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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I loved every character to bits, Zane is just so inspiring with not letting his disability rule his life!
I need the sequel right now!!
I need the sequel right now!!
The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes is the second Rick Riordan Presents book I’ve sat down and read. In this book, Cervantes has taken her understanding of Maya myths and brought them into the modern times. One of the biggest enjoyments I’m finding in Rick Riordan Presents books is seeing how different people bring myths into modernity. Cervantes’ take happens in the western U.S. (New Mexico and California in particular) and draws upon a young teenager’s voice, Zane Obispo, as he enters the world of Maya mythology.
Good:
Less Good:
Good:
Zane’s Snarky Comments: the story is set up as a letter Zane’s writing after he’s died and so he’s able to put in some snarky asides while also recounting his story
Diversity: there are loads of people with disabilities in this story (one eye, a short leg, facial deformaties, seizures)
Gross Visceral Descriptions: Really fun when Cervantes describes something gruesome because she goes into details in ways where you’re cringing, but also really enjoying yourself.
Side Moments: There were little moments throughout the story (like, St. Santiago’s song) and side characters who really made the book for me
The End: the ending was a really enjoyable middle-grade ending and I would have LOVED reading it as a kid (it’s still enjoyable now, but as a kid it would have sealed this book in one of my tops); also, I appreciated that Cervantes tied up a lot of ends and then reopened it all for the next book
Less Good:
Zane’s Snarky Comments: they seemed to be forgotten after the beginning a bit and while they popped up again toward the end of the book, I wish they’d been more prevalent
Audience: this was a book where I realized kinda early that I wasn’t the audience this book was aimed at; it was a perfectly enjoyable book as an adult reading it, but I would have enjoyed it more if I’d read it as a middle-grade student
Patriarchy: Mr. O was irritating for me because his pursuit of Ms. Cab romantically was a boring trope and one that disrespects the woman telling the man ‘hey, I don’t want to. So stop asking me to go out with you.’ I get how it can be entertaining (and Zane would agree with you), but it was boring/tiring to read
It took me ¾ths of the book to actually Really start enjoying the book due to pacing and the elements in the book becoming more of what I’d hoped to read?
i was really into this!! i thought the plot was just a touch overcomplicated and had more gore than i expected from a middle grade book, but overall very fun and exciting!
Fast paced adventure. Great diversity. Just lacked the extra magic to make me really love the story.
Will be recommending as a Percy Jackson readalike to my tweens.
Will be recommending as a Percy Jackson readalike to my tweens.
This book was SO GOOD!!!!! Zane was absolutely adorable and had such a great voice, and although there’s so much more to be explored I learned so much about Mayan mythology that I didn’t know before. There was so much about this book that I loved and just can’t formulate into words now, but if you enjoy Rick’s books you guys definitely have to pick this one up! (ALSO: Hispanic AND Disabled rep?? I CANT SAY BETTER THINGS!)
(This is not a huge spoiler, but I will warn those who are weary of these things that an animal does die in the beginning of the story. But, as with all middle grades I’ve read so far, things turn out okay in the end :) )
(This is not a huge spoiler, but I will warn those who are weary of these things that an animal does die in the beginning of the story. But, as with all middle grades I’ve read so far, things turn out okay in the end :) )
I’m more surprised than you that I didn't enjoy this oh so promising, beloved middle grade. ~Unpopular review incoming~
Zane Obispo is a Latinx boy who walks with a cane. He's got a best friend name Rosie who happens to be a Boxer-Dalmatian mix and Zane likes to explore the volcano near his home in New Mexico. Inevitably, his story is intertwined with the Mayan gods and legends of his beloved books. Zane embarks on an adventure and faces shapeshifters (called nawals), giants, and demons on a path to self-discovery and to answer a call to magic that could be in his blood.
So why didn't I like this? Well for the most part it was Zane's voice. For instance, Zane has a crush on Brooks who is a mysterious girl that introduces him to the existence of Mayan supernaturals. Zane thinks of her as a not-like-the-the-girls kind of love interest. Ok, that's overdone by now but I can let that one go.
Zane is witty and curious but also he's very self-deprecating especially regarding his shorter leg and limp. One of the biggest selling points for me to pick this up was the disability representation which I found extremely distasteful at times. It's hard to overlook these instances when lines like this tie Zane’s disability to a larger plot point."And your leg? It's defective for one reason only. Supernaturals and humans don't mix- it so often ends badly. Bum legs, terrible eyesight, missing fingers or toes, anger-management issues." Oh so Zane's leg is defective?! That's gross ableist language. However, this explanation is supposed to be ok because it's the missing link to his power? NO. And then a few lines later let's pile on more gross language. "I have no idea who your father is, so don't ask me. But he could be a nawal, a demon, a spirit guide, a dwarf…… A dwarf. Perfect. My dad could be a Maya supernatural dwarf." And if his dad were a dwarf would that be so bad?! According to Zane it would be bad. More than once Zane refers to himself or his leg as "gimp" and that's disheartening and harmful. There's another instance of this kind of language here. In order to attend a hidden party and walk amongst Mayan gods, Zane and the others wear enchanted clothing. This cltohing disguises so called imperfections. Brooks says "All our faults will be gone. Everyone will only see us as…. Beautiful." Bet you'll never guess what happens to Zane's appearance. Zane's limp is gone so that his appearance will appease the gods. How is this message ok for kids?! Or for anyone really. In the end, Zane does accept his limp as a part of him but there's still this overarching negative connation for his disability. There's still this idea that Zane should be fixed and that just irked me.
This book also had some pacing issues and I felt like so many parts really dragged on. Cervantes' has a bright and refreshing imagination but something just didn't translate. This is mostly an issue of personal preference. Rosie, Zane's dog, dies pretty early on and I think you should let kids know that before they pick this up. Rosie dies a terrible death at the hands of a demon but she eventually comes back as a hell hound.
I was so thrilled to hear about a own voices Latinx story based in Mayan folklore. I learned so much about Ah-puch, Hurakan, Ixkakaw, Ixtab, and Xib'alb'a. We need more stories that feature the folklore of other cultures. Can authors or publishers also limit the number of stories inspired by the same ole regurgitated Greek myths? Please and thank you. I don't know why it's taken this long to have a middle grade story like this hit shelves because those aspects of this story were fantastic! However, it wasn't enough to carry the story or erase the issues I had with the disability representation. I'm sad to say that I'll be passing on the sequel.
Zane Obispo is a Latinx boy who walks with a cane. He's got a best friend name Rosie who happens to be a Boxer-Dalmatian mix and Zane likes to explore the volcano near his home in New Mexico. Inevitably, his story is intertwined with the Mayan gods and legends of his beloved books. Zane embarks on an adventure and faces shapeshifters (called nawals), giants, and demons on a path to self-discovery and to answer a call to magic that could be in his blood.
So why didn't I like this? Well for the most part it was Zane's voice. For instance, Zane has a crush on Brooks who is a mysterious girl that introduces him to the existence of Mayan supernaturals. Zane thinks of her as a not-like-the-the-girls kind of love interest. Ok, that's overdone by now but I can let that one go.
Zane is witty and curious but also he's very self-deprecating especially regarding his shorter leg and limp. One of the biggest selling points for me to pick this up was the disability representation which I found extremely distasteful at times. It's hard to overlook these instances when lines like this tie Zane’s disability to a larger plot point.
This book also had some pacing issues and I felt like so many parts really dragged on. Cervantes' has a bright and refreshing imagination but something just didn't translate. This is mostly an issue of personal preference. Rosie, Zane's dog, dies pretty early on and I think you should let kids know that before they pick this up.
I was so thrilled to hear about a own voices Latinx story based in Mayan folklore. I learned so much about Ah-puch, Hurakan, Ixkakaw, Ixtab, and Xib'alb'a. We need more stories that feature the folklore of other cultures. Can authors or publishers also limit the number of stories inspired by the same ole regurgitated Greek myths? Please and thank you. I don't know why it's taken this long to have a middle grade story like this hit shelves because those aspects of this story were fantastic! However, it wasn't enough to carry the story or erase the issues I had with the disability representation. I'm sad to say that I'll be passing on the sequel.
Superrrrrr good. Like I wasn't expecting it to be that good. And now I have to wait over a year for the next one. Why did I do this to myself? Real review to come.
**EDIT 01/05/19**
You can find more of my reviews here at my blog: Take Me Away...
As a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series, I have been itching for another questy mythology book. Knowing that this was coming out, I decided to give this one a try. And oh my gods! This was so good! It scratched the itch and definitely left me satisfied.
The volcano outside Zane's house would scare most 13 year olds, but not Zane. He seems to be drawn to it. When he has to leave it to go back to school, he meets a girl named Brooks who has some very weird information about him. So weird he doesn't think he believes her. Until what she said comes to true. How can Zane survive all the Mayan myths he didn't want to believe ever happened?
As usual, with every other book about mythology I've read, my favorite part of this was learning the Mayan myths! And I loved it a bit more because these were myths that I hadn't heard before. I learned so much just from reading the book and then I went and ordered some books on Mayan mythology from the library because I was that invested. Cervantes made learning about these gods and goddesses fun and I can definitely see tweens, teens, and adults being sucked into the Maya culture just like I was.
I also loved her storytelling. [SMALL SPOILER] It's supposed to be written as a letter, but it reads just as one is sitting down and listening to a story. [/SPOILER] It's such an easy read and I got sucked into each page. I even told my husband we had to take-out one night because I didn't want to stop reading long enough to cook anything. If you plan on reading this soon, clear your schedule.
I also loved the diversity in this story. From his disability to his ethnicity, I LOVED seeing a hero that looked like Zane. And I mean hero in every sense of the word. This is the number one thing I am thankful to Rick Riordan Presents for. Giving heroes a face like Zane's is AMAZING and I can't wait to have so many more heroes that are different than the "norm."
The only thing I didn't care for though (and I may be being nit-picky) is the fact that it followed literally EVERY mythological fantasy troupe there is. [SPOILER]From having magical friends, to the Death guy being the bad guy, to the god having to reveal themself as the parent, it seemed like everyone was in this book.[/SPOILER] It didn't bother me too much, but I did wish there was some shock value to it. And I wished that they had gotten to the quest a bit faster. It seemed like the beginning was a tad bit too long, but it was covered with creatures and fights, so it was ok to look over.
This was SO. GOOD. I was expecting to like it, but not to where I had to take 15 minute breaks at work to read more of it because I didn't want to put it down. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to wait a whole year before the next one. I can't wait to see what Zane and friends do next! Bravo, Cervantes!
**EDIT 01/05/19**
You can find more of my reviews here at my blog: Take Me Away...
As a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series, I have been itching for another questy mythology book. Knowing that this was coming out, I decided to give this one a try. And oh my gods! This was so good! It scratched the itch and definitely left me satisfied.
The volcano outside Zane's house would scare most 13 year olds, but not Zane. He seems to be drawn to it. When he has to leave it to go back to school, he meets a girl named Brooks who has some very weird information about him. So weird he doesn't think he believes her. Until what she said comes to true. How can Zane survive all the Mayan myths he didn't want to believe ever happened?
As usual, with every other book about mythology I've read, my favorite part of this was learning the Mayan myths! And I loved it a bit more because these were myths that I hadn't heard before. I learned so much just from reading the book and then I went and ordered some books on Mayan mythology from the library because I was that invested. Cervantes made learning about these gods and goddesses fun and I can definitely see tweens, teens, and adults being sucked into the Maya culture just like I was.
I also loved her storytelling. [SMALL SPOILER] It's supposed to be written as a letter, but it reads just as one is sitting down and listening to a story. [/SPOILER] It's such an easy read and I got sucked into each page. I even told my husband we had to take-out one night because I didn't want to stop reading long enough to cook anything. If you plan on reading this soon, clear your schedule.
I also loved the diversity in this story. From his disability to his ethnicity, I LOVED seeing a hero that looked like Zane. And I mean hero in every sense of the word. This is the number one thing I am thankful to Rick Riordan Presents for. Giving heroes a face like Zane's is AMAZING and I can't wait to have so many more heroes that are different than the "norm."
The only thing I didn't care for though (and I may be being nit-picky) is the fact that it followed literally EVERY mythological fantasy troupe there is. [SPOILER]From having magical friends, to the Death guy being the bad guy, to the god having to reveal themself as the parent, it seemed like everyone was in this book.[/SPOILER] It didn't bother me too much, but I did wish there was some shock value to it. And I wished that they had gotten to the quest a bit faster. It seemed like the beginning was a tad bit too long, but it was covered with creatures and fights, so it was ok to look over.
This was SO. GOOD. I was expecting to like it, but not to where I had to take 15 minute breaks at work to read more of it because I didn't want to put it down. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to wait a whole year before the next one. I can't wait to see what Zane and friends do next! Bravo, Cervantes!
This was fun! Cervantes had built a rich and thrilling fantasy world entrenched in Mayan mythology. I enjoyed meeting interesting Mayan figures and beasts along the way; Cervantes' characters have fun personalities - like sweet, bull headed Hondo and the super geek, chill surfer giant Jazz. The wild cast of characters was definitely the highlight for me, but other readers will love the magical scenery that Cervantes grows out of the landscape of the southwest and the truly terrifying enemies that Zane & co face. An all around good time, looking forward to the next one.