Ballad & Dagger by Daniel José Older || Diverse Cultures, Diverse Mythology

Ballad & Dagger (Outlaw Saints, #1)

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.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Diverse cultures that have all come together and mixed
• Bilingual characters with some Spanglish slipped in
• Unique mythology
• A hilariously relatable narrative voice
• Super fun squad of characters

Many thanks to Rick Riordan Presents and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I knew right away that I needed to read this book for many reasons. One, I always go out of my way to read Rick Riordan Presents, because I absolutely love diverse mythology and need more of it in my life. More than that, though, Ballad & Dagger is unique in the way it touches on a diaspora community and the unique blend of cultures that exists in places like New York City. It delves into what it means to try to save your culture in the face of larger cultural pressure.

Ballad & Dagger is a fast-paced urban fantasy filled with a blend of cultures and languages, diverse mythology, a hilarious squad, plenty of banter, and a plot that will grab you by the throat and demand you read more.

I don’t think I can understate how much I loved this book and how disappointed I am that I now have to wait for the sequel. If this series were completely released already, I would more than happily sit and binge these things in a weekend. I won’t say this book is necessarily fast-paced, because I don’t think it necessarily is, but Older has such a strong, vivid writing voice that I instantly connected with and it just pulled me in and brought me along for the ride. There’s so much going on in this book, and yet, I don’t feel like I can talk about much of it simply because of the way it pulls together, little by little, to create a big picture. I don’t want to give anything important away!

Meet the residents of San Madrigal, or what’s left of them after the diaspora, anyway, after their island sank 15 years ago and they were forced to create their own little pocket in New York City to keep their culture alive.

What Older builds in Ballad & Dagger is a little bit of a mess and sometimes a contradiction, but then again, aren’t we all? San Madrigal, despite being fictitious, has a rather rich backstory and history to it. The people are descended from a mix of cultures, most notably Cuban, West African, and Jewish. This plays a part in how society was structured in San Madrigal, but it also means that everyone exists in this unique blend of cultures, beliefs, and languages as part of their everyday. It’s an especially lovely thing.

On the streets of Little Madrigal in New York City, you’ll hear Hebrew and Spanish and some mixed languages, so don’t be surprised to find these in the book. For Mateo, specifically, his family is of Cuban descent, so his mother tends to speak Spanglish, which if you’ve been around a Hispanic community, this speech style will immediately feel familiar to you. If not, don’t worry! Older does a great job of translating these phrases in the context of the story, so you won’t miss anything.

Mateo is a fantastic protagonist in that he’s extremely relatable, super sarcastic and funny, and has a really engaging sort of narrative that makes the book just fly by before you know it.

I can’t even begin to tell you just how much I love Mateo. He’s in that weird, awkward teen stage where he’s growing up but not quite grown up yet. Just on the cusp of adulthood and still not sure of what he’s doing. I mean, he tries his hardest, but bless his heart, he’s just a hot mess.

There’s a really weird juxtaposition here that I absolutely love. The book opens with Mateo witnessing a murder. But considering he lives among pirates, this maybe isn’t so weird, even though it definitely scars him. Amidst all this drama, though, and the unrest in his community, Mateo is still just a normal teen, bragging about his budding facial hair and being teased by his friends about his crush.

The squad in this book is *chef’s kiss* and I can’t wait for the next book to join them again because they were just so much fun!

Tams is basically the opposite of Mateo. Where he’s often awkward and bumbling along in life, just making it by the seat of his pants, Tams is suave and self-assured. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. Despite everything, she’s got Mateo’s back, no matter what, and it’s that sort of loyalty that makes their dynamic so irresistible.

Maza is a little bit more of an enigma. She doesn’t get as much screen time, but she naturally cliques with the group and brings her own skills to the table. Maza is wicked smart and capable and makes a perfect partner in crime for Tams.

All the side characters in this, though, are easy to like fall in love with. Their dynamic is just *chef’s kiss*. This is easily a squad that I’d like to hang out with for a while!

My Favorite Quotes

There were so many amazing quotes in this book as I read that I had a horrible time trying to narrow it down to share with you all. As I said, I absolutely fell in love with Older’s narrative style. It was sarcastic and funny and oh so relatable. So I decided to just share a few extra quotes with you so you can get a good feel for these characters yourself! Trust me, if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with them all on your own.

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.

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

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