The Island of Forgotten Gods

This arc was given to me by a local bookshop. This is a fun summertime middle-grade fiction read following 3 kids spending the summer with their Abuela in Puerto Rico. One of the kids (Nico) has a goal to make an epic documentary while he's on the island with the help of his cousins, Nessi & Kira. Plans change however when they wind up being chased by what they believe to be a shadow monster. Through the story they learn some of the myths surrounding the indigenous Taino culture & touch on the current day struggles the island is facing. Being Puerto Rican myself and having visited the island several times, I did thoroughly enjoy revisiting some fun points of the island, even saying the spanish parts out loud just to hear it with an accent! I'm also encouraged to research more of the lore & mythology of our Taino ancestors, it's a true sad fact that many of us don't know those stories and have never looked into them. I have to remind myself this is middle-grade, this was a fun story but a few items didn't hit the mark for me. Kira is full of young slang and phrases, but majority of her phrases are things we said as kids and teens in the 90s. She did however keep the story light and moving, it couldn't get too dark or scary with her around. I think this story might have had a more mysterious & magical impact had it been told by Nessi's perspective. Nico's perspective makes sense in relation to the documentary subplot, but I couldn't find his fear or seriousness in the situation believable. This book is really a 3.5 for me, but you know. Goodreads. Last note to any and all readers... NEVER visit La Perla!!