The Sunlit Ruins is a vibrant YA fantasy with strong Mexican mythological elements. While the storyline and world-building are captivating, the audiobook leans very YA in tone and style, which might not resonate with all audiences. However, the excellent narration, enhanced with sound effects and music, makes the listening experience immersive. Themes of self-discovery, family, and cultural identity shine through, making it perfect for younger listeners who enjoy fast-paced, character-driven adventures.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun middle grade adventure! The background music/noises did distract me from the story a bit, but overall the storyline hooked me and it was a fun ride.

The audiobook is so good!
The sunlit ruins focused on two Mexican American teen cousins born on the same day, same time. Miry born in Mexico, Ada born in the United States. Throughout the story they learn about their cultures, repair their relationship, recover from trauma. The magical element they had to learn together how to


Overall I loved the audiobook, and the story for it being middle grade it was really good. The magical element wasn’t confusing like with some fantasy. I loved that there was a lot of elements to the story and character development for both main characters.

Zwei ungleiche Cousinen, die in unterschiedlichen Welten aufgewachsen sind, werden zusammen in ein magisches Abenteuer gezogen. Und es gibt doch mehr Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen den beiden Cousinen, als sie dachten.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this audiobook! I first want to say the audiobook was incredible the narrator was incredible and the sound effects really added to the whole atmosphere. I will say if you listen at 3x speed like me it kind of defeats the purpose of the sound effects. The story was a wonderful fantasy story filled with culture and definitely for fans of Percy Jackson and Indiana Jones.

The plot was overall fun and engaging, but the relationship between the cousins felt weird. It felt like the strain they experienced was forced for the sake of conflict rather than developing and adapting naturally. Still a really fun story, great insight into Teotihuacan and how ancient mythologies lose themselves, and I cannot wait for the next installment!

I enjoyed everything about the Sunlit Ruins. It’s a Middle Grade to Young Adult fantasy/adventure that incorporates the Spanish language and Mexican history and culture while also diving in to what it means to grow up ethnically mixed and so much more.

As a Hispanic, this is the book younger me needed to read. The world is so immersive with a refreshing magic system. I feel like this is the natural response to growing up with Percy Jackson books. It's high time we, as readers, were introduced to other myths and the world Septien is helping to create is a breath of fresh air. I'm eager to see where the characters of the Sunlit Ruins end up and the over interconnectivity of myths from around the world that are part of this shared universe.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG!!! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

What a fun audiobook this was! I loved all the sound effects it had in the beginning of the chapters. If you are a fan of the Kane Chronicles this book is right up your alley. Mexican American cousins Ada and Miry are the complete opposites of each other. During a family trip they accidentally resurrect a family curse and their lives get turned upside down. On top of that they pretty much don't get along at all and are always jealous of each other. They travel though Mexico City this their other cousin who seems like he is the mediator between them, but who is also hiding something. To discover their power's origins they meet with different old gods, but can they help them save the world? I can't wait to continue the adventure with these two cousins!

This was a really neat topic, similar to other mythology stories in the YA/middle grade fantasy genre but still unique! It did fall into some cliche tropes at time with dialogue choices and character personalities. But I found the family dynamic and learning about the ancient gods of Mexico City interesting enough to keep me listening. A well put together audiobook production as well.

This story follows Ada and Miry who are two Mexican American cousins, one was raised in America, the other in Mexico. One day the family trip to the pyramids of Teotihuacán in Mexico city goes wrong and they accidentally end up releasing an evil spirit from centuries ago, gaining powers of their own along the way. Their only clue is guiding them to the organization called Archivists that supposedly could help them. Now they are stuck together with each other to figure out the mess they’ve made and try to get along.

I read this as an audiobook: the narration was good and easy to follow, and it was accompanied by a lot of sound effects and background noises, which I think were kind of cool because it helped to fall into this Mexico environment better.

This middle-grade fantasy was pretty rich in ancient prophecies, Hispanic mythology, girl power, empowerment and family drama. These themes were subtly intertwined with the main plot, which made it a very positive and uplifting read. The book had a great exploration of family dynamics, particularly between two cousins and added a great depth to their characters. Their journey revolved around not only beating the evil spirit, but also understanding and appreciating each other. The story was also fun to read because of all the action scenes and battles with the gods and some pretty remarkable animals and monsters, like Pum-eagles and huge spiders.

This was the third book that had remarks on BTS that I read, and my heart is happy that they get the recognition they deserve. Both Miry and Ada were real ARMYs and there were a lot of references about Suga and Jimin.

The thing that I didn’t enjoy as much as I wanted was the constant switching between English and Spanish languages. At first, I kind of liked it but as the story went on it started to irritate me, because I think it was a bit too heavy on that. There were rarely any translations, so I didn’t understand a lot of it, even though I know a bit of Spanish.

This book is a YA fantasy, but this was the first time while reading this genre when the book felt really teeny-like. Usually, I totally forget about the MC’s age and just delve into it. In this case, I couldn’t shake the knowledge that they are fifteen years old, because they acted like teens (as they probably should). There is also no romance involved, so the main conflict is among the family members.

I didn’t love this book, but I also didn’t hate it. While it wasn’t for my age gap, the book was really fun to listen to, so definitely recommend, but maybe for a bit younger audience.

I am really thankful to NetGalley and the Bandele Books publisher for providing me with this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I got the audiobook version of this book and I have to say OMG it was amazing the narrator really brought the book and characters to life. The story was full of many different aspects to keep a young reader interested . Humor, adventure, culture. family family ties just all around very unique. I feel that there are not a lot of stories about Hispanic mythology.

I took so long to finally listen to this audiobook and I loved it.
The story the plot the vibe of the book are epic. I love these kinds of stories that are set in ancient ruins and treasures.
5 stars from me.

The story was very fast paced and I found that the narration switches were not always apparent in the audiobook. I think readers of Percy Jackson and other myth-adjacent action adventure stories will enjoy this one!

I was given the opportunity to read this book via Net Galley. I really enjoyed this story. The narrator did a good job and was energetic and engaging. The plot was interesting and relatable. I wasn't sure how I would like the story. I found myself pulled into the story and the plot. There were times I wanted to take the two girls who are preteenagers/teenagers and shake them. the surrounding cast of characters were strong and interesting. I liked the portrayal of the Gods and I think preteens/teenagers will enjoy the book. I have found myself telling people about this book who normally wouldn't read this type of book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! First off….The audiobook narrator is AMAZING! She literally brings the magic in Andrea’s story off the pages and into your imagination. The half rivalry half love relationship between cousins Ada & Miry is so common and I loved being able to relate to it. Andrea easily put our feelings into words. I’m gonna be honest, I thought their powers were a bit odd lol but the storyline was still smooth and kept me interested. Can’t wait for a sequel!

Really interesting dynamic; two young cousins tapping into an ancient power source in order to protect the world.

I liked a lot of this book, unfortunately I thought the characters were too similar to be distinct. I found their drama a bit forced to read. The narration was good, well paced and tone matched the text well.

I loved the story and the relationship building between the cousins are they discover their heritance and powers.

Unfortunately I was not able to finish this book before the Archival date however, I did listen to the first portion of the book and absolutely loved the premise of two young cousins united by their bloodline but having been separated by their birth place coming together in the ancient land of their ancestors. The story had a great premise and as an audiobook the production quality of this book was truly a masterpiece!