Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I'm back with another Middle Grade review. This year has been a good year if you're looking for fantastical middle grade stories. And if you've been following me for awhile then you know I loved Rena Barron's Kingdom of Souls. So I was excited when she sent me a copy of Maya and the Rising Dark for review.

This Middle Grade fantasy kicks off with school ending for the summer. Maya is excited to be done with school and looking forward to finally being able to attend Comic Con this summer with her father. But then strange things start happening that she can't ignore. And she discovers a big family secret. Her father is an orisha and a guardian of a veil between their world and a dark world. And there are several orisha living in her community watching over her and her friends. But the worst comes when her father is captured by the Lord of Shadows and his darkbringer army. Now it's up to Maya and her friends to use their godling powers to defeat him before he is able to cross the veil. 

One thing I really enjoyed that made this different from the usual story is that there wasn't one chosen one with a team surrounding them. All of Maya's closest friends found out at the same time as her that they are half orisha. And her friend Frankie was the first to display and use her powers. So her friends are able to use their powers alongside her to help save their world.

This story does a great job introducing children to African gods and goddesses they may be unfamiliar with. It also introduces them to creatures such as elokos which are vicious forest dwelling creatures. The mythology isn't overly complicated and is explained in a way young readers will be able to follow along to truly immerse themselves.

The action packed scenes and fast pace will be sure to keep young readers entertained. And the sense of community and family will make the story all more relatable to them.  The Chicago setting is also one we don't usually see in stories so I liked how that was incorporated. 

Overall a this is a solid start to a series and a great story for beginner fantasy readers.