Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls: An Own Voices Middle Grade Fantasy about Forbidden Magic and a Sister's Quest for Children (Ages 8-12)

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 Sombrerón, 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.

She was told to fear the criaturas. Now, one may be her only hope.

• A World of Mexican Folklore: Journey to the town of Tierra del Sol, where dark criaturas like El Sombrerón roam the desert and legendary spirits like Coyote walk among humans.
• Becoming a Bruja: To save her sister, Cece must master forbidden magic—a power her family and culture have taught her to fear.
• A Desperate Quest: Guided by the mischievous Coyote, Cece must travel to the dangerous spirit world of Devil’s Alley to confront the creature who stole her sister.
• An Unbreakable Sisterhood: A heartfelt and thrilling adventure about a girl who will risk everything—her family, her reputation, and her life—to bring her sister Juana home.

Kaela Rivera was raised to believe in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even scary 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 biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences—and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.