Tristan Strong Keeps Punching.

Firstly I am saying I love this series. I think it is amazing that Rick Roridan works with other authors and helps them write stories. I think though that this could just be a little better, and a little more structured.

There is so much to enjoy about the entire Tristan Strong series. I have shared the first two books with teachers and students over the past few years, and I wiill recommend this latest installment without hesitation. Kwame Mbalia weaves legend, lore, imagination, and profound truth, all together. This is the showdown that the series deserves -- and now I'm ready for more.

🏙⚡BOOK REVIEW* 🏙⚡
First off, I can't tell you how excited I was to get a notification that I'd received an ARC of this book. I was over the moon!!!! This series is so good and so much fun and I'm so invested in this story. I really enjoyed seeing all these characters again and their love for each other and their dynamics as a group made me smile repeatedly🥰 I really liked Seraphine, Jess, and Memphis and I would've loved to see more of those three! Gum Baby was incredible, as always😏 She's a true queen. I was glad to see Thandiwe again as well. The writing was captivating and emotional and I got chills repeatedly. So good. My only complaint is that something about this plot felt a little off to me. It came off as a bit repetitive and heavy handed, if that makes sense. Idk. I'm normally super invested in the plot while reading this series and I just didn't quite feel the same way reading this one. Unfortunately, this the weakest one in the series, in my opinion. All in all, a very fun read, but it didn't quite live up to the rest of the series. I would still HIGHLY recommend these books though, especially the first two. KEEP PUNCHING!!!!!

* Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching is the conclusion of the Tristan Strong trilogy, wrapping up the series with intensity, adventure, and sometimes unsettling (but badly needed) honesty. Unlike the previous two novels, this story is set in the real/human world which, following the explosive conclusion of Book 2, is now populated by the gods of Alke and shards of Alkean magic. The familiarity of the real world leads to more terrifying enemies and scenarios, pitting Tristan not against the foes of story and legend but, instead, against monstrous embodiments of historical and contemporary anti-black forces such as slavery, gentrification, the prison industrial complex, white indifference, and the "thoughts and prayers" crowd.