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Thousand Worlds #1.5 - The Initiation
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories about Mythic Heroes
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents ten new stories--including one of his own--about beloved heroes that sprang from the imaginations of some of the best middle grade authors working today.
A cave monster . . . an abandoned demon . . . a ghost who wants to erase history . . . a killer commandant . . . These are just some of the challenges confronting the young heroes in this highly entertaining anthology.
All but one of the heroes previously starred in a popular book from Rick Riordan Presents. You''ll be reunited with Aru Shah, Zane Obispo, Min the fox spirit, Sal and Gabi, Tristan Strong, Nizhoni Begay, Paola Santiago, Sikander Aziz, and Riley Oh. Who is the new hero? Read Rick Riordan''s short story to find out!
Ten bestselling and award-winning middle grade authors contributed to this collection: Roshani Chokshi, J.C. Cervantes, Yoon Ha Lee, Carlos Hernandez, Kwame Mbalia, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Sarwat Chadda, Graci Kim, and Rick Riordan, who also served as the editor.
The cultures represented by these own-voices stories are: Indian, Mesoamerican, Korean, Cuban, Black American, African, Navajo, Mexican, Mesopotamian, and Celtic.
There''s something for everyone in this collection of fast-paced and funny adventure stories that show what it takes to be a hero in any time, setting, and universe.
Read more about the heroes in these best-selling books:
Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Rick Riordan Presents: The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Rick Riordan Presents: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Rick Riordan Presents: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Rick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Rick Riordan Presents: Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Rick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
A cave monster . . . an abandoned demon . . . a ghost who wants to erase history . . . a killer commandant . . . These are just some of the challenges confronting the young heroes in this highly entertaining anthology.
All but one of the heroes previously starred in a popular book from Rick Riordan Presents. You''ll be reunited with Aru Shah, Zane Obispo, Min the fox spirit, Sal and Gabi, Tristan Strong, Nizhoni Begay, Paola Santiago, Sikander Aziz, and Riley Oh. Who is the new hero? Read Rick Riordan''s short story to find out!
Ten bestselling and award-winning middle grade authors contributed to this collection: Roshani Chokshi, J.C. Cervantes, Yoon Ha Lee, Carlos Hernandez, Kwame Mbalia, Rebecca Roanhorse, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Sarwat Chadda, Graci Kim, and Rick Riordan, who also served as the editor.
The cultures represented by these own-voices stories are: Indian, Mesoamerican, Korean, Cuban, Black American, African, Navajo, Mexican, Mesopotamian, and Celtic.
There''s something for everyone in this collection of fast-paced and funny adventure stories that show what it takes to be a hero in any time, setting, and universe.
Read more about the heroes in these best-selling books:
Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Rick Riordan Presents: The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Rick Riordan Presents: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Rick Riordan Presents: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Rick Riordan Presents: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Rick Riordan Presents: Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rick Riordan Presents: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Rick Riordan Presents: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
Rick Riordan Presents: The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
464 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2021
About the author
Rick Riordan
230 books439k followersRick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.
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September 30, 2021Publisher: Rick Riordan-
Me: Say no more
Me: Say no more
June 5, 2021
Just so you know, I'm an unabashed fan of all things Rick Riordan and Rick Riordan (RR) Presents. As a tutor who searches for books that appeal to kids who aren't crazy about reading, I turn to these books to for stories that have action and humor on every page. Kids and adults will dive into fascinating mythology from around the world and clamor for more..
I have read all of the published first books in all of the RR Presents series so I was familiar with the characters and story lines in this anthology. The exception is the story from a forthcoming book from Rick Riordan, himself.
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities was like stepping in front of a gorgeous buffet where each dish is delicious. I will not list my favorites except to say that I enjoyed Yoo Han Lee's story from the Dragon Pearl universe better than I liked the first book in that series. And Rebecca Roanhorse's writing style is clear, concise, a breath of fresh air.
If you don't have the time to read each series, this anthology can help you sample everything.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have read all of the published first books in all of the RR Presents series so I was familiar with the characters and story lines in this anthology. The exception is the story from a forthcoming book from Rick Riordan, himself.
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities was like stepping in front of a gorgeous buffet where each dish is delicious. I will not list my favorites except to say that I enjoyed Yoo Han Lee's story from the Dragon Pearl universe better than I liked the first book in that series. And Rebecca Roanhorse's writing style is clear, concise, a breath of fresh air.
If you don't have the time to read each series, this anthology can help you sample everything.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2022
Riordan’s THE CURSED CARNIVAL AND OTHER CALAMITIES: NEW STORIES ABOUT MYTHIC HEROES is a collection of stories from previously published Rick Riordan Presents authors. For any readers clamoring to read more about their favorite characters and mythologies, this is the book for you. In addition to revisiting those older characters, Riordan included new ones in his short story focusing on Irish Mythology.
I’ve read full-length novels by all of the authors with the exception of one, and it was fun to be able to revisit those characters in new settings. It’s interesting that Riordan chose a new mythology for his own short story rather than expanding on one of his previous novels. The actual novel was put together well, but the audio version seemed less so. Perhaps it’s just me, but having a different narrator for each story felt like virtual head-hopping, and the Irish brogue used by Riordan’s narrator wasn’t easy to follow. Riordan gave each author more or less two chapters for one story, which lessened the impact of the switching stories.
I enjoyed getting reacquainted with older characters and seeing them in new settings and situations.
I’ve read full-length novels by all of the authors with the exception of one, and it was fun to be able to revisit those characters in new settings. It’s interesting that Riordan chose a new mythology for his own short story rather than expanding on one of his previous novels. The actual novel was put together well, but the audio version seemed less so. Perhaps it’s just me, but having a different narrator for each story felt like virtual head-hopping, and the Irish brogue used by Riordan’s narrator wasn’t easy to follow. Riordan gave each author more or less two chapters for one story, which lessened the impact of the switching stories.
I enjoyed getting reacquainted with older characters and seeing them in new settings and situations.
June 5, 2021
If you have enjoyed any of the titles from Disney's Rick Riordan Presents imprint, you will enjoy this book. It's a collection of short stories featuring the beloved characters readers have come to know in the original stories: Sal & Gabi, Paola & Dante, Aru Shah, Sikander Aziz, and lots more!
As with every short story compilation by different authors, there's varying degrees of quality among the stories. I have read most, but not all, of the original books these characters come from and I must admit, if I had read the earlier book, I enjoyed the story more than if I had not. However, I have also been inspired to read a couple of the original books I haven't gotten to yet because the related short stories were so fun. I definitely recommend this collection for fans of mythology, middle grade adventure, or Rick Riordan's books!
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As with every short story compilation by different authors, there's varying degrees of quality among the stories. I have read most, but not all, of the original books these characters come from and I must admit, if I had read the earlier book, I enjoyed the story more than if I had not. However, I have also been inspired to read a couple of the original books I haven't gotten to yet because the related short stories were so fun. I definitely recommend this collection for fans of mythology, middle grade adventure, or Rick Riordan's books!
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 3, 2022
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities, Rick Riordan, editor, 2021, 451pp.
10 stories: one by Riordan, nine by his "Rick Riordan Presents" authors.
*** Rick Riordan: "My Life as a Child Outlaw," 382-445. Ancient Ireland. Short story without resolution, like a chapter from a longer story. Has a useful name-pronunciation and location guide at the end. Riordan is a great storyteller. Start with /The Lightning Thief/. /The Kane Chronicles/ are particularly good, for the relation between the brother and sister. The /Tres Navarre/ series is good too. https://www.goodreads.com/series/list...
*** Sarwat Chadda: "The Loneliest Demon," 291-337. Ancient Sumerian demon in modern New York. Reads very much like a Rick Riordan story. Also seems like a "to be continued."
10 stories: one by Riordan, nine by his "Rick Riordan Presents" authors.
*** Rick Riordan: "My Life as a Child Outlaw," 382-445. Ancient Ireland. Short story without resolution, like a chapter from a longer story. Has a useful name-pronunciation and location guide at the end. Riordan is a great storyteller. Start with /The Lightning Thief/. /The Kane Chronicles/ are particularly good, for the relation between the brother and sister. The /Tres Navarre/ series is good too. https://www.goodreads.com/series/list...
*** Sarwat Chadda: "The Loneliest Demon," 291-337. Ancient Sumerian demon in modern New York. Reads very much like a Rick Riordan story. Also seems like a "to be continued."
October 29, 2021
This is a perfect book to give for the holidays for young people who like Percy Jackson, and are looking to branch (or be nudged) into the literal wider world of the Rick Riordan presents imprint. Here you have a short story featuring the characters from different series under that imprint, but none of the stories spoil the books! So many short stories with established characters require you to know the characters already. Instead, here the characters are usually introduced well and sufficiently to get a taste of the longer work without going into the whole backstory that comes with the novels, making them a great entry point!
That said, if you've read many of the series like I have, then you'll also appreciate these stories. Again, they dont rehash plots you've read but also dont act like you're old buds. These are nice supplements without feeling bogged down by reintroducing the characters, but giving people who arent familiar with them enough to go on. Some individual entries strike this balance better than others.
Thank you to Netgalley, Disney Publishing, Rick Riordan, and all of the authors for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
That said, if you've read many of the series like I have, then you'll also appreciate these stories. Again, they dont rehash plots you've read but also dont act like you're old buds. These are nice supplements without feeling bogged down by reintroducing the characters, but giving people who arent familiar with them enough to go on. Some individual entries strike this balance better than others.
Thank you to Netgalley, Disney Publishing, Rick Riordan, and all of the authors for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2022
i had the best time reading the cursed carnival and other calamities. what’s interesting is that each short story features the main character of their own series written by the respective authors. familiar characters to me were aru shah [roshani chokshi], min [yoon ha lee], nizhoni [rebecca roanhorse], sikander [sarwat chadda], and riley [graci kim]. since the stories are based on characters that were already taken form in their own series, it took me a little to get into the settings for those that i haven’t read before yet. regardless, enjoyed all the short stories!
December 13, 2022
This was a great collection to wind down the year. I read one story per day as a way to decompress after reaching my yearly reading goal. I ended up adding a few books to my TBR because I liked the story so much. Here's a little rundown of mini reviews-
Calamity Juice-2 stars-Just not into it. As soon as they mentioned clones my brain checked out.
Beware the Grove of True Love-2 stars-The kids were annoying and I didn't care.
The Cave of Doom-5 stars-Amazing. Loved it. It was compelling and I added the first novel to my TBR.
The Initiation-2 stars-Dumb. If space travel and colonizing other worlds has been achieved, why would you build a training facility on a gas giant? Or rather, in a gas giant's orbit? Like, wasn't there a solid planet somewhere that could be used?
The Gum Baby Files-5 stars-I love Gum Baby! <3 The first book is already on my TBR and now I'm even more excited to read it!
The Demon Drum-4 stars- Interesting. I was reminded of when I lived on Long Island and I would go to the pow wow held by the Shinnecock Indian Nation and how fun it was, and how delicious fry bread is. I added the novel to my TBR.
Bruto and the Freaky Flower-2 stars- Boring. I had read the first book in this series and found that boring too.
The Loneliest Demon-5 stars- This had me sobbing at 8 am. It's my favorite story in this collection and deserves all the stars! I had read The City of the Plague God previously, and now I'm super pumped for the second book!!!
My Night at the Gifted Carnival-3 stars-Weirdly anti-climactic.
My Life as a Child Outlaw-4 stars- Demne/Finn was a little shit, but he was an entertaining little shit.
Calamity Juice-2 stars-Just not into it. As soon as they mentioned clones my brain checked out.
Beware the Grove of True Love-2 stars-The kids were annoying and I didn't care.
The Cave of Doom-5 stars-Amazing. Loved it. It was compelling and I added the first novel to my TBR.
The Initiation-2 stars-Dumb. If space travel and colonizing other worlds has been achieved, why would you build a training facility on a gas giant? Or rather, in a gas giant's orbit? Like, wasn't there a solid planet somewhere that could be used?
The Gum Baby Files-5 stars-I love Gum Baby! <3 The first book is already on my TBR and now I'm even more excited to read it!
The Demon Drum-4 stars- Interesting. I was reminded of when I lived on Long Island and I would go to the pow wow held by the Shinnecock Indian Nation and how fun it was, and how delicious fry bread is. I added the novel to my TBR.
Bruto and the Freaky Flower-2 stars- Boring. I had read the first book in this series and found that boring too.
The Loneliest Demon-5 stars- This had me sobbing at 8 am. It's my favorite story in this collection and deserves all the stars! I had read The City of the Plague God previously, and now I'm super pumped for the second book!!!
My Night at the Gifted Carnival-3 stars-Weirdly anti-climactic.
My Life as a Child Outlaw-4 stars- Demne/Finn was a little shit, but he was an entertaining little shit.
April 29, 2021
This book was received as an ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide - Rick Riordan Presents in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book is what our young readers have been craving. If you are a fan of Storm Runner, Aru Shah or Paola, you will love this book. Our community has been looking for a book like this and I can just tell from reading some of the stories featured that they would want to talk about them all day long. Schools would want to use this as a summer reading project and the kids will actually be excited about it. All of the stories were exciting and breathtaking and I know they will circulate well in our JFiction collection.
We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
This book is what our young readers have been craving. If you are a fan of Storm Runner, Aru Shah or Paola, you will love this book. Our community has been looking for a book like this and I can just tell from reading some of the stories featured that they would want to talk about them all day long. Schools would want to use this as a summer reading project and the kids will actually be excited about it. All of the stories were exciting and breathtaking and I know they will circulate well in our JFiction collection.
We will consider adding this title to our JFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
January 23, 2024
Es una recopilación de historias extras de los libros que componen el mundo de la editorial de Rick Riordan Presents, que si no saben de qué tratan, son similares a Percy Jackson en cuanto a personajes jóvenes que viven en un mundo donde la mitología, o fantasía es real (al menos la mayoría que he leído hasta ahora). Hay mucha variedad y definitivamente debes tener tiempo para leerlos todos.
De los autores que conocía y aquellos que quiero leer, sus historias me gustaron y es genial ver a los personajes que uno conoce en situaciones extras. Sin embargo los que no conocía se hacían historias tediosas y largas y demasiado sin sentido en general.
Hubo una que no había leído sus libros pero la historia estuvo tan buena y entretenida que uno se adentra en ese mundo rápidamente (la historia del tambor). En cambio otras que ni siendo divertida se entendió ni entretuvo (como la de la niña pequeña ??). El relato de Carlos me gustó también un montón.
La historia de Rick destaca y por mucho entre todas las demás porque siendo algo autoconclusivo, se disfruta de principio a fin y y tiene todo para ser un libro (cosa que él mismo ha estado diciendo desde hace mucho 👀 ojalá se anime y complete ese mundo)
De los autores que conocía y aquellos que quiero leer, sus historias me gustaron y es genial ver a los personajes que uno conoce en situaciones extras. Sin embargo los que no conocía se hacían historias tediosas y largas y demasiado sin sentido en general.
Hubo una que no había leído sus libros pero la historia estuvo tan buena y entretenida que uno se adentra en ese mundo rápidamente (la historia del tambor). En cambio otras que ni siendo divertida se entendió ni entretuvo (como la de la niña pequeña ??). El relato de Carlos me gustó también un montón.
La historia de Rick destaca y por mucho entre todas las demás porque siendo algo autoconclusivo, se disfruta de principio a fin y y tiene todo para ser un libro (cosa que él mismo ha estado diciendo desde hace mucho 👀 ojalá se anime y complete ese mundo)
August 26, 2021
Finally here’s my review of The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities!! I was fortunate to have gotten an ARC from a local bookstore that gives away ARCs if you give a donation to cancer, and I was so excited to pick this up!! It didn’t disapoint, almost all of the stories are amazing!! Here’s a mini review/more like just a few words about some and a whole paragraph for Aru for each!!
Calamity Juice
I loved this one!! It was funny and cute and I especially loved Gabi!! She’s an amazing character!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Beware the Grove of True Love
I loved Aru’s story possibly as much as I loved Finn’s. Okay, I think I actually I loved it more. Don’t get me wrong, Rick’s story was amazing (as always) but it was my least favorite in the Riordanverse so far, but it still is amazing. The others just have the bar way too high lol for most stories to compete. But anyways, but to Aru. I love Aru’s perspective, she’s super funny and likable and just a really overall amazing character!! And I feel like she has a little bit for everyone: the aru shah series is more middle grade readers, I usually read more ya though but found her more likable than lots (if not most) ya characters!! Aru is an icon and I will stand by that fact. Another thing I want to say was done amazingly was that I never had to reread because because I didn’t understand anything. And I feel like even somebody who has not read the series could understand what was happening in it just fine. I may be a little biased because I have read the first two Aru Shah‘s, but I feel like with some of the stories it would be very hard to comprehend them without any previous background knowledge of the characters or the world or anything like that. I had a little bit of trouble with some of the ones that I had no knowledge of and hadn’t read any of the books, which is completely my fault, I should be reading these amazing books but I just wanted to say that Roshani Chokshi did an amazing job with making sure that even if you hadn’t read any of these books you could probably understand it fine. One last thing I want to add I also love Brynn and Mini they are also great characters and I love how it has an amazing main character and great side characters I mean it’s a perfect trifecta.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
The Cave of Doom
I really enjoyed this one!! Zane is a great main character, and of course Brooks is like literally the best I mean and I just their relationship is just *chefs kiss* I mean they are like one of the best ships ever and they are totally underrated and I just love them. And I personally love ships where the guy falls in love first (like Percabeth, Maxerica, Everlark, Foster-Keefe, Kanej, Jurdan, etc) and it’s adorable I love them they’re just adorable and it also has a super well written villain if anybody wants that so yeah!! I’m sorry if this feels gushy about these last two stories but I just absolutely love them ahahah.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
The Initiation
I really liked this one, Min was an awesome protagonist, she’s very smart and I liked really liked her!! I really liked the story and I actually have Dragon Pearl and so I can’t wait to read it since I loved this one!! (And I was fortunate to have last year been able to go to Uncle Rick’s Tower of Nero virtual tour and it was the one with Yoon Ha Lee as the guest author and the book seemed awesome from what I also heard in that!!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gum Baby Files
So, this one was entertaining, but as someone who likes character driven stories, and wasn’t a huge fan of the protaganist in this, I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. I am a teenager who usually reads more on the ya side of books, so please take this part with a grain of salt, but I felt like the idea for the story was childish and executed poorly. It was told by like an inhuman blob thing, right?? I’m sorry, but that wasn’t my thing. However, I haven’t read the original Tristan Strong books, so this could’ve been something I really enojoye had I read the Tristan Strong books, but I haven’t. So if you liked those, by all means try this, but I will say it was not my thing.
⭐️
The Demon Drum
I really, really liked this one!! The characters felt real, the story felt vibrant and alive, like I was actually there!! Not sure what much else to say, but I really enjoyed this one and I really liked the characters and plot and everything!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bruto and the Freaky Flower
Same could be said with this one as I said about the last! I really loved Pao and Dante and I think they’d be a super cute couple!! And I loved the plot and just everything!!
⭐️��️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Loneliest Demon
I loved this one!! The plot was super intriguing to me and I hope I can pick up City of the Plague God soon!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
My Night at the Gifted Carnival. I absolutely loved this one!! It was so much fun to read and Riley was such an amazing, relatable character!! I loved her and Hattie and everything about with story!! It felt super real and it was just a really really fun read!! I loved it!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
My Life as a Child Outlaw : Okay so.I’m keeping this review short and simple, so I’m just going to say this: I loved the book. It’s definitely my least favorite Uncle Rick book, but his other books have set the standard so high it’s close to even compare. So I still absolutely loved it!! Finn was a great protagonist and I found it hilarious how he started his life on the run doing crimes, and pretty much just continues that streak from day 1 😂 I also really liked his moms/guardian warriors/whatever they are, I thought they were funny! Overall, it was just a really amazing story and I hope we get more from Finn soon!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
Calamity Juice
I loved this one!! It was funny and cute and I especially loved Gabi!! She’s an amazing character!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Beware the Grove of True Love
I loved Aru’s story possibly as much as I loved Finn’s. Okay, I think I actually I loved it more. Don’t get me wrong, Rick’s story was amazing (as always) but it was my least favorite in the Riordanverse so far, but it still is amazing. The others just have the bar way too high lol for most stories to compete. But anyways, but to Aru. I love Aru’s perspective, she’s super funny and likable and just a really overall amazing character!! And I feel like she has a little bit for everyone: the aru shah series is more middle grade readers, I usually read more ya though but found her more likable than lots (if not most) ya characters!! Aru is an icon and I will stand by that fact. Another thing I want to say was done amazingly was that I never had to reread because because I didn’t understand anything. And I feel like even somebody who has not read the series could understand what was happening in it just fine. I may be a little biased because I have read the first two Aru Shah‘s, but I feel like with some of the stories it would be very hard to comprehend them without any previous background knowledge of the characters or the world or anything like that. I had a little bit of trouble with some of the ones that I had no knowledge of and hadn’t read any of the books, which is completely my fault, I should be reading these amazing books but I just wanted to say that Roshani Chokshi did an amazing job with making sure that even if you hadn’t read any of these books you could probably understand it fine. One last thing I want to add I also love Brynn and Mini they are also great characters and I love how it has an amazing main character and great side characters I mean it’s a perfect trifecta.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
The Cave of Doom
I really enjoyed this one!! Zane is a great main character, and of course Brooks is like literally the best I mean and I just their relationship is just *chefs kiss* I mean they are like one of the best ships ever and they are totally underrated and I just love them. And I personally love ships where the guy falls in love first (like Percabeth, Maxerica, Everlark, Foster-Keefe, Kanej, Jurdan, etc) and it’s adorable I love them they’re just adorable and it also has a super well written villain if anybody wants that so yeah!! I’m sorry if this feels gushy about these last two stories but I just absolutely love them ahahah.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
The Initiation
I really liked this one, Min was an awesome protagonist, she’s very smart and I liked really liked her!! I really liked the story and I actually have Dragon Pearl and so I can’t wait to read it since I loved this one!! (And I was fortunate to have last year been able to go to Uncle Rick’s Tower of Nero virtual tour and it was the one with Yoon Ha Lee as the guest author and the book seemed awesome from what I also heard in that!!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gum Baby Files
So, this one was entertaining, but as someone who likes character driven stories, and wasn’t a huge fan of the protaganist in this, I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. I am a teenager who usually reads more on the ya side of books, so please take this part with a grain of salt, but I felt like the idea for the story was childish and executed poorly. It was told by like an inhuman blob thing, right?? I’m sorry, but that wasn’t my thing. However, I haven’t read the original Tristan Strong books, so this could’ve been something I really enojoye had I read the Tristan Strong books, but I haven’t. So if you liked those, by all means try this, but I will say it was not my thing.
⭐️
The Demon Drum
I really, really liked this one!! The characters felt real, the story felt vibrant and alive, like I was actually there!! Not sure what much else to say, but I really enjoyed this one and I really liked the characters and plot and everything!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bruto and the Freaky Flower
Same could be said with this one as I said about the last! I really loved Pao and Dante and I think they’d be a super cute couple!! And I loved the plot and just everything!!
⭐️��️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Loneliest Demon
I loved this one!! The plot was super intriguing to me and I hope I can pick up City of the Plague God soon!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
My Night at the Gifted Carnival. I absolutely loved this one!! It was so much fun to read and Riley was such an amazing, relatable character!! I loved her and Hattie and everything about with story!! It felt super real and it was just a really really fun read!! I loved it!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
My Life as a Child Outlaw : Okay so.I’m keeping this review short and simple, so I’m just going to say this: I loved the book. It’s definitely my least favorite Uncle Rick book, but his other books have set the standard so high it’s close to even compare. So I still absolutely loved it!! Finn was a great protagonist and I found it hilarious how he started his life on the run doing crimes, and pretty much just continues that streak from day 1 😂 I also really liked his moms/guardian warriors/whatever they are, I thought they were funny! Overall, it was just a really amazing story and I hope we get more from Finn soon!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
October 2, 2022
“Carnival” is a collection of short stories written by authors of the “Rick Riordan Presents” series and Riordan herself. The stories feature familiar characters you’ve read from their books and that makes the collection an exciting trip. If you’re a fan of “RRP” or Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” series, you’ll be in for a fantasy-packed treat with thrills and a few chills. A- (91%/Excellent)
April 2, 2022
Review to come. . .
October 16, 2021
My favorites were the ones by Roshani Chokshi, J.C. Cervantes, Graci Kim, and of course Rick Riordan. Is he going to write more Celtic mythology?!
September 9, 2021
When I first saw the blog tour and cover of Cursed Carnival, I was instantly intrigued. I think I imagined that each author would be writing a story centralized around the theme of a Carnival, or something like that. Which would've worked for me because the only series I've completed is Roshani Chokshi 's Aruh Shah series and I'm familiar with Sarwat Chadda's writing having read his Shadow Magic trilogy (as Joshua Khan). Instead, it was a pleasant surprise to find that this collection of short stories would include the characters from the authors original series taking on a whole new adventure. So not having read the authors previous books I was initially a little hesitant, but decided to go along for the ride. Not having fore knowledge for all of the characters really didn't seem to matter too much, but I should caution that you might pick up on a few spoilers here and there from the original stories like I did. So if there's a particular series that your hoping to get to, maybe consider holding off until you've completed it before reading the Cursed Carnival.
Each short story in The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities is roughly 45-50+ pages in length. There's an equal balance of humor, fast paced action and plenty of monsters. I so love that they're all written by own-voice authors and introduce readers to stories involving the mythology of their culture. I wouldn't consider the short stories as an introduction to the authors other books, but instead more of an introduction into the authors writing style, their worlds, myths and characters that they write about. Or maybe it can be seen as an addition to a favorite characters stories. Some of my favorites were The Loneliest Demon by Sarwat Chadda (really inspired to bump up his The Plague God Series now), My Life as a Child Outlaw by Rick Riordan (yep even he makes an appearance with a short story), The Initiation by Yoon Ha Lee and My Night at the Gifted Carnival by Graci Kim. Truthfully, all the stories were really good and if I had all the time in the world, I'd defiantly be reading more of the authors other books. *Thank you to Disney Hyperion for my review copy **
Each short story in The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities is roughly 45-50+ pages in length. There's an equal balance of humor, fast paced action and plenty of monsters. I so love that they're all written by own-voice authors and introduce readers to stories involving the mythology of their culture. I wouldn't consider the short stories as an introduction to the authors other books, but instead more of an introduction into the authors writing style, their worlds, myths and characters that they write about. Or maybe it can be seen as an addition to a favorite characters stories. Some of my favorites were The Loneliest Demon by Sarwat Chadda (really inspired to bump up his The Plague God Series now), My Life as a Child Outlaw by Rick Riordan (yep even he makes an appearance with a short story), The Initiation by Yoon Ha Lee and My Night at the Gifted Carnival by Graci Kim. Truthfully, all the stories were really good and if I had all the time in the world, I'd defiantly be reading more of the authors other books. *Thank you to Disney Hyperion for my review copy **
August 7, 2022
Since this is a collection of short stories, I'll do little reviews for each one.
"Calamity Juice" (Sal & Gabi)****
Sal & Gabi have to clean up a hallway of the school that's been covered by unicorn barf, and they have to find the other Sal & Gabi responsible to get it done.
This was definitely creative. The best part is the boy on the unicorn going through different universes that manages to appear in many of the other stories in this book.
"Beware the Grove of True Love" (Aru Shah & gang)***
Aru and the Pandavas are taught how dangerous love can be after they don't take a lesson seriously with one of the godly teachers.
Short little adventure with Aru and gang. It was good, just not very memorable.
"The Cave of Doom" (Zane & Brooks)****
An interesting mini adventure for Zane and Brooks that is setting things up for their adjacent series with their other little demigod friend.
This one is important for those who want to read Cervantes next series after the Storm Runner series.
"The Initiation" (Min & Jun)***
Min and Jun report for their training as spies and have to figure out what is going wrong at the academy.
A nice little mystery for the brother sister duo to solve.
"The Gum Baby Files" (Gum Baby) ****
Gum Baby, Junior, and Ayanna end up in the human world at a museum where someone is erasing the memorabelia and memories of certain civil rights figures.
I liked this adventure where they have to not only solve a mystery but bring attention to important civil rights figures (one of whom I'd never heard of before).
"The Demon Drum" (Nizhoni) ***
The Ancestor Club has to save everyone at a Pow Wow from a monstrous demon drum.
I like the interpersonal resolutions in this one that results from the adventure.
"Bruto and the Freaky Flower" (Paola)****
Paola's little chupacabra pet isn't doing well and she must find some weird flower in the desert for him to eat.
Paola's chupacabra and her best friend are the best.
"The Loneliest Demon" (Sik)****
One little puny demon was missed in the cleanup of New York in Sik's adventures. She is trying to challenge Sik to a fight, but the attempts are laughable. Sik wants to ignore her, but his mom insists he help try to get her home.
The spunky little demon is pretty funny, and the adventure keeps you on your toes.
"My Night at the Gifted Carnival" (Riley Oh)***
Before the events in The Last Fallen Star Riley and Hattie go to a magical carnival where a creepy lady from Korean mythology shows up and starts kidnapping kids but no one will believe Riley and Hattie that it is happening.
This one could be creepy for Koreans and those familiar with this character from Korean mythology. It was only mildly creepy to me.
"My Life as a Child Outlaw" (Fin)*
An orphan in ancient Ireland describes his life on the run from the clan who killed his father and wants to wipe out his whole line. He joins up with all sorts of odd companions from 9-12.
This was my least favorite story in the bunch. It was exceptionally bloody and full of death. And I didn't really care for Fin at all.
Notes on content: There were about 3-5 minor swears total. No sexual content. Most of the stories only have violence threatened but the last story has a high body count and some gore on page.
"Calamity Juice" (Sal & Gabi)****
Sal & Gabi have to clean up a hallway of the school that's been covered by unicorn barf, and they have to find the other Sal & Gabi responsible to get it done.
This was definitely creative. The best part is the boy on the unicorn going through different universes that manages to appear in many of the other stories in this book.
"Beware the Grove of True Love" (Aru Shah & gang)***
Aru and the Pandavas are taught how dangerous love can be after they don't take a lesson seriously with one of the godly teachers.
Short little adventure with Aru and gang. It was good, just not very memorable.
"The Cave of Doom" (Zane & Brooks)****
An interesting mini adventure for Zane and Brooks that is setting things up for their adjacent series with their other little demigod friend.
This one is important for those who want to read Cervantes next series after the Storm Runner series.
"The Initiation" (Min & Jun)***
Min and Jun report for their training as spies and have to figure out what is going wrong at the academy.
A nice little mystery for the brother sister duo to solve.
"The Gum Baby Files" (Gum Baby) ****
Gum Baby, Junior, and Ayanna end up in the human world at a museum where someone is erasing the memorabelia and memories of certain civil rights figures.
I liked this adventure where they have to not only solve a mystery but bring attention to important civil rights figures (one of whom I'd never heard of before).
"The Demon Drum" (Nizhoni) ***
The Ancestor Club has to save everyone at a Pow Wow from a monstrous demon drum.
I like the interpersonal resolutions in this one that results from the adventure.
"Bruto and the Freaky Flower" (Paola)****
Paola's little chupacabra pet isn't doing well and she must find some weird flower in the desert for him to eat.
Paola's chupacabra and her best friend are the best.
"The Loneliest Demon" (Sik)****
One little puny demon was missed in the cleanup of New York in Sik's adventures. She is trying to challenge Sik to a fight, but the attempts are laughable. Sik wants to ignore her, but his mom insists he help try to get her home.
The spunky little demon is pretty funny, and the adventure keeps you on your toes.
"My Night at the Gifted Carnival" (Riley Oh)***
Before the events in The Last Fallen Star Riley and Hattie go to a magical carnival where a creepy lady from Korean mythology shows up and starts kidnapping kids but no one will believe Riley and Hattie that it is happening.
This one could be creepy for Koreans and those familiar with this character from Korean mythology. It was only mildly creepy to me.
"My Life as a Child Outlaw" (Fin)*
An orphan in ancient Ireland describes his life on the run from the clan who killed his father and wants to wipe out his whole line. He joins up with all sorts of odd companions from 9-12.
This was my least favorite story in the bunch. It was exceptionally bloody and full of death. And I didn't really care for Fin at all.
Notes on content: There were about 3-5 minor swears total. No sexual content. Most of the stories only have violence threatened but the last story has a high body count and some gore on page.
August 23, 2023
This book confuses me. I understand why it was created, and it IS cool to see stories from all kinds of different voices and cultures together under one cover like this. Most of the stories were decently well written, despite the fact that they all felt like sequels to non-existent middle grade novels. All except the last one.
This is where the confusion comes in. My Life as a Child Outlaw is legitimately one of the best stories Rick Riordan has ever written. It respectfully blows everything else in this collection out of the water. And it doesn't belong here. It is a dark, mature historical fantasy tale that is VERY different from Riordan's other writing, and just as different from all the other child/young teen targeted stories it is grouped with. I honestly have no idea why it wasn't published separately. Despite that, it is still a fantastic story, and makes The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities worth reading all on its own.
The audiobook version of Riordan's contribution is particularly good, by the way. One of the best audiobook performances I've ever heard.
This is where the confusion comes in. My Life as a Child Outlaw is legitimately one of the best stories Rick Riordan has ever written. It respectfully blows everything else in this collection out of the water. And it doesn't belong here. It is a dark, mature historical fantasy tale that is VERY different from Riordan's other writing, and just as different from all the other child/young teen targeted stories it is grouped with. I honestly have no idea why it wasn't published separately. Despite that, it is still a fantastic story, and makes The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities worth reading all on its own.
The audiobook version of Riordan's contribution is particularly good, by the way. One of the best audiobook performances I've ever heard.
August 3, 2021
All of the stories do contain spoilers of books published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint except Rick Riordan's story.
December 20, 2021
Loved these three short stories from the collection of The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities
Beware the Grove of True Love by Roshani Chokski.
The Loneliest Demon by Sarwat Chadda.
My Life as a Child Outlaw by Rick Riordan.
Can't wait to read City of the Plague God and Aru Shah and the End of Time. I hope Rick Riordan is going to give us another series based on Irish Mythology.
Beware the Grove of True Love by Roshani Chokski.
The Loneliest Demon by Sarwat Chadda.
My Life as a Child Outlaw by Rick Riordan.
Can't wait to read City of the Plague God and Aru Shah and the End of Time. I hope Rick Riordan is going to give us another series based on Irish Mythology.
July 14, 2021
So this book was not good. I didn't know it was a compilation of all the RR Presents author. I thought this was like a new series by RR, I have only read a couple of these authors, and the ones I didn't read took place in that book's world.
November 1, 2022
It wasn’t worth my time. I DNF’d it
Read
October 10, 2021WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia and City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda!
“Imagine a multiverse mansion in which all the heroes of Rick Riordan Presents exist together.”
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Learning about different cultures’ mythologies and folk tales while joining kids and teens on kick-butt adventures? Yes please! So when I heard that the fabulous authors of this imprint—including Rick Riordan himself—would each be contributing a short story to an anthology celebrating their novels, I’m not lying when I say I did a little dance for joy. And when Pine Reads Review received an ARC of this one-of-a-kind anthology? Yeah, my dance may have gotten just a tad more enthusiastic.
Because these stories kick butt!
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities includes stories from Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe), Roshani Chokshi (Aru Shah and the End of Time), Jennifer Cervantes (The Storm Runner), Yoon Ha Lee (Dragon Pearl), Kwame Mbalia (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky), Rebecca Roanhorse (Race to the Sun), Tehlor Kay Mejia (Paola Santiago and the River of Tears), Sarwat Chadda (City of the Plague God), Graci Kim (The Last Fallen Star), and Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians).
Each book in the RRP imprint—and each story in this anthology—examines what it really means to be a hero, especially when you’re thrown into that role with no warning. Being a hero may sound fun, but as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would tell you, it’s not all it’s chalked up to be.
Most of the stories in The Cursed Carnival take place after the events of their books (fair warning if you haven’t had a chance to read their books yet that some spoilers are included!). As I was happily turning the (electronic) pages, I kept noticing the characters pushing back against their new role as a hero or wondering what makes them so special. Unfortunately, I can’t cover all ten stories in this blog (just know that they are all absolutely amazing!), but I did pick out a few of the ones that really stood out to me. Let’s dive in, shall we?
“Paola Santiago, traverser of haunted cactus fields, destroyer of legendary ghosts, and brief onetime possessor of supernatural-void power, was bored. Like, really bored.” –“Bruto and the Freaky Flower” by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Paola Santiago is a brilliant protagonist. She’s brave, loyal, and terrifyingly smart. I’ve read both of the released books about her adventures, and I was so excited to join her for another one in this story!
Tehlor Kay Mejia’s story in The Cursed Carnival entitled “Bruto and the Freaky Flower” takes place after Pao’s adventures in Paola Santiago and the River of Tears. Pao has returned home from battling the legendary La Llorona, hoping life will be different. Except, her mom won’t let her leave the apartment and nothing exciting is happening. Like, at all. When Pao’s chupacabra puppy Bruto starts acting strange and Pao discovers that the only way to save him is to find a really weird flower that smells like raw meat, part of her is happy to finally have something to do again (the other part is very, very scared). So with the help of her best friend Dante, Pao ventures back to the Gila River for another chance to be the hero.
In both of her novels about Paola Santiago as well as in this story, Tehlor Kay Mejia does a fantastic job examining what really makes a hero. Is it a fancy weapon, like Dante’s chancla? Or is it simply the courage to keep fighting for someone you love, even if the odds are long? And what happens once your adventure is over, especially if things can’t go back to the way they were before? Is being a hero worth it?
You’ll have to decide for yourself, maybe as you read the recently released sequel, Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares. Because one thing’s for certain in this story: chupacabra puppies are really, really cute!
“So that’s how one Muslim kid and one demon went off to save all existence, armed with only a shovel.” –“The Loneliest Demon” by Sarwat Chadda
In Sarwat Chadda’s story “The Loneliest Demon,” it’s been several months since the ancient Mesopotamian god of plagues, Nergal, invaded Manhattan. After Sikander Aziz and his friend Belet defeated him, they thought all of his demons went with him back to Kurnugi. But when the lonely demon Rabisu appears at Sik’s family’s deli challenging him to a duel to the death, Sik does what any normal thirteen-year-old would: he agrees to help her get back home. Except evil forces block the portal, and when the hero Gilgamesh’s ring is accidentally used to let them out, Sik and Rabisu decide to join forces to save Manhattan and the world…again.
Just as in City of the Plague God, spending time with Sikander Aziz is an absolute blast. After coming back alive from his first adventure, Sik would be happy just working in the family deli and FaceTiming Belet every now and then. But having to be a hero again? Uh, not so much. Sarwat Chadda expertly examines what one must do when they’re thrust back into the spotlight with the responsibility of the world resting on their shoulders. Plus, the growing friendship between Sik and Rabisu is just *chef’s kiss*!
“Breaking the rules and risking getting caught is so far out of my comfort zone, I don’t even know who I am anymore.” –“My Night at the Gifted Carnival” by Graci Kim
Graci Kim’s story “My Night at the Gifted Carnival” is the only story that takes place before the events of the novel—for very obvious reasons, if you’ve read The Last Fallen Star. In this story, we visit the Gifted Carnival with our protagonist Riley Oh and her sister Hattie about a year before The Last Fallen Star begins, and let me just say that this carnival is out-of-this-world incredible. Without spoiling anything from the story for you, just picture a corn-dog that makes your favorite K-drama star appear as a life-size apparition in front of your eyes. Awesome, right?
Anyway, Riley is determined not to enjoy the carnival because, unlike her adopted sister, she will never have magic. But when the sisters discover a heinous plot in the making right under the noses of all the carnival-goers, they enlist the help of a troupe of performers to help set things right before it’s too late.
Although Riley has yet to go on any adventures, she is absolutely a reluctant hero in this story. Even though she doesn’t like to break the rules or leave her comfort zone, Riley has a strong moral compass that will always lead her in the right direction. So when she sees some kids in trouble, she knows she’ll do anything to help them. Her heroic actions at the end of this story are all instinct, proving that she has what it takes to be a hero.
“I’ve always avoided magic because of the fear of wanting something I could never have,” Riley explains as the story comes to a close. “But perhaps there could be another way. Maybe there is a future in which I could earn my gift—a different path I could take to acquire magic and dedicate myself to helping others.” And all I can say to that is just you wait, Riley Oh.
“Apparently, I was special. Then again, I suspected most eight-year-olds didn’t grow up in a tent in the wilderness, hiding from assassins, so maybe being special was overrated.” –“My Life as a Child Outlaw” by Rick Riordan
All the kids in these stories are special in one way or another, and all of them become heroes by the end of their adventures. That includes Rick Riordan’s newest hero, Finn, in his brand-new story about Celtic mythology. In “My Life as a Child Outlaw,” we join Finn for two years of his life as he discovers things about himself and the ancient Irish wilderness that will change everything. As of now, Riordan has not announced if he’ll be continuing with Finn’s story in novel format, but it’s definitely a possibility—one I’m truly excited about.
Finn, Riley, Sik, Pao, and all the rest of the heroes from these stories know that a hero doesn’t have to be strong to do what’s right. They only have to be brave enough to forge ahead, even when the path is terrifying. The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities’ dedication even states that this book is “to reluctant, undiscovered, and unsung heroes everywhere.”
So with that in mind, why couldn’t the next hero to grace the pages of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint be you? And when your story is sent out into the world to fly with its own wings as all these stories have done before you, just know that I will be the first in line to buy it. Because I firmly believe that the world could always use just a little more magic…and heroes to save the day.
(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @pinereadsreview and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
“Imagine a multiverse mansion in which all the heroes of Rick Riordan Presents exist together.”
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Learning about different cultures’ mythologies and folk tales while joining kids and teens on kick-butt adventures? Yes please! So when I heard that the fabulous authors of this imprint—including Rick Riordan himself—would each be contributing a short story to an anthology celebrating their novels, I’m not lying when I say I did a little dance for joy. And when Pine Reads Review received an ARC of this one-of-a-kind anthology? Yeah, my dance may have gotten just a tad more enthusiastic.
Because these stories kick butt!
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities includes stories from Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe), Roshani Chokshi (Aru Shah and the End of Time), Jennifer Cervantes (The Storm Runner), Yoon Ha Lee (Dragon Pearl), Kwame Mbalia (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky), Rebecca Roanhorse (Race to the Sun), Tehlor Kay Mejia (Paola Santiago and the River of Tears), Sarwat Chadda (City of the Plague God), Graci Kim (The Last Fallen Star), and Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians).
Each book in the RRP imprint—and each story in this anthology—examines what it really means to be a hero, especially when you’re thrown into that role with no warning. Being a hero may sound fun, but as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would tell you, it’s not all it’s chalked up to be.
Most of the stories in The Cursed Carnival take place after the events of their books (fair warning if you haven’t had a chance to read their books yet that some spoilers are included!). As I was happily turning the (electronic) pages, I kept noticing the characters pushing back against their new role as a hero or wondering what makes them so special. Unfortunately, I can’t cover all ten stories in this blog (just know that they are all absolutely amazing!), but I did pick out a few of the ones that really stood out to me. Let’s dive in, shall we?
“Paola Santiago, traverser of haunted cactus fields, destroyer of legendary ghosts, and brief onetime possessor of supernatural-void power, was bored. Like, really bored.” –“Bruto and the Freaky Flower” by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Paola Santiago is a brilliant protagonist. She’s brave, loyal, and terrifyingly smart. I’ve read both of the released books about her adventures, and I was so excited to join her for another one in this story!
Tehlor Kay Mejia’s story in The Cursed Carnival entitled “Bruto and the Freaky Flower” takes place after Pao’s adventures in Paola Santiago and the River of Tears. Pao has returned home from battling the legendary La Llorona, hoping life will be different. Except, her mom won’t let her leave the apartment and nothing exciting is happening. Like, at all. When Pao’s chupacabra puppy Bruto starts acting strange and Pao discovers that the only way to save him is to find a really weird flower that smells like raw meat, part of her is happy to finally have something to do again (the other part is very, very scared). So with the help of her best friend Dante, Pao ventures back to the Gila River for another chance to be the hero.
In both of her novels about Paola Santiago as well as in this story, Tehlor Kay Mejia does a fantastic job examining what really makes a hero. Is it a fancy weapon, like Dante’s chancla? Or is it simply the courage to keep fighting for someone you love, even if the odds are long? And what happens once your adventure is over, especially if things can’t go back to the way they were before? Is being a hero worth it?
You’ll have to decide for yourself, maybe as you read the recently released sequel, Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares. Because one thing’s for certain in this story: chupacabra puppies are really, really cute!
“So that’s how one Muslim kid and one demon went off to save all existence, armed with only a shovel.” –“The Loneliest Demon” by Sarwat Chadda
In Sarwat Chadda’s story “The Loneliest Demon,” it’s been several months since the ancient Mesopotamian god of plagues, Nergal, invaded Manhattan. After Sikander Aziz and his friend Belet defeated him, they thought all of his demons went with him back to Kurnugi. But when the lonely demon Rabisu appears at Sik’s family’s deli challenging him to a duel to the death, Sik does what any normal thirteen-year-old would: he agrees to help her get back home. Except evil forces block the portal, and when the hero Gilgamesh’s ring is accidentally used to let them out, Sik and Rabisu decide to join forces to save Manhattan and the world…again.
Just as in City of the Plague God, spending time with Sikander Aziz is an absolute blast. After coming back alive from his first adventure, Sik would be happy just working in the family deli and FaceTiming Belet every now and then. But having to be a hero again? Uh, not so much. Sarwat Chadda expertly examines what one must do when they’re thrust back into the spotlight with the responsibility of the world resting on their shoulders. Plus, the growing friendship between Sik and Rabisu is just *chef’s kiss*!
“Breaking the rules and risking getting caught is so far out of my comfort zone, I don’t even know who I am anymore.” –“My Night at the Gifted Carnival” by Graci Kim
Graci Kim’s story “My Night at the Gifted Carnival” is the only story that takes place before the events of the novel—for very obvious reasons, if you’ve read The Last Fallen Star. In this story, we visit the Gifted Carnival with our protagonist Riley Oh and her sister Hattie about a year before The Last Fallen Star begins, and let me just say that this carnival is out-of-this-world incredible. Without spoiling anything from the story for you, just picture a corn-dog that makes your favorite K-drama star appear as a life-size apparition in front of your eyes. Awesome, right?
Anyway, Riley is determined not to enjoy the carnival because, unlike her adopted sister, she will never have magic. But when the sisters discover a heinous plot in the making right under the noses of all the carnival-goers, they enlist the help of a troupe of performers to help set things right before it’s too late.
Although Riley has yet to go on any adventures, she is absolutely a reluctant hero in this story. Even though she doesn’t like to break the rules or leave her comfort zone, Riley has a strong moral compass that will always lead her in the right direction. So when she sees some kids in trouble, she knows she’ll do anything to help them. Her heroic actions at the end of this story are all instinct, proving that she has what it takes to be a hero.
“I’ve always avoided magic because of the fear of wanting something I could never have,” Riley explains as the story comes to a close. “But perhaps there could be another way. Maybe there is a future in which I could earn my gift—a different path I could take to acquire magic and dedicate myself to helping others.” And all I can say to that is just you wait, Riley Oh.
“Apparently, I was special. Then again, I suspected most eight-year-olds didn’t grow up in a tent in the wilderness, hiding from assassins, so maybe being special was overrated.” –“My Life as a Child Outlaw” by Rick Riordan
All the kids in these stories are special in one way or another, and all of them become heroes by the end of their adventures. That includes Rick Riordan’s newest hero, Finn, in his brand-new story about Celtic mythology. In “My Life as a Child Outlaw,” we join Finn for two years of his life as he discovers things about himself and the ancient Irish wilderness that will change everything. As of now, Riordan has not announced if he’ll be continuing with Finn’s story in novel format, but it’s definitely a possibility—one I’m truly excited about.
Finn, Riley, Sik, Pao, and all the rest of the heroes from these stories know that a hero doesn’t have to be strong to do what’s right. They only have to be brave enough to forge ahead, even when the path is terrifying. The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities’ dedication even states that this book is “to reluctant, undiscovered, and unsung heroes everywhere.”
So with that in mind, why couldn’t the next hero to grace the pages of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint be you? And when your story is sent out into the world to fly with its own wings as all these stories have done before you, just know that I will be the first in line to buy it. Because I firmly believe that the world could always use just a little more magic…and heroes to save the day.
(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @pinereadsreview and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2021
I quite enjoyed The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities!
As someone who’s read each book in the imprint so far as each came out, these short stories brought me back to worlds and characters I haven’t seen in a while.
All the short stories were entertaining, but three in particular stood out to me as extraordinarily well done: The Loneliest Demon (Sarwat Chadda), My Night at the Gifted Carnival (Graci Kim), and My Life as a Child Outlaw (Rick Riordan).
I’ve noticed that there isn’t a ton of information out regarding what each short story is about, so to give some very general outlines without spoiling anything:
1. Sal and Gabi go on an adventure filled with inter-dimensional unicorns and talking toilets that I have no other way to describe than pure fun
2. Aru Shah and her sisters learn a bit more about why love is a powerful and terrible emotion
3. Zane and Brooks face a fascinating monster the gods don’t want to discuss. (This one left me dying to find out more!)
4. Min attends a school session and finds herself in the middle of several harrowing training exercises
5. Gum Baby makes an appearance, and is hilarious as usual while fighting those who want us to forget history
6. Nizhoni and her friends spend the day at the All-Nations Assembly powwow, but something’s gone terribly wrong
7. Pao and Dante make another trip to the riverbank, chancla included of course
8. Sik encounters yet another demon, but the dread Rabisu might not be exactly what he expects. (Truly hilarious! My favorite of the stories)
9. Riley and Hattie get a prequel (the only one in the anthology!) at a magical carnival
10. Rick Riordan masterfully retells the childhood of a mythical Irish hero. It left me craving more and desperately hoping for a standalone. I’m reluctant to give much detail about this one, because even the main character’s name is a spoiler at this point! But it’s set in ancient Ireland and felt very much like a more fleshed-out version of a traditional myth or fairy tale.
I would highly recommend this anthology to those who have read and loved the standalone books from the same authors.
I would cautiously recommend this anthology to select readers who haven’t read the standalones. If you don’t want spoilers, be very careful in picking up this book. Most of these stories take place after the events of the standalone and will contain heavy spoilers. You can safely read the last two stories - those by Graci Kim and Rick Riordan.
But if you haven’t read any of the standalones and you’re not too worried about spoilers, there really is no better way to get an idea of which authors’ books you may be interested in trying out. There are so many books now in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint that it can be daunting to figure out which books you’re interested in reading, and this is a great way to do it.
Keep an eye out for dimension traveling unicorns, and enjoy!
I received a digital advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who’s read each book in the imprint so far as each came out, these short stories brought me back to worlds and characters I haven’t seen in a while.
All the short stories were entertaining, but three in particular stood out to me as extraordinarily well done: The Loneliest Demon (Sarwat Chadda), My Night at the Gifted Carnival (Graci Kim), and My Life as a Child Outlaw (Rick Riordan).
I’ve noticed that there isn’t a ton of information out regarding what each short story is about, so to give some very general outlines without spoiling anything:
1. Sal and Gabi go on an adventure filled with inter-dimensional unicorns and talking toilets that I have no other way to describe than pure fun
2. Aru Shah and her sisters learn a bit more about why love is a powerful and terrible emotion
3. Zane and Brooks face a fascinating monster the gods don’t want to discuss. (This one left me dying to find out more!)
4. Min attends a school session and finds herself in the middle of several harrowing training exercises
5. Gum Baby makes an appearance, and is hilarious as usual while fighting those who want us to forget history
6. Nizhoni and her friends spend the day at the All-Nations Assembly powwow, but something’s gone terribly wrong
7. Pao and Dante make another trip to the riverbank, chancla included of course
8. Sik encounters yet another demon, but the dread Rabisu might not be exactly what he expects. (Truly hilarious! My favorite of the stories)
9. Riley and Hattie get a prequel (the only one in the anthology!) at a magical carnival
10. Rick Riordan masterfully retells the childhood of a mythical Irish hero. It left me craving more and desperately hoping for a standalone. I’m reluctant to give much detail about this one, because even the main character’s name is a spoiler at this point! But it’s set in ancient Ireland and felt very much like a more fleshed-out version of a traditional myth or fairy tale.
I would highly recommend this anthology to those who have read and loved the standalone books from the same authors.
I would cautiously recommend this anthology to select readers who haven’t read the standalones. If you don’t want spoilers, be very careful in picking up this book. Most of these stories take place after the events of the standalone and will contain heavy spoilers. You can safely read the last two stories - those by Graci Kim and Rick Riordan.
But if you haven’t read any of the standalones and you’re not too worried about spoilers, there really is no better way to get an idea of which authors’ books you may be interested in trying out. There are so many books now in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint that it can be daunting to figure out which books you’re interested in reading, and this is a great way to do it.
Keep an eye out for dimension traveling unicorns, and enjoy!
I received a digital advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2022
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE READ THE BOOKS FROM RR PRESENTS. These short stories contained spoilers, and might be overwhelming if you're not familiar with the universe and creatures there.
You could pick one random title. They don't engage one another (some mentions were found, tho😂)
My personal review for THE BOOKS I HAVE READ:
- The Initiation has huge major spoiler from the Dragon Pearl. PLS READ AFTER THE DRAGON PEARL.
- My Night at the Gifted Carnival is reccomended to read BEFORE the Last Fallen Star. Getting to know our Riley Oh before the events in the book happened.
- Beware of the Grove of True Love from Pandava series. My personal fav. Recommended to read AFTER Aru Shah #2 The Song of Death.
- The Gum Baby Files from Tristan Strong universe. THE ONLY CLIFFHANGER. Recommended to read AFTER Tristan Strong #2 Destroy the Universe. (I just finished the #1, and found an unfamiliar character in this short story)
- The Demon Drum from Race to the Sun. My fav!!! Read AFTER the book.
- Bruto and Freaky Flower from Paola Santiago series. Highly recommended to read AFTER Paola Santiago #1 the River of Tears. Not recommended to read after you finished the #2 book🥺
My personal review for THE BOOKS I HAVEN'T READ OR ON GOING:
- Calamity Juice from Sal and Gabi duology. Havent read the books before. A bit overwhelming. A very modern school and unsual gate to the universe. Am starting to read Sal and Gabi universe after this🤸♀️
- The Cave of Doom from Strom Runner. My on going reading. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Familiar with the characters, but got spoilers how they turned out to be. Still enjoyable.
- The Loneliest Demon from City of the Plague God. I enjoyed this so much!!! Mesotopomia myth with Muslim rep. Funny and sassy. Im starting to read the book now.
Rick Riordan's My Life as a Child Outlaw was an okay story. It started with a very good actions and pace. Barbarian and colosal setting. Hwv, for me, the ending was not satisfactory. It didnt live up my expectation:"
If you would like to peek how the universe from RR Presents books look like, and getting to know the characters and the authors' writing style, this book is perfect for you.
You could pick one random title. They don't engage one another (some mentions were found, tho😂)
My personal review for THE BOOKS I HAVE READ:
- The Initiation has huge major spoiler from the Dragon Pearl. PLS READ AFTER THE DRAGON PEARL.
- My Night at the Gifted Carnival is reccomended to read BEFORE the Last Fallen Star. Getting to know our Riley Oh before the events in the book happened.
- Beware of the Grove of True Love from Pandava series. My personal fav. Recommended to read AFTER Aru Shah #2 The Song of Death.
- The Gum Baby Files from Tristan Strong universe. THE ONLY CLIFFHANGER. Recommended to read AFTER Tristan Strong #2 Destroy the Universe. (I just finished the #1, and found an unfamiliar character in this short story)
- The Demon Drum from Race to the Sun. My fav!!! Read AFTER the book.
- Bruto and Freaky Flower from Paola Santiago series. Highly recommended to read AFTER Paola Santiago #1 the River of Tears. Not recommended to read after you finished the #2 book🥺
My personal review for THE BOOKS I HAVEN'T READ OR ON GOING:
- Calamity Juice from Sal and Gabi duology. Havent read the books before. A bit overwhelming. A very modern school and unsual gate to the universe. Am starting to read Sal and Gabi universe after this🤸♀️
- The Cave of Doom from Strom Runner. My on going reading. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Familiar with the characters, but got spoilers how they turned out to be. Still enjoyable.
- The Loneliest Demon from City of the Plague God. I enjoyed this so much!!! Mesotopomia myth with Muslim rep. Funny and sassy. Im starting to read the book now.
Rick Riordan's My Life as a Child Outlaw was an okay story. It started with a very good actions and pace. Barbarian and colosal setting. Hwv, for me, the ending was not satisfactory. It didnt live up my expectation:"
If you would like to peek how the universe from RR Presents books look like, and getting to know the characters and the authors' writing style, this book is perfect for you.
September 26, 2021
4.5 stars
Let me start by saying that I personally loved this collection of stories and that if you've read the full novels written by the authors, you will likely fall in the same category. This collection contains 10 shorts stories from 10 different authors including Rick Riordan, who writes the last one, although his contribution is the only one that is not based on his previous books. Instead, he continues with the theme of mythology that is not as common as his usual Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology and delves into Irish/Druidic mythology. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is that if you haven't read any of the books before reading this short story, you might not fully appreciate them, although I think most of the stories are able to stand alone and act as an introduction to their respective series. Either way, I rounded up because of how much I personally loved these stories.
As I have implied I have read most of the novels written by the authors on which these short stories are based, many of them in the past year (the only one I have remaining is the third Tristan Strong book, which I'm getting ready to read). I probably enjoyed the ones that were most recently in my memory the most, but as I read each one, I remembered again why I loved the originals so much. For this reason, I probably enjoyed this collection more than I normally do with short stories. Most of the time, short stories are hit or miss for me, especially when they're written by different authors. You never know what you'll get with anthologies. But for me, there was not a single miss in this collection and it made me look forward to more stories in the future.
I love what Riordan has accomplished with his Publication Imprint in giving less well-known (but very talented) writers a chance to share the mythologies of their culture. I have learned so much and I've enjoyed the stories very much. If you haven't read any of these books, what are you waiting for?
I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Let me start by saying that I personally loved this collection of stories and that if you've read the full novels written by the authors, you will likely fall in the same category. This collection contains 10 shorts stories from 10 different authors including Rick Riordan, who writes the last one, although his contribution is the only one that is not based on his previous books. Instead, he continues with the theme of mythology that is not as common as his usual Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology and delves into Irish/Druidic mythology. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is that if you haven't read any of the books before reading this short story, you might not fully appreciate them, although I think most of the stories are able to stand alone and act as an introduction to their respective series. Either way, I rounded up because of how much I personally loved these stories.
As I have implied I have read most of the novels written by the authors on which these short stories are based, many of them in the past year (the only one I have remaining is the third Tristan Strong book, which I'm getting ready to read). I probably enjoyed the ones that were most recently in my memory the most, but as I read each one, I remembered again why I loved the originals so much. For this reason, I probably enjoyed this collection more than I normally do with short stories. Most of the time, short stories are hit or miss for me, especially when they're written by different authors. You never know what you'll get with anthologies. But for me, there was not a single miss in this collection and it made me look forward to more stories in the future.
I love what Riordan has accomplished with his Publication Imprint in giving less well-known (but very talented) writers a chance to share the mythologies of their culture. I have learned so much and I've enjoyed the stories very much. If you haven't read any of these books, what are you waiting for?
I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 30, 2021
I will be amending this review in the future, as I only read 6 of the 10 stories included. I'll read the remainder after I read their respective series. My star rating reflects the average of my read short stories (3.9).
The stand-out by far is the story following Sikander Aziz by Sarwat Chadda, following the events of City of the Plague God. His story was exactly what I expected from the entire collection- one that both expanded the world of the character by adding a new mythological element, as well as fitting to the spooky theme of the collection. I found the moral lesson, to not judge an individual based on preconceived notions about an entire group, to be fantastically woven into the story and ADORED the snippet of Sal and Gabi's story that was worked into the multiverse theory in Sik's world. Rabisu, a demon from the underworld comes to Sik, whose mother tells him to help the creature her return to her home. What unfolds is a story about the Annuna, or The Old Ones, beings who existed before the gods of Mesopotamian mythology, who threatening to come into and destroy our world.
My other favorite story, unsurprisingly, was that of Sal and Gabi by Carlos Hernandez, following the events of Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe. The Sal and Gabi books are my favorites in the Riordan-verse, with the story in this collection containing the same adventure, multiverse traveling and humor that I've come to expect from the characters. Sal and Gabi are called to a section of their school full of unicorn vomit, learning their friend Gladis has gone missing in the multiverse. They embark on a universe hopping adventure, full of alternative versions of themselves, talking unicorns, thrown chickens and their favorite AI toilet.
The biggest letdown in the collection was the story from Rick Riordan, My Life as a Child Outlaw. This is clearly an introduction to a forthcoming series, complete with a pronunciation appendix for ancient Celtic. The main character, Demne, is an eight year old boy in Ancient Ireland. He is constantly on the run as the son of the late chief of the Fiana clan. While the story was entertaining, it did not fit into the theme of the collection. I would be open to reading more about the characters introduced, but am hoping there will be more world building in a full book, as the reader is thrown into a complex world with no context
The stand-out by far is the story following Sikander Aziz by Sarwat Chadda, following the events of City of the Plague God. His story was exactly what I expected from the entire collection- one that both expanded the world of the character by adding a new mythological element, as well as fitting to the spooky theme of the collection. I found the moral lesson, to not judge an individual based on preconceived notions about an entire group, to be fantastically woven into the story and ADORED the snippet of Sal and Gabi's story that was worked into the multiverse theory in Sik's world. Rabisu, a demon from the underworld comes to Sik, whose mother tells him to help the creature her return to her home. What unfolds is a story about the Annuna, or The Old Ones, beings who existed before the gods of Mesopotamian mythology, who threatening to come into and destroy our world.
My other favorite story, unsurprisingly, was that of Sal and Gabi by Carlos Hernandez, following the events of Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe. The Sal and Gabi books are my favorites in the Riordan-verse, with the story in this collection containing the same adventure, multiverse traveling and humor that I've come to expect from the characters. Sal and Gabi are called to a section of their school full of unicorn vomit, learning their friend Gladis has gone missing in the multiverse. They embark on a universe hopping adventure, full of alternative versions of themselves, talking unicorns, thrown chickens and their favorite AI toilet.
The biggest letdown in the collection was the story from Rick Riordan, My Life as a Child Outlaw. This is clearly an introduction to a forthcoming series, complete with a pronunciation appendix for ancient Celtic. The main character, Demne, is an eight year old boy in Ancient Ireland. He is constantly on the run as the son of the late chief of the Fiana clan. While the story was entertaining, it did not fit into the theme of the collection. I would be open to reading more about the characters introduced, but am hoping there will be more world building in a full book, as the reader is thrown into a complex world with no context
January 19, 2023
3'5/5✨
"Maldiciones y mitos" nos permite explorar diversas culturas de forma muy original. A través de las experiencias y documentación de cada autor, podremos conocer de forma superficial mitologías como la coreana, la indígena, la mesoamericana o la celta, y a la vez, volver a nuestra adolescencia / niñez. Creo que todos los autores han realizado un gran trabajo a la hora de crear historias con mucha representación racial y, en ocasiones, menciones al panorama actual.
Sin embargo, algunos de esos relatos no se pueden leer a la ligera, ya que contienen spoilers de los libros en los que se basan. ¿Se pueden leer sin haber conocido la pluma de esos autores previamente? Sí, pero a veces la trama puede resultar algo confusa ante la falta de información previa. Esto no hace que no se puedan disfrutar.
Personalmente pienso que ha merecido mucho la pena leer estas obras, ya que gracias a ellas he podido conocer a nuevos autores. Considero que es una lectura ágil ideal para los fans de los middle grade o para aquellos que quieran sacar a relucir al niño que llevan dentro mientras aprenden cosas nuevas.
"Maldiciones y mitos" nos permite explorar diversas culturas de forma muy original. A través de las experiencias y documentación de cada autor, podremos conocer de forma superficial mitologías como la coreana, la indígena, la mesoamericana o la celta, y a la vez, volver a nuestra adolescencia / niñez. Creo que todos los autores han realizado un gran trabajo a la hora de crear historias con mucha representación racial y, en ocasiones, menciones al panorama actual.
Sin embargo, algunos de esos relatos no se pueden leer a la ligera, ya que contienen spoilers de los libros en los que se basan. ¿Se pueden leer sin haber conocido la pluma de esos autores previamente? Sí, pero a veces la trama puede resultar algo confusa ante la falta de información previa. Esto no hace que no se puedan disfrutar.
Personalmente pienso que ha merecido mucho la pena leer estas obras, ya que gracias a ellas he podido conocer a nuevos autores. Considero que es una lectura ágil ideal para los fans de los middle grade o para aquellos que quieran sacar a relucir al niño que llevan dentro mientras aprenden cosas nuevas.
October 7, 2022
Reading a story or novel by Rick Riordan often invokes pre-teen/teen nostalgia in me. I recall reading his books after completing my homework, before bed and sometimes right after school. My mom used to buy his books the day they released from Costco for me (can we discuss how awesome their book selection is for a big box store??) I always associate the month of October with a new Rick Riordan release because I recall all of the Heroes of Olympus books releasing in the Fall. So, of course I was thrilled to read The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities this month! Uncle Rick’s contribution explores Celtic/Irish mythology with a wonderful twist. I loved getting to know Finn in this story of adventure and escape. I also loved his tenacity as is present in most Riordan heroes!
This anthology by Rick Riordan and RR Presents authors contains short stories set in the world of each individual author’s standalone middle grade novel or series. For example, Roshani Chokshi’s contribution is set in Aru Shah’s world. This collection is, in one short and effective word, fun! I enjoyed being back in these character’s worlds and getting a snippet of ones I have not read the full novels/series of. I think people who have read each author’s RRP work would enjoy this collection more but I loved the stories I was familiar with the characters of!
I must also add that the news of Uncle Rick bringing Nico’s story (featuring Will of course) is the most exciting thing I’ve heard this month! Can’t wait to read The Sun and The Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro in the spring!
This anthology by Rick Riordan and RR Presents authors contains short stories set in the world of each individual author’s standalone middle grade novel or series. For example, Roshani Chokshi’s contribution is set in Aru Shah’s world. This collection is, in one short and effective word, fun! I enjoyed being back in these character’s worlds and getting a snippet of ones I have not read the full novels/series of. I think people who have read each author’s RRP work would enjoy this collection more but I loved the stories I was familiar with the characters of!
I must also add that the news of Uncle Rick bringing Nico’s story (featuring Will of course) is the most exciting thing I’ve heard this month! Can’t wait to read The Sun and The Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro in the spring!
September 18, 2021
Step right up and enjoy this incredible collection from Rick Riordan Presents favorites! What we loved about this one was that it gave glimpses to characters from books we've already read and loved, or have on our TBR! I would highly recommend this for anyone who has read these books or wants to, but know that some of them contain spoilers for their feature titles.
These ten short stories pack a lot of action, a fun return to the worlds created by each author that gave the perfect glimpse of each character! I tried to pick a favorite, but I just enjoyed each one and how well written each was, full of great stories that nod to cultural mythology and incredible characters.
These ten short stories pack a lot of action, a fun return to the worlds created by each author that gave the perfect glimpse of each character! I tried to pick a favorite, but I just enjoyed each one and how well written each was, full of great stories that nod to cultural mythology and incredible characters.
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