The Manifestor Prophecy

When I heard that Angie Thomas was coming to one of my local libraries for an author event, first I lost my ever-lovin' book nerd mind. Then I quickly grabbed a copy of this newest book and was delightfully surprised to find that it was a middle-grade fantasy novel.

The novel starts off strong as Thomas brings her readers inside a magical world that exists within our own. I loved the addition of African folklore, Black experience and Black History that is woven into a story set around a girl named Nic Blake. Nic is a 12-year-old girl with a best friend and a dad who loves her, but her whole world is turned upside down when she learns that secrets have been kept from her. These revelations lead to complicated family dynamics and a high stakes adventure beyond her wildest imagination.

Once again, Angie Thomas proves she is an excellent storyteller. With its energetic writing style, trio of resilient young main characters, non-stop adventure, bits of humour, unique fantasy elements and world building, I think this series would be a great pick for fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. I am excited to recommend this series to my young library customers and cannot wait to see what's in store next for Nic Blake.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Angie Thomas

Genre: Fantasy, Middle School

Series: 1st book in The Nic Blake and the Remarkables series

Type and Source: eBook from public library

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

First Published: April 4, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the launch of an inventive, hilarious, and suspenseful new contemporary fantasy trilogy inspired by African American history and folklore.

It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool—like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much—like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbor.

All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of...to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.