Kaela Rivera
Author of
Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas (HarperCollins Children’s, 2024)
Cece Rios and the King of Fears (HarperCollins Children's, 2022)
Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls (HarperCollins Children's, 2021)
Kaela Rivera was raised to believe in will-o’-the-wisps and el chupacabra, but even ghost 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 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 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.
Books by Kaela
Cece Rios and the Queen of Brujas (HarperCollins Children’s, 2024)
Cece Rios and her friends have escaped Devil’s Alley, but the fight to save their world is just beginning.
Despite her growing comfort with her curandera abilities, Cece is worried that she won’t be strong enough to stop her most dangerous enemy yet: her tía, Catrina. Desperate for power and revenge, Catrina has seized the throne of Devil’s Alley and set her sights on the living world.
Catrina’s first move is a brutal attack on the Sun Sanctuary that leaves Tierra del Sol reeling. And no matter how hard they try, Cece and her friends are always one step behind the bruja queen as she seeks to attain the powers of the gods and take control of the four elements.
Cece Rios saved her sister. She rebuilt her familia. But can she take down her vicious tía before Catrina destroys everything Cece has fought so hard to protect?
Cece Rios and the King of Fears (HarperCollins Children's, 2022)
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?
Praise
"Pokemon meets Coco in a spirited and moving adventure, at once familiar and tantalizingly strange, peopled by beautifully crafted and vivid characters." —David Bowles
Praise for Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls: "Rivera’s spellbinding debut feels incredibly fresh. Enchanted readers will hope for more from Cece and her extraordinary, magical world."—Booklist (starred review)
"Flush with incredible worldbuilding, mucho español throughout, and an unforgettable cast, this book reminds us that our greatest strengths can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places." —Pablo Cartaya
Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls (HarperCollins Children's, 2021)
When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Storm Runner and Aru Shah and the End of Time.
Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime.
When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey.
With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.
Praise
“With strong ties to Mesoamerican lore and culture, the story hits the sweet spot between dark and light. Lively, endearing, and full of character.”
— Kirkus (starred review)
“Rivera's spellbinding debut feels incredibly fresh. Enchanted readers will hope for more from Cece and her extraordinary, magical world.”
— Booklist (starred review)
“Courage, determination, and unwavering love are the foundation of this debut; a much-needed addition to public and school libraries.”
— School Library Journal
“Kaela Rivera's CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS is the kind of story you don't want to put down. Flush with incredible worldbuilding, mucho español throughout, and an unforgettable cast of brujas, criaturas, and humans, led by the incomparable Cece Rios, 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
“An astonishing and moving tale infused with spirit and unforgettable magic.”
— J.C. Cervantes, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Storm Runner series
“Pokemon meets Coco in a spirited and moving adventure, at once familiar and tantalizingly strange, peopled by beautifully crafted and vivid characters.”
— David Bowles, award-winning author of They Call Me Güero
“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.”
— Anna Meriano, author of the Love Sugar Magic series
“A beautifully written fantasy story with tons of heart!”
— Ryan Calejo, author of the Charlie Hernandez series