Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 09/08/2023 Gr 3–7—About to turn 12, Corazon Lopez is ready to learn what magical powers she possesses and begin her training. Corazon is a babaylan, a rare mortal guarding the boundaries between the human world and the realm of spirits. Her constant companion, the wisecracking Saso, is an anito (spirit of mountains, rivers, streams, and trees) who looks like a glowing blue gecko, with powers also yet unknown. Three years ago, when Corazon's parents died, she moved into the magical house of powerful Aunt Tina. Corazon despairs that she only sees her ghostly parents for weekly Saturday visits, with the aid of the soul key her mother left her, and hopes that once her powers reveal themselves, she will find a way to bring her parents back to the mortal world. The Library of Mirrors is where the two worlds collide, and the mirrors there are guarded by the powerful Librarian. When a ghost steals the soul key from Corazon, she learns she must gather blessings to lay the ghost to rest and awaken her own powers. Corazon, Saso, and their ghostly friend, Leo, must overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to right the imbalance between the two worlds. An author's note discusses Filipino folklore and the history of babaylans. VERDICT Chokshi's tale weaves Filipino mythology and language throughout this spellbinding fantasy, creating a thoroughly original and heartfelt story of family, grief, and new beginnings.—Michele Shaw - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 01/17/2024 *Starred Review* Chokshi is well known for her best-selling Aru Shah series, but she has outdone herself with her newest addition to the Rick Riordan Presents line, a standalone adventure that centers Filipino mythology. Corazon Lopez is a young babaylan (Filipino shaman) whose powers haven’t yet fully awakened. Once they do, her number one goal is to bring back her parents, who passed away several years ago, leaving her in the care of her Aunt Tina, a babaylan with all of the power yet none of the warmth of Corazon’s deceased mother. Her plan (and the fate of the world) is threatened when a ghost steals Corazon’s soul key, a magical object with the power to tip the balance of the world, both human and spirit. Corazon’s quest to retrieve the key unearths many secrets, including the one hidden deep in her heart. The Spirit Glass is a classic quest story with all the fun and danger one might expect from such a tale. Corazon’s spirit companion, a gecko named Saso, provides much of the levity, but at its heart, this book is a story about grief. Corazon learns many hard truths, and young readers going through similar loss might find comfort in Corazon’s trials. If nothing else, they have these words from the spirit glass in Tina’s House: “I see you, little one. Your pain is not invisible to me.” A must-have for any reader who loves folklore-inspired fantasy. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.