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kutsireads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
librarydancer's review against another edition
This book just did not work for me -- couldn't move past 7% because it was so generic.
beckyjmcc's review against another edition
5.0
A hidden magic kingdom, best friends showing open affection, super elemental fighting powers, over coming fears, wondrous mythology, a kick ass grandma... this book has it all and more! There are heavy topics and scenes in this book talking about slavery and death. They are given weight and proper attention but the book does not feel gloomy, it still feels like a magical mythical adventure.
I put this book on my tbr because I saw a reel from @aaronsaintjohn_ introducing Cameron as '...the black gay boy version of Percy Jackson...' on instagram, so of course I had to check it out! I'm so glad that I did, now I wish that I knew some middle grade kids I could give this too. Even if you're an older Percy Jackson fan like me, I still recommend reading this book - while the writing is obviously aimed at middle grade readers, its a great book that I hope to see getting a lot more attention in the future.
I put this book on my tbr because I saw a reel from @aaronsaintjohn_ introducing Cameron as '...the black gay boy version of Percy Jackson...' on instagram, so of course I had to check it out! I'm so glad that I did, now I wish that I knew some middle grade kids I could give this too. Even if you're an older Percy Jackson fan like me, I still recommend reading this book - while the writing is obviously aimed at middle grade readers, its a great book that I hope to see getting a lot more attention in the future.
rae_bookmarkchronicles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
robinreads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
caoilo's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ), Bloomsbury Children's Books for an e-ARC for review.
If all your life you believed you were a normal child it might come as a shock that you and your friends get sucked into a portal into another world, a hidden place in West Africa known as Chidani. Well this is exactly what happened to Cameron Battle and his friends Zion and Aliyah.
Cameron quickly realizes this other world has something to do with the deaths of his parents. When they reach safety Cameron is asked to help save this, his ancestrally homeland, to do this Cameron would have to retrieve three objects that would save the Queen of the land and restore peace to not just Chidani but the rest of the world.
While Cameron feels this is his destiny he tries to convince Zion and Aliyah to return home, but as ever they respond by telling him they are all init together, good or bad.
Just like many other good Middle Grade books this work shows exactly what good friendship looks like. At once the reader is aware that there is a connection to the slave trade and how it was African slave came to be held and traded in the US. That these people (slaves) were treated horrendously. The writing gives some insight into the culture of West Africa as well as their legends and gods. It also hints that Cameron and Zion may be more than just friends which is were the LGBTQ+ comes in. Though I don't recall any other characters being members of the community.
I loved the feel of friendship this book gave, and that Aliyah was a strong character and not just a token "girl" of the group. The fact this had West African background was one of the reasons I picked it up and I was not disappointed. I found the descriptions so vivid most of the time I felt the urge to draw them but couldn't bring myself to put the book down. As a slow reader it would usually take me weeks to read a 300 page book, how ever I read this work in around four sittings.
The only things that I didn't particularly like are minute really. Knowing that Cameron and Zion's relationship is to become romantic, the fact they call each other brother is a bit wrong. I can't wait to see their relationship blossom but I wish they stuck to calling each other friends.
The other is that in one part of the book it is mentioned that Cameron is given utensils to eat with, with my limited circle of West African (Nigerian to be specific) acquaintances it seems tradition to eat with their hands when they are in their own home or back in their home country. Most eat with their right hand (as the left is considered dirty/rude) and only use cutlery when they are in other countries.
If you are looking for book with a friendship like Harry Potter, badies reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, a quest like both, POC characters and set in a hidden place like Wakanda this is for you 100%.
Do expect tears at the end.
If all your life you believed you were a normal child it might come as a shock that you and your friends get sucked into a portal into another world, a hidden place in West Africa known as Chidani. Well this is exactly what happened to Cameron Battle and his friends Zion and Aliyah.
Cameron quickly realizes this other world has something to do with the deaths of his parents. When they reach safety Cameron is asked to help save this, his ancestrally homeland, to do this Cameron would have to retrieve three objects that would save the Queen of the land and restore peace to not just Chidani but the rest of the world.
While Cameron feels this is his destiny he tries to convince Zion and Aliyah to return home, but as ever they respond by telling him they are all init together, good or bad.
Just like many other good Middle Grade books this work shows exactly what good friendship looks like. At once the reader is aware that there is a connection to the slave trade and how it was African slave came to be held and traded in the US. That these people (slaves) were treated horrendously. The writing gives some insight into the culture of West Africa as well as their legends and gods. It also hints that Cameron and Zion may be more than just friends which is were the LGBTQ+ comes in. Though I don't recall any other characters being members of the community.
I loved the feel of friendship this book gave, and that Aliyah was a strong character and not just a token "girl" of the group. The fact this had West African background was one of the reasons I picked it up and I was not disappointed. I found the descriptions so vivid most of the time I felt the urge to draw them but couldn't bring myself to put the book down. As a slow reader it would usually take me weeks to read a 300 page book, how ever I read this work in around four sittings.
The only things that I didn't particularly like are minute really. Knowing that Cameron and Zion's relationship is to become romantic, the fact they call each other brother is a bit wrong. I can't wait to see their relationship blossom but I wish they stuck to calling each other friends.
The other is that in one part of the book it is mentioned that Cameron is given utensils to eat with, with my limited circle of West African (Nigerian to be specific) acquaintances it seems tradition to eat with their hands when they are in their own home or back in their home country. Most eat with their right hand (as the left is considered dirty/rude) and only use cutlery when they are in other countries.
If you are looking for book with a friendship like Harry Potter, badies reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, a quest like both, POC characters and set in a hidden place like Wakanda this is for you 100%.
Do expect tears at the end.
words_with_wendy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dandelionsteph's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I found the use of "y'all" annoying for how often it was used, particularly by Aliyah early on in the book. This choice of nonstandard dialect really popped out in a book that otherwise used very few 'Southernisms'. Part of that is the fact that all the other characters are Chidani (basically Nigerian, if in a fantastical way), who don't use "y'all".
For comparison, in Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, Onyeka (a British-Nigerian character) used only a few Britishisms, and I don't think she used them outside of a few words referring to objects (perhaps "crisps" instead of "potato chips/chips"). Every time the characters used "y'all", it in some sense felt affected or fake. They were from Atlanta, a major and modern city in Georgia, not some rural area. It's like having characters from the major city of Austin, Texas say 'howdy' at every opportunity. (We get it, they're from the South.)
I was disappointed that the bonded-griffin element was similar to bonded-dragon elements in other books, but the griffins (despite being built up in-universe) could not talk. Unlike Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, which was also a disappointing take on bonded creatures, the griffins didn't even have discernible personalities. If the griffins were going to basically act like normal horses that could fly and could be telepathically summoned, I wonder why they were given cool-sounding names and were given a distinctive bonded-creature worldbuilding convention.
There's too much telling-not-showing in this book, which is particularly egregious when it comes to the point of view. While the book uses the first-person perspective, I believe it would have been more enjoyable if written in the third-person. Unlike other first-person middle-grade fantasy novels, such as the Percy Jackson series, Cameron Battle doesn't have a clear and strong personality that would make the first-person point of view worthwhile. For the most part, the reader does not get to read his direct thoughts. For example,
"Pushing them away, I walked towards the dais, trying to ignore the pain. By now it felt like my skull was cracking in two. But I still continued. I placed both my hands on the dais and grasped the crown. The pain ceased as soon as I touched it."
On a sentence-by-sentence basis, the narrative is rarely riveting. I think it has something to do with sentence length not varying enough, not even in action sequences.
I'm disappointed that Cameron can't simply be best friends with Zion, but must be in a romantic relationship with him. (It's not confirmed - no one says "gay" or "bi" or "queer" or such - but the emotional intimacy, use of the word 'love', and physicality is clearly building up it, and the author specifically talks to queer black boys/men in the author's notes) Yes, there's a lot of a cultural backlog for LGBTQ+ relationship representation in media, which might be justification for the high density of queer relationships in children's media these days, but this also feeds into the trend of amatonormativity and the devaluation of friendship, even among children (I believe the protagonists are 12 or 13). Rick Riordan (and Mark Oushiro's) The Sun and the Star dealt with this better, although perhaps this isn't a fair comparison because the protagonists of that book had a lot more time to build up their relationships and identity "on-screen" (whereas this book's pre-plot background largely consists of saying Cameron and Zion knew each other since they were six).
For comparison, in Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun, Onyeka (a British-Nigerian character) used only a few Britishisms, and I don't think she used them outside of a few words referring to objects (perhaps "crisps" instead of "potato chips/chips"). Every time the characters used "y'all", it in some sense felt affected or fake. They were from Atlanta, a major and modern city in Georgia, not some rural area. It's like having characters from the major city of Austin, Texas say 'howdy' at every opportunity. (We get it, they're from the South.)
I was disappointed that the bonded-griffin element was similar to bonded-dragon elements in other books, but the griffins (despite being built up in-universe) could not talk. Unlike Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, which was also a disappointing take on bonded creatures, the griffins didn't even have discernible personalities. If the griffins were going to basically act like normal horses that could fly and could be telepathically summoned, I wonder why they were given cool-sounding names and were given a distinctive bonded-creature worldbuilding convention.
There's too much telling-not-showing in this book, which is particularly egregious when it comes to the point of view. While the book uses the first-person perspective, I believe it would have been more enjoyable if written in the third-person. Unlike other first-person middle-grade fantasy novels, such as the Percy Jackson series, Cameron Battle doesn't have a clear and strong personality that would make the first-person point of view worthwhile. For the most part, the reader does not get to read his direct thoughts. For example,
"Pushing them away, I walked towards the dais, trying to ignore the pain. By now it felt like my skull was cracking in two. But I still continued. I placed both my hands on the dais and grasped the crown. The pain ceased as soon as I touched it."
On a sentence-by-sentence basis, the narrative is rarely riveting. I think it has something to do with sentence length not varying enough, not even in action sequences.
I'm disappointed that Cameron can't simply be best friends with Zion, but must be in a romantic relationship with him. (It's not confirmed - no one says "gay" or "bi" or "queer" or such - but the emotional intimacy, use of the word 'love', and physicality is clearly building up it, and the author specifically talks to queer black boys/men in the author's notes) Yes, there's a lot of a cultural backlog for LGBTQ+ relationship representation in media, which might be justification for the high density of queer relationships in children's media these days, but this also feeds into the trend of amatonormativity and the devaluation of friendship, even among children (I believe the protagonists are 12 or 13). Rick Riordan (and Mark Oushiro's) The Sun and the Star dealt with this better, although perhaps this isn't a fair comparison because the protagonists of that book had a lot more time to build up their relationships and identity "on-screen" (whereas this book's pre-plot background largely consists of saying Cameron and Zion knew each other since they were six).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
The details of the horrors of slavery are very vague, but this background detail pops up a lot, as it's so important to the conflict in the book.theeuphoriczat's review against another edition
4.0
This is was just so good and most importantly very easy to read. I read the whole book in about 3 hours and I am ready for the next book now. I cannot wait to see what Zion, Aliyah and Cameron will get up to in the next book.
Cameron Battle our titular main character is still grieving the loss of his parents (i.e., he knows that his parents despaired), so one day when he decides to go to the attic where is grandmother has hidden away The Book of Chidani, which happens to be a magical book that is handed down in the family. Just has Cameron and his friends start to question the strange occurrences around them, a portal opens and suck them in.
The softly land into an entirely new world hidden away and frozen in time to protect its habitants. This is where Cameron learns about his parents and the power that his mother held before she was killed. In this world, the Queen is trying to hold onto power even when her sister is doing everything in her power to take over. Even learning to fight and becoming the book (the passage way of power) would not save Cameron and his friends. They have to go on an adventure to find the three powerful artefacts that would help them stop Amina. This leads them to fighting old gods, flying on gryphons, hanging lucidly in the past and in the future.
It was a whole as ride and I really enjoyed it. I just loved the culture oozing from each page of the book. As a Nigerian, I just felt so much pride being able to imagine and relate to the characters!
Thanks to #pridebooktours for making this book available to me.
Cameron Battle our titular main character is still grieving the loss of his parents (i.e., he knows that his parents despaired), so one day when he decides to go to the attic where is grandmother has hidden away The Book of Chidani, which happens to be a magical book that is handed down in the family. Just has Cameron and his friends start to question the strange occurrences around them, a portal opens and suck them in.
The softly land into an entirely new world hidden away and frozen in time to protect its habitants. This is where Cameron learns about his parents and the power that his mother held before she was killed. In this world, the Queen is trying to hold onto power even when her sister is doing everything in her power to take over. Even learning to fight and becoming the book (the passage way of power) would not save Cameron and his friends. They have to go on an adventure to find the three powerful artefacts that would help them stop Amina. This leads them to fighting old gods, flying on gryphons, hanging lucidly in the past and in the future.
It was a whole as ride and I really enjoyed it. I just loved the culture oozing from each page of the book. As a Nigerian, I just felt so much pride being able to imagine and relate to the characters!
Thanks to #pridebooktours for making this book available to me.
nerdysread's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
At first, I was... more than perplexed. But I started enjoying the book. Is it perfect? Not really. The pacing was off sometimes and the author lost me. But the characters are good and we get attached to them. I just wish we saw more of Alilyah and Zion. Especially the first one. Kind of hard to understand her
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and War