Maybe I just have a thing for sapphic horror but I loved loved loved this book! Definitely worth ignoring my homework for <3

Burn Down, Rise Up follows Raquel, a teenager who is living in a community in which people have gone missing for the past year...and these strange occurrences don’t stop with just disappearances. When things start to happen to people close to home, Raquel decides to investigate what is going on with the help of her crush Charlize. Together, they are then thrown into something called the Echo Game and in order to save their community they have no choice but to engage in a journey to burn it all down. There are other weird things happening too; for example, some characters are having vision-like dreams and there's a creepy rot disease spreading through the community. The start was a little bit jumpy but after the prologue it becomes slower in pace and the story is further built up. There is horror and suspense, with history and politics subtly woven throughout the story and everything flows in a way that made this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Sapphic urban fantasy mixed with horror is not a genre I knew I needed in my life until this book.

The Echo Game is a fascinating concept, introduced in the very first chapter. The author quickly lays out the questions that will become the basis of the plot. What is this game? Where are these kids disappearing to? What happened to Cisco? What does it have to do with the Bronx? Does it have something to do with Raquel's mom being sick? The questions pile up, and do not really begin to get answered until the second half of the story. The suspense is really well done, and I was super invested in trying to figure out the story.

The characters are, for the most part, loveable and charming. Raquel is funny, smart, and hopelessly crushing on the same girl, Charlize, as her guy best friend, Aaron. I love Raquel and Aaron's banter and the lengths they're willing to go to to help each other. Charlize is fabulous but there were points where I just wanted to reach through the page and smack some sense into her, like come on there's literally 3 rules to the game please don't break one. Raquel and Charlize fighting for a common goal while also figuring out their feelings for each other is just perfect, I felt like every interaction was so realistic to how teenagers act.

This is an amazing novel that deals with heavy topics like the generational impacts of gentrification, living in poverty, and dealing with your world being flipped upside down. There are many lighter aspects such as falling in love, fighting with friends, and reconnecting with old relationships. The story is amazing, and if you like urban fantasy and/or YA horror you will love this story.

This book grabs you from the first page and doesn't let up until the very end. It's a great book to put in the hands of a reader looking for a twisty blend of thriller and post-apocalyptic survival-even though this book isn't post-apocalyptic at all. There are just some scenes that I think would really work well for readers who enjoy zombie stories and similar stuff. Plus it's got super vivid writing that's by turns funny and horrifying, with a wonderful leading character. It's a compelling read; kind of gross and gory, but still full of heart and truly unique in its story. Highly recommend!

Urban legends and history are intertwined in this sapphic tale from the Bronx.

Racquel is a daughter of 2 worlds and there are things that she doesn't quite understand. I loved Racquel and her voice as she tries to help out her friend Charlize when Charlize's cousin Cisco goes missing. There is an Urban Legend called the Echo game, which is not for the faint at heart. Because there are real consequences to this game. This

This book is an interesting take of urban fantasy mixed with horror. There are a couple of references from games, movies, tv shows which blend together in creating this tale.

If you like horror with a side of urban legends, then this would be a fantastic book for you.

Many thanks to Vincent Tirado, Net Galley, and Sourcebooks Fire for the free advance reviewer copy. I am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an arc.

This book is doing a lot; sapphic paranormal historical mystery; and like with many books that try to check many boxes it falls short. The first half of the book set up some very interesting plots, a historical paranormal time portal that brings to light a part of NYC history that I was unaware of as well as a personal connection that raises the stakes of the whole plot. But the second half was confusing and had some plot holes for me, especially with the rules that were not followed even though it was set up earlier that it was very important to follow the rules. I did like the ending theme, but I don't know if that was clear to me while reading.

I think this would work for younger readers and I would be interested in reading from this author again, their ideas are unique and attention-grabbing.

Books like this that bring the horrors of history and combines it with a fast-paced plot are becoming easy additions to the classroom. Middle grade students who are in the more mature spectrum can comprehend these messages and challenge their minds to different ways of thinking. The past isn't quite so in-your-face so as to deter readers, but does present the mistakes of the past in ways that students can connect to and think about how it connects to today's societal issues. I love that this book took place over just a couple days and how the Echo was shown with the time chapters.

Sapphic horror? Sign me up! Very Stranger Things-esque and a thrilling ride. I would have loved to have seen more of the relationship between Raquel and Charlize develop, but I still love them! The book was a little slow to start and things were a bit repetitive, but about halfway through it started getting more action packed and exciting as we follow the characters into the Echo.

Intriguing plot line that was only halfway delivered.

I love the description of the gloom spots. Love some of the suspense this book brings, but ultimately this book felt a little stilted. Not sure if it was the dialogue, but I felt as though some of the dialogue was a little hockey.

Also, I figured out the whole thing pretty early on.

This book was really good, although the thriller aspect of it got a bit too intense for me (I have a pretty low threshold for that sort of stuff). Otherwise, I loved the main characters and the plot!

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Over the last couple of years there has been a welcome explosion of horror and dark fantasy YA fiction featuring Black and Latino characters and Vincent Tirado’s debut Burn Down, Rise Up is another fine example. This highly entertaining read is probably aimed at teenagers aged 13/14+ as there are f-bombs dropped liberally throughout the story, otherwise it is very accessible. Equally refreshing is the significant increase of YA horror fiction with convincing LGBTQ+ characters or themes, another area which Burn Down, Rise Up tackles confidently through its teen relationships. The blurb sells the novel with the very catchy “Stranger Things meets Jordan Peele in this thrilling and page-turning debut” and it is very easy to see elements of both in the story. Race is a factor, but does not dominate the story, and it does also feature its own alternate world which is reminiscent of Stranger Thing’s ‘Upside Down’.

Burn Down, Rise Up is set in the Bronx and has great Afro-Latino characters driving the plot and is built around the fact that there have been a rash of disappearances in the area which might be connected to an urban legend challenge called ‘The Echo Game’. In this game the participants follow a set of instructions (including getting on and off trains at set times) and if successful are transported to another dimension. These games are supposed to originate from Japan and Korea, but Matt Wesolowski’s totally awesome Hydra (2017) has a game set in the UK and is played in a similar way, with elevators instead of trains. There is a rumour that the game has gone wrong in some way and the players are those who have disappeared. But the big question is, where have they gone?

Most of the answers come in the second half of the novel, which has a major upturn in pace, speeding up the action after solid character development in the first. In what might be taken as a love letter to the Bronx, Vincent Tirado vividly brings to life this area of New York and even transports us back a few decades via the game. Although this was interesting enough, some of it did feel like information dumping and I hope it does not deter genuine teen readers from the main plot.

The main character is sixteen-year-old Raquel who hangs out with her best friend Aaron, who has a major crush on another pupil from the same school, Charlize. Aaron does not realise that Raquel is gay, not does he realise that she has a crush on the same girl. Aaron worships the very popular Charlize from afar and once a cousin of Charlize disappears (Cisco) Aaron and Raquel are keen to help. The teen dynamics dominated the first half of the novel, with most of the supernatural stuff saved for the second half. Raquel was a very engaging main character and the relationships she had with her family, particularly her father, came across as very authentic, as did the mixed cultural heritage of the teen.

As the police begin to investigate the disappearance of Cisco Raquel’s mother gets very sick, inflicted by a weird fungus type infection, which may be connected to Cisco. As the infection begins to spread Raquel realises that to save her mother she must try and track down Cisco and fully understand how The Echo Game works and its special connection to The Bronx and a dark period of its local history. However, many dangers lie ahead and the teens have to pull together when they take on the supernatural entity, the Slumlord. As bad guys go, this guy was pretty good, but there was plenty of scope to make him nastier and even darker.

Even though some teen readers might find Burn Down, Rise Up a tad slow, it has decent suspense and rounded sympathetic characters. At times the romantic element of the story was underdeveloped and teetered towards cliché territory, it was still cute and the dynamics between the protagonists will hold the interest of the intended readership. Overall, it was very nice to read a YA horror novel that had a social conscience which had much to say about historical collective trauma and how it might resonate down the generations.

Thank you Netgalley for an Advance Digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 rounded up*

Book at a Glance:
• Ghost Train
• Living location
• Sapphic relationship
• Afro-Latine represtation
CWs: body horror, medical trauma, gun violence, blood, death

People are disappearing in the Bronx, and the police are proving useless at investigating. An urban legend about a deadly game played on the subway has surfaced at the same time. Raquel is content to focus on her own business until her mother is attacked by an old friend who supposedly played the game. Now with her mom in a coma, Raquel and Charlize must work together to save their loved ones from the effects of the Echo Game.

The first half of this book is immaculate. The growing tension, the dread, and the slow reveal of the Echo Game is so enjoyable.

Unfortunately, after Raquel makes her trip into the Echo, the vibe I loved in the first half kind of fall away. The Bronx makes for an intriguing "living location/eldritch loci" but beyond that, most of the aspects of the Echo felt a little too on the nose. It had a lot of potential, but for me, it just didn't deliver in the end.

As the story progressed, it felt as though characters would do things for the convenience of the story. Like characters having the exact bit of historical information ready to hand out when needed. Or characters readily jumping to do the Echo Game with little discussion.

It also felt like there was not enough time spent in developing the Echo. It had the potential to be really scary, but was a bit too zombie apocalypse for my liking. Still, Tirado clearly loves the Bronx and this comes through in their writing. The moments where the narration focuses on the location over the inhabitants of the Echo are where it shines.

There is more good here than bad. The characters are great. The interactions between Raquel and her father, Samuel are especially genuine, capturing an awkwardness that feels so real. The scenes between them are some of my favorites. Samuel clearly wants to show his love for his daughter but struggles to make connections with her due to their estrangement and his chaotic work schedule. Likewise the rekindling friendship between Raquel and Charlize is very tender and sweet, particularly in the first half of the book.

A solid debut novel, and a great read for people that like urban myths or those that love history.

Burn Down, Rise Up. Yes, yes, and more yes! had everything I look for in fantasy books. Vincent Tirado wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.


The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

This book was so good! Monster-hunting and the rich setting (even though it was real world) made this book unputdownable. A great debut.

WOW. This was GOOD! What this book does really well is showing how society's systems, particularly the systems of power, are not designed to include or protect everyone. Truly a love letter to the Bronx with so many twists and turns that it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

This book made me realize that I do enjoy reading horror novels. I also love learning about history and this book offered so much of that!

Sapphic friends to lovers plus an intriguing spooky mystery made this book a wonderful experience. Sometimes the writing style felt a little flat though. But it's still a page turner and definitely worth a read!

Absolutely did not know what to expect with this book, but it was a wild and fantastic ride. I think it could have been a little more impactful than it was, and I had a bit of a problem with the pace (the chapters were so short - in the first half of the book, the chapters were an avg of 3 mins each). But I really liked the concept and thought it was so brilliant and unique.

This was an awesome YA horror. The MC is Afro-Latina and has some real fun one liners. I liked the historical aspect of the Bronx that was included in this book. There was also a really good over arcing commentary on eat the rich and institutional racism. The were definitely some creepy parts of this book but it wasn’t something that will keep me up at night.

Lastly rep: cute sapphic relationship between MC and her old friend. Also a non-binary author!

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for an e-ARC!

This was a great read! I love thriller books so it was a quick read and I’d definitely recommend it to everyone!

Thanks for the arc, Sourcebooks Fire and FireReads!
This was a quick read for me, and perfect timing to fall into my hands. I love ya paranormal, but the offerings are so slim!

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado is fast paced thriller/ supernatural mystery story about The Echo Game, a creepy urban legend challenge set in the Bronx borough of New York City. I didn't know much about NYC before starting this, but BDRU taught me several things about the Bronx and the city that I've never heard before. It never got bogged down with info dumping, and I never felt confused about what was going on. It interested me enough to go do some research on the Bronx myself.

Raquel is very interesting and I was invested in her character immediately. Her relationship with her parents is very realistic and written well. I enjoyed reading about Raquel and her best friend and love interest. This book seems like a standalone, but there were a couple of threads at the end that could be used to continue the story if the author were so inclined.

This isn't a perfect novel, but I really enjoyed reading it and it was an excellent first novel by a new author. I'm definitely looking for their future work!