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vibingandy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
danihope's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emilybrianne's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
There was so much to love about this book! The setting and fantasy elements were amazing. Where it let me down was in the lack of development of Gerval’s character and what felt like a rushed ending. There wasn’t time to grieve the losses and there was another major plot point that happened in an instant. And it was just over. I left the book a little disappointed even though there was so much I loved.
nuttytwitchy22's review
4.0
When I first found out this was gonna be the book for one of my owlcrates, I thought it sounded interesting, but I also thought I would just find it to be good but not great, know what I mean? Turns out I was completely wrong! I throughly enjoyed this book!! It was such great writing and the story was so unique and fun. It took me a bit to get into it but I'm so glad I read this. I cannot wait for book two!
ollycat's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
akelahandthebee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I had a fun time listening to this book. It has music and magic, pirates and secret histories - truly an exciting adventure that connects a community's lineage to their modern day descendants.
What makes the novel, for me, is the characters. I feel that this book is ultimately a story of community and what better way to showcase a community than creating all these colorful chatacters? There's the Santos, and the Pirates, the guy who runs the bodega down the street - even minor characters, like the one that Mateo doesn't really talk to but they have class together or the P.E. teacher joking with them about the Fiesta the night before, play a part in creating that communal feeling. Not only that, I liked following Mateo as he discovered his powers and realizes that despite being in and out of the neighborhood, his community stands behind him; I love a good story of a community coming together and I can always count on Mr. Older to include that in his novel.
I think the idea of the magic and music being tied together was a fun system of magic and the narrator did a great job of explaining it to me - plus, his performance was awesome!
I enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see how the story ends in the next book.
What makes the novel, for me, is the characters. I feel that this book is ultimately a story of community and what better way to showcase a community than creating all these colorful chatacters? There's the Santos, and the Pirates, the guy who runs the bodega down the street - even minor characters, like the one that Mateo doesn't really talk to but they have class together or the P.E. teacher joking with them about the Fiesta the night before, play a part in creating that communal feeling. Not only that, I liked following Mateo as he discovered his powers and realizes that despite being in and out of the neighborhood, his community stands behind him; I love a good story of a community coming together and I can always count on Mr. Older to include that in his novel.
I think the idea of the magic and music being tied together was a fun system of magic and the narrator did a great job of explaining it to me - plus, his performance was awesome!
I enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see how the story ends in the next book.
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ballad & Dagger was completely magical. Way more than I expected it would be. Then again, I don't think Rick Riordan has ever given me a bad book. Hopefully, Daniel keeps doing the same! So, yes, I was very excited to jump into this one and practically screamed all kinds of joy when I saw that I was accepted to do so. It just unfortunately took me forever to finally find the time to read this.
Honestly, I'm mad at myself for waiting so long. I absolutely fell in love with everything within this. Whether it was the vibes of New York City calling my name, a magical missing island that I secretly hope I can walk into, the culture, monsters, or even the magic itself. Seriously, so much was going on that it's kind of hard to pick one thing that I really enjoyed. The entire book was enjoyable, and I can't wait for the sequel to come out.
No, really, I need the next book like right now. I already think it will be a great addition to this series and can't wait for what else Mateo needs to face. Do I think he needs to be thrown into another dark mystery? No, but I will wish for it anyways. I just need a great adventure and it just seems like Mateo will walk into one no matter what.
In the end, I will patiently wait for 2023 to come so that I can get my hands on the next book within this series. I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this wonderful book and can't wait for everyone else to read it. Hopefully they enjoy the overall journey as much as I did. Maybe even more.
Ballad & Dagger was completely magical. Way more than I expected it would be. Then again, I don't think Rick Riordan has ever given me a bad book. Hopefully, Daniel keeps doing the same! So, yes, I was very excited to jump into this one and practically screamed all kinds of joy when I saw that I was accepted to do so. It just unfortunately took me forever to finally find the time to read this.
Honestly, I'm mad at myself for waiting so long. I absolutely fell in love with everything within this. Whether it was the vibes of New York City calling my name, a magical missing island that I secretly hope I can walk into, the culture, monsters, or even the magic itself. Seriously, so much was going on that it's kind of hard to pick one thing that I really enjoyed. The entire book was enjoyable, and I can't wait for the sequel to come out.
No, really, I need the next book like right now. I already think it will be a great addition to this series and can't wait for what else Mateo needs to face. Do I think he needs to be thrown into another dark mystery? No, but I will wish for it anyways. I just need a great adventure and it just seems like Mateo will walk into one no matter what.
In the end, I will patiently wait for 2023 to come so that I can get my hands on the next book within this series. I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this wonderful book and can't wait for everyone else to read it. Hopefully they enjoy the overall journey as much as I did. Maybe even more.
3y3z0ny0u's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite for me. I really enjoyed the characters. As a fantasy fan, I was hoping to like the world building more than I did. Daniel Jose Older is a phenomenal writer. He makes the story come to life.
kel8188's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
yvkhan's review against another edition
3.0
the romance was embarrassing and the final villain felt shoddy. twists should work to make things cooler and give a more exciting outcome, not the opposite. protag being a god was not that fun and i didn’t care for the rabbi’s weird amount of honesty — could not care less about the rabbi and didn’t understand the purpose of trying to endear him to us at such a late stage.