I had so much fun reading Ballad & Dagger by Daniel José Older! I did a combined reading experience of listening to the audiobook and reading the physical copy. The audiobook narrator, Lee Osorio, acted the voices wonderfully. He brought the characters alive. I also recommend it if you want to hear the pronunciation of the non-English words. Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Books for providing a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reason #1: Multilingualism Is Embraced
I loved the incorporation of Spanish in Shadowshaper, another book by Daniel Jose Older. So I was expecting to see it as part of the narrative for Ballad & Dagger. However, it was kicked up several notches because of the blend of cultures in San Madrigal. In San Madrigal, the people speak Spanish, Hebrew, Ladino and Lucumi. Older includes a glossary at the end of the book as a reference. The language of the characters makes the novel rich. I was also thankful that he tells you the dialect, for example, a lot of the Spanish is Cuban Spanish. Words have different meanings depending on the dialect.

I often encounter people who become intimidated when Spanish or a language other than English is featured prominently in a novel and I don’t really understand that. Use your context clues and Google! It’s just like when someone drops a $10 word that only gets used like twice a century in a book, you go look it up!

Reason #2: Colorful Cast Of Characters
Oh my goodness, you had me at pirates! I loved the cast of characters in this book! They have big, awesome personalities and I rocked with them in this diaspora of theirs. Mateo is hilarious, Tia Lucia is a wild sage, Rabbi Hidalgo is so cool! I loved the banter between Mateo and Chela. Also, I loved the representation of Chela being a badass brown girl with glasses and red hair who has the power and strength to end you with her magical swords. For those of you looking for a book that features a Black or Brown boy without trauma, but full of an adventure…Ballad & Dagger by Daniel José Older is that book folks!

Reason #3: An Intriguing World
The survivors of San Madrigal, a now-sunken island in the Caribbean, live in a diaspora located in Brooklyn, New York. They are a culture that includes pirates, Santeros, and Sefaradim. It’s a world filled with music, ghosts/muertos and an interesting political structure that is in place to keep the peace between the three groups. And what I found super interesting…cops and guns aren’t allowed in Little Madrigal!

Reason #4: The Sense Of Humor
Mateo Matisse is hilarious! That boy had me cracking up the entire book! “Dead people are a trip, man.” is a response to his Aunt Miriam, who is actually a spirit that lives with he and his Tia Lucia. Also when he says, “You mean Chela Murderface McDeathMurder Hidalgo?” I almost spit my drink out laughing!

Reason #5: Adventure & Mythology
I spent my whole childhood only having Greek mythology available to me to read. So now as an adult I have the chance to learn about African mythologies. This book is an adventure of a young man who discovers he is the son of Galanika and he is a healer. As the power balances shift and power exchanges from one generation to the next, the desire to resurrect the lost island of San Madrigal comes to a crest. Mateo must work to not only find out who he is, but he must uncover the plots of those who are up to no good. He must listen to and follow the advice of his Tia Lucia to always “Escucha.” and “All I can say is, get close to everyone but trust no one.”

Excited For The Next Book
I can’t wait for book #2 in this Outlaw Saints Novel series and to see what Mateo and Chela will be up to next! I am so glad Rick Riordan chose Daniel Jose Older to start the Young Adult novel section of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book to preview.

Ballad & Dagger is such an interesting book! I'm definitely recommending it to students who love the world building in fantasy as Older does this well. He creates the rich world of Little Madrigal and its culture and history with the island of San Madrigal. It is rich and complex pulling in the history/culture of pirates, Sephardic Judaism, and Santeria.

However, I would be reluctant to recommend this book to emerging teen readers who want to be hooked by plot. The world building takes away a bit from the action--even though there is great action. I just think for a teen who is working on building their reading confidence that this may be a tough one for them.

Ballad and Dagger gets four (4) stars for me, right off the bat. I was excited when I read the premise for this book and it did not disappoint.

Our main character is Mateo. He's part of a small diaspora of people from a lost Island. The people are an eclectic mix of pirates, spiritualists, there's Spanish, Jewish, Yoruba religion and gods. It was such a brilliant mix. It was vibrant, beautiful and felt real. Lived in. Like their lost island, San Madrigal, and the people, were real.

And the book was full of Black, Afro-Latin people and it was so nice to see. Cops weren't a problem. It was a book that I didn't have to worry about seeing cops do to Black bodies what they do in real life.

Mateo's parents are scientists so they always too him with them and that left him feeling like he didn't fit in in Little Madrigal, the area of Brooklyn that the survivors of the island's collapse settled in.

Mateo is a musician and music plays a big part in not only the story but the writing. You don't have to be very musically inclined to get it but it would help I guess if you really wanted to understand what Mateo was describing and hearing.

There's so much Spanish! That year of Duolingo sort of help. Like 20% but still. It was great. So lived in. At no point in the first 80% did the pacing bother me. Mateo's got a best friend named Tams and she's attractive but they're still best friends despite people always wanting to be with her. It was nice to see that. In so many YA books, the attractive best friend ends up being a point of contention in the character's relationship.

There's a lot of emphasis on family but also belonging. Mateo feels like he doesn't fit it, like he's an outsider in his own culture and he's disconnected from it. Watching that change was great. It felt honest.

The romance was okay. It actually felt like normal teenage stuff, no melodrama but maybe it moved a little awkwardly at some points.

Another big theme in this story is the past, secrets and coming to grips with them when they come into the light. What makes people who they are. It was dark and sad and when the characters hurt, I hurt. They were so powerfully and realistically written.

I will say that the only real negative I have for this book is the last 10%-15%. That's when the pacing sort of goes off the rails. Up until then, it had been really easy to read, to follow the events. At that point though, everything sped up and it got a little difficult to track what was happening with whom.

There was also some awkwardness with Chela and Mateo. Just the pacing of events that happens to them in that last 15% as well. Things felt too fast, and maybe a little too "perfect" in terms of how the characters handled things.

All in all though, absolutely a solid four (4) stars. I will recommend this not only to my younger sibling and their friends but anyone who wants to read a book about Afro-Latin people, living life, and coming to grips with the traumas of the past.

The pacing at first was really slow but I'm glad I stuck with it, it really picked up about half of the way in. I loved the lore of San Madrigal and the world building. Really enjoyed Mateo's relationship with his family and friends.

Ballad & dagger book review spoiler free

Hello bookish friends of the interment! Welcome or welcome back to my account! In todays post we r going to be talking about ballad & dagger by Daniel josé older! This is my most anticipated reads and it didn’t disappoint! Ik I was going to love it but not atomically be a five star reads! Thank u to Jamie from rockstar book tour for adding me on and fun fact: this is the first young adult book out of the Rick riordan present company!!!
So this follows our sixteen year old Mateo as he is the chosen one and discover the island disappears he lived in Brooklyn, now he is a piano ballad player and on a quest with a gang of magical friends. There’s some deadly secrets that Mateo has to find and I love how this book o didn’t had a whole lot of romance until the end!
I also wish I filmed my reaction to reading the ending because what a crazy cliffhanger and I’m dying for book two! I knew I would love this book but my reaction throughout the book was laughing and crying and screaming no! If u love the chosen ones trope, found family, huge battle scenes/quest then this first book in a duology is for u! Check it out wherever books are sold!
Question of the day: what is ur most anticipated reads for June?
Answer of the day: blade breaker, the last fallen moon, forgiving silver to stars! And so many more! If u love a great magical quest and found family check out this book! #balladanddagger #outlawsaintsseries #DanielJoséOlder #disneybooks #rickriordanpresents #letstalkya #rockstarbooktours #giveaway #rickriordan #urbanfantasy #yabookstagram #yalit #youngadult  #weneeddiversebooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookish #bookworm  #igbooks #igreads

4 solid stars

I believe this is the first YA novel in the Riordan Presents imprint, and it's definitely young adult, partly because there is a lot more violence than the middle books I've read in the same group, but also because the reading level is higher. The book actually has a slow start and it takes a little bit of persistence to keep going. However, despite the slow start, the writing was really lyrical and included a fair bit of Spanish, whose meaning was usually translated, or you could figure it out from context. But it was the music that really grabbed hold of me. I listened to this book while reading along and the narrator was perfect. As he described the musical passages, I could feel the rhythms and almost hear the sounds he was describing. The story really opened up for me in the second half as the action built up and Mateo ran from one thing to another trying to figure out who he could trust (the answer--no one!). Those who prefer action books may need to push themselves through the first half, but I found the first half to be very important because it's where the author told us all about the beautiful island in the Caribbean that was swallowed up by the sea. I absolutely loved the idea of this island as a safe haven for Sefaradim, Santeros, Pirates, Indigenous people, dispossessed European Jews, and freed West African slaves. The mixture of religion, culture, and mythology from all these sources was very well thought out and it makes me want to keep on reading further in the series. Perhaps this mythology was completely made up, but if so, the author did a fantastic job creating something that seemed so realistic and possible. I really want to walk through Brooklyn and visit the neighborhood of San Madrigal! I mentioned the music earlier and Mateo is a healer, but he is a prodigy musician first and the way the author incorporated the music into his character as well as into this story was genius.

I am definitely looking forward to future books in this series.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a world I could really sink my teeth into, which I loved. Plus, Mateo's voice was so unique and fresh—a total departure from most YA. I shouldn't be surprised at all, it's Daniel Jose Older and he never fails to deliver! This was a wild ride and I loved seeing how mythology was woven into the worldbuilding for a wholly original tale.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ballad & Dagger was completely magical. Way more than I expected it would be. Then again, I don't think Rick Riordan has ever given me a bad book. Hopefully, Daniel keeps doing the same! So, yes, I was very excited to jump into this one and practically screamed all kinds of joy when I saw that I was accepted to do so. It just unfortunately took me forever to finally find the time to read this.

Honestly, I'm mad at myself for waiting so long. I absolutely fell in love with everything within this. Whether it was the vibes of New York City calling my name, a magical missing island that I secretly hope I can walk into, the culture, monsters, or even the magic itself. Seriously, so much was going on that it's kind of hard to pick one thing that I really enjoyed. The entire book was enjoyable, and I can't wait for the sequel to come out.

No, really, I need the next book like right now. I already think it will be a great addition to this series and can't wait for what else Mateo needs to face. Do I think he needs to be thrown into another dark mystery? No, but I will wish for it anyways. I just need a great adventure and it just seems like Mateo will walk into one no matter what.

In the end, I will patiently wait for 2023 to come so that I can get my hands on the next book within this series. I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this wonderful book and can't wait for everyone else to read it. Hopefully they enjoy the overall journey as much as I did. Maybe even more.

Ballad and Dagger by Daniel Jose' Older gets a solid thumbs up from me. It tells a story of mythical powers that are gifted to a few young people who come to face each other at times that their community is struggling and divided. Music is a strength in this book.

Thank you, Disney Publishing Worldwide, for allowing me to read Ballad & Dagger early!

I just love books inspired by mythology, especially when it isn't Greek or Roman or Norse (I love these three, but discovering about new ones is definitely more thrilling). They are so neat and original and entertaining. Ballad & Dagger was no exception.

It was easy to step into Mateo Matisse’s shoes. I know it’s an overused term to call a voice “fresh,” but it’s the perfect description of Older’s writing style. The dialog is generally upbeat, fun, and real. There’s a musicality to it that you often hear in the real world but doesn’t always come across on the page. It’s banter so natural, I could hear it with my own ears. When one character hits a drum beat, the other answers with a piano chord, and it thrums throughout your whole body.

Everything about this book is dynamic—it’s constantly moving, jumping, dancing, rolling, sashaying, and twirling forward. It’s certainly one of the most vivid stories I’ve read in a while, not only because of the colorful characters and splashy setting, but because of the way Older describes it all: Not only can I see what Mateo sees, but I can hear the unique way he interprets the world through music. And as someone who doesn’t have a musical bone in her body, that’s truly something I’ve never experienced before. And it’s a gift I won’t forget.

Some of the lines in this book were also the most profound takes on anxiety I’ve ever read, and every once in a while, I had to take a moment to process them. They made me reflect upon my own life, my own fears, my own ability to overcome my anxieties. It made me feel powerful.

What I found perhaps most interesting about this book is the way the story keeps unraveling and how our view of this world gets broader. Each chapter adds another puzzle piece to the picture, and by the end, this universe was so much bigger than I ever thought it would be. The possibility of what the sequel could bring feels otherworldly, and I could not be happier with the idea of what’s to come.

There are a lot of little moments that brought me joy, too. The normalization of queerness. The way the love story comes together with a tenderness I wasn’t expecting. How San Madrigal is both a paradise and a flawed creation. But especially that final chapter that feels so big and ethereal and yet so personal, like an impossible dream coming true right before your eyes.

It’s tough to get a 5-star rating from me. But please, give this book all the stars. All of them.

At 5% through, I was hooked. The narrative voice is fresh and real. The world and backstory are beautifully built.

At 10% through, I emailed my school librarian and more-or-less demanded that she order it for our library. (She said yes.)

I really, really love this book and can’t wait for its sequel to wrap up the story.

Mateo frequently feels like an Espiritu, a ghost in his own community. He has lived outside it enough that he feels like he doesn’t quite fit. But he discovers early on in the story that he has a pivotal role to play—and it isn’t just as a musician, even though that’s his passion.

This story deals with friendship, community, the roles of faith and science, and finding out just who you are and what you’re capable of.

I enjoyed the community of San Madrigal, a mixture of santeros, pirates, and Sephardic Jews, and the commingling of all those beliefs.

I love that the characters speak Spanglish, mixing Spanish and English, frequently in the same sentence, just as my students so frequently do. Older handles giving the non-Spanish speakers the gist of what’s said in Spanish deftly. (I speak mediocre Spanish, so it wasn’t a problem for me, but I was on the lookout for clunky translation—there wasn’t any.)

Really, I can’t say enough good about this book. I just wish my life had been calmer so I could have gobbled it down in a day rather than spreading it through a week.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Violence—including murder. Spiritualism, magic, social conflict.

Who Might Like This Book:
Please, please, even if YA fantasy isn’t your normal genre, give this a try. These are such marvelous characters, you really need to meet them. If you enjoy watching teens find out what they can do and who they are, read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/05/its-been-roughsix-weeks-but-yearbook-is.html

really engaging writing, a fascinating story and well-developed characters! a phenomenal start to RRP's YA publishing.

I really wanted to love this book, I was super intrigued by the mix of multiple cultures to create the mythos of this world, and the magic channeled by music. The author's love for the cultures involved was obvious, but things became so complicated within the story he tried to weave that the cultures and love got buried underneath increasingly confusing supernatural occurrences and lore.

I found the characters outside of Mateo to be uncompelling and underdeveloped and I struggled to care about their journeys or their eventual fates. I also struggled with the scope of this book. At first, the community it centers on is introduced as a diaspora community from an island spawned from three main cultures where they worship three main deities. However, as the book unfolds the mythos becomes more complex and contradictory and I struggled to follow what was happening as the conflicts became more tangled and complicated as new elements were added into what was originally a simple conflict between past and present in the community. I spent more time confused while reading than enjoying this story which is unfortunate given how excited I was originally to read this book.

The Rick Riordan series goes YA with this deliciously wonderful fantasy set on an island I wish existed, right off Brooklyn. The book gets off to a slow start, as Older builds both an intricate and fascinating world (Santeria, Jewish myths, pirates!) and develops the characters through Mateo, a shy music nerd who is used to nobody noticing him. he likes it that way.

We meet a richly diverse set of characters both young and old as danger threatens the balance of the island, which has been sunk and needs raising . . .

Okay, I just deleted five paragraphs of basically spoilers as I attempted to untangle the complexities of plot and character. I think it's far more fun for the reader to learn San Madrigal's history and rhythms as the pages turn.

Things I appreciated? the gradual rise in stakes and tension to a truly stunning climax. Also, I loved, loved, loved the way Mateo was written, seeing the world in musical terms. I also loved how the Spanglish infusing the narrative adds its own rhythms to the language.

I look forward to more in Older's series, as well as more YA entries in the RR wider series. It's off to a terrific start.

Mateo Matisse might seem like an average 16-year-old music nerd. All he loves doing is playing and getting lost in the music of his culture, but his culture is one unlike any other. He’s part of a small diaspora from the lost Caribbean island of San Madrigal who now reside in New York. This melting pot of a community, made up of pirates, Sephardic Jews, and Cuban Santeros, for 15 years have lived in relative peace, albeit one that believes in magic and ghosts. But everything changes after a particularly raucous annual Grande Fete celebration that rocks Mateo’s world and sets him on an entirely new trajectory, one filled with gods, magical beasts and all out war. As Mateo discovers, he’s been gifted with more than just the talent for music, he has an ability that can drastically help others, and he’s not the only one. He’s joined on his journey by Chela Hidalgo, the daughter of the community’s rabbi who’s aura of mystery adds to her allure. Matteo, Chela and their friends must rise up against a dirty politician bent on wreaking havoc to their community all while trying to restore San Madrigal to its former glory.

Daniel José Older has crafted a stunningly unique world with San Madrigal’s mixture of ethnicities, languages and religions, not to mention the magical element. Plus, Older expertly weaves in the powers of music and love to concoct a richly varied tale that will leave reader’s anxious for book 2. This combination of elements gave me Moon Knight, Encanto, and Moana vibes at times, but these similarities were definitely fun and never distracting.

At times, Ballad & Dagger’s 16-year-old narrator used words or phrases that I thought didn’t gel with his age. Being a reader close to the author’s age this was something I noticed but wasn’t distracted by, the same might not be said for teenage readers (maybe a quick check on Tik Tok might have been useful for the most up-to-date Gen Z slang). This is one small gripe but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

Ballad & Dagger offers a uniquely rich and diverse landscape and Daniel José Older has done an amazing job of filling it with interesting characters and a page-turning plot. This book is perfect for adult fans of YA/fantasy or early teens who crave a new world to immerse themselves in.

Thank you to the publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the island nation of San Madrigal sank into the ocean fifteen years ago, the survivors made their way to New York, settling in the Brooklyn neighborhood that has come to be known as Little Madrigal. The citizens of this community continue their way of life, whether it be their culture and traditions or the politics, but all of them are hopeful of finding a way back home, of raising the island again. High school student Mateo Matisse who lives with his Aunt Lucia is only interested in his music and perhaps one day being good enough to play backup for his idol Gerval, a local legend. But on the night of a major celebration, Mateo learns that he is an initiated child of Galanika, a god with healing powers, and is one of three such initiates of the island spirits that possess the ability to raise the lost island. He is not happy with the unexpected role that has been thrust on him, but is unwillingly dragged into the fray as political infighting leads to violence on the streets. As the evil that sank their island returns once more, Mateo must learn to use his new powers and uncover San Madrigal’s long buried secret history.

The world building was my favorite part of this book. Unlike the other series in the Rick Riordan Presents collection I’ve read so far, Ballad and Dagger wasn’t based on any one mythology, but was rather an amalgamation of many cultures, with a wholly original setting that was wonderfully portrayed. The ins and outs of the culture, history and politics were so well detailed, along with the themes of diaspora and colonialism woven in, and it made for a fascinating backdrop to this story. Both San Madrigal and Little Madrigal were so immersive that at times I forgot it was fictional – the community was so well described that it felt real.

The characters were all right, Mateo makes for a good narrator, though I felt like his arc wasn’t the best in terms of character development. I didn’t really connect to any of the characters, but they did all have important roles to play and they kept the plot moving.

Pacing was the one major area where this book suffered, in my opinion. Despite the interesting premise, I found it extremely hard to get through the first half of the book with how slow it was. If it hadn’t picked up when it did, I might have well DNF’d this book. Admittedly this is all set up time for this intricate world so I’m glad I stuck with it, but a reader needs to have a lot of patience to make it to where the real story begins.

Overall, given how much this book sped up by the last quarter of the story, I think it pulled together for a decent ending that wrapped up everything rather well, and it has made me curious enough that I’ll probably pick up the sequel next year. I’m looking forward to checking out other books by the author as well and I would recommend this book for fantasy fans!

First off I want to say that the introduction by Rick Riordan was beautiful. He introduced the world of Ballad and Dagger without shifting the focus to himself and was incredibly praising both of the book and Daniel José Older himself. He notes that this is the first Young Adult book in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

Ballad and Dagger begins with the protagonist, Mateo Matisse, preparing to play the piano at the Grande Fete and desperately hoping his music idol Gerval will notice him. This plan is somewhat halted when he sees someone get murdered and Chela, a girl he knew and possibly had a crush on, did it. His night is further derailed when he learns that he, the son of two doctors, has healing powers and is the reincarnation of Galanika: one of the three magical patrons of San Madrigal (the island his entire community is from that sank mysteriously 15 years before).

The beginning of the book, like many fantasy books, is a bit of an info dump. The reader is learning about Mateo’s culture but also about how everyone in the community connects to one another and doesn’t quite get a chance to get a hang of this before the conflict begins. While this is a bit confusing and overwhelming, the introduction to the world of Mateo and San Madrigal is hilarious. Mateo’s running commentary is hilarious whether it be about the people in the community (including his lesbian aunts– one of whom is a ghost) or how San Madrigal (and its diasporic counterpart Little Madrigal) is run by pirates. The humour takes a bit of a back seat when the stakes rise (which is unfortunate but understandable given the stress Mateo is under), but makes a wonderful introduction to the San Madrigal world.

Mateo is backed by his best friend Tams, his Tía Lucia, and a girl named Chela– who Tía Lucia told him under no circumstances to trust. The character dynamics, culture, and use of both English & Spanish really emphasize that this is not a story to soothe white people but rather to showcase the beauty and complexity of diasporic cultures. Daniel José Older also does not hesitate to show the issues of diasporic cultures (clinging to toxic notions of the past) as well as pointedly depicting how many of these issues are the result of colonialism. Something I wholeheartedly applaud Older for including is Mateo’s inner musing that “And we never had slavery, a point the elders will bring up again and again when arguing with other island folk. But really, the bar is so low; like, wow, none of our founders owned another human! Congrats! No one should get gold stars for the bare minimum, if you ask me.” I loved this as so many of us are guilty of being praised or praising others for things that perhaps we shouldn’t be (white responses to the Black Lives Matter movement made this even more painfully obvious than it was already).

The world Daniel José Older created is beautiful. My only real critique is that sometimes the beauty of the community was lost with the constant high-stakes situations as it was difficult to grasp all the intricate details (and seriousness of the conflict) because the severity of the conflict kept rising with few breaks in tension.

A fine balance between magical realism and urban fantasy, Ballad and Dagger is ideal for readers looking for diverse representation, and colorful, immersive world building. The narration was lyrical and conversational, and it often felt like the main character was talking directly to me.

While the book reels you into the story, making you feel part of the community, I think this was more plot driven than character driven. The setting and the story overshadowed the characters a little . But when the world building and premise is as fantastical and enchanting as it is in this read, it’s still chef’s kiss. The way it’s written, you’ll feel like you’re not just reading but you’re part of the actual adventure too.

I look forward to seeing where the next book leads.


Thank you NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide who provided a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own

Daniel Jose Older writing a YA title for Rick Riordan Presents signals a must read. Pirates, Sephardic Jews, and Santeros means robust world building and an entertaining story. It was a bit of a slow start, but the pace picked up until I couldn’t put it down. This will definitely be an attractive choice for high school students who are former Percy Jackson fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.