The Daggers of Ire by J.C. Cervantes Cover Reveal

My grandmother used to tell me that stories are living breathing things. That each contains a power, an energy that can shape minds and hearts. I was captivated by her retelling of ancient myths, so much so that I couldn’t get enough. I vividly remember being in the third grade and asking the school librarian if she had any Mayan or Aztec stories for me to read. Unfortunately, those books didn’t exist at the time, so she pointed me instead to Greek and Roman myths. Disheartened, eight-year-old me believed that my grandmother’s tales must not matter if they weren’t in books. Still, I carried bits and pieces of them with me well into adulthood never knowing the power they would have in my own life, especially my creative life.

My next middle grade novel, THE DAGGERS OF IRE (9/3/24; Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins), took me on a journey, one that got me thinking about colonization and the stories that were destroyed, the same ones that were the lifeblood of many cultures. I imagined what a new mythology might look like, one that answered the question: where did magic come from? A different sort of origin tale. I wanted to tell a story that celebrated brujería and its Latine roots, one that offered a new perspective beyond the Euro-centric that I’ve always known.
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Covers are the first introduction to the story inside. That first glimpse of possibility, and curiosity, a promise of what the pages hold. This cover by artist, Paula Zorite and art director, Joel Tippie absolutely showcases their talent and imagination. When I first saw the concept, I was delighted and as the art came to life more fully with each iteration, I knew we had a winning cover, one that illustrates the magic and adventure of this tale.
It truly is a wonder for the eye with beautiful and important story elements that when brought together sing. I love the bold colors, the stylistic choices, and details like the uniquely designed daggers, the shadow elements, the sinister eyes, and of course the flowers! It reminds me of the Richard Scary books I loved as a kid—you see something new with each viewing. My hope is that this cover will draw readers in. It will create a sense of magic and mystery and hopefully, it will inspire readers to investigate the story within.

Stories are living breathing things, but we have to feed them with sprit and belief and wonder. I hope readers will feel the heartbeat of Esme’s story from the first page, that they’ll follow her and her friends on this twisty, dark journey, and that maybe…when they turn the last page, they’ll believe in a little thing called magic too.
Meet the author

J.C. is a New York Times best-selling author. Her books have been published in more than twelve countries and have appeared on national lists, including the American Booksellers Association New Voices, Barnes and Noble’s Best Young Reader Books, and Amazon’s Best Books of the Month. She has earned multiple awards and recognitions, including the New Mexico Book Award and the Zia Book Award.
She currently resides in the Land of Enchantment with her family and spoiled pups, but keeps part of her heart in Southern California, where she was born and raised. When she isn’t writing, she is haunting bookstores and searching for magic in all corners of the world.
Social accounts:
@authorjcervantes (author), @paulazorite (artist), @jdrift (art director), @balzerandbray (publisher)
About Daggers of Ire
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A rich and exciting new Latine middle grade fantasy about sisterhood, magic, and the power of kids to face what grown-ups refuse to see—by J. C. Cervantes, New York Times bestselling author of the Storm Runner series.
Perfect for fans of Witchlings and Amari and the Night Brothers!
Esmerelda Santos is a rare bruja, born with Chaos magic in her veins. She and her family are direct descendants of one of the four original witches—a mysterious legend about the night magic was born in San Bosco. But since the death of her mother, Esme is more concerned about healing their father’s spiraling grief.
When Esme finds a heart spell in a forbidden grimorio, she thinks it could be the answer to making her dad whole again. But before she can try, she and her best friend, Tiago, discover that their families and all the town’s witches have vanished—along with their magic, which keeps San Bosco alive. The only way to save them and the town is to find an original witch—impossible, since no one has actually ever seen one.
With a witch hunter on their tail, Esme and Tiago journey to a banished realm where forbidden magic runs wild. Here the two must embrace their powers and confront the legend’s terrible truths . . . or risk losing their families and their magic forever.
ISBN-13: 9780063312074
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 09/03/2024
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years
Filed under: Cover Reveal

About Amanda MacGregor
Amanda MacGregor works in an elementary library, loves dogs, and can be found on Twitter @CiteSomething.
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