Disclosure: Post contains affiliate links. I may earn commission if you make a purchase. Opinions shared are mine.

Long before author Ryan Calejo sent me a copy of Charlie Hernandez and the Castle of Bones, I’d already pre-ordered the audiobook. My kids LOVED the first Charlie Hernandez book, and we were so excited to find out what happened next! It took us a while to finish this one because (a) the audiobook is about 14 hours long, and (b) my daughter was often doing homework in the car so she needed it quiet. Yesterday we finished it and we’re already hoping for a book 3.

This sequel was just as good — if not better than — the first book in the series. I’m just fascinated by the folklore and legends that whirled around this adventure. Castle of Bones was a bit darker than book one, and the danger felt much more ominous. I highly recommend reading this series in order because the character development is so important to understanding the events.

We have this book in both print and audio, but we leaned heavily toward the audio. In print, you can see the spelling of the unfamiliar names and words. It’s quite a long book, which is intimidating for many kids. I think the formatting of dialogue paragraphs makes a difference there.

The adventures in this book spiked my adrenaline. I loved learning about so many new characters and stories from around the world! There were a lot of characters to keep up with. I had a hard time with that, but my kids were good about reminding me who was who.

The audio version is terrific! The same narrator voices both the first and second book which is so helpful for continuity. Hearing the Spanish phrases in an authentic tongue makes the story really come alive. There were times when the narrator had an awkward rhythm to his fluency, but it didn’t impact the message. My son said he wished there would be more voices, comparing it to The Graveyard Book full-cast production. I can see what he’s saying there.

My daughter really wanted to see more romance develop between Charlie and Violet in this book. I guess that’s her teenage-ness showing itself. She even said she wanted to write to the author with her suggestions. Ha! While there was a hint of flirtation and some deeper feelings in this book, it was appropriate for a middle grade story. However, as the characters age, it might become a bit more serious. We eventually saw that with Ron and Hermione, Percy and Annabeth, and basically every other middle grade save-the-world duo. I appreciate that Calejo is keeping it innocent for the time being.

I would love to see a list of resources and “other books to read” about these myths in the back of the book. After we read League of Shadows, my son and I went to multiple bookstores because he desperately wanted to read more Hispanic legends. The shelves were full of Greek mythology books, but nothing similar for Spanish-speaking countries. I am not normally a person who complains about the need for more diversity, but in this aspect I definitely see a gap.

When we finished the book, both of my kids started talking over each other. I asked them what star-rating they’d give, and they both shouted at once — FIVE! FIIIIIIIIVVVVEE!!!! over and over. So there you have it. The crowd has spoken!

I asked my school librarian to purchase this series for our school library. The copies I put on my classroom shelf are long gone. They were passed around from student to student several times before I noticed they were missing. I suspect that my students loved them so much they wanted to keep the books! And who can blame them? This series is amazing.