This was such a breath of fresh air and it gave me major Rick Riordan vibes which is great because he's one of my favorite authors. I'm past middle grade fantasy books but they hold a special place in my heart because of the nostalgia I've associated with them from my childhood years. Melissa De La Cruz is also an author whose work I've read before since I was a fan of her Blue Bloods YA fantasy series about vampires.
I love the representation in this book and that the protagonist (Filomena is a super cool name it means light in Italian) is Asian-American. That's always a pleasure to read and it gives the book a lot of character and personality. At it's core this book is a classic adventure story and the idea of a beloved book character coming out of the pages and asking you to go an adventure is one that will always resonate with people of all ages!
I love the representation in this book and that the protagonist (Filomena is a super cool name it means light in Italian) is Asian-American. That's always a pleasure to read and it gives the book a lot of character and personality. At it's core this book is a classic adventure story and the idea of a beloved book character coming out of the pages and asking you to go an adventure is one that will always resonate with people of all ages!