REVIEW Cece Rios and the King of Fears (Cece Rios Book 2) by Kaela Rivera

Cece Rios and the King of Fears (Cece Rios #2) 

by Kaela Rivera
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Harper Collins 

Check out my review of book one in the series, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

Cece Rios and the King of Fears by Kaela Rivera is the second book in the Cece Rios series, and it picks up not that long after Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls leaves off. Cece has just saved her older sister from the clutches of one of the legendary Dark Saints, and they are finally back home. Things seem like they should be fine, with their abusive father out of the picture and Cece’s criatura friends happily living with them, but El Cucuy and Devil’s Alley are not done with the Rios sisters yet. 

After the events of the first book, it was interesting to get both Juana's and Cece’s perspectives. Both sisters have goals at the forefront of their thoughts; Cece thinks she still needs to do more to put her broken family back together. Juana, on the other hand, seeks to avenge all the wrongs that have been done to her. Their missions take them in seemingly parallel directions, and the confrontation with El Cucuy draws ever closer. In the background, there’s also their mysterious tia Catrina, who's been exerting her influence behind the scenes for a while now, and whose motives are entirely unclear. 

The world of criaturas and brujas was already big in the first book, and the world-building is only expanded with this book. I enjoyed learning about all of the new criaturas. I also enjoyed getting to see more of the infamous Devil’s Alley. Admittedly, it was hard to figure out how to spell some of the criatura names from only hearing them in the audiobook version so I appreciate the inclusion of a glossary for reference purposes. 

Almarie Guerra and Karla Serrato did an excellent job bringing Cece and Juana’s perspectives to life. If you or a young reader in your life enjoy adventure stories influenced by cultural myths, the Cece Rios series would be a great choice for what to read next. I haven’t seen confirmation, but I’m hoping that this book gets a sequel (which is reported to be Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas at the time of writing this review). I’m excited to see what happens next for Cece, Juana and their friends. 

About the Book

In this thrilling sequel to the “spellbinding” (ALA Booklist starred review) and “mesmerizing” (Publishers Weekly starred review) Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, Cece and her sister, Juana, must journey into the stronghold of Devil’s Alley to discover the hidden origin of the dark criaturas.

Cece Rios thought saving her sister would be the end of her adventures in the world of criaturas. But part of Juana’s soul is still trapped in Devil’s Alley. As Cece tries to find a way to get it back using her new curandera abilities, Juana takes her fate in her own hands and sets off alone, intent on restoring her soul and getting revenge on El Sombrerón.

But then they discover that El Cucuy, king of the criaturas, is hunting for Cece, craving her powers for his own dark purposes. Can the Rios sisters—along with Coyote, Little Lion, and their other criatura allies—uncover his secrets and reclaim Juana’s soul? Or will the sinister forces of Devil’s Alley overcome them all?

Connect with the Author Kaela Rivera

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Kaela Rivera grew up believing in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even ghost stories couldn’t stop her from reading in the isolated treetops, caves, and creeks of Tennessee’s Appalachian forests.

She still believes in the folktales of her Mexican-American and British parents, but now she writes about them from the adventure-filled mountains of the Wild West. When she’s not crafting stories, she’s using her English degree from BYU-I as an editor for a marketing company (or secretly doodling her characters in the margins of her notebook). Her award-winning debut novel, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, came out April 13, 2021.

Her biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences—and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.

REVIEW Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls (Cece Rios Book 1) by Kaela Rivera

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls (Cece Rios Book 1) by Kaela Rivera
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: April 13, 2021
Format: Audiobook (library)
Publisher: Harper Collins 

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Kaela Rivera’s Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is an entertaining middle-grade fantasy read. Filled with beautiful imagery, lovable characters, and important messages, this book is an easy-to-read page-turner. 

As a fan of mythology and folktales, it was so much fun to see Kaela Rivera’s interpretation of various legends like El Cucuy, Coyote, La Chupacabra, and La Llorona. Coyote has always been a mischievous figure in the other books I’ve read, and that trend holds true in this book. Ms. Rivera even introduced some legends I’d never heard of before, so it was exciting to have the opportunity to learn about new figures! You’ll have to read the book to find out which figures I didn’t mention. 

Sisterhood and family are a big part of this book. Cece’s mistake allowed her sister to be taken and she immediately regrets that. I appreciated how she also got the chance to save the day and right her wrongs (little sisters for the win!) The broader family aspect is very important to the story. Both Cece's birth family and her "found family" are important. Cece has always been ostracized for being different, and the first time she really finds acceptance is when she meets Coyote, Little Lion, and Kit Fox. I loved seeing their friendship and relationships blossom over the course of the story. They all help each other discover their own strengths and overcome some of the struggles in their past, and it was beautiful to see. 

In addition to the sisterhood and family aspects, there's also a big theme of being misunderstood in the book. The majority of the "criaturas" are very misunderstood - if those in the village took the time to understand them there would be a lot fewer conflicts. If you want to get an idea of what type of misunderstanding it is (without me risking a blatant spoiler) it's very similar to the story in the first How to Train Your Dragon movie. 

The audiobook was awesome! Almarie Guerra did a great job with her narration. If you’re an audiobook fan, I definitely recommend checking the audiobook for Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls out.  Altogether, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is a super fun choice for fans of J.C. Cervantes' The Storm Runner or Roshani Chokshi's Aru Shah series. I would recommend it to fans of middle-grade mythology and folktales. I'm eager to see what's next for Cece when the sequel, Cece Rios and the King of Fears, comes out in September 2022.  

Trigger Warning: Kidnapping, Parent Hitting a Child (Ch. 24 - The Will of Cecilia Rios)

About the Book

When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Storm Runner and Aru Shah and the End of Time.

Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family's disapproval. After all, only brujas-humans who capture and control criaturas-consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime.

When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombreron, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil's Alley, though, she'll have to become a bruja herself-while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey.

With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family-and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.

Connect with the Author Kaela Rivera

Author Twitter

Author Instagram

Kaela Rivera grew up believing in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even ghost stories couldn’t stop her from reading in the isolated treetops, caves, and creeks of Tennessee’s Appalachian forests.

She still believes in the folktales of her Mexican-American and British parents, but now she writes about them from the adventure-filled mountains of the Wild West. When she’s not crafting stories, she’s using her English degree from BYU-I as an editor for a marketing company (or secretly doodling her characters in the margins of her notebook). Her award-winning debut novel, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, came out April 13, 2021.

Her biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences—and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.