The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes

In the introduction, Rick Riordan compares the anthology to a Multiverse Mansion, and I found that as I read this book, I remembered all the reasons why Rick Riordan Presents books are some of my favorites. Reading them all together gives this sense of familiarity that did feel like you were coming home to this multiverse mansion.

Calamity Juice by Carlos Hernandez

Follow Sal and Gabi as they have to retrieve one of their Culeco classmates who was last seen on a rogue unicorn. I thought it was super cool that there were two instances of Culeco classmates that saw this multiverse and were able to gain personal growth from it. I'm glad to see Gladis get a story and finally get the character arc that I've been hoping for her.

Beware the Grove of True Love by Roshani Chokshi

On an errand for Urvashi, Aru, Mini, and Brynne end up in the Grove of True Love, where they have to fix a past story before they become trapped. I felt all the emotions that Aru was discovering as they made their way through the story. Of course, I loved Aru, Mini, and Brynne's friendship as well as the way that the three of them work together, both in fighting and simpler problem solving.

The Cave of Doom by J.C. Cervantes

Zane and Brooks investigate their island after a reviewer claimed to see a monster. As they investigate, they realize that the threat might be much more different than they can imagine. Zane and Brooks have a great relationship, with plenty of back-and-forth as they investigate the Cave of Doom. We also get a visit from a familiar face and I was pretty surprised at the conclusion that Zane and Brooks come to at the end about the mysterious beings they come to find.

The Initiation by Yoon Ha Lee

Follow Min and Jun as they attempt their first assignment post the events of The Dragon Pearl. But things start to go sideways very quickly, and soon Min and her friends must figure out how to stop a dangerous commandant. I enjoyed reading through the absolute chaos of this story, especially in the contrasting ways that Min's friends from The Dragon Pearl and Min's squad here differ.

The Gum Baby Files by Kwame Mbalia

Oh, I love Gum Baby. Here we find out some of what Gum Baby, Ayanna, and Junior were up to in between the events of the second and third Tristan Strong books. Gum Baby must face a ghost that wants to erase history. As usual, there was an amazing blend of history and mythology, with a heavy dose of Gum Baby's antics. This story also has one of my favorite lines of the entire anthology, delivered to Gum Baby from someone she meets in this story.

The Demon Drum by Rebecca Roanhorse

Nizhoni and her fellow members of the Ancestor Club are going to a powwow. Soon, they begin to notice that things seem to be going poorly and investigate. I loved this look at all of Nizhoni's friends and classmates, not just Davery, and the way that Nizhoni interacts with each of them. The group-problem solving to take out the demon drum was super fun to read, and I loved reading all the descriptions about the powwow.

Bruto and the Freaky Flower by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Paola's chupacabra puppy, Bruto, is suddenly not doing so well...and Paola has a vision of a freaky flower in the desert that she thinks might save him. Join Pao and Dante in traversing across the dangerous desert in hopes of getting to the flower to save Bruto. I've loved Bruto since Pao first took him in, so I enjoyed this Bruto-centered short story. I certainly didn't see the twist of the flower, but it was super fun to read.

The Loneliest Demon by Sarwat Chadda

Following the events of City of the Plague God, Sik's life is back to normal...mostly. There's this demon that keeps trying to kill him. This one was one of the funnier stories, I enjoyed reading about how Sik had to try to help this demon, and the resulting conclusion to this story was satisfying. I just saw the announcement that there's going to be a sequel to City of the Plague God, and I hope that Rabisu will make an appearance there!

My Night at the Gifted Carnival by Graci Kim

Taking place before the events of The Last Fallen Star, join Riley and Hattie as they take a trip to the Gifted Carnival, an event held by the Gifted Clans that allows for even saram people to experience magic hidden in plain sight. However, when a faceless ghost comes and begins freezing children to try to kidnap them, Riley and Hattie must figure out how to defeat her. I enjoyed reading this one, seeing the various types of magic that we started learning about in The Last Fallen Star get expanded upon more. Riley is still pretty sad that she's saram, but she's got a storm coming. I also loved reading all the descriptions of the festival - I certainly wish I could attend something like that (minus the ghost, of course).

My Life as a Child Outlaw by Rick Riordan

I found this to be the saddest of the stories in this collection. Follow Demne through the course of his two years as a Child Outlaw, constantly running for his life due to a father he has never met. This was a fun introduction to Celtic mythology, which I had never learned before. I found myself really feeling for Demne as he continually tried and failed to find a place to settle and belong.

One of the fun things that I loved were a few references I caught as I was reading these stories of the other heroes in this anthology. It felt very much like the Easter Eggs that you might see if you were watching an MCU movie, which made catching them super fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading these and can't wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide, Rick Riordan Presents, and NetGalley for the ARC.