Further Chaos With the Neverseen

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Exile and Everblaze, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Neverseen~
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Book 4
By Shannon Messenger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sophie Foster is on the run—but at least she’s not alone.

Her closest friends from the Lost Cities have gone with her to join the Black Swan. They still have doubts about the shadowy organization, but the only way to find answers is to start working with them. And as they settle into their new lives, they uncover secrets bigger than anything they’d imagined.

But their enemies are far from done, and unleash a terrifying plague that threatens the safety of an entire species. Sophie and her friends fight with everything they have—with new allies joining them—but every choice has consequences. And trusting the wrong person could prove deadly.

In this game-changing fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must question everything to find a truth that will either save her world—or shatter it.


I was extremely exited for this one—after all, we're finally joining the rebellion full-time and getting into all the secrets. Right? ...Right?

No One Can Stop You On The Come Up, Dreamer

~On the Come Up~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.


After reading The Hate U Give, I knew I had to come back for more of Thomas's powerful stories. While not as familiar with hip-hop or rap music, I knew I had to at least give it a shot. This is my third time reading about the black experience—I'm sure there are better terms for it, but I like it better than Black Lives Matter, which some people are tagging these books despite them having little-to-nothing to do with the movement—and the third time I am in awe of how little I know about the world around me.

Thug Life Meant: The Hate U Give Little Infants F---s Everybody

~The Hate U Give~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.


I actually read this book a couple years ago, during my reading/reviewing hiatus. It was somewhat freeing, being able to read what I wanted without hyping up, defending, or analyzing my choices. I got through some good series that way. But I also know I took the easy way out when it came to this book. My GoodReads review was 3 sentences, basically saying everyone should read it for its message. After the tumult of 2020, I know that wasn't enough. So here I am, back again, revisiting Starr, Khalil, and the now three-year-old story that still feels like it could happen tomorrow.

Long Live Our Queens! Long Live SLAY!

~SLAY~
By Brittney Morris
Amazon ~ Powell's

Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give in this dynamite debut novel that follows a fierce teen game developer as she battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther–inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers.

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically black in a world intimidated by blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?


I first came upon this book during RivetedLit's December Reads event, and considering how much I love The Hate U Give and my interest in gaming culture, I couldn't say no. But then I let it sit too long and expire. So when the Black Lives Matter movement resurged this spring/summer, I finally got my butt in gear and checked it out. And I'm glad I did.

A Wall of Fragmented Memories Blazing With Unstoppable Flames

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Keeper of the Lost Cities and Exile, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Everblaze~
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Book 3
By Shannon Messenger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sophie Foster is ready to fight back.

Her talents are getting stronger, and with the elusive Black Swan group ignoring her calls for help, she’s determined to find her kidnappers—before they come after her again.

But a daring mistake leaves her world teetering on the edge of war, and causes many to fear that she has finally gone too far. And the deeper Sophie searches, the farther the conspiracy stretches, proving that her most dangerous enemy might be closer than she realizes.

In this nail-biting third book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must fight the flames of rebellion, before they destroy everyone and everything she loves.


Well, I was expecting things to heat up, but this was a little more than I bargained for. Dad jokes aside, I was excited to continue Sophie's saga and see where things headed to next. Only book 3 of this 8+ book series, and we're already approaching Deathly Hallows territory.