*The Spirit Glass* by Roshani Chokshi is a mesmerizing and atmospheric tale that weaves together mysticism and adventure with Chokshi's signature lyrical prose. The story’s rich world-building and intriguing characters make it a captivating read, drawing readers into a hauntingly beautiful world where every page brims with enchantment.

The Spirit Glass has proven to be a fantastic hit with our summer reading program teens! Many of our older youth are looking for exciting fantasy based adventures with diverse characters, written in a way that makes the story more accessible to a struggling reader. Although The Spirit Glass is popular with our middle grade readers, Roshani Chokshi is recognized by our young adult readers as one of "their" authors and the complexity of the story paired with the accessibility of the prose has made this one of our most popular young adult reads of the summer. Library displays that pair Chokshi's middle grade and young adult offerings (or, similarly, the paired middle grade and young adult offerings of other Rick Riordan Presents authors) will ensure that the books fly off the shelves and young readers will stay engaged with literacy over the school break.

"The Spirit Glass" will appeal to those who enjoy Percy Jackson or any of the Rick Riordan presents series. This book features Filipino mythology and follows Corazon Lopez, whose family are guardians between the realm of mortals and spirit world. When a ghost takes revenge, Corazon must help fix things. Recommended for readers of Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, and other "Rick Riordan Presents" books.

As a fan of Roshani Chokshi after reading all of her PANDAVA series, I was excited to read THE SPIRIT GLASS and loved every page! Roshani has a gift of weaving a tale in an engaging style which pulls the reader in from page 1 and keeps us turning the pages with beautiful imagery, likable characters, an exciting plot, and best of all, humor! My only complaint is this is a stand alone and not part of a series because I was sad to part ways with the main character, Corazon. NOTE: I received a fee digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was listening to the audioboook, and for some reason the last 21 minutes turned to static, so I have no idea how the story ends. That is most disappointing. The rest of the book was rather delightful. It took a turn that I didn't expect. Quite a good listen

Corazon uses a soul key to enter the world of souls, only to find that the spirit world has been thrown into chaos. This book has adventure, humor, and grief. Be prepared for some big feelings, starting with the dedication.

I loved this book so much. While I found Chokshi's Aru Shah series enjoyable, I vastly prefer Corazon to Aru. I also loved the exploration of Filipino culture. This book focused more on Corazon's character development, her journey through grief than the fantastical elements, a welcome diversion for the typical elements I mentioned in my review of Dawn of the Jaguar. Chokshi wove all the elements together quite well in a single volume. I loved this story, especially Corazon's animal companion.

I loved the Aru Shah series from Roshani Chokshi so I had to try The Spirit Glass. Chokshi has such a way with building worlds and characters and it continued here. Corazon wants to be able to get her magical training started in the hopes of bringing her parents back to life. A spirit steals her Soul Key and Corazon must go on a quest to get it back. I loved her companion, Saso. He was just the right amount of sass and spitfire.

Rick Riordan Presents is collecting unique and cool mythology based fantasy stories for kids like they are Infinity Stones and I am here for every second of it.

I wasn’t able to finish this book before it was archived so I won’t be reviewing it here. Thank you for access to this ARC

Chokshi honestly can't miss when it comes to middle grades fiction. If your students devour Aru Shah, then they will continue to fall in love with Chokshi as an author in this series. Her pacing, her characters, her ability to just bring them all to life in your mind... Your students will be clamoring for more more more.

A Rick Riordan Presents is always going to be an automatic read. I will drop whatever I am doing in the moment to focus entirely on the new book and I am so glad I did for this one. An incredible journey that introduces readers to Filipino Mythology.

Rating: 4.5
Thank you Disney Hyperion for providing an e-copy through NetGalley.

Synopsis: Corazon is nearly twelve, but her magic power has not awakened. Still, she is excited to learn under her powerful Aunt Tina, a babaylan - a Filipino spirit guide with the abilities of healing and foresight. Once her magic comes to life, not only can she begin training, but she will resurrect her dead parents and talk to them in person. But for now, she can only visit their spirits every Saturday night with the help of a soul key. All she has to do is wait for her twelfth birthday for her new life to start. But then, a different, vengeful ghost steals the soul key, severing the link between Corazon and her parents. Without the key, they are lost forever, and the spirit world is thrown off balance. Aunt Tina gives Corazon a task: Build a new soul key and lay the thieving ghost to rest. It’s the only way to awaken her magic. So, with her spirit guardian Saso - a bloodthirsty (but tiny) gecko, Corazon embarks on a journey across realms full of Filipino spirits, gods, and monsters in an epic quest to bring the world back to normal, but also to bring her parents back.

What I Liked: The Spirit Glass is a spiritual, heartfelt, and magical mythology-adventure by Roshani Chokski. Her first series featuring Aru Shah was a fast-paced, high-stakes thrill, full of Indian/Hindu mythology. This book is more solemn (not too much though), as Corazon deals with grief, family loss, and reconciling with the dead. Also, the story features Filipino mythology, Chokski’s other heritage (she’s half-Indian half-Filipino), and readers can feel her love of her culture shine through in her writing and descriptions of Filipino locations, mythology, history and characters. The story will make you both laugh and cry as it discusses serious topics in a fantastical setting, giving it a more mature tone than other mythology-adventures. The plot and structure of the novel is well-done and unique, mixing the present with Corazon with other characters’ perspectives and flashbacks, keeping the readers intrigued and piecing together the puzzle of the story. The characters are amazing: From Corazon, the glue to the journey whose emotional journey will leave readers laughing, crying, or cheering for her success, to the Filipino gods and creatures with their charming and engaging personalities, to Saso and the vengeful ghost, side characters will their own ambitions, temperaments, and identities. The Spirit Glass is a fantastic read of depth, Filipino culture, and family, and is one of the better mythology stories out there.

What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!

Who Would I Recommend This To: Kids who love mythology-adventures and/or kids who love Filipino mythology & culture. Chokshi’s Aru Shah series and The Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse are good mythology read-alikes (along with any book in the Rick Riordan Presents series), and The Takeout by Tracey Badua, Marikit and the Ocean of Stars by Caris Avendano Cruz, and Lalani and the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly are good Filipino reads as well.

Review date: November 29, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi. When I see books endorsed by Rick Riordan, I know they will be a great addition to my fantasy section and this did not disappoint.

The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi is a fun Middle Grades fantasy based on Philippine Mythology. The main character, Corazon, wants to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps as a babaylan (mystical healer), but is impatiently waiting for her magic to awaken when she turns 12. When her soul key, the only way for her to connect with the ghosts of her parents, is stolen, she has to follow it to the underworld to get it back. The magic is fun and the pace makes it a page-turner for young readers. Her feisty, snarky magical gecko spirit companion makes for a fun sidekick. Hand this to fans of Rick Riordan or the Aru Shaw series by the same author….they won’t be able to put it down.

Rick Riordan presents books are quickly my favourite books when it comes to middle grade fiction. Roshani Chokshi is a fantastic author and I look forward to seeing where this goes.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Another winner from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint! I appreciate that this is a stand alone, although I would love to see more from Tina and Corazon. This one is the right balance of foreshadowing and reveals. As an adult, I see where it's going ahead of time, but it's not painfully obvious as it sometimes is. And, especially important, the characters are more than their place in the plot! I especially like the interludes where the mirrors speak. Get this into the hands especially of children who have dealt with loss.

Another great addition to the Rick Riordan Presents collection. Give this book to any middle school child craving a fast paced story.

Roshani Chokshi created the kind of grief novel I needed as a kid. The way she weaved folklore into her powerful creation of Place (a terrifying and curiosity-inducing afterlife) is such a testament to her skill level. The choice of fast paced, back to back crises will maintain reluctant readers focuses. By the end, all I want to do is give Corazon a big hug, and myself one too. Thanks to NetGalley and Rick Riordan Presents for an early read in exchange for my honest review.

Roshani Chokshi is such a reliable author. Everything she writes is so incredibly well written and captivating, regardless of the intended audience and their age. In this story she weaves grief and its aftermath so well with magic and myth. Corazon is such a great characters, I have such love for her and her journey. I’ll read anything Roshani Chokshi writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing/Rick Riordan Presents for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.