Review: The Storm Runner

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3-1/2 stars. This is the second book published under Rick Riordan's new Disney imprint "Rick Riordan Presents". In Rordan's own words, the purpose of this new imprint is:

"....to publish great books by middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage."

I do love the idea of an established author helping to promote new authors, especially those from underrepresented groups, and I respect Riordan for going that route rather than using unknown authors as ghostwriters and publishing them under his own name, a practice that has always seemed rather predatory to me.

However, I am not sure I really heard the author's voice in this story. I felt like it was too similar to Riordan's style and just seemed really cookie-cutter to me. It was not bad, and I can't really point out any specific flaws, other than the character development just wasn't quite there for me and it just wasn't as engaging. I usually hate to put a book down until I'm finished, but that wasn't the case with this one. I also found I was more interested in some of the supporting characters, like Ms. Cab and Jazz, than the main character. However, I have read so many middle-grade books based on mythology in the last few years I think I am just really burned out on the genre.

In this story, Zane Obispo is the only child of a single mother who feels self-conscious because one leg is shorter than the other, resulting in his walking with a limp. His seemingly normal life is interrupted by some very unusual events and a new shape-shifting friend. He soon discovers that he is the son of a Mayan creation god, and must destroy Ah Puch, the god of death, whom Zane had released from where the gods had imprisoned him.

I am still curious to see other titles from this new imprint, and I would suggest them for young readers looking for something similar to Riordan's Percy Jackson and other series.

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