Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera (online e book reading .txt) 📕

grateful for the many ways you’ve supported me and my writing over the years. You are far above rubies.

An acknowledgment wouldn’t be complete without savoring the contributions of my writing family. Thank you to the Table of Trust, the PW ’14 and PW ’15 groups for their beta reading, support, and helpful advice. Thank you to the entire PitchWars community, for existing and fostering growth. And a particularly heartfelt thank-you to the 5th Wind Writing Group, for sincerely cheering me on and giving me authentic, thoughtful feedback. Reading and eating treats with you once a week is an honor.

And above all else, to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, who are my comfort and solace, the gold that fills and reseals the wounded cracks in my soul’s pottery. I hope to be as kind, loving, righteous, and truthful as you teach me to be. I’ll keep growing and being joyful; I promise, above all else, I won’t quit.

About the Author

Photo by Monica María Bravo

KAELA RIVERA was raised to believe in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even scary stories couldn’t stop her from reading in the isolated treetops, caves, and creeks of Tennessee’s Appalachian forests.

She still believes in the folktales of her Mexican-American and British parents, but now she writes about them from the adventure-filled mountains of the Wild West. When she’s not crafting stories, she’s using her English degree from BYU–I as an editor for a marketing company (or secretly doodling her characters in the margins of her notebook).

Her biggest hope is to highlight and explore the beauty of cultural differences— and how sharing those differences can bring us all closer.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

Praise for Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

“An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic. I loved Cece from page one!” —J.C. CERVANTES, New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Runner series

“Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is the kind of story you don’t want to put down. Flush with incredible world building, mucho español throughout, and an unforgettable cast of brujas, criaturas, and humans, this book reminds us that our greatest strengths can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places.” —PABLO CARTAYA, award-winning author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

“Pokémon meets Coco in a spirited and moving adventure, the perfect balance of Mexican American, Mesoamerican, and fantasy elements. Cece’s world is at once familiar and tantalizingly strange, peopled by beautifully crafted, well-rounded, and vivid characters.” —DAVID BOWLES, award-winning author of They Call Me Güero

“In Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, Kaela Rivera puts her stamp on familiar Mexican folktales, brujas, and gives us a brave and loyal hero all kids can look up to.” —ZORAIDA CÓRDOVA, award-winning author of Labyrinth Lost

“A new Narnia full of desert heat and danger, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls mixes familiar myth, inventive magic, and vivid characters to capture readers. Always refreshing when a book trusts its heroine to question the foundations of her world without losing hope and to face her fears without hardening her heart.” —ANNA MERIANO, author of the Love Sugar Magic series

“If you’re a fan of mythology and beautifully written fantasy stories with tons of heart, you’re going to love Kaela Rivera’s splendid debut novel about friendship, sisterhood, and the lengths we’ll go to save the ones we love.” —RYAN CALEJO, author of the Charlie Hernández series

Copyright

CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS. Copyright © 2021 by Mikayla Rivera. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.harpercollinschildrens.com

Cover art © 2021 by MIRELLE ORTEGA

Cover design by CATHERINE LEE

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020937705

Digital Edition APRIL 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-294757-4

Print ISBN: 978-0-06-294755-0

2021222324PC/LSCH10987654321

FIRST EDITION

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower

22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor

Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3

www.harpercollins.ca

India

HarperCollins India

A 75, Sector 57

Noida

Uttar Pradesh 201 301

www.harpercollins.co.in

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive

Rosedale 0632

Auckland, New Zealand

www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF, UK

www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

195 Broadway

New York, NY 10007

www.harpercollins.com