Ballad and Dagger (Outlaw Saints Series, Book #1) by Daniel Jose Older
Ballad and Dagger (Outlaw Saints Series, Book #1) by Daniel Jose Older
Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matiss's island homeland disappeared into the sea.
Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal escaped to New York. While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday finding a way back home, Mateo -- now a high school junior and piano prodigy living with his two aunts (one who's alive, the other not so much) -- is focused on one thing: getting the attention of locally grown music legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grande Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Santeros, and Sefaradim that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago.
But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the night of the celebration, Mateo's life is forever changed when he witnesses a brutal murder committed by a person he thought he knew.
Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and seas. As deadly secrets unravel, Mateo awakens a power within himself -- a power that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking the dark mystery behind their lost homeland.
DISNEY/HYPERION, HARDCOVER, 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTING, 2022
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.