This is a fantastic followup to the first! I'm such a huge fan of the world building here, and the hang of the ending makes me want to read the next one ASAP, I'd even say this might be better than the first for me, now that we've dealt with a lot of the conceit. This also felt like such a good contained story, I had a fantastic time!

Tristan Strong returned in another action-packed and fantastic story for this second novel in the trilogy. I look forward to reading book three.

I was already a huge fan of Tristan Strong from Book 1, but Book 2 leveled it up and smashed all expectations! Mbalia continues to build on the Afrocentric themes presented in Tristan Strong Punches A Hole In The Sky, and adds in additional layers of grief, generational trauma, and the importance of a strong support system. This series is a must-read for all children (and even some adults)!

Disclaimer: I received the e-arc for this book from the publisher and then bought my own copy. Thanks! All opinions are my own and support your authors!

Book: Tristan Strong Destroys the World

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Book Series: Tristan Strong Book 2

Diversity: Black MC and side characters

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: Middle grade, fantasy, mythology, African mythology and lore

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Pages: 390

Recommended Age: 10+ (Violence, Grief, Trauma)

Explanation of CWs: Punching and there are some weapons used. There are very scary moments and the subject of trauma is brought up literally and in an allegorical sense.

Synopsis: Tristan Strong, just back from a victorious but exhausting adventure in Alke, the land of African American folk heroes and African gods, is suffering from PTSD. But there's no rest for the weary when his grandmother is abducted by a mysterious villain out for revenge. Tristan must return to Alke--and reunite with his loud-mouthed sidekick, Gum Baby--in order to rescue Nana and stop the culprit from creating further devastation. Anansi, now a "web developer" in Tristan's phone, is close at hand to offer advice, and several new folk heroes will aid Tristan in his quest, but he will only succeed if he can figure out a way to sew broken souls back together.

Review: I really liked this sequel. While the first book felt like it could stand alone this book picked up well from the first and the ending led me to want more of it. The characters are all well developed, the world building is well done, and I loved the African mythology and lore. I love the stories and I love how the author condenses these stories for this book.

The only thing I had issue with is that the book was very fast paced. There's a lot going on in the book and you gotta pay attention or you'll be lost.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

Tristan Strong Destroys The World
(A Tristan Strong Novel, Book 2)

By: Kwame Mbalia

Rick Riordan Presents

Children's Fiction

Disney Publishing Worldwide

Publish Date October 6, 2020

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I was kindly given the e-arc of this book for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley. I gave this book 3 stars. This is the second book in a trilogy. Unfortunately this series has only received 3 stars so far. It hasn't wowed me. This is based off of African American folktales. I do enjoy learning about different cultures and the story is cute but I just can't seem to get into the characters.

This book is about him preparing for a boxing match and the this African God comes into his dreams and he has to figure out what he wants. Tristan is at his Grandparent's farm place in Alabama. This God is destroying his grandparent's farm to get Tristan's attention and finally kidnap's his grandma. Tristan is out to find his grandma and deal with this God. He needs help from another God but he can only the trickster. There are many things going on and new place

In the second installment of the series, Tristan returns to Alke. A number of folk heroes and legendary figures from the first book return, including the irrepressible Gum Baby, along with new friends and foes. A thrilling adventure set in a rich and detailed mythological world, this is a hit for middle grade readers and up.

A great second book! Tristan is a great protagonist, the world is well built, and the books are all really well-plotted. I love that the mythology is rich and complex, rooted in reality but still fantastic and doesn't talk down to the audience. 10/10

Again, Mbalia hits it out of the park with another incredible story with fleshed-out characters, a compelling plot, and translating hard topics for children. Mbalia continues to tackle hard-to-talk-about topics like PTSD, diaspora, and more. Tristan has to travel back to Alke to save the world again, and readers will remember the delightful cast we met in the first iteration of Tristan Strong--including, yes, of course, Gum Baby. I felt as though this was as strong as the first and hope we get a full trilogy for Mbalia to get more room to explore the rich world he's created. It's truly something different and new and really needed for today's young readers.

The Tristan Strong books never disappoint! I read them and then pass them along to my brood of boys who fight over who gets to read them next. We hope there’s a book three in the works!

Amazing! I have loved each of these so far. Mythology is front and center and the characters/myths seem to really be like real people. Love it.

Tristan Strong is back with a whole new adventure in this second book of the series brought to us by Riordan presents. IF you have not read the first title, you may be a little lost as to motivations of certain characters so this is not recommended as a stand-alone novel by this librarian. A great Percy Jackson read-alike!

Mbalia does it again with another phenomenal and powerful Tristan Strong story. Hilarious, full of adventure and storytelling fun- this sequel is sure to become a new favorite, I will be recommending this series to everyone!

This sequel to our original introducing to Tristan Strong was a great read. My library has already purchased it and the original and it has been nominated for a children's book award! What i love most about these books is that they seamlessly instill an interest in black folk tales, but they also give us stories about boys that aren't overwhelmed with aggressive violence. I loved this book, I love the whole series and look forward to what this author brings us next.

5/5⭐️ to Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

Thank you to Disney Books and NetGalley for an early egalley to review!

This is the second book in the Tristan Strong series, which follows Tristan, a rising 8th grader who loves to box and is called again to Alke, which is a world woven by the folklore and culture of African American people. With the help of West African gods, and characters of Black folk stories. This book in particular focuses on the idea of the Diaspora ~ an entire group of people across the world who can trance their ancestry to one particular place ~, the power of stories & history, the importance of friendship, and the idea of trauma & healing. This is SUCH an impressive middle grade series, from the characters to the writing to the complex commentary it provides. Mbalia shares an action-packed story through Tristan’s eyes, and I was instantly pulled back into this world with these loveable characters, and a villain who kept the stakes pretty high. We had the return of beloved characters (Hi, Gum Baby!), and were introduced to new friends like Junior and Keelboat Annie. The ending we got was both satisfying, yet left lots still at stake for Earth and Alke, so I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!

If you haven’t yet read this series, go do it! I will be singing this series’ praises for a long time, and I will be definitely checking out Mbalia’s other books!

In case you’ve missed it, I’ve only spent the past year going on about how much I was looking forward to this book and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I’ve only mentioned it once or twice … a week … so you may have heard? Oh, good. Let’s move on, then.

Tristan Strong Destroys the World is a masterful sequel that picks up the comedy and adventure from the first book, yet packs a harder punch to the feels with its focus on trauma and healing. Also, there’s Gum Baby, who deserves her own shout-out, obviously.

I loved the first book so freaking much, so did the second book live up to the first? In a way, yes. In a way, no. This book is definitely darker than the first, but in a way that felt important and genuine. After all, Alke has suffered major trauma as a world and is still grieving. It’s only been a few months since the world was almost destroyed. This book felt deeper somehow, while still being funny and full of adventure and shenanigans.

My Thoughts:

- The whole gang is back for another adventure … but WAIT. THERE’S MORE. More gang. More adventure. More danger. More shattered feels. Just MORE, okay? The adventure in the first book felt fast-paced and very actiony to me, probably because it’s the first time I’m seeing this world and it’s wondrous. This book, though? The adventure felt darker, less focused on the wonder of the world and more on the cumulative trauma of the world. In a positive way, though, as people are trying to heal and move forward. It’s just easier said than done, obviously. If you thought you knew Alke, though, prepare to broaden your horizons with some new locations and a few new faces. I won’t say anything about either, except that if you thought the gods in book one felt just a teensy bit overwhelmingly male, you may be pleasantly surprised with some of the new gods. I absolutely loved the new additions, and as with the first book, it kept me guessing as to who (or what) would pop up next.

- Whereas Tristan Strong Punches A Hole in the Sky was about overcoming grief, Tristan Destroys the World is about trauma (collective and otherwise) and how to heal and move forward. This is easily my favorite aspect of this book. There’s so much to love about this particular story, but I love the way Mbalia handles trauma—with a raw, delicate honesty that exposes all the cracks and flaws of a world that’s attempting to rebuild. It’s not always pretty, but Mbalia doesn’t shy away from that. It’s hard work. It’s exhausting. Sometimes there’ll be steps forward, and sometimes there’ll be steps backward. Perhaps the best thing about this scenario is the way it smacks Tristan in the face unexpectedly and forces him to realize that his actions have consequences. Like I tell my offspring all the time … actions have consequences. Tristan left Alke before seeing the real aftermath from the last book. As it turns out, a global war sort of wreaks havoc on a population. Surprise?! This feels like a real eye-opening moment for Tristan, and it’s a lot of emotions for a kid to deal with, but I loved the awareness it forced him to have about the greater world in general and think beyond himself.

- The Big Bad in this is just *chef’s kiss*. Everything you could possibly want in a villain and then some. They’re super dark, more so than the first book in my opinion, but in a way that … kind of makes sense? Mbalia makes it really easy to both root against them but also empathize with them. It’s such a weird feeling. No, I don’t agree with their actions, buuuut … is their grievance legitimate? Heck yes! Again, this goes back to the trauma all of Alke is dealing with. People deal with trauma in different ways, and sometimes not so healthy ways, so this really fit the overall narrative beautifully.

- I liked Nana Strong in the first book, but whooo, I loved Nana Strong here. Good news: even Papa Strong gets a bit of a revamp in book two. Oh my gosh, not gonna lie, I hated him in the first book and maaay have slightly rooted for him to fall into Alke and just be swallowed by a bone ship. Not a huge loss, right? Thankfully, both Tristan and Papa Strong seem to have grown (and grown together), and it was so nice to see. They’re not quite there yet, but there’s movement in the right direction. Nana Strong, though … man, she steals the show. Nana Strong is the epitome of all the things many of us think of when we think of our grandmothers: wisdom, elegance, a quiet sort of fierce strength, and somewhere buried under the surface, a whole host of secrets. As the blurb says, Nana Strong ends up kidnapped, but at no point is she a victim, per se. The character is absolutely amazing and reminded me so much of my own grandmother (who passed two and a half years ago now) that it made my heart hurt. But, you know, in a good way.

- This book, like the first, had the possibility of becoming really heavy and overwhelming, yet it manages to be funny and heartfelt and hopeful, despite the slightly darker content. I mean, I think we can all agree by now that Mbalia is really good at humor. Gum Baby is a testament to that (and also a treasure, okay?!). He blends humor and heart so naturally that even as your feels hurt, you’re still laughing over some of the crazy antics the characters get up to. That’s not to say that it diminishes from the seriousness of the circumstances, because that’s not at all the case. There’s a time for trauma discussion and a time for laughter, and Mbalia strikes the perfect balance between the two.

Most Rick Riordan Presents books are a kind of overwhelming "Who's Who" of a mythology or folklore, and the Tristan Strong series is no exception. However, the Tristan Strong series also brings well developed characters and fast-paced but coherent plots to the table. And so far, each volume has a self-contained story, with a message about cultural and individual trauma. They're a real stand out!

After punching a hole in sky, Tristan Strong has to repair the otherworld, so this world doesn’t go away. He also has to rescue his grandmother, who the villain in this novel has taken. What’s really cool in these novels, is that Tristan’s primary superpower here is telling stories. Stories that heal. Stories that people need. And stories he needs.
Tristan asks Anansi, “’How am I supposed to fight against irrational outbursts? Or misplaced anger?...’
‘[---]’s dealing with trauma,’ Anansi said gently. ‘And he’s not handling it well.’
That stopped me mid- rant. Trauma. Nana had mentioned that trauma was a deeply distressing event.” (290- 1)
Really, really enjoyed this novel!

This book completely destroyed me in every way that matters. We see all the characters from the first Tristan Strong book again, and we meet new ones. We see the world more deeply, learn more about its inner workings, and learn more about Tristan. Anansi is a regular presence in all his brilliant, mischievous, troublesome glory. And the truth, that love heals trauma rather than more violence, had me sobbing at the end of this book.

I'm shoving it in my 12 year old's hands immediately.

I read books one and two in this series back to back, so it is a little hard to review this one independently. There is nonstop action as well as great characters. Gum Baby is definitely a character that adds plenty of humor to the story. I appreciate that Tristan is a kid dealing with real-life difficulties while also becoming a mythic hero. The books also made me want to learn more about the mythology and folk tales that inspired these stories.

Favorite characters return, and new ones are introduced. Tristan has found an even fiercer foe in the second book of the trilogy, and now his grandmother's life is on the line.

Tristan returns to the land of Alke and with the help of our favorite heroine Gum Baby, the trickster spider Anansie, Ayanna, and others. John Henry is fading, and the fear is other storybook heroes will soon follow. Tristan, still recovering from his last adventure, is slow to trust new faces like Junior.

Kwame Mbalia is a fantastic writer and builds a vivid and clear world. Tristan is a complicated hero, he doesn't always do the right thing, but he does know when to admit he was wrong. Mbalia's books and voice add to the growing number of diverse authors and stories in the middle-grade fantasy world. The West African mythology mixed with Southern folklore makes this a story you won't want to miss.

I am so thankful to Disney Hyperion for an ebook galley, and I was sure to buy an audiobook version as soon as it was published. This book is one your library patrons and students will want to read AND listen to again and again. Make sure to purchase lots of copies for the inevitable rush of holds!