Book Review and Giveaway: Ballad and Dagger | Daniel Jose Older

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BALLAD & DAGGER by Daniel José Older Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: BALLAD & DAGGER (Outlaw Saints #1)

Author: Daniel José Older

Pub. Date: May 3, 2022

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Best-selling author Rick Riordan
presents Daniel José Older’s music-and-magic-filled YA urban fantasy about two
teens who discover each other and their powers during a political battle within
a unique diaspora community.

Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matisse’s island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal’s sinking escaped to New York.

While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday
finding a way back home, Mateo–now a high school junior and piano prodigy
living with his two aunts (one who’s alive, the other not so much)–is focused
on one thing: getting the attention of locally-grown musical legend Gerval.
Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party
celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews
that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago.

But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the
night of the celebration, Mateo’s life is forever changed when he witnesses a
brutal murder by a person he thought he knew.

Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans.
Deadly secrets are unraveled and Mateo awakens a power within himself–a power
that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking
the dark mystery behind his lost homeland.

From the author of the award-winning Shadowshaper Cypher series comes the
first novel in the Outlaw Saints duology–a brilliant story that will transport
readers to a world where magic, myth, and gods reign over the streets of
Brooklyn.

MY REVIEW:

If you are looking for a truly magical story that is very reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean, this is for you. The story of Mateo and the culture he is immersed in through his past is filled with rich and lively depth. Most of the time I wanted to just jump into the pages and physically visit this magical place. It feels so real!

I also really loved the characters (especially Mateo), and the adventure makes the book go by very fast. This book is the ultimate in a literary journey.

About Daniel José Older:

Daniel José Older is a New York Times
best-selling author and story architect. He has published fourteen novels and
numerous short stories and essays, and he is a regular comics writer for Star
Wars: The High Republic Adventures and Marvel. He won the
International Latino Book Award and has been a finalist for the Kirkus Prize,
the Mythopoeic Award, the Locus Award, the Andre Norton Award, and the World
Fantasy Award. You can find his thoughts on writing, read dispatches from his
decade-long career as an NYC paramedic, and hear his music at http://danieljoseolder.net, as well as on
YouTube, @djolder on Twitter, @danieljose1 on Instagram, and @danieljoseolder
on TikTok. He and his family live in New Orleans.

Website | Twitter |
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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of BALLAD & DAGGER, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway