REVIEW The Island of Forgotten Gods by Victor Piñeiro

The Island of Forgotten Gods by Victor Piñeiro
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: August 5, 2025
Format: eBook + Audiobook (Library)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers

The Island of Forgotten Gods by Victor Piñeiro was an excellent middle grade and a very fun introduction to the culture and legends of Puerto Rico. Timothy Andres Pabon did a great job bringing the story to life with his performance in the audiobook narration. I highly recommend this book for fans of Percy Jackson, any Rick Riordan Presents Book (i.e. Tristan Strong by Kwame Mbalia), or B.B. Alston's Amari and the Night Brothers series. It's very family centric and very educational (without making it feel like you're getting an education).

Nico (the main character) is spending the summer with his cousins and his abuela in Puerto Rico, hoping to get through the pain of not making it into his planned visual arts school or thinking too much about his parent's failing marriage. The first mythical creature Nico encounters is on the plane to Puerto Rico, so the author really hits the ground running with getting readers involved. The story is a love letter to the island, along with highlighting all the troubles the island has gone through for those who may not have been aware. As someone who was born on the continental US, I never considered the fact that Puerto Rico has always been under someone else's rule for centuries (and it affected their ability to improve their situation, i.e. electric).

While this is primarily a fantasy, the book has a taste of so many other genres. Humor, adventure, mystery and horror were all wrapped up in one nice little bow for the readers. While Puerto Rico might not be thought of in the same breath as Ancient Greece or Rome (the more famous mythologies), it has the same level of rich creation myths and lore surrounding the island (which I still can't believe I've never heard of).  The lore surrounding these figures was epic. I especially enjoyed the dynamic of how Márohu and Boínayel's powers worked. 

Overall, a great read and I'm so glad I listened to it in audiobook form (otherwise I would have been very lost on pronunciation). I believe it's a standalone novel, but can't wait to check out other books produced by the author in the future.