Maya and the Rising Dark
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-29 06:51:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rena Barron
- ISBN：0358447690
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In this highly anticipated contemporary fantasy， twelve-year-old Maya’s search for her missing father puts her at the center of a battle between our world， the Orishas， and the mysterious and sinister Dark world。 Perfect for fans of
Aru Shah and the End of Time
and
The Serpent’s Secret。
Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighborhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams。 Her friends try to find an explanation—perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry。 But to Maya， it sounds like something from one of Papa’s stories or her favorite comics。
When Papa goes missing， Maya is thrust into a world both strange and familiar as she uncovers the truth。 Her father is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark—where an army led by the Lord of Shadows， the man from Maya’s nightmares， awaits。 Maya herself is a godling， half orisha and half human， and her neighborhood is a safe haven。 But now that the veil is failing， the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it’s up to Maya to stop him。 She just hopes she can do it in time to attend Comic-Con before summer’s over。
Twelve-year-old Maya is the only one in her South Side Chicago neighborhood who witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man made of shadows plaguing her dreams。 Her friends try to find an explanation—perhaps a ghost uprising or a lunchroom experiment gone awry。 But to Maya， it sounds like something from one of Papa’s stories or her favorite comics。
When Papa goes missing， Maya is thrust into a world both strange and familiar as she uncovers the truth。 Her father is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark—where an army led by the Lord of Shadows， the man from Maya’s nightmares， awaits。 Maya herself is a godling， half orisha and half human， and her neighborhood is a safe haven。 But now that the veil is failing， the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it’s up to Maya to stop him。 She just hopes she can do it in time to attend Comic-Con before summer’s over。
Reviews
Megan
，
I feel like Rick Riordan-lite is a genre now， which is fine （I suppose）， but that means I've been reading a LOT of books like that recently looking for gems。 I liked CeCe Rios just fine， but there were others that were less than engaging for me。。。 （Tristan Strong， so far。） So I was VERY pleasantly surprised by Maya and the Rising Dark。 The main characters are likeable！ There's a mystery！ The pacing is well-done！ It's fun and exciting and thematic。 There's that ENGAGING aspect that's been missing I feel like Rick Riordan-lite is a genre now， which is fine （I suppose）， but that means I've been reading a LOT of books like that recently looking for gems。 I liked CeCe Rios just fine， but there were others that were less than engaging for me。。。 （Tristan Strong， so far。） So I was VERY pleasantly surprised by Maya and the Rising Dark。 The main characters are likeable！ There's a mystery！ The pacing is well-done！ It's fun and exciting and thematic。 There's that ENGAGING aspect that's been missing from the other books that are just trying to be painted cardboard cutouts of Percy Jackson。。。In any case， I am SO SAD my audiobook timed out on Overdrive and now I'm waiting anxiously for it to come back in！ 。。。more
Rajie
，
Oh this was such a fun， quick read！ It reminded me a lot of the Rick Riordan Presents instalments， but I thought they were a little bit better for younger kids， as the way serious themes were approached was very good。 （Definitely a book my 11 year old niece would love。） Needless to say， I loved all the mythology。 All in all， a solid middle grade read。 I would recommend this to anyone wanting to read with kids， or who just wants a nice， quick read that involves a bit of magic and myth。
Pamela
，
Traditional literature-based fantasy w connections to gods and celestial beings for a slighter younger reader than the Rick Riordan books。 Fast moving， short chapters， great friends， interesting villian， strong community connections。
Cecilia Rodriguez
，
Set in the Southside of Chicago， and narrated by twelve year old Maya， Barron's fantasy blends the elements of superhero comics with African culture。 Set in the Southside of Chicago， and narrated by twelve year old Maya， Barron's fantasy blends the elements of superhero comics with African culture。 。。。more
MaykenAlanna
，
I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure set （mostly） in the real world - or so Maya thinks。 Until she finds out that not everyone around her is who she believes they are， and that her father is much more than an engineer。 When he disappears， Maya and her two best friends go after him， all the way into the Dark。
Magaly C。
，
Maya lives in South Side Chicago and witnesses some inexplicable occurrences in her neighborhood。 After an encounter with shady characters， Maya comes to find that her seemingly ordinary neighborhood is filled with characters straight out of her father's stories and her favorite comic books。 She and her friends are "godlings"--part human and part Orisha--with powers and abilities that are not human。 When her father goes missing into the Dark， Maya stubbornly pursues ways to get him back。 This wa Maya lives in South Side Chicago and witnesses some inexplicable occurrences in her neighborhood。 After an encounter with shady characters， Maya comes to find that her seemingly ordinary neighborhood is filled with characters straight out of her father's stories and her favorite comic books。 She and her friends are "godlings"--part human and part Orisha--with powers and abilities that are not human。 When her father goes missing into the Dark， Maya stubbornly pursues ways to get him back。 This was a very fun younger-middle-grade read perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson series。 Because this is book one， there is a lot of world-building and character-introducing that takes up the majority of the narrative。 Maya and her friends are spunky， smart， and courageous。 There are some parts where the action/perilous situation becomes barely an inconvenience as they "magic" their way out of a situation。 However， I think this series has a lot of promise with lore from Orishas that is not very common in a lot of middle-grade books。 3。5 rounded up to 4。 。。。more
Myles Wolfe
，
A great recommendation for the parent who's child has read all the Rick Riordan books。 I'm don't make this comparison flippantly。 It follows a similar pattern in terms of plotting。 The African mythology and traditional folklore is well utilized and the book is full of action， along with magical beings， strange powers and positive role models。 For readers who love listening， the audiobook is well narrated and uses sound and music to accentuate the story's action。 A great recommendation for the parent who's child has read all the Rick Riordan books。 I'm don't make this comparison flippantly。 It follows a similar pattern in terms of plotting。 The African mythology and traditional folklore is well utilized and the book is full of action， along with magical beings， strange powers and positive role models。 For readers who love listening， the audiobook is well narrated and uses sound and music to accentuate the story's action。 。。。more
Daydreamer
，
Synopsis: While in school， Maya suddenly sees the colour drain from the world and black lighting striking the sky。 After weird dreams and threats， her father gets taken and she tries to find a way to get him back。My thoughts: First of all， this book gets all kinds of bonuses: It’s a little， black girls as a protagonist， most minor characters are black too， I can only imagine how important it is for young girls to see themselves represented like that。 Her best friend is a genius girl super intere Synopsis: While in school， Maya suddenly sees the colour drain from the world and black lighting striking the sky。 After weird dreams and threats， her father gets taken and she tries to find a way to get him back。My thoughts: First of all， this book gets all kinds of bonuses: It’s a little， black girls as a protagonist， most minor characters are black too， I can only imagine how important it is for young girls to see themselves represented like that。 Her best friend is a genius girl super interested in science。 There’s some casual representation of queer people （one nonbinary character and a lesbian couple， and yes， they all survive the book）。Aside from that: The plot is very lovely and I especially enjoyed the sweet scenes sprinkled in between the fights and darker moments。 It starts a little slower and then rapidly gains speed until you really can’t wait to see how it all ends。 Obviously， it’s a middle grade book， so the plot is not that complicated， but you should know that， when starting the book。Maya as a protagonist is wonderful。 Sometimes she doubts herself， sometimes she cries， sometimes she finds her courage and confidence and she is so determined to get her Papa back and always has her friends as her support。 I loved that Maya had two loving， living parents and other adults who tried their best to help her and cared for her。 Her friends， Frankie and Eli were adorable and a wonderful role model for a loving friendship。The book is set in Chicago， sprinkled with some African mythology， which I didn’t know anything about until now。 Obviously， I need to read up on that because it sounds very interesting！ I wished for more scenes with the Orishas though， they sounded cool！ The Dark also sounded interesting。One thing that I noticed about the style was a） how often the word “vibrate” seemed to occur and b） that the author often used “said， impatient” instead of just using an adverb。 XD Aside from that， I could follow Maya’s emotions and thoughts and really felt for her。With a bonus for the cover， this book gets five stars！ Apparently book two will come out in September， so I’m definitely looking forward to that！ 。。。more
Username
，
The cover art is gorgeous， so I was expecting something a bit more unique than the actual contents of the book。 The plot is an overused one （（view spoiler）[young girl finds out she has powers and magical relatives， has to stop evil mythological creatures from a parallel dimension （hide spoiler）] The cover art is gorgeous， so I was expecting something a bit more unique than the actual contents of the book。 The plot is an overused one （（view spoiler）[young girl finds out she has powers and magical relatives， has to stop evil mythological creatures from a parallel dimension （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Bubble。Cake-girl
，
I would have rated this book higher but it lacked the important fear vs desire needed in this story。 Without establishing Maya’s fear and desire it didn’t let me truly feel for her 。 Otherwise I liked the main concept of the world of the Dark。
jessica
，
this was。。。fine。i like the concept。 the mc was annoying。 i'm also not crazy fond of plots that develop bc of character's stupid decisions。 like， bad things keep happening， and she keeps questioning why people didn't help/wouldn't do things by themselves and wanted to wait for help。 i wonder， maya。 i wonder。 this was。。。fine。i like the concept。 the mc was annoying。 i'm also not crazy fond of plots that develop bc of character's stupid decisions。 like， bad things keep happening， and she keeps questioning why people didn't help/wouldn't do things by themselves and wanted to wait for help。 i wonder， maya。 i wonder。 。。。more
Bohdana
，
3。5 stars。 Good for the age group but now I keep noticing that these are kids going on a dangerous mission。
Jauslynne
，
I so wished I had something like this when I was a child。 So glad black kids have an adventure that they can see themselves in！ Such a fun read。 Really excited for the next one！
Sarah
，
Fantasy with a middle school girl who discovers that her father is really a guardian against dark forces。 She learns of her own powers thanks to the massive adventure of having to save him after he's pulled through the veil to the dark side。 Fun read。 Fantasy with a middle school girl who discovers that her father is really a guardian against dark forces。 She learns of her own powers thanks to the massive adventure of having to save him after he's pulled through the veil to the dark side。 Fun read。 。。。more
Grace Jacobs
，
Awesome！ really gives a visual picture
Jenny Yergin
，
I enjoyed this story and the approach。 I really liked that Maya was told that saving the world wasn't her responsibility， I think that needs to be reminded every now and again for some kids。 Great characters and descriptions。 I enjoyed this story and the approach。 I really liked that Maya was told that saving the world wasn't her responsibility， I think that needs to be reminded every now and again for some kids。 Great characters and descriptions。 。。。more
Cande
，
this was fantastic！ charming and heartfelt。 audiobook was wonderful， the special effects made the reading so immersive。 can’t wait for book two！
Richelle
，
Good book for anyone who likes fantasy and adventure。 Read alikes:Percy JacksonSal & GabiTristan StrongThe Last Last Day of Summer
Bri
，
Cute and fast-paced middle grade fantasy with a stellar Black girl guardian。 A little predictable， but I’m not the target audience。 Not sure I’ll read the next books in the series， but I enjoyed this enough。
H
，
This is a fast moving series starter about Maya， a girl living in a close knit neighborhood in Chicago who discovers that many of her neighbors and even family members are secretly orishas or godlings - West African gods and their descendants - who are charged with protecting the world from the Dark Bringers and their leader， who have sworn vengeance for an action taken by the Guardian of the Veil that separated the worlds of the earth and The Dark。 Now there are more and more tears in the Veil， This is a fast moving series starter about Maya， a girl living in a close knit neighborhood in Chicago who discovers that many of her neighbors and even family members are secretly orishas or godlings - West African gods and their descendants - who are charged with protecting the world from the Dark Bringers and their leader， who have sworn vengeance for an action taken by the Guardian of the Veil that separated the worlds of the earth and The Dark。 Now there are more and more tears in the Veil， and the Guardian is missing - and Maya has vowed to retrieve him。 This book has a wide range of recommendation ages - I've seen the lower range as high as 11 and as low as 8 - it isn't really a hard or long read， but the book does have some fairly violent scenes where the main and peripheral characters take some bloody damage - and there is some pretty intense monster mayhem - so while it would be in the wheelhouse of a strong 3rd or 4th grade reader - you need to know if your reader can process that kind of violence。 Otherwise， Maya is a plucky and relatable heroine， with 2 humorous sidekicks （Frankie and Eli）。 Give to kids who like Harry Potter， Percy Jackson， or Aru Shah。 I'd probably give this to 4th-7th graders。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Maya and the Rising Dark is a middle grade book full of action， adventure and magic。 Twelve year old Maya seems like your average girl。 All she wants to do is to go to Comic Con and spend time enjoying the summer with her two besties Eli and Frankie。 That is until she starts seeing things。 Things she cannot explain but scare her very much。 Then her father goes missing。 While trying to find him she learns that he is the Orisha Elegua who holds the keys between worlds。 Apparently the veil that sep Maya and the Rising Dark is a middle grade book full of action， adventure and magic。 Twelve year old Maya seems like your average girl。 All she wants to do is to go to Comic Con and spend time enjoying the summer with her two besties Eli and Frankie。 That is until she starts seeing things。 Things she cannot explain but scare her very much。 Then her father goes missing。 While trying to find him she learns that he is the Orisha Elegua who holds the keys between worlds。 Apparently the veil that separates our world from the dark has been torn and the Lord of Shadows has come seeking his revenge。 But he is not alone。 He has an army of darkbringers who are hell bent on destroying our world and everything in it。This book is reminiscent of mythology based adventure tales like Percy Jackson and the Olympians。 My entire family enjoyed that series。 While I remember getting excited every time Riordan dropped the name of a god I had learned about in grade school， I was exhilarated to discover the Yoruba Orishas who served as Maya's neighbors and protectors。The characters were vividly drawn。 Maya and her friends were like the three strands of a braid united in their power， equal in their importance。 Young readers will be so enchanted by the story they won't even realize they are learning something。 Would recommend to readers seeking fast paced adventure with a strong sense of community。 。。。more
Robbin
，
In situations where most kids would’ve been terrified out of their minds Maya was absolutely fearless。 One of the things I really like about all Rena Barron books is that the situations are never black and white。 The human nature in you will naturally choose a side， however in this story both sides were fighting for what I consider worthy causes。 Good intentions had disastrous effects。 The need for revenge started out righteous for some and then turned into something else completely。 Rena Barron In situations where most kids would’ve been terrified out of their minds Maya was absolutely fearless。 One of the things I really like about all Rena Barron books is that the situations are never black and white。 The human nature in you will naturally choose a side， however in this story both sides were fighting for what I consider worthy causes。 Good intentions had disastrous effects。 The need for revenge started out righteous for some and then turned into something else completely。 Rena Barron has quickly become one of my favorite authors。 Maya and The Dark Rising did NOT disappoint。 Also because it was a middle grade series I felt like we were allowed some happy endings and optimism LOL After reading Kingdom of Souls I’m on my toes now preparing myself for the worst at every page 😂 I can’t wait for Book 2！ 。。。more
Ashley
，
likedplot and the fact that it uses myth and lore from south west Africa。 It was refreshing to have more variety in young adult literatureThe fact it highlights minority groupsLoved the portrayal of the LGBT peopleDislike:Hate cliff hangers and now I have to wait to read the next one :（
Layla
，
Magical and fast paced， Maya and the Rising Dark doesn't beat around the bush and throws the reader right into the action。 It is beautifully written and jam packed with adventure， self discovery and the love that comes from friends and family。 I adore the way that Rena really draws her readers into the world， and paints it's history with such vivid imagery。 For fans of magical realism， ancient African gods and loyal friend groups - Maya and the Rising Dark is for you！ Magical and fast paced， Maya and the Rising Dark doesn't beat around the bush and throws the reader right into the action。 It is beautifully written and jam packed with adventure， self discovery and the love that comes from friends and family。 I adore the way that Rena really draws her readers into the world， and paints it's history with such vivid imagery。 For fans of magical realism， ancient African gods and loyal friend groups - Maya and the Rising Dark is for you！ 。。。more
Laura Samsel
，
A fantastic book！ My child is not patient in waiting for the sequel！🤣
Raven
，
This has been on my reading list for a while now。 I actually listened to the audiobook over the weekend and I really enjoyed this story， much more than I thought I would。
Margaret Boling
，
6/6/2021 ~ Percy Jackson meets Wrinkle in Time （quest for a father， magical beings）。 At the beginning of the story， the reader feels the same dissonance and dislocation that Maya feels as she discovers that much she's been taught as fantasy is actually part of her father's life as a "structural engineer" （a Guardian of the Veil） who travels the world helping with "construction projects" （incursions from the forces of dark， led by the Lord of Shadows。）The inclusion of orishas （deities found in We 6/6/2021 ~ Percy Jackson meets Wrinkle in Time （quest for a father， magical beings）。 At the beginning of the story， the reader feels the same dissonance and dislocation that Maya feels as she discovers that much she's been taught as fantasy is actually part of her father's life as a "structural engineer" （a Guardian of the Veil） who travels the world helping with "construction projects" （incursions from the forces of dark， led by the Lord of Shadows。）The inclusion of orishas （deities found in Western African cultures - Yoruba & Ibo from Nigeria; Ewe of Benin， Ghana， & Tobo; & Fon of Benin） gave a cultural significance to the super heroes included in the story。 。。。more
Ms Cole Teaches English
，
Holy smokes this was SO GOOD。 Reminiscent of Shadowshaper， but EVEN BETTER （lo siento， Sr。 Older！） If you want to know more， ask questions in comments。 I'm gonna go find out whether it starts a series and/or what else the author has written！ Holy smokes this was SO GOOD。 Reminiscent of Shadowshaper， but EVEN BETTER （lo siento， Sr。 Older！） If you want to know more， ask questions in comments。 I'm gonna go find out whether it starts a series and/or what else the author has written！ 。。。more
Of Books and Cats
，
Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron a is a fun， suspenseful fantasy featuring a trio of 12 year old best friends who go up against the immortal Lord of Shadows in the Dark， a kind of bizarro， sunless version of our world， to rescue Maya's demigod father from the evil lord's clutches。 The writing style is simple but engaging， although Barron tends to over explain things via Maya's internal dialogue rather than trust the reader to put it together。 As this is written for middle grade though， I Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron a is a fun， suspenseful fantasy featuring a trio of 12 year old best friends who go up against the immortal Lord of Shadows in the Dark， a kind of bizarro， sunless version of our world， to rescue Maya's demigod father from the evil lord's clutches。 The writing style is simple but engaging， although Barron tends to over explain things via Maya's internal dialogue rather than trust the reader to put it together。 As this is written for middle grade though， I can't really fault Barron for that。 First， the bad: the first 100 pages or so are B O R I N G。 I came close to putting this in the DNF pile early on and though I don't rate DNF books， if I did it would've been 2 stars at that point。 Although things are happening it doesn’t really go anywhere and the first 1/3 of the book is just kind of Maya running around town fighting off various monsters in between worrying about her dad。 It took me nearly a week to get through the first half of the book。 Then around page 150 or so the plot suddenly takes off and I couldn't put it down。 I read the second half of the book in a day and a half。 It's suddenly nonstop adventure in a creepy， enemy-filled land where the kids have only their newfound， unpredictable powers against a literal monster army， where the stakes are the death of humanity。 If Maya and her friends had entered the Dark much earlier in the story I would easily have given this 5 stars。 The diversity in this book is wonderful and the characters are memorable but I found Maya annoying at times and felt like the author was trying a little too hard to make sure we knew she was a quippy preteen。 Her friend Eli was fun and I think I might have smiled once or twice at his jokes， plus I really liked the fact that he was both the silly comedic relief and also a responsible， doting big brother， but their trio was rounded out by Frankie， easily the best character in the book。 Frankie is quirky without trying to be， incredibly self-sacrificing and loyal but takes zero shit， has the most interesting backstory of the three， plus she's a literal genius。 The supporting cast was fun and just a little over the top but that really only added to the magic of the story。 Maya's mom is， predictably， a nothing character who basically just shows up to scold her for sneaking off to literally save the world。 When Maya & Friends enter the Dark， everything picks up to 11。 Suddenly the stakes are much higher and the world is much more interesting。 The only part of the world building I found frustrating is the fact that Maya often wonders and asks questions about the Dark that are never answered。 For example: what are the regular citizens of the Dark like， the ones who aren't fighting with the Lord of Shadows to destroy the world？ She wonders about them a lot but we never see them。 Also， I wanted a lot more information and page time for secondary villain Nulan， but I expect she'll show up in the next book。 I'd give the second half of this book 5 stars but I'm subtracting a star for the meandering plot at the beginning and the occasional "trying to hard" feel of the writing。 I didn't think I'd be saying this when I started the book， but I really am looking forward to reading the sequel。 。。。more
Michelle Glatt
，
Fresh middle grade fantasy adventure。 Action-packed。 Great world-building。 Hope to see further books about Maya and her friends saving Chicago （well， and the whole world）
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Maya and the Rising Dark
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Maya and the Rising Dark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft