**"Ballard and Dagger"** from the **Riordan Presents** series is a thrilling and culturally rich adventure that captivates from the first page. The story follows Mateo, a young musician, who discovers a hidden world of magic, danger, and his own remarkable heritage. With its vibrant mix of folklore, music, and modern-day New Orleans, this book offers a fresh and engaging take on urban fantasy. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making their journey both exciting and emotionally resonant. The book seamlessly weaves in themes of identity, family, and community, providing a meaningful backdrop to the action-packed plot. I thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

This was another exciting book in the Rick Riordan Presents line. One of the great things about these books is that they each focus in on a culture and while the action and storyline are entertaining, you learn something as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this DRC.
Definitely a different feel than the RRP middle grades, but completely enjoyable. It still has humor but takes you to darker places.

#BalladDagger #NetGalley

This one had me at the edge of my seat. It's about how a pirate island sank after a fight among three entities, or so the legend goes. When it appears the island is beginning to rise, and it's a race to find out the truth of how it sank, to determine whether the rising is the work of good or evil. It was super entertaining and surprised me in a whole lot of ways.
Full review on Youtube

A fine balance between magical realism and urban fantasy, Ballad and Dagger is ideal for readers looking for diverse representation, and colorful, immersive world building. The narration was lyrical and conversational, and it often felt like the main character was talking directly to me.

Another great installment from Rick Riordan Presents! And one of the few YA options. This is distinctly Caribbean and American, dealing with the cultures forged in imperialism in the Caribbean and their eventual exile as the imperial interests changed. This is one of the few books I have seen that really gets at the multiculturalism and coexistence of these various marginalized groups in the Caribbean beginning with imperial conquest. As an American, I can forget this since marginalized groups have often been siloed here.

DNF at 17%. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan Presents books. Interesting world in what I read, but the plot did not hold my attention.

Love Older's books and this one, as a Rick Riordan Presents title, is a great addition to the collection. Happy to now have YA stories for those aging up from Percy Jackson!

This built a little slowly for me, but then once it grabbed me I was in. I loved the mythos, the action, and the real sense of the community. Not sure whether the first half is attention-grabbing enough for the general teen reader? But I'm really excited for the rest of this series.

CW violence, death, murder, caregiver death, stabbing, etc.

Ballad & Dagger is hands down one of the best fantasies I’ve ever read. There’s action, adventure and mystery. It also dives into poignant discussions on colorism, generational trauma, and the damaging legacy of imperialism.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Another great book from one of my favorite authors. Highly recommend to friends and family.

As a huge Percy Jackson fan, I'm always excited for Rick Riordan presents books and this one didn't disappoint.

I really don't know why, but I had such a hard time finishing this book. I don't think it was necessarily bad, in part it might be related to the headspace I was in whenever I tried to read it. I do think the mythology was really unique and interesting, and I definitely think it has a Percy Jackson vibe while being its own very different and unique story, which makes sense given the publisher. For whatever reason, I couldn't connect with the narrator or any of the characters, so for me personally it was tough to get through, but objectively I think if you a fan of that real-world-based fantasy focused on quests and interesting mythology, I still think it's worth giving a chance. I'd definitely be interested in trying it again in the future to see if I'll enjoy it more.

Sixteen years ago, the survivors of San Madrigal Island escaped their sinking land to the borough of Brooklyn... a collection of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews needs to stick together to maintain their powerful community of magic and music and dreams... I was into this book for a good while, and even after DNF-ing it once, I went back and picked it up. But, I didn't feel that the reveals were soon enough to keep my interest. A good premise fell short as I wasn't able to get past the halfway mark.

This was an exciting first YA edition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. It does throw a lot at you at the beginning but once I settled in I enjoyed it. That ending especially! Can’t wait for book two.

The review of Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older is in the September 2022 issue of SFRevu.com and is exclusive to them until October 1st. You may read the review by using this link:
<http://sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=19704>

Daniel Jose Older wove an incredible story of history, tradition and culture in a narrative that was as real as it was fantastical. He brought the culture of San Madrigal to life, gave it a vibrancy that few other authors could master.

Mateo is such a dynamic character, growing from mistakes, painted so realistically. You feel like you know him as well as you do his community.

The plot is fast paced and has moments that confused me but I trusted and went along for the ride and boy did it deliver. I read the last hundred pages in one sitting because I simply had to reach the conclusion. It was incredible. I cannot wait for Outlaw Saints book 2.

Daniel José Older portrays the world as really cool. It's so great that RR presents is bringing in YA authors, I am very excited for what the imprint comes up with next for the YA books and hopefully they will be able to bring in adult books as well in the future. The story did however start off a bit slow. Hence, it was hard for me to get into it and I almost put it down ultimately a couple of times (there were also a lot of instances of political stuff, not sure how I felt about it but it wasn't super fun to read, to be honest). The second part definitely picked up and I was hooked enough to keep going until the end. I am curious as to what the author will do with this story next but not entirely sure if I will continue with the series.

A flavorful, fantastical YA read rich in magic, myth, and folklore. The characters were fun and the writing style was poetic at times. This is the author's best work since the Shadowshaper Cypher series.