Really enjoyed reading about this wholly original culture and its reckoning with colonialism (as a Jew, I especially loved the Sefaradi elements). Can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes!

Ballad & Dagger is a rich tapestry of music  magic, culture, community, love, and secrets. Mateo just wants to play music and fit into his community in Little Madrigal, a diaspora settled in Brooklyn after the island of San Madrigal sank fifteen years before. But when a secret about Mateo is revealed and a coup of Little Madrigal set in motion, Mateo will have to team up with his mysterious, and dangerous, classmate Chela to uncover the truth about San Madrigal's past and present, and unlock powers in them both that have been waiting to be found.

This book has great writing, a fast-paced plot, tackles deep themes, and has a main character you can't help but root for. The writing is gripping and the descriptions so evocative - I just wanted to walk down the streets of Little Madrigal and listen to the music and language. Not everything is beautiful - the Bambarúto were terrifying and there was a bit more gore than I was expecting.

I loved following Mateo on his journey from feeling like an outcast to discovering his powers and place in the community. This is one of those books I wish I could hear, since music and magic are so intertwined in Mateo. There are times when the narrative deliberately holds back information, which was a bit frustrating but added to the dramatic tension.

There were humorous touches, like his aunt's dog Fart and the sadistic high school PE teacher, but there is also a lot of serious moments. There is a lot of community politics, crime, injury, death, and discussions of the effects of colonialism, slavery, and racism.

I wish we got to know more about Chela as her own person - I expected her and Mateo to be more of a team throughout the book, but there always seemed to be some distance until the final part of the novel.

This book went a lot of places I didn't expect and kept me reading. Overall, I loved the worldbuilding and while some characters were a bit two-dimensional, there was enough going on that I didn't overly mind. I'm excited for the sequel to see what happens next.

Rating: 4.5

*A digital ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*


A book about a lost fantastical island of Cuban lore called San Madrigal, chockfull of magic, ghosts and reincarnated saints, demons, pirates, and a type of Cuban golem - sign me up!

Ballad & Dagger is set in the backdrop of a colorful borough of NYC , centered around a close-knit Brooklyn community. Our protagonist, Mateo Matisse, is a musician who can harness a mystical power - a sort of modern day Orpheus. As he comes into his full magical powers, Mateo must help his community fight against a threat ages old.

Overall, I enjoyed this book with the Cuban and Sephardic mysticism and am curious to see where the series will go next.

But I did have a few issues with it, and those are that it takes a bit long to get into the main action of the book, as well as getting to the actual island in question. (*minor spoiler) Yes they do get there, but it feels like a missed opportunity not to include such a fun element in the first battle. That said, perhaps it is being set up as a big chunk of the sequel? Another thing that potentially slows the first half of the book down is it is very description oriented which sometimes tends to slow the forward momentum.

Overall, I would give Balled & Dagger 3.5 stars, rounding up to four for good measure. But even though it starts off a bit slow and the action takes a little bit longer to actually get going, once the exciting bits of the story are happening, it definitely makes one want to see what will happen next.


Thank you Disney, for providing me with a digital ARC of this book to honestly review!

I’ve talked often about my love for the Rick Riordan Presents imprint on the Unabridged Podcast. Of course, I’m a fan of Riordan’s work, which I enjoyed and my boys have read and re-read, but I also so appreciate his goals with Rick Riordan Presents: on his website, he writes, “Our goal is to publish great middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage.”

Daniel José Older’s Ballad & Dagger is the first YA entry in the Rick Riordan Presents catalog, and it’s a great way to kick off this collection for an expanded audience.

Mateo Matisse is a bit of an outsider from his San Madrigal culture. This close-knit community relocated to Brooklyn after San Madrigal, an isolated island in the Caribbean, sank into the sea. Now, the three strands of his homeland—pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews—work together to maintain a sense of what San Madrigal used to be.

Mateo, who is living with his aunts (one living, one a spirit) while his doctor parents are traveling, connects to his culture most strongly through music. While he traveled with his parents for much of his childhood, missing out on the stories and in-jokes that have created strong bonds between his peers, his deep understanding of the music of his homeland allows him to take part in rituals and ceremonies that mean so much to San Madrigal.

On the night of the Grand Fete, Mateo is performing with his best friend Tams, a drummer, when a series of events changes the course of his life: he witnesses a brutal murder, connects with someone new, and finds out that his connection to the stories of his ancestors is deeper than he’d ever imagined.

I love this new path that Rick Riordan Presents is taking, with grittier stories that still appeal to those who love earlier, middle-grade entries in the imprint. Older is a master at world building without sacrificing the depth of these characters, and Mateo is a complex character whose desire to belong and to contribute to his community is sincere, despite some stumbles along the way.

Powerful, fascinating book with intriguing characters and some deep mythology. I would happily put this in the hands of a teenager who likes any kind of urban fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free review copy of the book.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

First of all, god bless the Rick Riordan presents series. Second of all, this was SO good...and I want to be able to teach it because it looks at colonialism, imperialism, Judaism, African Culture (e.g. Yoruba), Santera, Caribbean, disasporas, colorism, and all of the things. It kind of reminded me of reading Raybearer with the intricate combination of cultures to create a unique aspect to reading.

Also, the characters? I loved them. Mateo and Chela are just...amazing. Inspirational. The mannerisms of Madrigal draw you into the world. Also, pirates. You would think it doesn't work together, but that's the beauty of it being a diaspora.

Plot wise? I really enjoyed it. For a while, it's felt like a lot of the Yoruba/Orisha inspired stories are the same exact thing, but this was unique by the spirits actually inhabiting the bodies. I also like how it's contemporary fantasy with Madrigal existing somewhere between Brooklyn and Manhattan. There were some spots where I felt like it dragged a little bit, but for the most part, I really enjoyed the plot, the pacing, the turns, etc. It's also humorous, and Mateo kind of reminds me of an older Percy Jackson (like...if Percy Jackson was written how YA is written now).

Overall, it was good. I think I'll pick up the next book in the duology for sure, but it honestly felt rather wrapped up as well.

A really great start to what is sure to be an amazing series. It does take a little bit of time at the beginning to grasp and understand the world they are living in with the different "founding" and leading groups of San Madrigal. But once you're set up (and the author does a great job of explaining everything), then you're able to really enjoy and become immersed in the story.

I loved the diversity in this story from gender neutral characters, characters with differing sexual orientations, and cultural diversity. The way that Spanish is weaved into the English text is really beautiful and makes you feel like you are immersed in their community. As many reviews have said, San Madrigal is a fictional place but Daniel José Older establishes it so well in this story that I think it's real. You can see it visually and you know its history, it seems like the ultimate paradise. Of course until you read this novel and learn nothing is as it seems! I can't wait for this series to continue!

A tale of a community that must face hidden truths in order to deal with current chaos and political scheming. It is another book in the Rick Riordan vein of gods in/around humans and what happens. There were parts that were intriguing, but this book hit one of my book pet peeves which is creating mystery where mystery is not needed. In this case, the main character is written as one who is in and out of the community due to his parents frequent travel, but surrounding characters constantly chide him for not knowing things. There are so many angsty "how could you not know this!?!" but yet no one will explain it; or if they try, it is fragmented or cut off mid-explanation due to an attack of a weird creature or the appearance of food. Which means that as a reader, the main character's lack of knowledge becomes my lack of knowledge. This is why my second critique of this book is that it is one that would benefit greatly by including a prologue - a handful of pages to lay out the tale of the island lost and the who's who of factions (as I am still confused how a rabbi and a pirate clan end up in the same place.)

Overall, there are some interesting moments and I really wanted to be immersed in a world of such fun parties, but this is one tale that would do well with a bit more information and explanation.

This novel was FANTASTIC. The adventure is so exciting. I loved the coming of age story mixed with a new romance and a wonderful mythology. The writing was so well done, and I absolutely adored the characters. I cannot wait for book 2!

Ballad & Dagger is the perfect fantasy novel with all of the whimsy we have come to know and love from Rick Riordan Presents. The worldbuilding is amazing and I loved the detail of the history and culture of Little Madrigal.

All 16-year-old Mateo Matisse wants is to be able to make his music, be heard and not seen, and maybe someday play backup for his musical idol, Gerval. But events in his Brooklyn neighborhood of Little Madrigal don’t make that dream easy. Little Madrigal houses most of the people remaining from the free Caribbean island nation of San Madrigal after it sank into the sea fifteen years ago. Those citizens — pirates, Santeros, and Sefaradim — rule their own little corner of the world, celebrate their traditions, and squabble over politics.

For years, Mateo has been like a tourist in his own community, traveling with his doctor parents and only occasionally touching in with Little Madrigal. But after living for a stretch with his aunt Lucia in Brooklyn, he finds he’s more fundamentally connected to Little Madrigal than he expected — and so is his crush, Chela Hidalgo, the rabbi’s daughter. During a celebration, Mateo learns that he is an initiated child of the god Galanika, destined to channel the spirit’s healing power. Moreover, along with the initiates of the other two island spirits, he’s supposed to help bring back the lost island.

Mateo resists the role that’s been thrust upon him. But unexpected violence and political infighting drag him into the fray. Working together with Chela and his best friend Tams, Mateo uncovers San Madrigal’s buried history, in the process changing his views about their community and his own place in it.

In Ballad and Dagger, Older explores themes of diaspora and colonialism, while still keeping things grounded in a teen reality of evolving identities, crushes, and insecurities. This is world-building at its best, making for a fun, myth-based urban fantasy with a kick. Can’t wait for the sequel!

Dnf at 37%

It’s not a bad book, but it’s slow. Definitely a book I would rather listen to as an audiobook instead of physically reading it.

Delivering this story through an authentic, playful innocent teenage voice, this book delivers on every level. Adventures ✅, push/pull romance✅, mysteries-to-be-solved to save the world, and rich, detailed world-building, that doesn’t get in the way of the story flowing onward. An epic quest, with elements steeped in piratical and santero (makers of religious images or practicers of Santería) and personal identity and cultural discoveries are found.

Have you ever heard the story of the missing island San Madrigal?

No? Well, then. Do I have the book for you.

In a corner of New York City called Little Madrigal, the orphaned people of this island live and struggle to keep their island's culture alive. Insert magic, monsters, reincarnated saints, and some good old fashioned hijinks, and you've got an idea of what Ballad and Dagger is all about.

With all the tropes and magic we love from Rick Riordan Presents (but make it YA), and a whimsical writing style all its own, Ballad and Dagger is the perfect fantasy novel to disappear into for a afternoon. You'll come out of it with the taste of adobo and magic on your tongue, I promise.

Daniel Jose Older is amazing. I'll go so far as to say he is my favorite YA author, and my favorite thing about him is the way he turns a neighborhood into a living, breathing character. He did it in his Shadowshaper books and he's done it again in Ballad & Dagger.
I read this book breathlessly, and when I had to put it away, I couldn't wait to get back to it.
I normally prefer standalone books, but the fact that there is a sequel in the works has me so stoked, I don't know how I'm going to live with myself.

Daniel José Older, I beg you to release a soundtrack with each of your books. You can't keep teasing us with great lyrics like that.

In the first YA titles for Rick Riordan Presents, Daniel José Older introduces readers to a neighborhood where magic is as real as the people on the streets. Long ago, the stories went, there was an island where pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews made their home. For Mateo, this is family history, lost history since the island sank beneath the waves. The diaspora lives in Brooklyn, and during the Grand Fete, so does the return of a familiar evil that destroyed their home. Now, a piano prodigy and a rabbi's daughter must understand their past to make sense of their terrifying future. The gods are waiting...

As before, Older knows exactly how to make a setting come alive. I love the descriptions of the homes and the nods to the various cultures that everyone came from. He took great care in adding even the smallest details with language and the power that certain words have in the communities. Even with the spirits and rituals, the San Madrigal felt like walking up the steps to the apartments of my great-aunts (although lacking with pirates). Mateo is another shining protagonist for fans of Rick Riordan Presents; the dynamic he has with Chela and his family is another great staple to see continued. Much like with the imprint, Older's writing is magnetic when he explores families in all of their messy glory. Issues with the pacing aside, I honestly think this has some of my favorite world-building in the RRP line.

All opinions are my own. NetGalley provided a copy.

Mateo Matisse was born part of the community of San Madrigal - a group made of up three distinct cultures: Cuban Santeros, pirates, and Sephardic Jews. They have a proud history of getting along, or at least they did until their island sank into the sea almost 16 years ago. Mateo, a 16-year-old piano prodigy who wants nothing more than to be noticed by his musical idol, and not noticed by anyone else, discovers that he's been "initiated" into being Galanika, one of the islands three gods. Now he must find the other two initiated kids (one to each god) and save the island from its enemies.

Part of Rick Riordan's mythology imprint, this series is definitely for a YA audience. The world building is phenomenal - magical realism at its best - but I found myself bored during the first half of the book. The story really picks up about two-thirds of the way through. I enjoyed the character development, the twists, and the blending of cultures. If you enjoy YA fantasy or magical realism, definitely check this one out!

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ballad & Dagger by Daniel José Older is the first book of the Outlaw Saints. The story follows Mateo. Almost sixteen years ago, his homeland of San Madrigal sunk under .the sea. Refugees from the island settled in New York. Most of his people long for the return of the homeland, but Mateo has no such attachments to the island. Mateo is focused on his piano playing and getting the attention of the famous Gerval. On the night of the Grande Fete, Mateo believes now is his chance. The Grand Fete is an annual celebration of the blended cultures of San Madrigal: pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews. The celebration turns sour when the night gets overcome by the same evil that sunk the island. Mateo’s life is changed forever as he witnesses someone he knows commit murder. Mateo unlocks a hidden power within himself that not only gives him a connection to the killer, but might help restore the homeland.

I liked the musical aspect of the magic system in this book. Mateo’s narrative voice is very amusing and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide and Rick Riordan Presents for the advance reader copy, Ballad & Dagger (Outlaw Saints, #1) by Daniel Jose Older in exchange for an honest review. This is my 4th Rick Riordan Presents book and I just keep wanting to read more and more of these fantasies about different cultures. I so love Daniel Jose Older books and this new addition to the Rick Riordan Presents series had me turning those pages and loving the thrill of San Madrigal's history (past and present) as Mateo, a music genius who has not spent each day in his community (his parents are doctors who have travelled the world and always had Mateo with them), finds he is one of the key players in Madrigal's future as a healer and much, much more. Another key player is Chela, the rabbi's daughter, and together they get to know each other, and learn more about their powers and the evil that has been a key part of their history. I loved the world Mateo lives in: the food, the music, and the religious and political drama and delicious mystery---Older does such a great job with is words, the characters (Mateo's love of music and family), his plot- this is another winner, a must read for YA!

We all know Daniel Jose Older is a brilliant author and all-around awesome human, right? One thing you expect when you pick a DJO book is LAYERS. You read the book the first time and think "That was a super cool adventure", then "But wait, what did he mean when—" so you pick up the book again and go for a reread, and every time you discover a new thing: a though-provoking concept, or a certain fact you never considered before, or even a cool joke. BALLAD & DAGGER is certainly no different, and seriously, can't wait for book two!