Here are a couple more reviews that have been languishing in drafts for almost a year. Both of these were Cybils 2021 finalists. My memory’s falling short here, so these are mostly point form reviews based on the notes I took while reading. I wasn’t even sure these were worth posting but… they’re something. Onto another short pair of reviews!

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom
by Sangu Mandanna
Source: Hardcover/library
Published: July 2021
Publisher: Viking Books (PRH)
Length: 352 pages

Series: Kiki Kallira #1
Genre: Action/adventure portal fantasy
Target Age: Middle grade (suitable for 10+)

• Clear differentiation that Kiki draws inspiration from Indian folklore, not Hindu religion (pg 15)
• Kiki creatively combines two worlds (pg 16)
• Haha grilled cheese (pg 18)
  • ?! wish I had noted down an exact quote here…
• Good pacing; keeps you intrigued even before the first hint of action
• Enjoyed the ‘twist’ regarding a certain friendly character – saw it coming about a hundred pages early, this isn’t something super common in the MG spec fic I read
• Appreciate even more the exploration of mental health. While it’s becoming more common to explore mental illnesses in middle grade, it’s not so common to do so in a MG spec fic novel (at least, in one where the spec fic elements aren’t essentially allegorical). A valuable representation of what it’s like to have anxiety/OCD, when you haven’t yet found the words to describe that that’s what your experiencing.
• Other Reviews: Lili @ Utopia State of Mind, Karen @ Ms. Yingling Reads

Amari and the Night Brothers
by B.B. Alston
Source: Hardcover/library
Published: Jan. 2021
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HC)
Length: 416 pages

Series: Supernatural Investigations #1
Genre: Magical organization fantasy
Target Age: Middle grade (suitable for 10+)

• This one was not for me.
• I found the style stilted, especially when introducing and establishing the world. I’m not into worldbuilding without some stylized prose to go with it. It makes the experience dull for me.
• Going from Amari not knowing anything about the supernatural world to her being the most magical being in existence before we get a hundred pages in also didn’t work for me. I had no time to become invested in the character or the world, so that big declaration so early on held little weight or impact for me.
• Oooh and magicians are terrible 🙄 No wonder!!! If the only ones that exist are trained by evil guy. (pg 95)
• Can’t recall what I was referring to with this note but it seems like a point to be made: The premise is a stretch… why only take four and scrap the rest, instead of sending to their other pick? (pg 135)
• Not impressed by talking elevators – moving along quickly, useless adults, “okay you talk to the evil magician who is 800 years old”, no idea or concept or experience of magic (pg 150)
  • 150 pages in and we’ve gone from no concept of supernatural to being most powerful magician ever talking to most evil villain ever…
• Again, not sure what happened around pg 170 – presumably some sort of magical sport is introduced in an unimaginative way? Because my note reads “compare to introduction of Quidditch. Completely uninteresting. (pg 170)”
• All extremely convenient and uninteresting (pg 202)
• There’s nothing to the world. We learn this then we learn that. No substance. No heart. (pg 284)
• I had a few more spoilery notes related to Amari’s missing brother but I will leave those out. You can guess that I wasn’t super impressed with that whole plot, either.
• I know I am in the minority for this book! Every single one of my Goodreads friends has rated this four or five stars 😅 I am sure lots of kids have enjoyed Amari. But it fell short in so many ways for me. Amari at least seems like a cool kid. I have recently read The Marvellers and found that much more to my taste in terms of style, plotting, and magical world building.
• Other Reviews: Kathie @ Bit About Books, Laurie @ Bit About Books, Lili @ Utopia State of Mind, Sammie @ The Bookwyrm’s Den, Brenda @ Log Cabin Library

Percy Jackson and Harry Potter paved the way for a plethora of mythology-inspired and magical school stories like Kiki Kallira and Amari. Which other books are your favourites?