Cece Rios and the King of Fears

Cece Rios #2

by Kaela Rivera

In this thrilling sequel to the “spellbinding” (Booklist starred review) and “mesmerizing” (Publishers Weekly starred review) middle grade fantasy adventure Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, Cece and her sister Juana must journey into the stronghold of Devil’s Alley to challenge the criatura king El Cucuy.

Cece Rios thought saving her sister would be the end of her adventures in the world of criaturas. But part of Juana’s soul is still trapped in Devil’s Alley. As Cece tries to find a way to get it back using her new curandera abilities, Juana takes her fate in her own hands and sets off alone, intent on restoring her soul and getting revenge on El Sombrerón.

But then they discover that El Cucuy, king of the criaturas, is hunting for Cece, craving her powers for his own dark purposes. Can the Rios sisters—along with Coyote, Little Lion, and their other criatura allies—uncover his secrets and reclaim Juana’s soul? Or will the sinister forces of Devil’s Alley overcome them all?

This award-winning series is perfect for fans of Aru Shah and the End of Time and Amari and the Night Brothers.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology, Audiobook, Adventure, Paranormal, Fiction

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 7, 2022

Reviews

[Terry Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading an arc of the King of Fears. Wow! Epic battles. The gods of Mount Olympus Latinx style. But it is also a story of the power of love, forgiveness and sacrificing for your fellow man (or criatura, as the case may be). It’s a story of finding your strength, believing in yourself and acting to right wrongs which have been causing grief forever.
Cece Rios and the King of Fears is told in two points of view—Cece’s and her sister Juana’s. At time, they are at odds with each other, but in the end, they join to become unstoppable. The underworldbuilding is exquisite, and each of the many characters they encounter—criaturas, brujas, curanderas, saints of the underworld—are all drawn with a fine brush. They each have a compelling backstory which has brought them to this epic battle. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, of course, and for all kids who love adventure. And the best thing? There's plenty of room for Cece #3

[Loo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Cece 2, and I cannot WAIT for others to get to read it. This book contains some of my favorite action scenes ever. There is cathartic humor, emotional consequence, joyous triumphs . . . everything a lover of well-told adventure could ask for, and then MORE. This is the sequel you've been waiting for. The richness, honesty, and hope of Cece 1 soars even higher as the characters continue their journeys in all the ways we could wish for.

[Celia]

I am SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!

[Cathy | A Case Full of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so fun to get both Cece's and Juana's POVs in this one! Give me a book about sisterly love any day!

Loved Juana's and Coyote's personal journeys/growth in this one!

[Shawn Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I adored "Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls," I'm even more blown away by Kaela Rivera's follow up, which offers a bigger world, deeper conflicts and more tear/cheer-worthy moments in one book than most authors can pack into an entire middle-grade series.

This sequel picks up not too long after the first book's triumphant ending, but finds both Cece and her recently rescued sister, Juana, not living their best lives just yet. With their abusive, alcoholic father out of the picture, Cece feels she somehow hasn't done enough to repair her family, while Juana is consumed by an angry heat and heartless emptiness. So, when Cece heads off to try protect her Criatura friends and broken family, Juana strikes out looking for answers and possibly revenge for the wrongs done by the Dark Saint that kidnapped her in the first place.

Saying anything more would be spoiler territory, and I don't want to ruin a single page or twist. But I will say that this books is a perfect balance of magical/spiritual adventure and emotional journey, and though it's now told from 2 POVs, it is expertly plotted and structured to all come together in the most satisfying ways.

Oh, and maybe the best thing is that it's clearly written in a way that indicates there is more of the Rios sisters coming in the future. YAY!!!

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first Cece Rios book. It was full of Pokémon vibes and Mexican folklore and had me completely hooked. Book two doesn’t really have the Pokémon vibes, but it’s still incredible.

The entire book is basically about healing from trauma (which, if you’ve been around me, you know I’m very passionate about). Juana especially from what she went through at the hands of El Sombrerón, but also Cece and Lion and Coyote and even a little from Kit Fox. I loved seeing Coyote wrestle with the mistakes he made in his past lives and Cece wrestling with the fact that she can’t fix things with her Papá because he isn’t willing to and Lion facing his trauma from Catrina. But I especially loved the symbolism with Juana’s soul—how the trauma she went through made her lose part of her soul, how she was alive but not really breathing. It was so incredibly powerful and surprisingly heavy if you think about the implications of what happened to Juana. The scene where she faced El Sombrerón was particularly poignant and unexpected. (Also, I love that her POV was added.) And what happened with El Cucuy at the end… love. Oh, and even more Mexican folklore!! Which we love!! The Court of Fears was so cool. I wish we’d gotten more of them, tbh.

Now I need book three ASAP. (But I have to wait a whole year.) (Edit: IT’S ALMOST HEEEEERE!!!! Just a few more days!!!)

P. S. I ship Cece and Coyote so much. HE CARRIED HER BRIDAL STYLE!!! <3 eeeek!!!

[Kristyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 12yo and I were fortunate enough to get an advanced readers copy and this book must be on your TBR list. We read it as a bedtime readaloud and it was magnificent. Picking up where the first one left off, both sisters embark on their own journeys to find out who they truly are and learn what they are capable of. The story is full of twists and turns that will elicit so many different emotions. It is a beautiful story that already has us looking forward to the third! Read the first if you haven't to prepare for this one's release.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaela Rivera has done it again with a fantastic sequel to her first excellent book. Cece Rios and the King of Fears deals with trauma, abuse, recovery, and finding yourself again in the midst of terrible things. I cried at multiple times in this book. I cannot WAIT for the next in the series!

[Alison Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fantasy books make you think "I'd love to live in this world" and then some make you go:



And that's not meant as a knock on this book! I'm just a massive wimp. I really love the overall story Rivera is crafting in this series, and have enjoyed learning about this mythology. You can tell that a lot of thought and care and research went into it. I also appreciate that while it is definitely scary at times, it never goes too far, so the target demographic would certainly be able to handle it. A big part of that is seeing how brave and resourceful Cece is, and how much she believes in herself even when things are difficult or seem to not be going her way. I loved the part of the story in Devil's Alley and how well-realized that setting was.

I do think it took a bit too long to get to the key action of the plot, and a number of parts leading up to it felt stretched out a bit longer than necessary. I'm also not sure that a dual POV was needed, since the voices of Cece and Juana are not really any different. And one thing that troubled me was the way Cece acted about her father leaving the family. When she runs into him again, she's crying and upset and asking why he left, and seems to want him to come back...and this is after he hit her hard enough to bruise her. It frustrated me that the author portrayed her as almost forgetting about that and being sad that her abusive father was gone, because it seemed to veer toward the whole "no matter what you must always love and forgive your family" kind of notion, which...when it comes to child abuse is a big NO from me. I wish Cece would have said that her father's abuse means he doesn't deserve to be around them anymore, rather than acting heartbroken that he left.

Definitely still had fun, though not as strong as the first book in the series for me.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more! Third book please!

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant second book that is every bit as beautiful and engaging as the first!! I absolutely love Cece and her band of friends, and it was so lovely seeing Juana grow and fight for what she wanted. Truly a wonderful book, I can't wait for the next one!

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy I finally read this sequel! The 1st book was 1 of my all time favorite reads, & this has also quickly become one as well. Also, I can’t decide which I liked more. They’re both so good, but it may be this one! I don’t want to spoil the 1st book so I won’t mention who the character is, but the chapters actually alternate POV between this character & Cece. I really enjoyed this new aspect, & loved seeing both sides different experiences & journeys. The world building is even more next level in this one-or I guess I should say underworld building lol. All the different criaturas, brujas, curanderas, dark saints & more are just some of the incredible parts that make up this incredible world-rich in Mexican folklore & culture for sure, & I loved every single detail. Cece has even more character growth & development, & I was so proud of my girl. Especially with her fathers actions in the 1st book, & more we learn later. So glad the author put such a hard topic in this. Yes it’s hard, but it’s real, & unfortunately is a real thing some kids deal with. They will see themselves in Cece, & that it’s not their fault. Whatever is broken in the 1 who hurt you is not your fault. They made their choices & it’s on them. Cece is written perfectly. She could easily come across in an unlikable way written differently. But this author makes you love Cece, wish you could protect her, but you are so proud when you see her realize her worth & know she can protect herself & she IS enough just the way she is. Sweet Cece. If only more humans were like her. To be able to see past one’s hurts, horrors, “masks” & see the human inside & want to help them..remarkable. I still ADORE her friends Kit, Ocelot, Little Lion, & Coyote. Coyote still has my heart. He had so much growth in this as well, & I was also so proud of him. Little Lion made me proud too lol I was proud of all my little ones haha. Great themes/messages on not letting anger/hurt/trauma destroy you..don’t let the fire consume you. Also, learning to be happy & proud of who you are, to stop listening to those who beat you down with their words, & know you ARE enough. To forgive yourself. It can be the hardest thing. Don’t dwell on all the wrong you did in your past, but look for ways to make things better. Do better. Be better. Setting right the wrongs of the past, no matter the obstacles in your way. We meet so many new & incredible side characters along the way in here. So many twists, & it was an incredible ride. So excited for the next book after that ending!! Wowza! Can’t wait to see what happens next. I also thought I saw a connection between Ocelot & an amazing Bruja we meet in here, & I’m interested to see if I’m right. LOVED this & can’t recommend these enough. A favorite quote from in here that I FELT: “"You did not plant its seed, but you must prune the weed." BEAUTIFUL cover by Mirelle Ortega too! 💜

[Caroline]

Releasing on my birthday? Happy birthday to me! :D

[Caitlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

KAELA!!!! BRAVA!!!!!

[Zelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting. Had the pleasure of getting an ARC from Harper Collins. Kaela has done it again—won over my heart and soul. Truly, love these characters and this world.

[Carol Whetzel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blech. Told in alternating POV with way too much going on. Hard to follow and just didn’t care about Juana’s journey. Won’t be reading the next installment.

[Dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 STARS

Cece Rios and the King of Fears by Kaela Rivera is the second book in the Cece Rios series, and it picks up not that long after Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls leaves off. Cece has just saved her older sister from the clutches of one of the legendary Dark Saints, and they are finally back home. Things seem like they should be fine, with their abusive father out of the picture and Cece’s criatura friends happily living with them, but El Cucuy and Devil’s Alley are not done with the Rios sisters yet.

After the events of the first book, it was interesting to get both Juana's and Cece’s perspectives. Both sisters have goals at the forefront of their thoughts; Cece thinks she still needs to do more to put her broken family back together. Juana, on the other hand, seeks to avenge all the wrongs that have been done to her. Their missions take them in seemingly parallel directions, and the confrontation with El Cucuy draws ever closer. In the background, there’s also their mysterious tia Catrina, who's been exerting her influence behind the scenes for a while now, and whose motives are entirely unclear.

The world of criaturas and brujas was already big in the first book, and the world-building is only expanded with this book. I enjoyed learning about all of the new criaturas. I also enjoyed getting to see more of the infamous Devil’s Alley. Admittedly, it was hard to figure out how to spell some of the criatura names from only hearing them in the audiobook version so I appreciate the inclusion of a glossary for reference purposes.

Almarie Guerra and Karla Serrato did an excellent job bringing Cece and Juana’s perspectives to life. If you or a young reader in your life enjoy adventure stories influenced by cultural myths, the Cece Rios series would be a great choice for what to read next. I haven’t seen confirmation, but I’m hoping that this book gets a sequel (which is reported to be Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas at the time of writing this review). I’m excited to see what happens next for Cece, Juana and their friends.

[Minda Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cece Rios and the King of Fears is the second middle-grade fantasy book in the series, set in a fictional world inspired by the Mexican desert. I picked up listening to this audiobook immediately after finishing book #1, and I was glad I did. The story picked right up where the last left off: Cece had just rescued her older sister Juana from a kidnapping, where she was whisked away to another dimension known as Devil's Alley.

Cece has just discovered that she is a "curandera," a healer with magical abilities. As this book progresses, Cece learns more about her gifts and her abilities to use her inner strength and belief that everybody has some good inside, in order to change even the most hardened heart.

I enjoyed that this story was told from both Juana and Cece's alternating points of view, as this added a new element that differentiated the book from the first. However, I did find myself a little bit less engrossed than with the first book. I started to get a little bit tired of so many new characters being introduced as the story went on (though this is a large part of the story, so it might just be my preference).

I think that this book would be appropriate for middle school, and maybe some upper elementary kids. Some of the descriptions were rather intense, and the traditional Mexican beliefs (including witchcraft and shamans) might not be something every parent is comfortable with.

All in all, though, the story was well-written and enjoyable. I am always interested in the ways authors incorporate Spanish into books in English, and this book provided a good case study. I do think it would be helpful to know some Spanish to read it, but it would not be necessary to understand the majority of the story.

[Firena Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book and it was amaaaaazing!

Kit Fox is such a brave little traumatized cinnamon roll. (That bit at the start of chapter three absolutely melted me. And I'm totally in favor of Kit getting adopted by Ocelot...lol.)

And then the backstories...aaaah! My heart! (El Siblón especially... ouch. And Kit! Whyyyyyyyyy! I mean I know why but... meep. He deserves more lives where he's free.) And Axolotl is adorable... and Damiana's amazing... and Juana's arc hurt but in a good way, and I'm glad she was able to overcome things.

Same with Coyote... he very much needed hugs... there's an entire scene towards the end that was just...all the feels. (And then all the hugs, hugs are the best.) And then Cece and her self-blame thing... I kept wanting to jump into the story and tell her she was wrong, but I had to wait and let her figure it out, and I was so proud of her when she did.

And CATRINA. AAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH. I WANT TO STRANGLE HER. VERY BADLY. But seeing Juana and Little Lion bonding over shared trauma was adorable. I absolutely love their dynamic by the end, it's iconic and hilarious and epic. They're both so stubborn and protective... I'm pretty sure I actually laughed out loud at some of their parts. (Like the "you're not my bruja" line, that was HILARIOUS and a very siblinglike thing to say.)

And the ending... the buildup was so great and I was all excited and then that EVIL WITCH LADY-- aaaaaaagh!!!! I hate Catrina so much--

I mean, to be fair, the cliffhanger could've been a lot worse (like Shannon Messenger... *cough* I have planned my revenge for her) but still. I want the next book nowwwww. XD

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a creative and well-paced, well-built-up fantasy world. Definitely recommend to younger readers, but honestly, I'd say this is fun for high schoolers and adults too.

The two contrasting journeys, Cece's and Juana's, were so interesting because of how different they were. Juana was impulsive and angry, Cece is gentle and compassionate, and, man, we need ALL of those approaches when solving problems like the ones in this book. This is truly good nuanced writing that younger readers I do think will be able to pick up on.

Juana's arc especially is beautiful. I love how she feels her anger and rage and how she never rejects these parts of what she's going through but instead learns how to work with them. Stuff like that was well-built-up early in the book so that when it all came together in the climactic final battles around page 280, it felt truly triumphant. This book is well-set-up and therefore the payoffs are SO satisfying. Without going into too much, the scene where she meets the child and realizes who that is was haunting and I could FEEL the very-immersive descriptive writing.

This is a really smart and compassionate fantasy world that I think middle-school-aged readers would adore. It takes young readers seriously and is pretty high-level both in grammar and vocabulary as well as not shying away from heavier topics like family abuse, but I think it's always age-appropriate. Great stuff, can't wait to keep reading this series!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cece Rios has battled and won dark forces to reclaim her sister Juana from Devil's Alley, but Juana's soul is still trapped. Can the sisters find a way to defeat El Cucuy - King of the Criaturas and the criaturas of Devil's Alley?

Once in a while folktales come to life and fully captivate. I spent my teenage and young adult years in the American Southwest. Reading this book was like stepping back into the desert and breathing in. Rivera captures the love of all things desert. Her use of Spanish language interwoven with the English text was beautiful. I felt in my heart the passion for "mi familia" in the pages. The character's loyalty and actions in the novel speak to the word 'familia,' and those characters that disappoint and reject the familia are realistic and properly complex. As someone who cannot speak Spanish, but a person who loves the language, reading each word was like slipping on a favorite comfy shirt. As far as the culture of the characters, I've read a few magical realism novels set in the Southwest and Rivera's series (I've read 1 and 2) does not disappoint. The magical elements of the brujas and curanderas have deep cultural roots. I also love the criaturas' stories, legends, and character development. I would not recommend reading these books out of order. The audiobook was amazing.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this; I thought it was even stronger than the first one.

I am also one of those readers who just cannot process multiple first-person POV very well; I found myself wishing that I'd gotten in audio (it looks like there are two narrators, which would make the swaps between POVs easy). Anyway, I eventually gave up reading it the "right" way and read through Cece's POV almost to the end, and then read Juana's. (I know, I know, this is probably book heresy—but it's really a reflection of how good these books are, because I can't name another multi-1st-POV novel that I've ever managed to finish).

In any case, if you are also a bad reader like me, I wanted to leave a note that the two stories start together and end together, but are largely happening in different places through most of the book such that it *is* possible to read this book the wrong way and still thoroughly enjoy it.

I loved Cece and Juana in this book, their different strengths, and their different journeys. Very much looking forward to the third one!

[Liz Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls. Cece now knows she is a curandera and a powerful one at that. She was able to save her sister from El Sombrerón but he kept Juana’s soul and her heart doesn’t beat without it. This story sees Cece and her friends, criaturas she has saved from Devil’s Alley, back to save her sister and the criaturas kept captive by dark forces. The story is told as first person narratives from Juana and Cece. They are working independently with the same goal in mind: to get Juana's heart back as well as the others El Sombrerón has taken. Another goal is to free the criaturas from having to carry out tasks at the behest of their captors. The depiction of the criaturas is clever as they combine an animal part as well as a human part. One of the themes is self-determination and being able to make decisions for yourself, not what you are ordered to do.

[Jen Nishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this book! This series! I can’t even with how much I love it. I bought this book to go with the first one (that I love and continuously recommended to my 4th graders) for my classroom and was blown away by it. I’d been stuck in a second book let down rut for a few months now but this got me out of that. Expertly written and paced with some of the best character development I’ve ever read. I immediacy went out to buy myself a copy of it and the first book because I could not picture my bookshelf without it on it. Seriously read this series. Shove it in the face of all those pretentious snobs who say children’s literature isn’t real literature. I was crying and my heart was pounding and oh my goodness I can’t even put it all into words.

[Maria]

Beautiful story of sisters, sacrifice, friendship and forgiveness. I especially love the thought of 'you didn't plant the seed, but you must pull the weed' (paraphrased because I forgot to mark that spot when reading the paperback). There are many emotional and mental struggles in life that we have because of the actions of others, but we still have the power to move forward and "pull that weed" from our lives--even if it leaves behinds scars. I also appreciate the continuing motif of friendship and love, and that our love can't take away the hurt of others, but we can stand beside them and keep loving and supporting them through their hurt.

[Beckiezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first one. On the one hand we learn a lot more about what’s going on which was cool, but we deal more with the depressing thoughts of a young teen who likes to assume she’s the cause of every problem. I didn’t love the switching points of view either. I don’t know if not having changing narrators might have helped or if I wouldn’t have been able to tell who we were following if there hadn’t been the different voices, but them having different accents just wasn’t something I loved. I wasn’t super focused by the end, but I do think I’ll listen to the last book and complete the series.

[Nicole Aka Grave doll · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was long. My niece couldn’t deal with all the POV jumping, and that “forgive everything no matter what” theme didn’t land with her at all. She said forgiveness is fine, but you don’t need to be so soft that you lose your common sense. She didn’t care for how the father was written either. I agreed with her. We’ve talked alot about forgiveness, and I’ve told her there’s never any reason to let yourself be a fool. Forgiveness is mostly for your own peace. you don’t want to swallow the poison hoping someone else drops deas. that a exhausting life to let live Life demands hard choices, and sometimes the toughest truth is always the easiest one to see.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again the author delivers a hero with adventure, a spirit of Moxie, and yet sensitive and vulnerable. Two sisters set out to solve a problem, each in their own way, and learned that doing it together produces really good results.

Once again the author delivers fascinating characters in the shape of Ocelot, Kit, Lion and more.

Another hero’s journey, and an opening to the third book in the trilogy.

[Alissa McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Cece Rios! I was not disappointed with this book and its continuation of the beautiful characters I have come to love. I think my only complaint is the same one of every second book in a trilogy--there is not enough closure! But the majority of this book is beautiful and empowering and deeply sincere. I highly recommend this for every girl and woman on the planet.

[Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cece Rios was a book I adored, and the sequel definitely lived up to the hype. The book branches out to focus on both sisters, instead of centering solely on Cece. It takes everything good about the first book and layers on a more nuanced character development arc for both Juana and Cece, which was very welcome. I'm excited to see where book 3 takes the series!