The Lords of Night: A Shadow Bruja Novel, Book 1
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Based on 2 reviews
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that J.C. Cervantes' The Lords of Night: A Shadow Bruja Novel, Book 1, is the first book in a duology featuring some characters from The Storm Runner trilogy, including Renata Santiago -- Ren for short -- who lives with her abuelo/grandfather in Texas and has a Maya goddess for a mother. Other characters are also associated with Maya and Aztec gods, and some Spanish is spoken among them. It helps to read the trilogy first, but if you read the first few chapters of this book extra carefully, you can keep up. There's a short glossary in the back that mostly covers the gods (and thankfully, the pronunciation of some of the tougher ones like Chalchiuhtlicue). Two major characters are thought killed, one with an arrow to the heart and one from lethal magic bee stings. Other characters are stung and healed. Fights with mythological beasts result in some injuries and have little detail -- the creatures just disappear when they die. Often magic is used to stun or harness enemies instead of kill them. Most of the scares happen in a realm full of ghosts where the danger is being trapped for eternity and drained of all magic power. Ren worries that the darker side of her magic will turn her against her friends, but still always puts them first.
What's the Story?
In THE LORDS OF NIGHT: A SHADOW BRUJA NOVEL, BOOK 1, Ren is attending to her alien blog, discouraged by all the haters, when she gets a distress call from one of her followers in Kansas. Suspicious beings just visited his corn field. Ren recruits Marco, son of the Maya god of war, to help her investigate. They portal over to find a strange symbol etched in the dirt and when Ren touches it, she's transported to a prison of shadows and addressed by a hypnotic, clicking voice as "queen." Ren barely escapes, and not before the voice declares that another lord will awaken and Ren won't be able to hide. When Ren tells Ah-Puch, her friend and the Maya god of death, he swoops in to hide her away. Ah-Puch knows who's awakening -- dangerous Aztec gods called the Lords of Night -- and that they want Ren's power more than anything. The only way to fight them? Assemble a team with unbeatable magic.
Is It Any Good?
Exciting magical powers and intriguing characters anchor this quest tale that just doesn't dig deep enough into its fascinating story. The Lords of Night could have used more of everything, starting with more time to get to know the main characters as a team. How do all their powers work? How do they work together? Just when they're establishing a sweet rapport the quest drives them apart. Every scene with them hanging out and training could have been longer. Every curious clue about the Lords of Night deserved more time for the characters to digest it. What makes the lords villains? How are they connected to the five rogue godborns and to Ah-Puch, the Maya god of death? This is barely touched on.
Every nail-biting action scene should have been longer as well, and should have been set up much more clearly. The best example of this is when Ren and her team visit the ghost-filled market. This had so much potential to scare the pants off readers. Instead of really being able to feel the danger, the tensest moments are hurried, and overall, it's really hard to visualize this grim, enchanted place. The action at the very end is rushed through as well, so readers may feel more confused than shocked at the cliffhanger. Here's hoping the sequel of this duology has more detailed storytelling and less confusion. And more shadow magic as well. It's pretty cool.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the unique friendships in The Lords of Night: A Shadow Bruja Novel, Book 1. Why does Ren appreciate Marco even though they're nothing alike? What's Ah-Puch's connection with Ren? Why are Monty and Edison such good team members on the quest? What kind of support do they offer besides their magical abilities?
What do you think of the Maya and Aztec gods you've met in this story? How are they similar and different from gods featured in other mythologies. Which mythology is your favorite? Why?
What do you think will happen in the sequel? What went right in the quest? What went horribly wrong?
Book Details
- Author: J. C. Cervantes
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Superheroes, Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Space and Aliens
- Character Strengths: Courage, Teamwork
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
- Publication date: October 4, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 320
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 5, 2022
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