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Book: The Fire Keeper
Author: J.C. Cervantes
Book Series: The Storm Runner Book 2
Diversity: Disabled and Mayan descendant mc and Mayan side characters, Absence seizure character
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For…: Middle Grade readers, fantasy, mythology, Mayan lore
Genre: MG Fantasy
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Pages: 410
Recommended Age: 10+ (Parent death mentioned, Death, Gore, Violence, Torture, scary moments, Hell)
Explanation of CWs: There’s a lot more fighting in this book than book 1 and death and torture are fairly big components of this book. There’s also a lot of scary moments, so just judge for yourself if your young child wants to read it.
Synopsis: Zane Obispo’s new life on a beautiful secluded tropical island, complete with his family and closest friends, should be perfect. But he can’t control his newfound fire skills yet (inherited from his father, the Maya god Hurakan); there’s a painful rift between him and his dog ever since she became a hell hound; and he doesn’t know what to do with his feelings for Brooks. One day he discovers that by writing the book about his misadventures with the Maya gods, he unintentionally put other godborn children at risk. Unless Zane can find the godborns before the gods do, they will be killed. To make matters worse, Zane learns that Hurakan is scheduled to be executed. Zane knows he must rescue him, no matter the cost. Can he accomplish both tasks without the gods detecting him, or will he end up a permanent resident of the underworld? In this cleverly plotted sequel to The Storm Runner, the gang is back together again with spirited new characters, sneaky gods, Aztec royalty, unlikely alliances, and secrets darker than Zane could ever have imagined. Secrets that will change him forever.
Review: I really liked this book the second time around. I really love the character development and how the story toes that line between scary and funny. The world building is amazing, the writing is fantastic, and I absolutely love the mythology behind this book.
The only thing I got confused on was the plot. It’s a bit too big for the book and there’s a lot of loose strings at the end, but that makes me more excited to move onto book 3.
Verdict: It’s amazing!
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