pretty cool.
But there is a downside: it means having to constantly watch his back for La Mano Peluda’s sinister schemes. And when the leader of La Liga, the Witch Queen Jo herself, is suddenly kidnapped, Charlie’s sure they’re at it again.
Determined to save the queen and keep La Liga’s alliances intact, Charlie and his good friend Violet Rey embark on a perilous journey to track down her captors. As Charlie and Violet are drawn deeper into a world of monstruos and magia they are soon left with more questions than answers—like, why do they keep hearing rumors of dead men walking, and why is Charlie suddenly having visions of an ancient evil: a necromancer priest who’s been dead for more than five centuries?
Charlie’s abuela once told him that when dead men walk, the living run in fear. And Charlie’s about to learn the truth of that—the hard way.
Review: I really really enjoyed this one! It was full of mystery and intrigue. The book was excellently written and the characters were very well developed. The plot was intriguing from start to finish and overall a greatly enjoyable read.
My only concern is that the length of the book is quite long for a middle grade book (not needlessly long, all of it was required for the plot), and the pacing can be slow at times. The fighting scenes are also a bit chaotic and a little hard to follow as well.
Verdict: I definitely recommend this one!