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Writing helped me process.
The Marigold Bridge follows a wealthy young woman whose life is turned upside down after her father is presumed dead and a dangerous family seizes control of her home. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration stemmed from the grief and trauma of losing a friend to suicide and my own mediumship abilities. I struggled for a long time and found myself in a really dark place. Writing helped me process. I have an article posted on Substack if anyone is interested in the full story. It can be a bit triggering to some.
At what point did you know this story would be rooted in El Día de los Muertos?
I wanted the story to center around the connection between the living and the dead. Western cultures do not have any holidays that celebrate relationships beyond the grave. So, I contacted my mentor and friend who lives in Mexico and asked if she would be willing to help me write a story centered around El Dia de los Muertos. It was important for me to get the culture, spanish, and holiday as accurate as possible. She agreed, and Araceli’s story began! I learned so much about Mexico too and can’t wait to take my third trip back there one day. Maybe even visit San Miguel during the Day of the Dead!
Araceli’s gift feels more like a responsibility than a superpower. Why was that important to you?
Because I too understand the weight of being born with a sixth sense that other people don’t seem to fully understand. It often felt like a burden and a responsibility
until I was able to accept it and learn how to work with it. I mirrored my own frustration in her as she grappled with her gifts.
Looking back, what did writing Araceli’s story teach you about courage, family, or healing?
I healed a lot through this novel. While Araceli grew, so did I. Her mantras were many of my own as I was writing. I also learned that healing can be messy and loud. It doesn’t carry a certain aesthetic and having people in your corner who understand that and allow you to be who you are is the real gift.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Forced into servitude for the man responsible, Araceli’s only hope lies in the gift she’d always considered a burden: channeling the ancestors during El Día de los Muertos. Desperate for answers, she attempts to use her abilities to discover the truth, but the ancestors offer only a frantic warning: “Don’t drink the water.”
Aided by her childhood crush, Araceli unearths a conspiracy that runs deeper than her father’s disappearance—one Hector will kill to keep buried. But as bodies begin to fall and Hector closes in, she must bridge the gap between life and death to restore her legacy and free San Miguel from corruption.
Steeped in revenge, ancestral magic, and love, The Marigold Bridge is a spellbinding tale where fortune favors the humble—and the dead refuse to stay silent.
The Marigold Bridge
The Marigold Bridge, by Arien Skye, is a young adult paranormal fantasy with mystery, romance, and thriller elements woven through it. The story follows Araceli, a wealthy young woman in San Miguel de Allende, whose life collapses after her father is presumed dead and a dangerous family takes control of her home. As El Día de los Muertos opens the veil between the living and the dead, Araceli must use the spiritual gifts she has resisted to uncover the truth, protect her family, and decide what kind of person she wants to become.
What I appreciated most was how the book lets Araceli begin in a place that is not especially noble. She is spoiled, image-conscious, and used to comfort, but Skye does not flatten her into a cliché. Her fall from privilege is sharp and sometimes messy, but that mess is what makes her interesting. I liked watching her grief change her. Not magically. Not cleanly. It comes through anger, fear, pride, stubborn hope, and the slow realization that power is not the same thing as status.
The story really works when it leans into atmosphere and family. The marigolds, candles, food, perfume oils, ancestral voices, and festival scenes give the book a vivid texture without pulling it away from the plot. I also liked the author’s choice to make Araceli’s gift feel both sacred and inconvenient. The story is big and dramatic with villains who can feel almost operatic and plot turns that move fast. But for this genre, that heightened energy mostly works. It gives the book the feel of a supernatural telenovela mixed with a coming-of-age mystery, and I mean that as a compliment.
I would recommend The Marigold Bridge to readers who enjoy YA paranormal fantasy with strong family stakes, a touch of romance, and a heroine who has to be humbled before she can become brave. It will especially appeal to readers who like stories about ancestral magic, hidden corruption, revenge, and healing after loss. The book is emotional, stylish, and sincere, with enough suspense to keep the pages turning and enough heart to make Araceli’s journey matter.
Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0GX2XVJZQ
