A review by erickabdz
Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

3.0

No story is perfect for everyone, but everyone can find the perfect story when they need it most.

Such a lovely, impactful and funny story! I very much loved [b:Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky|39884337|Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (Tristan Strong #1)|Kwame Mbalia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549350938l/39884337._SX50_.jpg|61695419] so I was a little let down by Tristan Strong Destroys the World that suffers, for me, second book syndrome. What I loved the most about this book was the talk about trauma, generational trauma, and the whole story around the Shamble Man. His scenes, too, were the most impactful for me. I also deeply loved the

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knitting scene of the end. It just felt warm and powerful and I loved that it made epic something women are known for and included Tristan in this beautiful tradition without questioning his masculinity

.

However, I didn't much enjoy the plot; more like, I couldn't justify much of the plot. It was entertaining while it was happening but it had me really asking questions like,

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are the gods really that busy not to help? Doing what? Why was the Shamble Man so easily defeated when he was supposed to be this big thing?

Ultimately, I couldn't just get too into the plot, and there wasn't a lot of character deep to focus on besides that. Also Gum Baby didn't have much screen time and that would've made me enjoy this so much better :(

Anyhow, the story does hold itself together and makes an interesting promise for the final book. The sole idea of giving power to the stories, stories that go across generations, is such a beautiful concept that definitely deserves attention and I'll stay to see how Mbalia finishes this series.