Going into this book I had no idea what to expect. I’m that reader that judges books by their covers and I very rarely read synopsis before I pick up a book. I mean just look at the cover! This cover jumped out at me for multiple reasons. First, there is a black girl on the cover with dreads holding a staff ready for whatever comes her way. Even as I’m typing this my 5 year old (who is supposed to be focusing on her ABCs with her teacher 🤦🏽‍♀️) just said “Mommy are we going read that book about a girl who looks like me fighting monsters?” She’s not ready for this book of course but trust me, it will be in her mini library when she is ready.

I’m giving this book a 3.5 out of 5. I loved the representation for little black girls and the loving relationship with a dad who is gone a lot for work. That tugged on my heartstrings because I remember my dad almost always being at work when I was a kid and now I am watching my daughter go through the same. She is an entirely different person when her daddy is home on his off day. Just like Maya in this book. She lights up when her dad comes home. So you can imagine that when her dad goes missing, that she is going to do everything she can (and definitely shouldn’t) to get him back. 

This book introduced me to Orishas and I cannot wait to read more about them. I’m going to have some fun researching. I live for fantasy books and the magic in this book did not disappoint. If you have a young reader who wishes for a little more magic in their every day life, this is for them.

This was a good book and it laid down a solid backstory to start the series. I enjoyed the god-like characters that the author created and I am excited to read the next book to see what happens next with Maya and the Lord of Shadows.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

"But to me, math was about as interesting as watching paint dry, which was actually a thing I had to do for art class once."

When I read this sentence, I KNEW I would end up loving this book! I could relate to Maya on a whole new level!

Maya and the Rising Dark follows Maya Janine Abeola, a 12-year-old comic nerd from the Chicago South Side who is living a normal life, until things start going topsy-turvy. She starts seeing out-of-the-ordinary things like black lightning, weird dreams and even encounters a pack of werehyenas before she finds out she is a godling! Yes, you heard it right! She is half-god and half-human (much like the Greek demigods)!

When you have a badass heroine, you definitely need a villain! When the Lord of Shadows kidnaps Maya’s father, she sets outs on a journey with her two best friends, Frankie and Eli, and encounters a ton of creatures and has a whirlwind of adventures in the Dark, which is a parallel plane that coexists with the human plane! If you want to get a better idea, think of Upside Down from Stranger Things!

This is a high-stakes, action-packed, nail-biting #ownvoices contemporary fantasy with an all-brown cast, richly steeped in West African Folklore that is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat! Believe me when I say this, THERE IS NOT A SINGLE DULL MOMENT IN THIS BOOK! The story draws you in from the very first page, doesn’t drop you off in between and leaves you craving for more!

I have read quite a few middle grade contemporary fantasies inspired by various mythologies but this was a first for me! I have always wanted to discover more about West African mythology and folklore, and Maya and the Rising Dark helped me with just that! This book is teeming with magical abilities, orishas, darkbringers, aziza and many more characters from West African folklore that you will remember long after you have flipped the last page!

AND OH MY GOD. THIS BOOK IS SO FULL OF EMOTIONS. The relationship between Maya and her father was outright one of the BEST father-daughter relationships I have come across in Middle Grade! Maya’s father, who happens to be the Keeper of the Veil that separates our world from the Dark, trains Maya with the staff! He is honestly such a gem and their dynamic made me all jelly! GIVE ME MORE OF THIS IN BOOK TWO PLEASE.

I had a MAJOR déjà vu moment while reading this book! Maya, being a comic nerd, is super excited for her very first Comic Con! This took me right back to 2012 when I was super excited for MY first Comic Con! Honestly, Rena hit me with all the feels in this book!

"Every kid should be so lucky to have friends who believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself. Friends who accept you exactly the way you are and help you be brave when you didn’t know that you could."

Friendship plays a pivotal role in this book. This book paints in bold letters that there is POWER AND MAGIC IN FRIENDSHIP. Maya’s two besties, Frankie and Eli, embark on the journey with Maya and stay by her side right up to the end! Frankie is a science geek and Eli is a paranormal buff and their bickering throughout the book had me giggling! Frankie’s science talk reminded me of the seventh-grade me, haha!

This book is not only full of BIPOC characters, there is casual LGBTQ+ representation as well. What better way to normalise LGBTQ+ people than include them in Middle Grade books and instill the right thoughts in the minds of the younger generation of readers? Maya’s school principal Ollie in non-binary and Frankie has two moms! Yay for queer rep!

THIS BOOK IS SUPER IMPORTANT IN THE PRESENT DAY SITUATION. This book is a gift to all the brown kids out there who felt at any point that they aren’t enough. Well, YOU ARE. This book highlights the African-American community in a super-positive sense and I want ALL MIDDLE SCHOOLERS to read this book! I really wish I had books like these back in middle school! A book with a brown heroine and full of brown characters? Count me in ANY DAY! This book is so full of warmth and joy. Rena has managed to capture the right emotions of family, friendship and most importantly, community! Maya’s locality is full of BIPOC families and these brown kids have my entire heart!

I would give this book super-shiny, super-sparkly, super-glittery 4.5 stars!

Phew! This review turned out longer than expected! If you are reading this, thank you so much for staying with me until the end. I hope I have motivated you enough to pick up this book! So, what are you waiting for?

Full of two of my favorite things — Black people and magic — Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron offers its reader a journey that is just as much based in finding the majesty in South Side Chicago as there is in the realm of gods. In this story, we follow 12 year-old protagonist, Maya Janine Abeola as she uncovers the secret world her father is part of and later threatens their lives.

Maya is a strong willed, staff-combat-training middle schooler who is often left to entertain herself as her mother works late shifts and her father is frequently away on work trips. Luckily for her, her father often returns with tales about his journeys wherein he encounters fantastical beings like werehyenas and is almost eaten by elokos. His stories tie into the “Oya: Warrior Goddess” comic series Maya loves and add a twist to what Maya imagines to be a boring career as a structural engineer. But as the world shifts around her, Maya notices that some of these myths may be true — and more worryingly — that some of the scariest beings she’s ever heard of may be hunting her friends and family.

Bringing her observations of strange lightning-like cracks in the sky and shadows that clutch you in the dark to her best friends, Frankie and Eli, Maya hopes for scientific and paranormal reasoning from them, as is their brand, respectively. However, all it takes is one night in the dark, shadowing Maya’s strange neighbors, for Frankie and Maya to run directly into the clutches of real werehyenas — and the manifestation of powerful abilities — for both of these rationales to be completely blown off. To make matters worse, soon after this encounter, Maya’s father goes missing and she finds that it’s up to her to retrieve him. Hashing a plan with Frankie and Eli based on some clues that Maya has gathered, they set off on a journey that leads them directly into the hands of some of the most powerful beings that they’ve hardly ever heard of who will test them in ways they’ve never considered.


Full of two of my favorite things — Black people and magic — Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron offers its reader a journey that is just as much based in finding the majesty in South Side Chicago as there is in the realm of gods. In this story, we follow 12 year-old protagonist, Maya Janine Abeola as she uncovers the secret world her father is part of and later threatens their lives.


Maya is a strong willed, staff-combat-training middle schooler who is often left to entertain herself as her mother works late shifts and her father is frequently away on work trips. Luckily for her, her father often returns with tales about his journeys wherein he encounters fantastical beings like werehyenas and is almost eaten by elokos. His stories tie into the “Oya: Warrior Goddess” comic series Maya loves and add a twist to what Maya imagines to be a boring career as a structural engineer. But as the world shifts around her, Maya notices that some of these myths may be true — and more worryingly — that some of the scariest beings she’s ever heard of may be hunting her friends and family.

Bringing her observations of strange lightning-like cracks in the sky and shadows that clutch you in the dark to her best friends, Frankie and Eli, Maya hopes for scientific and paranormal reasoning from them, as is their brand, respectively. However, all it takes is one night in the dark, shadowing Maya’s strange neighbors, for Frankie and Maya to run directly into the clutches of real werehyenas — and the manifestation of powerful abilities — for both of these rationales to be completely blown off. To make matters worse, soon after this encounter, Maya’s father goes missing and she finds that it’s up to her to retrieve him. Hashing a plan with Frankie and Eli based on some clues that Maya has gathered, they set off on a journey that leads them directly into the hands of some of the most powerful beings that they’ve hardly ever heard of who will test them in ways they’ve never considered.

A middle grade urban fantasy with twists and turns that keep you turning the page, Maya and the Rising Dark is a story that I could easily see becoming a classic to be read and reread by young and older readers alike. Maya, Frankie, and Eli are a trio whose friendship rivals some of the best friend groups I’ve ever read in fantasy, as each person is fully considerate of the others’ strengths and areas that need extra support and provide this reinforcement artfully. We get to see each character in this trio come into their own and learn more about their true identities and the ways of the universe that build up their community as well as themselves. In Maya and the Rising Dark, author Rena Barron has framed legacy as striking and engaging as it is of the moment. The treasure that lies in its pages is something you should share with young readers as early as you can — I sure did.

This is a Rick Riordan presents book and the formula is loud and clear-a regular girl suddenly finds she has magical powers and she and her friends have to fight evil beings to save the world. I thought it was fine-exciting chase scenes, scary monsters, relatable characters, but I didn't recognize any of the mythical beings that are mentioned in the book. Because of that, it was hard to connect to the book. I finished it but I probably won't buy it for my library. There are other series that I prefer.

Maya and the Rising Dark is a fast paced, highly imaginative and much needed addition to the MG fantasy canon. Maya thought she lived an ordinary life in an ordinary neighborhood. But then strange things start happening and she discovers the truth about her father, her neighbors, her friends, and herself. They’re all Gods and Godlings, charged with saving the world from The Lord of the Shadows.
Threads of right and wrong are woven tightly throughout the story as Maya grapples with the survival vs harming others- your enemy to be exact.
Themes of friendship, community and discovering your inner power are well explored, making this book the beginning of an exciting series

12-year old Maya in contemporary fantasy seek answers to her missing father that lead her and her firends into another world she knows little about. In the process, she discovers her determination and strength to fight evil powers for her community and heritage.

Thank you to Netgalley for the earc of this cute book!

I had a really great time with Maya and her friends. Maya is a 12 year old girl, who is living her normal life in the South Side Chicago, but when she stays face to face with werehyenas pack and her father has been captured by some dark power, she finds herself in the middle of a war between two opposing forces: the Orishas and the Darkbringers.

Maya and her friends are nerds and geeks. I really like dynamic between Maya, Frankie and Eli. They are realistic young people which don't know everything (ok, Frankie is an exepction xd). Maya can say that she doesn't understand some words meaning and it was great for me. I always have a problem with middle grade books becasuse main characters are mini adult's versions: they know everything, handle hard decisions, etc. In "Maya and the Rising Dark" I don't see that, even if Maya sometimes makes reckless decisions and opposes adults to achieve her goal - save her father.

From other hand we have adults world and Orishas who are portreyed as quiet passive. I like way how Rena Barron showed Orishas through the eyes of child. Maya sees in them a lot od details connected with powers, magic which they have and compared them to the comics heros and heroines. My favourite are Miss Ida and Miss Lucille. They are super creepy, but in the same time cute.

Maya likes comics and her biggest dream is "go to Comic-con". Sometimes she thinks a lot about things which are beyond her control and she puts herself in the bad mood. She is devoted to her friends and family.

It was great middle grade book with African mythology. I haven't never read something similar. From me, a big applause for Rena Barron because she created characters which didn't piss me off, as usual middle grade books affects me.

I will definately wait for next book from the series.

PL

Dziękuję Netgalley za tę uroczą książkę!

Świetnie się bawiłem z Mayą i jej przyjaciółmi. Maya jest 12-letnią dziewczynką, która prowadzi normalne życie w South Side Chicago, ale kiedy staje twarzą w twarz z watahą hienołaków, a jej ojciec został schwytany przez jakąś mroczną moc, Maya znajduje się w środku wojny między dwiema przeciwstawnymi siłami: Orisze i Darkbringers.

Maya i jej przyjaciele to kujony i geeki. Bardzo lubię dynamikę między Mayą, Frankie i Elim. To realistyczni młodzi ludzie, którzy nie wiedzą wszystkiego (ok, Frankie to wyjątek xd). Maya potrafi powiedzieć, że nie rozumie niektórych słów i było to dla mnie świetne. Zawsze mam problem z książkami dla dzieci, ponieważ głównymi bohaterami są wersje mini dorosłych: wiedzą wszystko, podejmują trudne decyzje, itp. W „Maya and the Rising Dark” tego nie widzę, nawet jeśli Maya czasami podejmuje lekkomyślne decyzje i sprzeciwi się dorosłym, aby osiągnąć swój cel - ocalić swojego ojca.

Z drugiej strony mamy świat dorosłych i Orisze, które są przedstawiane jako ciche bierne. Podoba mi się sposób, w jaki Rena Barron pokazała Orisze oczami dziecka. Maya dostrzega w nich wiele szczegółów związanych z mocami, magią, którą posiadają i porównuje ich do bohaterów i bohaterek komiksów. Moimi ulubienicami są Panna Ida i Panna Lucille. Super przerażające, ale jednocześnie słodkie.

Maya lubi komiksy, a jej największym marzeniem jest „pójść na Comic-con". Czasami dużo myśli o rzeczach, na które nie ma wpływu i wpada w zły humor. Jest oddana rodzinie i przyjaciołom.

To była świetna książka dla dzieci z mitologią afrykańską w tle. Nigdy nie czytałem czegoś podobnego. Ode mnie wielkie brawa dla Reny Barron, ponieważ stworzyła postacie, które mnie nie wkurzyły, jak zwykle wpływają na mnie książki dla dzieci.

Zdecydowanie będę czekać na kolejną książkę z serii!

Rena Barron's MAYA AND THE RISING DARK is an excitable and enjoyable read, featuring West African Mythology and a cast of wonderful characters.

The novel follows the titular character Maya, and her best friends Frankie and Eli as they venture in to the Dark to face the villainous Lord of Shadows and to save her Papa. The friendship between Maya, Frankie and Eli was the best part of the novel for me. I loved each of their characters individually, and the dynamic between them. I loved that each of them had their own striking personality. They had some delightfully hilarious scenes, and I really enjoyed the unconditional support that they had for each other.

Another highlight of the novel for me - bouncing off of the last one - was the feeling of community in the novel. I loved how the neighbourhood felt like a family. I do wish that we got to see more of the people in the neighbourhood and the relationships between them (I would've liked more than just them arguing). I hope this is something we see more in the sequel.

I enjoyed the aspects of West African Mythology, learning about Orisha's and the other creatures. Again, I do hope we get more of them in the sequel.

I enjoyed the quest aspect of this novel, as Maya and her friends were faced with Darkbringers who are determined to stop Maya from rescuing her Papa and securing the Veil between their two worlds. While the quests were interesting, something was missing for me. The novel just jumped from quest-to-quest, and then it ended, and I was like hm. Wish there was a bit more too it than jumping from action-to-action. While Maya - and her friends - did go on a character ARC of learning more about themselves, and the world around them, ultimately I felt like the overall ARC was lackluster. I don't want to say too much because I do not want to spoil, but I feel like there could have been more development to Maya's realisation of her powers & more exploration of the past etc. I feel like Barron may be saving a lot of the information/reveals for further novels in the series.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to seeing where the series goes.

I absolutely loved Maya and the Rising Dark, it is a wonderful, magical story - one which I would have loved as a child, one which I thoroughly enjoyed as an adult and one which I cannot wait to share with my daughter when she gets a little older.
Maya is an amazing protagonist. I love that she acts like a child, she is so determined, and fierce and loyal and yes she makes mistakes and does not do as her told, but she saves the day! I adore seeing well written friendships in books and Maya has her awesome best friends Frankie and Eli and they all support each other. The trio is a truly wonderful example of friendship, they don't always agree and they are so, so different from each other, but they adore it other, and would do anything to help each other and that just shines through.
Maya and the Rising Dark introduced me to a whole new world or should that be universe of magical lore, and I could not put this book down! It kept me totally engrossed the writing is so immersive, the world building is incredible and the pacing is perfect.
I honestly cannot wait until my daughter is a little older as we will be sharing Maya and the Rising Dark as a bedtime story. I am not going to miss the chance to reread this book. Maya and the Rising Dark is an incredible story about a girl who is determined, selfless and brave. We need more stories like this!
This is the first book that I have read by Rena Barron and honestly, I cannot wait to read more.

Review be available on my blog, The Reading Fairy, on September 14th, 2020

TW: Fantasy Violence, death (on-page), genocide (mentioned), mention of war, blood, use of slurs, mention of earthquake, mention of human experimentation, bullying, mention of killing others, possession, death of a parent (mentioned), death of loved ones (mentioned), kidnapping, blood, cannibalism (mentioned)
Rep: Black Cast, mention of a sapphic romance, enby side character, Black MC

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion.

But I remembered what Papa said: The enemy is strongest under the cover of darkness. It was yet another risk we had to take.

I really hope we all remember my review of Kingdom of Souls, on how Rena Barron has promise. Because she does, and I’m really thinking of buying all her books, not because she has the most beautiful covers ever-but simply because they are amazing! But she officially became one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what else she writes in the future!

So uhh, how come no one dared to mention this book is the first book in a trilogy?! How come no one mentioned that. It was under my impressions that this book was a standalone, but I’m not complaining. IT GIVES ME MORE TIME TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THESE CHARACTERS, EVEN THOUGH I ALREADY LOVE THEM.

BUT IT’S ALSO MORE BLACK GIRL MAGIC AND I AM OKAY WITH THAT. We need more books by Black authors, especially when it comes to mythology like this book. But honestly, I think like after I get it a job if I ever do and I get money, I’m buying all of Rena Barron’s books and special editions because she BECAME ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTO-BUY AUTHORS.

Can we just talk about how pretty this cover is. I’m such in awe with this cover, with all these beautiful colors coming together. And the fact that we have a Black girl wielding a staff which is about million times cooler!

This book is a middle grade mythology book that is both Contemporary Fantasy and it was really awesome! Maya is a 12 year old who has anemia, struggles with math and been seeing things-things that are not really there. Until, strange things continued to happen to where she learns that she is in fact 1/2 Godling (half god, half human), and that her father is the guardian of the veil.

Until Maya’s father is abducted, and she learns that her all of her father’s stories were true. And now, she has to get her father back with the help with her two best friends-Eli and Frankie, from the clutches of The Lord of Shadows.

I love the inclusion of the gods. I am not familiar with West African gods/goddesses at all, but the way they were included was so good. This was so different from other middle grade mythology book I have read, because there was no quests or prophecies involved. But the fun inclusion with them.

I can’t wait to know more about these gods/goddesses in the next future books, and I hope they play more of role in the next books.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORED MAYA. She is a fun, spunky twelve year old kid who lives in the South End of Chicago. She loves superheroes, she loves comic books and she hopes one day she would be able to go to Comic Con. She was a such a fun character, and I adored her right from the very first page.

I enjoyed this daughter saving dad mythology adventure. The characters were likable and the mythology was easy to sink into and not overly complicated. This genre is getting overrun with this type of series (Triston Strong, Guilded Ones, Sal & Gabi along with other Rick Riordan imprints). This was one of the better ones in my opinion.

I received an electronic ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group through NetGalley.
Another series in the current humans and gods interactive genre. Maya discovers her father is actually the Guardian of the Veil to protect the world from the Dark. Even more surprising, she is a godling (half god, half human) who finds her magic during the dangerous adventure to rescue her dad from the Dark.
Barron has created a fantasy world that fits in the Chicago neighborhood and opens up to a wider world where good battles evil and wins temporarily. Maya and her friends, Frankie and Eli, take the obligatory hero journey, face severe trials, and with great sacrifice save her father and in turn the world. They each discover their powers and must look within themselves and to each other to survive.
The set up for a next book works as middle grade readers will want to see Maya's continued journey to become a Guardian.

Maya and the Rising Dark is a fun, action-packed adventure story based on West African mythology. Twelve-year old Maya has always dismissed her papa’s adventure stories as bizarre and unreal, but when she begins to notice creatures straight out of those stories around her neighbourhood on the south side of Chicago whom apparently nobody else sees, Maya tells her friends Eli and Frankie about them, and the trio starts looking for an explanation. They find out that Maya’s father, who is actually the orisha guardian of the veil between our world and The Dark, has been kidnapped by the Lord of Shadows, a terrifying entity who appears in Maya’s dreams frequently. Now it’s up to Maya and her friends to rescue Maya’s father from the Dark and stop the Lord of Shadows from unleashing his army on the human world.

Maya and the Rising Dark is an exhilarating ride through and through. The story jumps quickly into action as Maya learns that the forces of the Dark are about to invade the human world and she is the only one with the power to prevent them. Barron’s writing style is quirky and delightful, it pulls you in and keeps you captivated until the very last page. I especially loved that Barron didn’t shy away from exploring and discussing some quite dark themes, despite it being a middle grade book. As the story progresses, Maya comes to see how even heroes can mess up and misuse their powers, how sometimes seemingly heroic deeds come at someone’s expense and have lasting consequences, and how our heroes can also be someone else’s monsters at the same time.

Maya is a wonderful, fierce protagonist; most readers, regardless of their age, will find themselves relating to her at least a little bit. As many other middle grade novels, Maya and the Rising Dark too highlights beautiful and heart-melting friendship dynamics. The bond between Maya and her two friends is at the heart of the book, Eli and Frankie’s insistence to stick with Maya no matter what propels the plot forward. What sets Maya’s story apart, however, is the focus on the relationship between Maya and her dad; a father-daughter duo fighting a bunch of bad guys is a very rare occurrence in fantasy novels, and that’s why it was quite possibly my favourite scene in the whole book.

Maya and the Rising Dark does leave a few things to be desired when it comes to the characterisation. While Maya is a complex and layered character, none of the secondary characters go through much development, which was especially disappointing in the cases of Frankie and Eli. They both play important roles in the story, and the main antagonist, who ended up being one-dimensional and quite boring, but that may be because we didn’t really get to see much of him. I couldn’t help feeling like if they had a little more build-up and if we got to know a bit more about their backgrounds, it’d have been easier for me to connect with the story in general.

The few small quibbles aside, I really enjoyed Maya and the Rising Dark, and I can’t wait to find out where the future instalments in Maya’s story take us! If you’ve read and loved Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Shah and the End of Time, Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky or Claribel A. Ortega’s Ghost Squad, I highly recommend checking this one out!

After her father goes missing, 12-year-old Maya uncovers that he is the keeper of the gateway between our world and The Dark. To find her father, she'll need to unlock her own powers and fight a horde of creatures set on starting a war. Stranger Things meets Percy Jackson set on the south side of Chicago.- Goodreads


The best way to describe this book is a prelude. This is not a bad thing at all. I say that because this book covers a lot of history, a lot of world building and a lot of character introductions. It is written so well that when I was finished I felt satisfied but at the same time wanting the next book. 


The world building in this novel is unlike any other. It is detailed, colorful, engaging, full of historical content (for this world). It has seamless transitions from one world to another and there is science. I love seeing Black kids show off in science or math. The book moves quickly. There are drops to that speed but it is for the development of Maya and trust me there is a lot of it. 


Maya isn't a rebellious 12 year old for the most part she follows the rules until her father goes missing. At this point, with her friends she does what she has to in order to find him. What I liked about her was her curiosity. She just had to know or she just had to figure it out. Her dynamic between her two friends was written extremely well. They balanced each other out and due to how much she cared for them, she picked up on  things that her friends never actually admitted and made movements around that. She is very insightful. 


I have to talk more about the world building because it is what sold me and it is what made me feel like this book was a prelude. The author is detailed without feeling as if the book is dragging. Without giving spoilers, she makes you believe that the unbelievable is right under your nose. She answers all your questions but leaves more than enough for the next book. And then the transitions. . . are just perfect. 


The ending was really a beginning and I believe because of the way it ended is another reason why I get a prelude vibe from this book. Everything written felt like information, backstory is something that has already happened. I loved it. 


Overall, really looking forward to book two. 


4 Pickles

This is a compelling middle-grade fantasy novel that incorporates West African cultural elements. I enjoyed the fast-paced ride that Barron creates, and I especially love how she incorporated the orisha mythology into this work; it's one that I'm not familiar with, and it would be great to introduce it to young readers. The diversity piece is also incredibly important; by making Maya and her friends "godlings," Barron also gives agency to the inhabitants of a Chicago neighborhood that, historically, have received less positive attention. The adventure and dashes of humor will appeal to middle

Maya and her friends Frankie and Eli discover that their world is not quite as it seems. Using their gifts, each of them play a role in helping to save it. Rena Barron’s world-building is fantastic (no pun intended). In addition to the Orishas, I found myself savoring the nuanced descriptions of the various characters and, more importantly, their relationships with each other. In one word: unputdownable!

Maya and the Rising Dark has an interesting premise but the book is one-dimensional and the writing is lackluster. There's little character development, world building, or background. There's not much of a hook at the beginning either to draw the reader in. It takes too long in the book to get to any major plot.

I am sad to say I did not enjoy this novel. The plot was interesting but the writing was jarring and cliche. I could not get into it. The cover is lovely though and this will likely appeal to younger readers who are not as concerned by voice,

I yelped when I saw that my request for this ARC had been approved. I kind of wish I were exaggerating! And MAYA AND THE RISING DARK did not disappoint. This is a nearly perfect book. It features Maya, a 12-year-old girl who lives on the South Side of Chicago and who goes on a search for her missing father. Maya experiences some strange, fantastical things before she's thrust into a world of Orishas and Dark Magic and sets out to save her neighborhood.

The intersections and representation in this book are just seamless and those nuanced, fully integrated exposures to the characters' cultures and identities make MAYA feel revolutionary. Barron truly crafted a masterpiece. We learn about Orishas, we are exposed to the realities - both the challenges and the beautiful community - of living on the South Side and are immersed in a primarily Black and Brown neighborhood filled with diverse characters and cultures. We see youth working together to save their community as they learn about themselves, their families, and their ancestors. We see BIPOC adults who are in all sorts of professions. We see BIPOC kids who have a full range of strengths and challenges. This is exactly the kind of implicit and integrated representation that we as a culture and youth as a demographic need to be exposed to and immersed in. And Barron created this world for us.

And what an exciting ride we go on through that world! I think middle-grade and YA readers will be completely enthralled by Maya, Frankie, Eli, the Orishas, the darker side of the magical world, and the mission to save a community. The friends all discover their own inherent powers, powers that have been passed down to them from their ancestors. This element is a beautiful way of showing children whose ancestors faced oppression, enslavement, genocide, had their land stolen from them, and all of the other atrocities our societies continue to commit on Black and Brown lives that there is power, beauty, possibility, and love in their veins that's been given to them from their ancestors. It's a way of turning the script on colonialist power structures and allowing children to feel connected to their diverse identities no matter how hard those colonialist mechanisms try to disenfranchise and disconnect them.

But all of that is implicit. Barron shows us rather than merely describes to us Maya's world, her and her family's connection to their community and their ancestors, the power of youth coming together, the power of recognizing your own strength and potential, and the worlds that open when children are empowered, represented, and connected.

Add to all of this the fact that Barron has created a perfectly fantastical world filled with magic, the nuanced realities of good vs. evil, and an exciting adventure centered around youth and you have a true work of art. I am so excited for children around the world to read this tale of Maya and her friends and family, of community, of ancestors. It's a story that implicitly refuses to prop up and perpetuate harmful systems and oppressive structures and instead shows us that raising a generation of children who value themselves, value where they came from, and value those same things in others is the ultimate way to decolonize and uplift. I am endlessly grateful to MAYA AND THE RISING DARK for helping me see that even more clearly.

And gratitude to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy of this book. My review is completely unbiased.