Burn Down, Rise Up follows a sixteen-year-old's journey through the Echo game, which takes place in the Bronx's subways.

I enjoyed the setting of the Bronx — the history explored was extremely interesting and was about a time I don't know much about. The culture was also really enlightening — I loved the main character, Raquel's voice. You could really see the author's passion for the setting of the story, and it read like a love letter to the Bronx, which I really adored.

Despite this, there were some problems with this book I couldn't overlook when rating it. Character decisions weren't based on much evidence and did things without reason. This made me a little frustrated while I read because characters either did things from convenience to the plot or to add more tension between characters (again to add to the plot) but there was no reason for some of these actions to occur. Though I enjoyed the Bronx setting, when it came to the Echo game, I felt the world-building was a little under-developed.

However one thing that shone in this book was the family relationships. The way they were developed and explored really made me smile. I did think, though, that the sapphic romance could have been improved -- I wanted more of it!

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast-paced read that will delight younger queer readers. If I were to suggest anything to be improved, I would ask for the world-building of the Echo game to be a little clearer, and to add a little more reasoning behind character's actions.

Burn Down, Rise Up is such a fantastic YA novel. It's based out of the Bronx, and I loved the immersion of what makes the Bronx THE BRONX for people that are not from New York, it mentions the historical past, and present, the different religions, and how true we hold the cultures and our beliefs to our heart. It's a true prideful moment for teens living in the Bronx, they are seen in this book. I think they will be very proud of Vincent Tirado and their story. Burn Down, Rise Up is a page-turner, I could not put it down. The LGBTQIA+ relationship that evolves I believe it is very realistic on how coming to accept one's identity can play out, and in this situation (I don't want to give anything away) but there's a bit of turmoil but it blossoms and everything comes back full circle. The voice and power that it gives with the message of community and that speaks volumes to a variety of current social issues. They are a wonderful author that I hope to be able to read more from, this spoke to my heart.

This was quite enjoyable!

Burn Down, Rise Up follows sixteen-year-old Raquel who, after her mother comes down with a mysterious illness the same night her friend disappears, embarks on a journey through the New York subway system to uncover what dark forces are lurking underneath the city.

By far my favourite part of this book was the way the Bronx was such an integral part of it. The parts of the Bronx' history that were explored in the world-building of the Echo game as well as in the normal lives of the characters were really enlightening and made me want to learn more about the horrible injustices that occurred. The way the Bronx is described through Raquel's perspective also made it really clear that it's a place the author really cares about, which I appreciated.

Despite this, I felt that some of the other world-building aspects of the Echo were a bit underdeveloped and I found myself feeling a bit confused whenever new things showed up throughout the book. The Echo game as a whole also didn't entirely make sense to me, and I feel like it would have made more sense if it was only in the Bronx or New York. But that might just be me being dumb.

There also seemed to be quite a few moments where the characters 'didn't know why they were doing a certain thing but knew it was what they had to do' which I found kind of frustrating. While the characters didn't particularly stand out to me, I really enjoyed the way their relationships, especially the familial ones, were explored in this book. The sapphic romance was a delight as well.

Overall, Burn Down, Rise Up was a solid read that I breezed through (coincidentally, on the train during my commute) and would recommend to anyone looking for a fast-paced creepy story that also explores histories that are often glossed over.

This is a fantastic story for younger YA readers and late middle grades. It has a fantastic diverse cast of characters, including some delightfully charming young queer rep! I highly recommend it as a night time read, snuggled under the covers so none of the Passengers can drag you into the Echo while you sleep. I love that the main character also reads as Neurodivergent (to me anyway!) and I really connected with them. I’m all about stories that include alternate reality, and this certainly hits the spot on that. Love the world building, the mystery, the cultural influence of Afro-Latinx fusion, and the messages about found family, community, and empathy. It is well detailed and intriguing! Looking forward to more stories by this author, and happy to be able to get a first look at this.

Perfect for fans of mysteries, retro sci-fi, and light horror.