This is a phenomenal book. It really goes off in a wild direction that I never could have predicted, which is a fun surprise when you read as much as I do. The characters and setting are vibrant and creative. The dialogue is really age appropriate and very funny, even for adults. The plot is wild, just completely unexpected, and has a bit of a folkloric, mythological vibe to it. I loved the inclusion of Spanish phrases and clauses. They are done in the perfect way that they add depth and interest without impeding understanding at all. Overall, this book is a great example of how to not write down to younger audiences.

"De la muerte y la suerte no hay nadie quien se escape."

An adventurous story about a strong willed 12 year girl named Esme Santos whose determined to help her grief stricken father after the death of her mother. Did I mention that she is a bruja? A descendant of one of the four original witches who vanished years ago? Determined to help her father Esme goes on an adventure to help not only those she loves but everyone in the town of San Bosco.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC.

𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.

This is a story about how magic was born and witches were made. This brings us to the tale of the daggers of ire - of how four sisters absorbed powers from a god and were cursed with daggers on their chests. The sisters became the original witches - each held the power of water, air, earth, or fire.

Esmerelda Santos was born in a family of brujxes and gifted with Chaos magic - a magic that is considered illegal and so it must be kept hidden from everyone. One sinister night brought her and her friend, Tiago, to journey to a place where magic runs wild in search of an original witch to help them save their families from Oblivion. They were aided by a cursed fox named Fetch. Together, the trio's journey was nothing short of extraordinary and has kept me on the edge of my seat.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴.

Truly, not everything is what it seems. There are plenty of twists and surprises in the story. And the decisions our young protagonists made were guided by hope, courage, and love.

I was so moved and heartbroken at the same time innsome scenes. And I got so attached with Esme, Tiago, and Fetch. Especially Fetch! The sacrifices they made to push forward were admirable. This has made me root for them more.

Leave it to the author to make me feel so excited to look forward to the next books in the series because that Epilogue was aaaah!!!

This is definitely a 5⭐ read!!!

This is my first @authorjcervantes book and I was swept away with the story! Thank you @netgalley @harperkids for this ARC!

I really liked this middle grade fantasy adventure! The main characters, 12 year old witches, have grit and perseverance, and I loved the character of Fetch. The magic was very cool, and I always love the cultural background in J.C. Cervantes' work. I think middle and high school readers will love this book!

I enjoyed this middle grade novel, especially the characters and the magic world. I enjoyed getting to know the main character as well as her friends. The main character's background story was also interesting. I was also pretty taken by the plot and this quest. I just felt the pacing was a little off but it might just be me. I really liked the whole sister story and how it created magic. It was a one of a kind story and I'm looking forward to reading more from this world!

The cover! Pure magia! It tells the whole story of JC Cervantes’ middle grade fantasy The Daggers of Ire.
Let’s start at the top of the cover at the river…
Many moons ago, began the legends of the 4 human sisters who dared to kiss a sleeping god - without consent. Each sister was stabbed in the heart with a dagger, but they did not die and because of their sisterly bond, the magic of the god was transferred to them. They became the Brujas of Fire, Water, Earth and Air and passed their powers down to their ancestors.

Center of the cover:
Esmerelda Santos is one of those ancestors, but rather than being blessed with one power, she was cursed with Chaos magic that contains a bit of each of the elemental magics. Since Chaos is illegal, Esme’s mother hides her powers with a protection spell - a secret only her family and her best friend Tiago know about. Oh, Tiago can turn himself into small animals like the mouse sitting on the E in the title.

Top center of the cover:
Suddenly a dark storm moves into her town of San Bosco and all of the witches of the town are mysteriously sent to Oblivion including her older sister (the red headed bruja with water magic) and her deeply grieving recently widowed father. Esme and Tiago begin a quest to find the four original witches to save the witches of San Bosco.

Left cover:
They are assisted by Fetch, a talking fox that stands on two legs and dresses quite dapperly. If the trio does not find the original witches and retrieve the daggers, all the brujas and the town will fade away.

I’m not going to tell you about the red rose! You will just need to read to find out.