Daylan and the River of Secrets

Thanks West 44 Books and Netgalley for this eARC. Another lovely In Verse novel by Edd Tello! Daylan used to be an avid swimmer but since he saw Cihuamichin, a legendary water woman, in the El Naci river he hasn’t be able to bring himself to go in. Much to the chagrin of his parents and best friend but to the pleasure of his bullies. It’s also difficult because no one believes him about what he saw. Then newcomer Eliam starts at his school and he finds himself drawn to the mysterious new boy. However things get complicated when Eliam becomes friends with his bullies. When his bullies and Eliam break Cihuamichin’s rules they stir up trouble. Daylan has to face the river in order to stop something terrible from happening to Eliam and the others. Can he face his fears? Can he save Eliam? Can he prove that he really saw Cihuamichin? A quick read and a great story! A look at facing your fears and doing brave things. Sweet and heartwarming! A wonderful middle grade in verse fantasy that you don’t want to miss!

In Daylan and the River of Secrets by Edd Tello, twelve-year-old Daylan, haunted by a past encounter with the legendary water woman Cihuamichin, struggles with nightmares, social anxiety, and bullying at school. When a new student named Eliam arrives and gets involved with a rebellious group, Daylan must confront his fears and return to the river to protect his town from impending danger.

This is a really beautiful book told in verse that ultimately has an environmental message about protecting our waterways. I love books told in verse. I think they’re so evocative and emotional and they draw me in so completely. This one is no different. I essentially read it in one sitting (it’s not long) and was thoroughly enthralled the whole time.

The characters are lovely. I just wanted to take Daylan and hug him. And his story, as he grows and changes throughout the book is perfect and wonderful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing Group for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
3.75

Told in beautiful verse, Daylan and the River of Secrets by Edd Tello follows Daylan as he navigates nightmares - bullies in the morning, and the Cihuamichin at night. When a new classmate comes along, something stirs within the town, with Daylan facing the crossroads: to face his fears and save his community.

The story is short yet engaging, something that had me engrossed the entire time I was reading it. I haven't read a lot of stories written in verse, but there was a musicality in it that I appreciated. each change in the formatting really set the scene and helped with visualizing the gravity of the situation.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

A unique, warm story told in verse, I finished this propulsive book in one sitting. Middle grade readers will enjoy the Mexican folklore, the challenges of bullies by day/rivers by night, tested family and friendships, bravery, fantasy, mystery and adventure-- all with positive queer representation.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Edd Tello for the opportunity to read Daylan and the River of Secrets in exchange for an honest review.

Daylan and the River of Secrets is a Hi-Lo novel-in-verse, making for a quick and fun read. This novel is also available in Spanish!

The story folllows Daylan, or "Day" as he may be called by friends. He used to love swimming, but one day, he sees something while swimming in the El Naci River. He calls her Cihuamichin (a fictional character for this narrative), based on the Nahuatl words "cihuatl" (woman) and "michin" (fish). While one might picture something mermaid-esque, Cihuamichin is like a siren, ready to pull people to their doom...should they anger the Patroness of Water.

At school, others bully Day for his fear of swimming as well as his social anxiety. When a new student arrives, Day finds interst in Eliam. But Eliam joins the main group that bullies Day, so how can he confront his own feelings or even have a conversation with Eliam if that is the case?

When Eliam and the bullies end up finding ways to break Cihuamichin's laws around the El Naci River, Day gathers his best friend, Brissia, to join him on a mission to save the boy he has a crush on, and the bullies (as it is the right thing to do). He is the only one who knows the secrets of the river, making him to only one who has a chance at getting the other boys to stop what they are doing. It's his moment to face his fears, both that of the water, and those of society.

I love Edd Tello's work. After reading Only Pieces, I knew anything he would come up with next would be a fun and amazing read. He always has great style with a nice blend of Hispanic culture and LGBTQ inclusion. This novel was particularly fun because of Daylan's excitement about his favorite class, Spanish Literature, where he got to explore the myth of Cihuamichin. The lore is a fun aspect of the novel, but it also has the connection to its readers through the real experiences around trauma's that cause fear or social anxiety. 

This is truly a great diverse novel. While middle grade or young adult students may enjoy it more, I find this work to be something fun for all ages!

DAYLAN AND THE RIVER OF SECRETS

Three years after his encounter with Cihuamichin, the spirit that protects el Naci river, Daylan is still terrified of swimming. Pressured by his divorced parents expectations and his bullies at school, he reaches his tipping point when his crush and his troblemaker friends start breaking the rules of the river, threatening the stability of the community that surrounds it.

"Daylan and the River of Secrets" is a fast, enjoyable read that captures the essence of childhood fears, friendships, and personal growth.
The novel delves into Daylan's personal life, exploring his feelings about his parents' divorce, his first crush, his friendships and his hardships dealing with bullying at school. I especially enjoyed Daylan’s compassion, that extended even to the kids that mocked him.
One of the standout elements of the story is the depiction of Cihuamichin, the river spirit. Unlike typical portrayals of supernatural entities as evil, Cihuamichin is a protector of the river and the community, rooted deeply in Mexican folklore. The story beautifully intertwines folklore with a new tale, emphasizing the significance of protecting nature.
"Daylan and the River of Secrets" is a middle-grade novel that resonates with key themes relevant to young readers. Its focus on friendship, folklore, and personal growth makes it a touching and meaningful read.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an eARC of this book**

Instagram: @librisinetenebris

I haven’t read many books written completely in verse before, which was what mainly intrigued me about Daylan and the River of Secrets. Although at first it was a little difficult, I wound up falling in love with Edd Tello’s homage to Mexican oral tradition of storytelling and las leyendas mexicanas. The verse itself brought a wonderful visual to the novel, at times appearing like waves that floated you throughout the story. I read Daylan and the River of Secrets in English and aim to read it once more in Spanish in order to eventually use it as a teaching tool in a writing class with students!

The story itself between Daylan and his return to swimming in El Naci was incredibly sweet. Tello has a beautiful way of evoking experiences in childhood of wanting to fit in with peers while struggling to stay true to yourself. While the pacing of the novel, maybe due to it being written in verse, was quite fast, I found that it allows readers to fully immerse themselves and finish the novel in less than a day - similar to that feeling of listening to a loved one tell an old familiar tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this eARC! I’ll most definitely be getting a copy of the novel in Spanish.

Thank you so much to West 44 Books/ Rosen Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Daylan used to love swimming, but he stops after he sees Cihuamichin in the waters afraid of what she’s going to do. As a new kid arrives in school called Eliam, he is forced to figure out his feelings and to beat his fears. Then his classmate Enrique starts breaking her rules and his bravery is tested.

I loved the legend behind this, I didn’t know about this particular legend before, I know of similar but never this one. Learning about the legend of Cihuamichin was so fascinating, about her rules, about how she gets into certain peoples heads, how some believe in her or have seen her and others don’t and haven’t, how they celebrate her, give her offerings, clean up the area. I really enjoyed the legend part of this story.

The characters were the least interesting part of this story for me unfortunately, I didn’t really feel anything for any of them. They were who they were fair enough, but for me I found that no one really had a personality, they all sort of blended together.

I liked this story and think learning about this legend, seeing the people that lived there with this legend and how they treated Cihuamichin was really interesting. It was written really well and it kept me wanting to know what she was going to do, what Daylan’s nightmares were about and what was really going to happen.

Daylan and the River of Secrets by Edd Tello
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I love how the author blended contemporary with the supernatural, giving this story a magical, mythical feel. Also, I like how it touched on the subject of conservation, and how nature could (and perhaps should!) be able to defend itself against those polluting it.

A quick read that’s enchanting, emotional, and heartwarming. I've come to realize that I love stories infused with folklore. The fact that this one was written in verse made it all the more compelling to me. Moreover, the way Tello mixes the fantastical with everyday life is truly remarkable. 💙 It definitely gets my classroom library stamp of approval, especially because it’s a hi-lo read.

Folklore and storytelling are an important and special part of culture which Edd Tello shows nicely in his upcoming middle grade novel in verse, Daylan and the River of Secrets.
This is a great little story about Daylan overcoming his fears and anxiety to protect not only himself but his friends, family, and home. I'm happy Daylan found his strength and overcame his fears, so that he could take the leap not only in the river but other areas of his life too.

Edd Tello does a surprisingly well job with telling very much with little words.

I especially loved the things that still were not said and left up to the imagination, especially the ending.

Writing in prose it not easy but this book is a well done example.

Told in verse, Daylan and the River of Secrets tells the coming-of-age tale of a twelve-year-old boy named Daylan, who finds himself haunted at night by the memory of once seeing the legendary water spirit, Cihuamichin, while in waking hours, he constantly battles his fear of the water—a place he once loved—while facing pressures within his broken home and at school, where he’s the target of bullying.

Although a very short and quick read, Tello so effortlessly draws the reader in, blending a thoughtful (slightly mystical) tale exploring Mexican folklore, social anxiety, bullying, friendship, parental divorce, and sexual awakenings in the life of one young boy on the cusp of adolescence. I especially appreciated how these themes were touched on and not taken lightly, while still remaining, overall, a very warm, evocative, and poignant story that left me smiling.

Ultimately, this was a lovely middle grade read, with positive cultural characterization, a strong environmental message, and told with a whole lot of heart.


***A special thanks to West 44 Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely, quick read. This feels like a short story, written in verse. It accomplishes a lot in a few words: the sense of place in this small town in Mexico, a strong connection to Daylan but also a good sense of the surrounding cast of characters, and the mystery and wonder of nature (and water in particular) via the water spirit Cihuamichin. This is a lovely middle grade book.