Burn Down, Rise Up

Vincent Tirado

May 2022 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

The 2023 Pura Belpré Award-winning young adult novel!

Mysterious disappearances. An urban legend rumored to be responsible. And one group of friends determined to save their city at any cost. Stranger Things meets Jordan Peele in this acclaimed novel from an incredible new voice.

For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize's cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.

Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York's past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart—or die trying.

Ratings and reviews

I found this book very intriguing, and I enjoyed reading it. While many of the elements in play here have been seen before, I felt that the way they were crafted together was inspired and that the author brought a real air of freshness to it all. The complex blend of mystery, the supernatural, adventure, drama, action, friendship, romance and honest realism was in turns breath stealing, pulse pounding and thought provoking. Was it perfect? No, I didn't think so. I did however think the author showed real talent and has a wonderful voice that needs to be honed and further developed because sadly sometimes the writing felt a bit rough, and I there were some loose ends here that I would have loved to see tied up. All in all, though I book well worth reading from an author I feel like we will be hearing much more about. This is my candid review that I am posting of my own volition.

About the author

Vincent Tirado is a non-binary Afro-Latinx Bronx native. They ventured out to Pennsylvania and Ohio to get their Bachelor's degree in biology and Master's degree in bioethics. They have had short stories published in Desert Rose Lit Mag and FIYAH! Magazine.