This series is so fun. I love the Rick Riordan presents books. This one was a great follow up to the first. The action and adventure continued and I can’t wait to move on in the series.

Zane Obispo is back for another adventure in "The Fire Keeper." Unable to just relax after his previous adventure, he finds out that he created many problems by sharing his tale before. Instead of spending time with his family and figuring out how to master his powers, he has to set off on a quest to find and save the godborn children before it is too late. With these and other problems to solve, Zane has his hands full once again.

This story is part of the "Rick Riordan Presents" imprint, and it has all of the hallmarks of a Rick Riordan book even though it was written by J.C. Cervantes. Almost every chapter is a new problem, and the action is nonstop. This is great for reluctant readers, but at times can be a little overwhelming. Still, this is a great continuation of Zane's story and well worth a read.

Cervantes has hit it out of the park once again! Beautiful imagery and character development. Love the stories surrounding the Mayan traditions, definitely recommend reading this series.

This is a great book to add to your classroom library in the upper elementary grades for Tween readers. The story is fast paced and engaging and is a great recommendation for reluctant readers, as well as regular students.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to really get invested in the story, but once the pace picked up and things really started happening, I was hooked and flew through the rest of the book. I just had to know how everything was going to turn out.
There were a few surprises that I wasn’t expecting. Things happened that made you question what side people were on, and if they were good or not. I’m looking forward to seeing where things go in the next book.

Fun follow-up to The Storm Runner, and another great installment in the Rick Riordan Presents series. This series focuses on Mayan mythology, therefore celebrating Latin American heritage and hopefully giving Latinx children fantasy fans a way to see themselves in the adventure.

I so enjoyed The Fire Keeper that I had been anxiously awaiting its sequel, and I was not disappointed. Cervantes has crafted another fun adventure that is both action-packed and character-driven.

Zane is clever and real, with his own flaws. He is impatient and in wanting to protect his friends, makes mistakes, and tends to act on his own. One thing I love about this series is that his disability is also the source of his strength - I think there is a great message in this, and further emphasized with the addition of Ren's character.

I was happy that Brooks made another appearance in the story, along with Uncle Hondo. We revisit old villans while meeting new ones.

At times, the story felt a little rushed. In the end, though, I felt it was a solid follow up from the first installment and I'm looking forward to the next!

I never got to read this one. Maybe some day but I just never got to it. Sorry for requesting it. Sometimes life just gets in the way of being able to read all the books you think look interesting. I will never be able to finish my to read list.

This is the highly anticipated sequel to The Storm Runner. I loved that book so I was excited to read the second in the series.

The story started out a little slow, because I had forgotten a lot of the last book. It took a couple of chapters to get back into the story. However, once I got into it, it flew by. It was a wild adventure.

I was at a bit of a disadvantage while reading because I don’t know much about Maya mythology. If I was more familiar with it, I think I would have enjoyed the story more. It would have made more sense if all of the characters were explained more, because there were so many characters, including the many gods.

This was a great story. Fans of the series will love this book!

Thank you Disney Book Group for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: J.C Cervantes

Book Series: The Storm Runner Book 2

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Recommended Age: 12+ (some scary scenes and some violence and gore)

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Rick Riordan

Synopsis: Zane Obispo’s new life on a beautiful secluded tropical island, complete with his family and closest friends, should be perfect. But he can’t control his newfound fire skills yet (inherited from his father, the Maya god Hurakan); there’s a painful rift between him and his dog ever since she became a hell hound; and he doesn’t know what to do with his feelings for Brooks. One day he discovers that by writing the book about his misadventures with the Maya gods, he unintentionally put other godborn children at risk. Unless Zane can find the godborns before the gods do, they will be killed. To make matters worse, Zane learns that Hurakan is scheduled to be executed. Zane knows he must rescue him, no matter the cost. Can he accomplish both tasks without the gods detecting him, or will he end up a permanent resident of the underworld?
In this cleverly plotted sequel to The Storm Runner, the gang is back together again with spirited new characters, sneaky gods, unlikely alliances, and secrets darker than Zane could ever have imagined. Secrets that will change him forever.

Review: This book was my favorite last year and this book is one of my faves this year! I loved to see Zane’s story continue, I think there’s something so enduring about him and his trials that I get so emotionally attached to him. I love the writing, the character development, and how well new characters are quickly developed as well.

My only issue is the pacing. I felt that the beginning was super slow and it took a bit for me to get into, but after that I was all in for it.

Verdict: Definitely recommend it!

Zane Obispo has been living on a tropical island since his last run in with the Mayan gods. He knows he's in hiding (most of the gods think he's dead) but he begins to realize that the island may be more of a prison than a refuge. When another god-born arrives just as he and Brooks are about to set out to rescue his father Hurakan from his prison, the quest changes and now in addition to rescuing Hurakan, they need to rescue a bunch of other god-borns as well. Working alongside the god of death (who they had just defeated as an enemy in the last book) this motley crew will attempt to do it all and hopefully will finish with enough time for Zane to return to the underworld so he doesn't stay dead forever.

The Prophecy of Fire was only the beginning.

After the tumultuous events of the first book, The Storm Runner, our young protagonist, Zane Obispo, is living a fairly cushy life on a private island with his closest companions. All should be good from here on out but unfortunately, as life often goes, it's not.

He discovers that the book he recently wrote, detailing his time with the Mayan Gods, has endangered other Godborns. They are being kidnapped at an alarming rate and being spirited away to the Gods don't even know where!

Making matters worse, his own father, Hurakan, the Mayan God of wind, storm and fire, is set to be executed for reasons I won't go into here.

Zane sets out to save them all. A quest is no fun alone however, so he brings along his hellhound, Rosie, a new friend, fellow Godborn, Ren, and an old enemy. As to be expected severe hijinks ensue.

As with the first book, The Fire Keeper keeps up the action-packed adventure we have come to expect from Zane and the crew. I love this group. They are caring, loyal, funny and fearless.

Zane's Uncle Hondo is one of my favorite characters. I just find his energy so charming but Zane himself is the true hero. He is just the sweetest boy and I am enjoying watching him grow. He has been put through so much but always faces what is in front of him with optimism and spunk!

This is a really great Middle Grade series. I am going to be impatiently waiting for the third book to release in the Fall of 2020. It sounds like we are going to have some sort of training for the Godborns, which y'all know, is one of my all time favorite tropes.

Bring it on!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group and Rick Riordan Presents, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to more from J.C. Cervantes!

This is one of my favorite series in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint from Disney/Hyperion. THE STORM RUNNER (Book 1) came out last year and I've been eagerly awaiting the second ever since, and THE FIRE KEEPER did not disappoint!

Cervantes does a fantastic job not just with the world-building which is epic, but with crafting a character-driven story where you can't help but cheer for main character Zane Obispo and the whole supporting cast. I was even cheering for the bad guys! How does that work?!

We left Zane at the end of Book 1 hiding out on a tropical island that's been cloaked in a protective spell so the gods can't find him and you know, murder him (they think he’s already dead so it’s kinda important he stay out of sight, ya know). And that's where we pick up at the beginning of Book 2 with all the same great characters we know and love — Uncle Hondo, Brooks, Rosie the Hellhound, Ms. Cab and Mr. Ortiz — hanging out and living their best lives on a hidden island with an invisible volcano-slash-entrance to hell. You know, pretty boring.

But, just as Zane is adjusting to island life, helping his mom and Uncle Hondo run tours around the island, another godborn named Ren Santiago shows up. How did she just happen to appear on an island shrouded in powerful protective magic? How can she create shadow people while she sleeps who are dead-set on killing Zane and anyone else in their path?

But Zane doesn't really have time to solve the mystery that is Ren because he has bigger problems at hand including finding out that he accidentally put all of the other godborns — including Ren — in terrible danger. If he doesn't find them all before the gods do, they're all gonna die. But the gods are also about to execute Zane's newfound god-dad, Hurakan. Can Zane save all the godborns AND his dad before it's too late, and without the gods killing him in the process? Probably not, but it's worth a shot!

This is such a fun, action-packed adventure as Zane, Brooks, Ren, and Uncle Hondo set out to save the day, with a little help along the way from new enemies and old frenemies. Poor Zane just can't catch a break, but it sure does make for an unputdownable ride!

Fun! I read the first one, and though I enjoyed it by the end, it took a while for me to really get 'in to' the story. I didn't have that trouble with this second book, and loved it cover to cover!

My favorite concept about this action-packed middle-grade series is the notion that a physical disability of both main characters Zane and Ren is a source of supernatural strength and power, creating a positive, relatable aspect for the reader who may be faced with similar physical challenges or know someone who is. I would have loved this facet as a child and benefitted from the connection shared. I cannot recall a book that has taken this path. I found the concept unique, different and confidence building. I will recommend this series to children, parents, grandparents, and educators. The Fire Keeper is a solid continuation in the Storm Runner series.

Loved this book! I really enjoy the different myths that are brought into the Rick Riordan sponsored series. This was a great continuation of Storm Runner and I think the characters are growing within the plot rather than being stagnant.

Of all the titles released by Rick Riordan's publishing imprint, the Storm Runner series has so far been one of my favorites. I really enjoy the way that Cervantes creates and crafts narrator Zane's voice and how she keeps the story moving, full of action and adventure, but never sacrifices description or character development.

The Fire Keeper starts off with Zane and his family living in their secret island paradise, protected from the eyes of angry Maya gods by magic from the Goddess of Death. But Zane is feeling restless, because he wants to go rescue his god father, who is being kept in a Maya prison for breaking the "sacred oath" by fathering a son with a mortal woman. With the help of Brooks, his best-friend-secret-crush-trusty-sidekick, Zane plans to escape the island and rescue his father. But all of that is thrown into chaos with the arrival of a new godborn girl, Ren, who shows up on the island right before everything starts going crazy. Zane learns that not only is his father doomed for imminent execution but there are also other godborns out there, who have been captured by a mysterious entity thanks to the book that Zane secretly published at the end of the first novel, which activated their abilities and brought them to the attention of those who would want to kill them. So Zane has to figure out how to escape angry Maya gods, rescue his father, and save the kidnapped godborns, all within a three day window.

Zane is an excellent character -he is a real and raw and in addition to being witty and clever, he's also vulnerable and not afraid to admit when he's wrong or scared or just completely at a loss of what to do. He makes mistakes, he knows that he makes mistakes, and he experiences the frustration of being manipulated and lied to by the "adults" (gods) in his life, which is something surely the target audience will be able to relate to. The character Brooks, who is less on the forefront in this novel, is still a stand-out and fully formed character. Brooks is more than just a sidekick and more than just Zane's crush. She is a flawed, complex individual in her own right, with her own motivations, fears, and desires. She's not relegated to simply being there for Zane to fall in love with. You can tell that Zane actually likes Brooks as a person, that he enjoys being around her and that they compliment one another in many ways.

The addition of Ren as a new character is also exciting and intriguing. Ren, younger than Zane and Brooks, acts exactly like you would expect a kid-sister to act: plucky, excited, confident, and determined. But Ren is also as vulnerable and uncertain as Zane, thrust into this world she doesn't understand, but curious about her parentage and determined to discover her truth. She's charming and funny and doesn't grate on the nerves the way some new characters do when they're introduced to an existing dynamic.

I also really enjoyed the new Maya characters, including the villain. Old characters from the first novel also appear again, going through complex changes and developments, which send the great message that there is always room for growth. I also really enjoyed the side-side-story of Zane and Rosie's dynamic and how Zane is dealing with his guilt over what happened to Rosie in the first novel and how they might have changed their relationship.

The Fire Keeper is a fun and easy read because it pulls you in from the beginning and makes you want to see what is going to happen next to characters. You care about Zane and Brooks and every other member of their hodgepodge group, so you want to see what is going to befall them on the next page, and the next. You want them to succeed and the ending feels satisfying, if a little rushed. Cervantes sets up well for the next book in the series. I was more interested in the hints of what was going to happen in the third installment than in the resolution of this story. A solid and satisfying follow-up to The Storm Runner!

It is not often that I like a sequel better than the first, but The Fire Keeper was a fabulous, fast paced, exciting book that I just couldn't put down! The story is clever, has just the right amount of humor, and lots of adventure. I love that readers get to learn about Mayan gods, something relatively unfamiliar to me. This is such a fun series that I know middle grade kids (and fun adults) will devour. Thank you, J.C. Cervantes for such a great series.

This is yet another great middle grade novel from the Rick Riordan presents line. Such a great sequel to The Storm Runner.

I am so grateful to Disney Book Group and Rick Riordan Presents for the eARC of The Fire Keeper! I absolutely love this series!
The Fire Keeper picks up where The Storm Runner left off - with Zane and his family being hidden from the gods, but when he gets a message that might help him save his father he has to decide whether to risk safety to save him.
Zane, along with his friends and family, set off on a dangerous quest, never knowing quite who to trust.
Zane is full of heart and really tries to do what is best for his friends and family. He has to make difficult choices, but he listens to his gut and always tries to do what is right.
I just love this series, it has everything - magic books, a loyal hound, great friends, and a loving family — they just look a little different that you might expect! I’d recommend this series for kids( or adults!) who love mythology or fun action and adventure.