Book Review of The Daggers of Ire
The Children’s Book Review
Written by J. C. Cervantes
Ages: 8-12 | 383 Pages
Publisher: Harper (2024) | ISBN-13: 978-0063312074
What to Expect: Family, grief and loss, magic, friendship, resilience, Latinx culture.
From its grounding in Latinx mythology and culture to its breathtakingly imagined magical world, this middle-grade novel is both eerie and earthy, inviting readers to see past the magic to the questions about family, grief, loyalty, and duty that underpin the story.
Being a chaos witch with control of all four types of magic instead of just one should be fun. However, chaos magic is illegal, so far from being a powerful bruja, Esme is almost powerless; her parents suppressed her magic when she was just a baby. When Esme’s mother dies, and her father seems practically driven mad with grief, Esme is sure magic is the key to healing him—but between her weak powers, her limited understanding of magic, and her more powerful sister’s disapproval, the spells keep going wrong.
Then, suddenly, her time is up—because a witch hunter is out for vengeance and has somehow banished her sister, her father, and all of the witches in her town to Oblivion. To get them back, she has no choice—she has to get the magic right. If she doesn’t, the witches may be driven mad by their time in Oblivion, and the town will wither and die. But to master her magic, she will have to go where the magic is wild and dangerous.
Esme is courageous and determined but also impulsive and quick to jump to conclusions, and readers will enjoy the way her impetuousness is balanced by the steadfastness of her best friend, Tiago. The story’s action is fast-paced from the first page, keeping you turning the pages as much to see the characters grow into themselves and find out what will happen next. It’s also whimsical and funny, from Tiago’s tendency to unexpectedly morph into animals to the talking fox they join forces with in the banished realm.
Thought-provoking and exciting, The Daggers of Ire is the perfect middle-grade fantasy adventure for readers who love a strong heroine and a good dose of magic.
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About the Author
J. C. Cervantes is the New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Runner series as well as other books for young people and adults. She currently resides in the Land of Enchantment with her family and spoiled pups but keeps part of her heart in Southern California, where she was born and raised. When she isn’t writing, she is haunting bookstores and searching for magic in all corners of the world.
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