Paola Santiago manages to both follow the general pattern of the "Percy Jackson" style books and to do it's own thing. While the plot follows the standard - a quest that takes tweens across the country and into the path of a number of monsters and complications - the character details and their relationships are unique. Mejia keeps the pacing tight but leaves enough room for conversation and reflection.

I received an eARC of this audiobook through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Plot: I enjoyed the second installment to this series. I thought it added an interesting twist to the storyline and explained some of the loose ends that were left in the first book. The characters were more in depth and fleshed out a bit more than in the previous book. While I feel the inclusion of an LGBTQ+ character is important, I also felt the way it was talked about especially in the beginning was odd. It felt a little cold, distant, and more factual than going in to the emotions of it all. It also was kind of used as a way to make the main character feel like they didn't belong in the group because of them being LGBTQ+ and fighting for human rights. I just felt it wasn't a good enough reason/obstacle for the main character Paola to feel like they were left out. It could have been something a little better. Other than that, the story was well written and interesting.

Narrator: I feel like the narrator is really good with keeping a calm and even tone. It was a nice audiobook to fall asleep. I do feel like the narrator could show a bit more emotion. Every time I heard them do a different voice, it felt very similar to their own and also fairly monotone. I just wish it would have been a bit more energetic instead of making the main character constantly sound whinny. After saying all that though, I think they do a decent job of reading the story and clearly communicating to the reader what is going on.

Paola is back and better than ever! Who am I kidding? She was already the best. But she is back in this sequel to Paola Santiago and the River of Tears.

Things haven't been the same since Paola, Emma and Dante came back from defeating La Llorona. Emma found a new group of friends/activists at school to join and make changes in the world. Dante is focused on sports and his own friends. So Paola feels like she's back to just her and Bruto. However, her mom has a new boyfriend and Pao is getting a seriously creepy vibe from him. So when Pao needs to go on another quest, Emma is sitting it out to help cover for Pao and Dante only joins in on the quest after his abuela is sucked into it as well. So they head back to what they know to find out where to go from there to save Dante's abuela who seems to be lost in the dream realm.

Pao must find her father and solve that mystery in order to save Dante's abuela.

Someone will betray her in this one... I do love a good double cross/backstab in a novel. This quest will have you turning pages to find out who betrayed her, who her father is and if Dante's abuela can be saved. Read on!

Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares is a beautifully written high fantasy that has a lot of appeal for middle grade students. Not having read the first in the series, I was not too confused about what was happening throughout the story. There was plenty of explanation regarding some of the more fantastical elements of the story.

Probably the part that I liked the best was the use of Latinx folklore to drive the story forward. The characters are beautifully written and well fleshed out. I was invested in their plight. This was a positive representation of latinx people in the fantasy genre.

The second book in this series moves and flows well. This book models and encourages dialogue about consent, friendship, boundaries, and Queer topics. The characters are well-developed. The plot and action are well paced. It combines a great blend of humor, mystery, adventure, and emotional topics/scenes. I can't wait to suggest this series to my library friends.

Of the Rick Riordan presents, Tehlor Kay Mejia's <i>Paola Santiago</i> series is one of my favorites. Paola is a young girl who is the Dreamer. She sometimes has prophetic dreams that can guide, or hinder her, in events to come. In the previous book, Paola and her friend Dante battled the supernatural to save their missing friend Emma, but since then everything in Paola's world has just been weird. Emma has new friends, Paola's mom is dating again, and Dante has been aloof all summer long. Plus, she's been seeing green, glowing, paper dolls and a creepy forest in her dreams.

When Dante's grandmother collapses and the cause seems to be void related, Paola and Dante must travel to the place where Paola's dreams have been telling her about: somewhere in Southern Oregon, in a dark, mystical forest, where Paola's estranged father is trapped.

Something about Paola's personality speaks to me. While I love reading about the legends and myths in the book, Paola really holds everything together. Her emotions, reactions, judgements, and general curiosity and confusion about life is refreshingly lifelike. I listened to this as an audiobook and that was a delightful experience as well.

4.5/5 stars

Six months after Paola Santiago confronted the legendary La Llorona, life is nothing like she'd expected it to be. She is barely speaking to her best friends, Dante and Emma, and what's worse, her mom has a totally annoying boyfriend. Even with her chupacabra puppy, Bruto, around, Pao can't escape the feeling that she's all alone in the world.

Pao has no one to tell that she's having nightmares again, this time set in a terrifying forest. Even more troubling? At their center is her estranged father, an enigma of a man she barely remembers. And when Dante's abuela falls mysteriously ill, it seems that the dad Pao never knew just might be the key to healing the eccentric old woman.
Paola must face the truth about her past and her family's past of she is to save the world this time, and it might mean losing some friends along the way.
This second instalment of Paola Santiago picks up right where the first book left off. With her new knowledge of the magical realm, it is hard for Paola to just be Paola again. This is a nice starting point, as most stories have kids slide in and out of magical realms like it doesn't phase them at all. This book deals with themes of family, friendship, responsibility, and loss threw the lense of vibrant Mexican-American folklore. I honestly think the sequel is better than the original.

The audio quality of this book was so terrible I was not able to get past the second chapter. My ears were hurting from trying to listen to it.

Great audiobook. I think this narrator reads perfectly for Middle Grade. Her pacing is excellent and she keeps it exciting! Would definitely pick up more audiobooks with this narrator and hope she continues on with this series in particular, or other Rick Riordan Presents titles.

Full Review:

Half a year has passed since Paola Santiago took on the legendary spirit, La Llorona. Since that time, a lot has changed in Pao's life and she wouldn't say for the better. She has grown distant from her two best friends, Emma and Dante. Truth be told, she barely speaks to them anymore. Add to this the fact that her Mom has an annoying new boyfriend practically living at their house. Yeah, not great.

Additionally, Pao's still having nightmares. This time set in a dark, creepy forest where her Dad plays a role as a recurring character. The Dad she really knows nothing about and barely remembers.

When Dante's abuela collapses right in front of Pao, some things she was saying just prior, prompts Pao to believe the two occurrences, her dreams and Dante's abuela's mysterious illness, are connected. Pao also believes that her father may be the key to saving Dante's abeula.

It's a race against time as Pao, begrudingly joined by Dante, hits the road to Oregon to try to track down her Dad. Luckily, the two are able to pair up with their old friend, Ninos leader, Naomi, who contributes quite a bit on their journey. Again the kids must face down incredibly dangerous and frightening supernatural entities on more than one occasion. This book got scary, y'all. I mean it!

Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares is an incredible sequel. I felt like with this novel, even though it is packed full of action, I got to know the characters more. Pao in particular. In the first installment, I felt a bit disconnected from her. There was so much action, it was chaotic and I never felt like I really understood her.

I was so focused on what was going on in the periphery. But with this novel, I feel like learning more about her family, her feelings of loneliness and self doubt, I truly came to care for her. She is such a soft, sweet, yet strong character, who grew by leaps and bounds over the course of this story.

Mejia does a great job of tying creatures of folklore into a modern, compelling tale. It's evident from this book that there is a lot more of Pao's story to tell. I feel like we are just scratching the surface of complications for this spunky girl.

In short, this is a super fun Middle Grade adventure story, perfect for Readers who enjoy a bit of darker, don't turn out the lights, content in their stories! I am greatly looking forward to meeting up with Pao again and going on another adventure.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Books and Rick Riordan Presents, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. As always with books found within the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, this dazzled me with its high-stakes, page-turning content. Well done by Mejia!!

A wonderful follow up to Paola Santiago and the River of Tears! Paola, the fierce, scientist teenager is back on an even more personal adventure just a few short months after the River of Tears. This book is great for kids (or adults) who love a supernatural thriller. Tehlor Kay Mejia is a fantastic storyteller, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! A great addition to the Rick Riordan Presents series.

Really genuinely spooky. Paola's life becomes more complicated as her nightmares escalate. I didn't know what duendecillos were before listening to this book and would love for them to reappear in book 3. Emma and Dante (Paola's best friends) remain one of the strongest elements in this series; both grounding and uprooting Pao simultaneously. Overall I highly recommend this series and even would say that I enjoy it more than City of Ghosts. Frankie Corzo's narration was fantastic like it was in book 1.

Digital audiobook preview copy graciously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 Stars
Honestly, I did not enjoy this story as much as the first book. Despite my personal opinion, Tehlor Kay Mejia has once again captured the awkwardness of middle school life in a way that all middle schoolers can relate to - even those not fighting ghosts in a magical forest.
I was surprised to read the description on the back of the book and see the difficulties in Paola's life just six months after the events of River of Tears. As can happen in middle school, Pao's life has changed drastically. Her two best friends, Dante and Emma, are either avoiding her or hanging out with new friends. Her mom has changed to fit in with her new boyfriend. Paola barely sees Señora Mata any more. She still has so many questions about what happened to her and her friends this summer, but no one to talk to about it. When her nightmares start to blend with real life she knows she has to do something, even if she doesn't have the allies she hoped for.
This book has themes of loss, family, friendship, forgiveness, and emotional challenges. My favorite part of the book was Emma and Pao's relationship. I am so grateful for my "Emma" and am thrilled that there is an example of a friendship that overcomes minor and major events. "The Forest of Nightmares" is full of action and mystery. I can't wait to listen to the third!

I love this series very much and was so happy to get a review copy of the audio thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. The narrator is perfection with the characters in the story.

After the events of last summer, people grow and change and Dante isn't quite the friend he use to be, Paola has drifted apart from Emma, AND her mom has a boyfriend?! This is all too much for Pao! As Dante's grandmother falls into a coma, Paola again comes face to face with the paranormal world that seems to be calling her home to her father. So with an unwilling Dante, she heads off in search of her father. Along the way Pao learns more about her past and her connection to the Void, but will it be enough to save the day in the end?

I thought this book tackled growing pains very well, both the good and bad side of it and how we can work to fix things. It also gave the harsh reality that some things can't be fixed...I appreciate Tehlor Kay Mejia taking that on and doing a good job with it. I also like that Emma has taken on a role of super ally and support to a whole new level and rocks it.

I am very excitedly awaiting book three and don't want to wait till 2022!