Thank you to NetGalley and Bandele Books for the opportunity to listen to the Audiobook ARC of The Sunlit Ruins: An Old Gods Story by Andrea Septién. All opinions are my own.

This story was captivating from start to finish. I immediately felt pulled in by the combination of folklore and very real family dynamics. The adventure and plot twists kept me invested even when there were moments that felt slower than I expected. That balance between tense action-packed scenes with funny or emotional interactions between the characters was top notch. I had to know what would happen next and if Ada and Miry would make it out okay.

While this is targeted toward younger readers, so the dialogue and general story is at that reading level, I’m 30 and found it enjoyable. The nature of Ada and Miry’s relationship and the process of healing that bond while handling their own personal troubles felt very authentic. The author masterfully approached tough topics such as colorism, cultural identity, and dangerous adults honestly and in a way that young readers can relate to and understand.

The audiobook’s use of sound effects makes it unique. Sound effects sometimes take me out of the story a bit, but the producers did a great job with timing and frequency so that it was not as disruptive. The dual narrators to represent each POV was a fantastic addition as well.

This book is perfect for readers who want an action-packed magical adventure but also are looking for an extra layer of depth that comes with complex family relationships and true to life experiences for Latine individuals and women alike.

This book was so good, OMG. I got the audiobook over on Netgalley and I wasn't expecting much, but it did sound like a good read. Baby, this book had me hooked and I listened to it within two days. I love how there are consequences for using magic and that they weren't perfect fighters right off the bat.

I especially love the dynamic between cousins. You understand why both of them act the way they do, and watching them grow and learn together was perfect. The ending was a happy one but not a happy one at the same time. It's the first time that I've encountered an ending like this and I can't wait to read the next one.

N.B. Whoever did the voice for their grandfather can get it, lol.

This book was on the younger side of YA. I think it would be a wonderful book for a young person transitioning from middle grade to young adult books. There are some heavier themes though so be sure to check out content warnings. I enjoyed how the two main characters were foils for each other. They both experience and struggle with their culture in different ways. I loved the world building and magic in this. It was such a fun read. There were times when I think there could have been more creativity surrounding the system of magic. I felt there could have been better names for them. Also, this was not my favourite audiobook.

Thank you, to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Where to start with this review?
Ugh.
Honestly I did not enjoy this book. Typically this would be right up my alley. Hispanic mythology, middle grade fantasy, girl power, magical realism...I mean, come on! That's a lot of points in the win column!!
But, no. This book didn't win with me. In fact, I forced myself to finish it just because I wanted to give it an honest review.
I read this as an audiobook.
The narration was good. The sound effects were AWFUL AND DISTRACTING! An audiobook doesn't need crash noises and music and twinkling and coughing and rushing water. It just doesn't. Good narration is all an audiobook needs.
Also, the constant back and forth of Spanish and English ?! We get it, they're both American and Mexican. You can choose one language and go with it. It won't hurt anyone. 😐 But the constant switch is super annoying, especially for people that speak only one language and there's rarely a translation.
I dunno, man. This wasn't for me. I think some serious editing is due in both the story and the audio.
The last two chapters were the best part of the book.
Will probably not continue the duology.

Audiobook Review - The Sunlit Ruins is a great title for fans of mythology and Rick Riordan's books. The narration is fantastic and I really enjoyed the addition of sound effects and music. Readers will fly through this title and be eager for the sequel.

In writing this book, Andrea Septién did a fabulous job of blending modern-day Mexico City with the ancient stories of this part of the world. The way the story was told, you could tell that Mexico City is a bustling, globalized city just like any other large city readers would have been to. However, the adventure Ada and Miry find themselves on after having unlocked the magical powers from Teotihuacán helps them learn the importance of ancient civilizations.

As the two distant cousins worked explored the city, learned about ancient deities and discovered the origins of the powers that had been bestowed upon them, we see them grow closer than they’ve ever been. With one cousin in the US and the other in Mexico, they’d always felt divided by their cultural differences. I loved that their growing relationship was a storyline that you didn’t realize was happening over the course of the story, but was evident at the end.

I am a high school teacher looking to diversity my classroom library and will definitely be adding this title (and the second book when it’s out!).

This was a fun and easy read. I listened to the audio with my middle-grade reader and we both loved it! Hope to see more stories from this author in the future.

First let me say as a fan of Antoine Bandele it was great to see the universe of his expand and grow. The audiobook for this was well done with sound effects and great narrators that brought the characters to life as if I were experiencing them in real life. I quickly found myself engrossed in the life of the two girls and often ran back to listen and rejoin their world to watch the story unwind

I especially enjoyed the link to history and culture of the girls as they both remembered their heritage and experienced how hard it can be to both grow up with or without and American foundation. I cannot wait for the next adventure!
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Ada and Miry didn’t mean to start a city-wide catastrophe.

Really, they didn’t.

But when a family trip goes awry, the two Mexican-American cousins from opposite sides of the border accidentally unleash an evil spirit from centuries past. The incident unlocks latent magical powers within the girls, who now have to figure out what’s going on.

Easier said than done.

The only things Ada and Miry know are that the spirit is tied to the pyramids of Teotihuacán, an ancient and abandoned civilization, and that there is only one organization that can help them. The Archivists of Teotihuacán.

With only a scant trail of clues to guide them, Ada and Miry must journey across Mexico City, uncover the origin of their powers, and try to reseal the spirit they’ve awoken.

But the hardest challenge of all?

Getting along with family.

Follow Ada and Miry on their adventure through Mexico and a hidden, fantastical world of magic based on the philosophy of the city of Teotihuacán.

An engaging, funny, emotional story about familial bonds, pursuing the sense of belonging within one's culture, and uncovering long buried histories. The audiobook is dynamic and interactive with sound effects, music, and layered voices throughout. The story tactfully addresses self-acceptance for biracial children as well as trauma and assault recovery. With characters so young, the topic was handled gently while still conveying the lasting impact of trauma like Miri's. This is a great middle grade mythology read, and the audiobook really brings the story to life. Readers will connect with Ada and Miri in whatever format they read, but the audio version creates an immersive experience that lends itself to deeper connection to the story for young readers.

I enjoyed the story of the book and how it was told by people who had been connected to the culture, the dynamic between the two girls reminded me of myself and my cousin who is the same age as me. We also could not be any more opposite but share a true bond. I also enjoy how the book had extra sounds and special effects to truly bring the listening experience to a new level

This was SUCH a fun listen!! The combination of family drama, cousin rivalry, supernatural beings and cool special audio effects was just PERFECT. Highly recommend!! This felt like such a love letter to Mesoamerican culture.

Ada and Miry are so different even though they are related. It shows how even in the Latine community, colorism and hair is a struggle like I’m the Black community.

Funny how all their problems started after taking a picture. Then they have these powers all of a sudden and they come when they needed them the most.

Their relationship transformed a lot over the course of this book, which proves that even in times of immense danger, putting your differences aside can save your life and those of others.

Thank you NetGalley and Bandele Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Overall I thought listening vs. reading to this book is a great choice. This is a middle grade level so kids will love the additional sound effects and the young voice of the narrator. Subjectively I was not a fan of the Guadalupe/Ada narration, but enjoyed Miri and the other characters. However that is not going to be reflected in my review! The creative choice to add sound effects and phone call messages that were slightly distorted was very immersive. This propelled the background and setting the scene/sense of place. That was very well done.

Sadly, this was not my favorite book. What i did love about it, is the bottom line of embracing your heritage and learning to love yourself even if you don’t fit in a perfect box. They highlight (briefly without garish or terrifying details for young readers) safety for women and young girls in a city where men often do not get caught. This was well done and I appreciate the nod and awareness to it. I also loved the family ties/focus driving the relationships in this book with cultural education and insight. As a Caucasian American that has no traditions from my ancestral roots, I love reading books where I’m learning about other cultures. What I did not like, is I felt like the plot was so vague that it became meaningless to me. There’s a hint at something evil in the beginning, discovering things about themselves and how to stop it, and then a little clarity on the antagonist, but it never felt like a strong pull towards the story. That was pretty disappointing because other aspects of the book were very enjoyable. I love books with a veiled mystery that compels me to keep reading. But this….was not done well and fell flat. It didn’t make me curious, or wanting to know more, it left me being like okay why is this happening? It was almost like it was happening outside all the internal struggles in the distant perimeter instead of being the main obstacle our protagonists had to deal with. It just didn’t match to me.

I’m giving this book 3 stars, and I feel like that’s generous. There are aspects I enjoyed and I pointed out, but as a whole it felt disjointed. And I am sad to report I will not be reading the rest of the series and the cliffhanger at the end was not enticing to me at all.

Omg the audiobook for this is fantastic! It has sound effects and great narrators that brought the characters to life perfectly.

the writing reminded me a lot of Rick Riordan so I really really liked it! It was funny, and such a fun story. It was also full of BTS references.

I really recommend this for all you middle grade fantasy fan out there!

Thank you Bandele Books for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!!

Thanks to NetGalley for this audiobook. This was a really fun book so far of what I've read and the sound effects made it better but I feel like the sound effects should have been the same volume as the speaking for me personally. I loved the character Miranda, she's kinda like me and I loved Ada's personality being bubbly and she was polar opposites to Miry. I enjoyed the research they were doing about the ruins and gods the whole family was fun, I recommend to people who just love fun times with nothing serious at stake.

DNF @ 10%
Primary Reason: This book is marketed as a YA story, but it reads MUCH more like a middle grade fiction. Some of the characters language is more mature (using words like “hell”) but other than that, the writing style would have been better suited for middle grade. Given that, it was hard to get into the book as an older reader- I expected a nuanced story about old Mexican myths by the marketing

Pros: Very fast paced! The action started immediately
I love the concept, Mexican mythology is fascinating
I loved the narrator and the clear connection to Mexican culture

Cons: The characters felt a little flat, and had no reason for being in the situation they were in (I didn’t feel like I knew enough about them or the world before the main plot started).
Not correct age marketing (see above)

I stopped listening at 59%. This book just wasn't for me.
My primary difficulty with this book was the inconsistent maturity level. At times, this felt like a very young, middle grade novel with a style that would gear toward that reading level. At other times, the style became more mature, as did the themes and language. It was jarring listening to characters who felt like 11 year olds (they're older, but very childish) cursing. There was also a subplot for one of the dual leads about predators. I do think that that is an important issue for children and teens to learn about. My difficulty was in how out of place it felt with the shifting maturity level of the novel.
The audiobook narration was great. The sound effects included were very immersive.

While Ada is in Mexico visiting her cousins she is surprised to learn they have pyramids in Mexico and is even more surprised when her uncle insist on bringing her to see them. She gets along well with her two little cousins and her older cousin Fernando who is 19 but her 15 year old cousin Miranda although the girls are the same age insist on not getting along. While visiting the pyramids however Ada cannot find anyone else to take a selfie of her on top of the platform on the pyramid except for Miranda and right after she says “cheese!“ There’s a slight earthquake but when she looks around it seems only her and Miranda noticed it. The pyramids are made up of lots of stairs and Ada wore flats unlike Miranda who wore tennis shoes On the way to a different part of the park Ada hears a voice tell her to go A different way and so she does. When Miranda chases after her the two girls come up on a flying puma and right before it attacks Miranda cactus quills start coming out of Adas fingers this is just the beginning in Ada will not be the only cousin that leaves the pyramids with superpowers unfortunately when they do leave the park the fight is an over it’s only just begun! This was a cute quick adorable read I loved the cousins I loved the chemistry and poor Nando I would definitely want to listen to the next book in this Siri‘s and I am also going to look for the book by the guy who did the introduction although I have forgotten his name now I have a written down in my notes and I’m going to look for his book series. This is why I love offering to review books because I get to listen to books I would’ve never bought on my own but would definitely buy book two in this Series I want to think net galley and independent book publishers for this free audio copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to netgalley and Bandele Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was so good. I enjoyed the adventure these characters went on.

This was a super fun and quick read! I love all the cultural references and identity struggles put into the book for those of us who aren't subject to those struggles. It really helps me understand what people who are part of 2 cultures struggle with. I love that the cousins are now talking and working out their struggles with each other. I can't wait to watch them solve the mystery and defeat the bad guy in the next installment!

#TheSunlitRuins
#NetGalley