I cannot begin to describe how amazing and dare I say cute this middle grade novel is! I would suggest those who are in higher level middle school to read this novel! While I do not want to spoil anything, let me just say! If you love fantasy, adventures and strong heroins then you will be obsessed with this sequel!

In this follow up to Maya and the Rising, Maya and her friends are back to doing what they do best, rebelling against they’re elders and getting things done. After facing The Lord of the Dark and rescuing Maya’s dad, the godlings are finding their problems are far from over. Tears in the veils are rapidly multiply and new godlings are awakening in the neighborhood, bringing more people into their once exclusive world. As new challenges arise and the OGs, Original Godlings, prepare to reenter The Dark, Maya and her friends are learning to push their powers and trust in allies from unexpected place.

I love this series, this heroine, and her whole community so much! One detail that's particularly fun for me on a personal level is that it's set in Chicago (a city I've spent time in at lots of points across my life), so I love getting to recognize so many fun details in the scenes set on Earth. (Even Sue the T-Rex in the Field Museum gets to have a turn in this story!) Even if I'd never visited Chicago myself, though, I would have loved how fantastically vivid the setting is, and the series is chock-full of wonderful characters I care about. She's very much part of a team in this series, and I adored her two best friends, Frankie and Eli, even more in this second adventure - but I also love their whole wider community, full of people who all feel important and real in a fantastically quirky way. There's so much great humor along with fabulous magic, action, heartwrenching stakes and exciting adventure.

The individual story in this book had a really satisfying ending, and I enjoyed every single moment along the way - but it also felt very much (in a good way) like the second book in a trilogy, setting up a REALLY epic showdown in the final book. I can't wait to read it! But I'll enjoy re-reading the first two books in this series just for fun again in the meantime.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Maya the the Return of the Godlings. This book did not disappoint! Maya and her friends are once again thrust into the world of the Dark and this time we get to see more of it. I loved being able to see what the everyday darkbringers were like and what their world looked like. This book had wonderful character development, as always!, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Will Maya and her friends defeat the Lord of Shadows once and for all??? I cannot wait to find out!

A good second novel that continues the story on. I did not find it as good as the first novel but I look forward to the conclusion and I'm sure that what has happened in this book will be important.

Picks up immediately after book 1. Fun. Fast paced. Leaves door wide open for a third book. Some readers may feel like this is mostly a set up for a third and that’s a valid point. The big conflict seems to be less emphasized as you get into the book. Still super fun MG pick!

So good! Maya’s father discovers that the Lord of Shadows has his soul. He’s wasting away without it, and the veil is failing. To save her father, Maya, along with Frankie and Eli, return to the Dark to try to find and rescue his soul. Action, adventure, family, and friendship abound!

This sequel to Maya and the Rising Dark was equally unputdownable. Without giving anything away, I appreciate the nod to the diverse physical and emotional changes that teens go through. Readers can dive into the story even if they haven't read the first in the series -- it's compelling enough as a stand-alone book.