Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie ThomasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
For a while now, after writing three unique and thought-provoking YA novels set in Garden Heights, Angie Thomas has been hinting that she would pivot to middle-grade fantasy. Now, that day has finally come, with the first in a planned trilogy of magical Black kids kicking monster butt in a world that exists at right angles to the America we know. Alongside Thomas's real hometown of Jackson, Mississippi (and its extinct volcano, which is, yes, plot relevant), there's a whole modern world of the Remarkables, with their own cities and news media and corporations and pop culture, and even some in-universe meta-humor due to the layers of stories within stories, since Nic (named after Nic Stone? I wouldn't be surprised if so, given she and Thomas have been such great friends) and her generation aren't the first to fight evil, not by a long shot. Not unlike Kwame Mbalia's Tristan Strong trilogy for Rick Riordan Presents, this series also incorporates some of the most famous examples of African-American folklore, with special mention going to John Henry and his hammer. So far, two of Thomas's novels have gotten film adaptations, and while Concrete Rose still hasn't - probably because it'd be tied into the same rights deals as The Hate U Give, produced by a now-defunct company - I'm hoping to see this one get the movie treatment next.
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