Inspired by Latinx folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian
Peninsula and Central and South America, this "clever, funny, and
entertaining" (Kirkus Reviews) third book in the Charlie Hernández
series follows Charlie as he faces off against an army of the dead.
After hitchhiking across Central and South America to rescue the Witch
Queen and face off against La Mano Peluda, Charlie Hernández is pretty
much grounded for life. But after all he's been through, some quiet time
at home with his parents might be nice. Though it would be better if he
didn't have to share his room with his obnoxiously perfect cousin Raúl,
who's staying with them.
But quiet is hard to come by when you're the fifth and final morphling,
and it's not long before death walks back into Charlie's life. Or at
least, the dead do, starting with a mysterious young calaca who corners
him at school, dropping cryptic hints about trouble brewing in the 305.
With the League of Shadows focused on repairing fractured alliances and
tracking gathering armies, this one's up to Charlie to solve.
Following the clues only leads to more questions, and not even teenage
investigative journalist extraordinaire Violet Rey can figure out how a
sudden rooster infestation, earthquakes, missing persons, and a
pet-napping gang of lizard-men--whom Charlie doesn't recognize from any
legend--are all connected. Most concerning of all is when they learn a
map has been stolen that reveals the locations of the Golden Dooms, the
twelve ancient calaca watchmen who form the magical barrier between the
realms.
To stop the impending invasion, Charlie and Violet must outwit an
ancient evil and unravel the most sinister of schemes. That is, unless
they'd rather watch the Land of the Living get overrun by the dead.
