Ballad and Dagger by Daniel Jose Older (Outlaw Saints book 1)

 

“Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matisse's island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal's sinking 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 musical legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews 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 by a person he thought he knew.

Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans. Deadly secrets are unraveled and 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 his lost homeland.” - taken from Goodreads.

San Madrigal is the Atlantis of the Caribbean. After it suddenly sank, the mismatched group of refugees settled in the Little Madrigal community in Brooklyn. When a long held secret has no choice but to be revealed, Mateo Matisse's life is turned upside down. Enter Chela Hidalgo who has a secret of her own. When the some of the residents believe that the island of San Madrigal can be raised, Mateo finds himself at the very heart of the plot. Who can he trust and who will betray him? 

Book two is expected in May 2023.

Visit Daniel Jose Older’s website.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

“Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I loved this modern take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The characters and setting is what makes this book work. An awesome cultural twist on this classic story.

Visit Ibi Zoboi’s website.