I listened to this over a year ago, by this point I've also read the next book in the series and all I can say is that I love the premise and I love the writing. This has taken me deeper into the Wakandan history than I knew and I am here for this ride!

I love that the Marvel Universe is expanding beyond films and comics, but with books and now audiobooks as well! I think this audiobook would be ideal for young viewers of Black Panther who are eager for more of the characters and story. The narrator is engaging and should be able to keep children's attention.

Tried to get into this story, but it simply was not to my taste. I am sure those who follow the Black Panther series will enjoy it.

Note: I received a prerelease review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The only saving grace was T'challa's friend group, providing advice, astonishment, and grounding for him. Character growth just isn't happening. The "bad guys" are all goofy, cartoony, or generic 80s clichés of villains. I don't recommend this book for anyone that likes Black Panther.

This was a really enjoyable listen. Great job by the narrator, and the story was fun to listen to for me and my kid. He is just getting into superhero stuff, so he loved it!

As a huge Marvel fan, I love getting to read about young T’Challa and the adventures he has with his friends. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but book two absolutely exceeded my expectations. The story was fun but also a bit scary at times. It was really well paced and made it hard to stop reading. And I loved that we got to see the Dark Hold, which of course has been on people’s minds lately with Wandavision and Multiverse of Madness.

I feel like kids would really love this book too. It’s got some good moral lessons in the story, along with a diverse cast of characters, and so much good friendship. I really hope we continue to get more books in this series because I think it’s a great way to also engage with Marvel fans that might want to learn more about the characters we all love so much.

The audiobook narrator did a great job creating distinct characters, and I think he handled so many different accents really well. I didn’t even need to speed down my time to better understand him since all his voices were so clear.

Thank you Disney Audiobooks, Marvel Press, and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook.

T’Challa returns to the U.S. to visit his friends Sheila and Zeke, staying at Sheila’s grandmother’s in Alabama. As the three explore Beaumont, they find some strange things happening, including disappearances, and a man called Bob who seems to always be around. The three try to discover who Bob is and what is really happening. The first third of the book reads more like a series of history or civil rights lessons. It may have been more enjoyable with a bit less history or the lessons more spread throughout the book. The mystery and adventure are fun, and the characters are enjoyable. It’s fun to see young T’Challa and Shuri.

Special thanks to the publisher for providing a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Black Panther: Spellbound was a great adventure story about three friends battling evil. If you are into the Marvel universe and Black Panther story, this is a perfect read. The characters have been made middle school age, so everything doesn’t align perfectly with the Marvel Universe of the movies. But you will see references to other characters in the universe.

I listened to the audiobook, as well as read the physical book. The audiobook is a treat! I love that the narrator Dion Graham, incorporated the Wakandan accent. It made it so much fun to listen to and made the characterization of the voices distinct. I have Mr. Graham on my list of audiobook narrators to be on the lookout for now. If you have a student or child who you are trying to get to read, I think the audiobook would be a nice hook for them.

This is the second book in the series. Book one is Black Panther: The Young Prince. That one is set in Chicago. I haven’t read that one, but I plan too now.

This story is set in Beaumont, Alabama during the trio’s summer break. They are staying with Sheila’s grandmother for what is supposed to be a 3-week vacation with friends, family and food. When the trio attend a rally protesting a confederate statue, they encounter a mysterious man named Bob, who has a way with words…

If you have a late elementary or middle-school aged boy who you are trying to get to read more or are looking for books for them to read, check this series out.

Fave Moments
I loved the friendship between T’Challa, Sheila and Zeke. They were really a team as well as friends. They stuck together and it was nice to seem them work together to solve the mystery.
Zeke had me chuckling. I think that boy ate his way through an entire southern cuisine menu! Everytime his name is mentioned, it felt like it was being paired with shrimp and grits or bbq or southern chili. He had me hungry! While T’Challa is wondering what grits are, I’m over here salivating and thinking about cooking them for breakfast!

Movie Please
This book could easily be translated into an animated movie for kids. I would be all over that! I hate to be corny, but I just kept thinking about Scooby Doo and the gang trying to find out the mystery and he villain who is trying to get them all. Mystery cartoons are my fave!

Head to my blog, Cocoa With Books, www.cocoawithbooks.com to read the full review.

T’Challa visits two friends in the US. A fun filled vacation turns into mayhem. While hanging out he meets a man called Bob. Bob has evil ideas and the mayhem starts. T’Challa along with his friends go to the rescue. Its not what they expect. Do they survive you have to read to find out.

I was able to get a early copy from Net Gallery for a honest review.

I recorded an advanced, audio copy of this book through #NetGalley.

This was a pretty good story overall. I enjoyed the narrator, as did the children that listened with me. They tend to get distracted easily, but he was able to keep them interested at most times.

I would be interested in getting a hard copy format. I’d like to see the illustrations that go along with the story.

Thank you to: #BlackPantherSpellbound #RonaldLSmith
#DionGraham #NetGalley #BeunaVistaBooksInc

This Black Panther story had great potential but unfortunately was a little boring. The buildup was very slow. When T'challah arrives in Alabama, he's excited to see his friends and try the local cuisine. But the first 75% of the book ended up being about food! It was just one conversation over a meal after another. The "bad guy" wasn't very scary and final conflict wasn't very exciting either. However, the narrator was wonderful. His voice was rich and he moved from accent to accent with ease.

Looking at the popularity of Black panther it has become a essential to add more stories to the comic. This brings a younger version of the story to connect to children. The voice in reading the story will make text to listening centers more exciting. Creating more interest and higher text to context connections. This would be a great book for whole group discussions too. Talking about persuasion, persecutions, and responsibility. It also brings into focus the idea that children should ask for help. If the young T'Challa, had asked his father for help things may have been much easier on him and his friends. The book also make a connection between Wakanda and American culture and the responsibility to the world each nation has.

This is a very fun adventure for the young prince of Wakanda and the two American friends he made in a previous book (The Young Prince) as they meet up in Alabama over their summer break to experience everything the South has to offer when it comes to food and entertainment. The fun has barely begun when the trio discovers that people are going missing and that the performer they keep seeing everywhere might be up to no good.
It's an entertaining story with lots of fun notes mixed in amongst the action. It's a bit of a summer mystery plot with magic mixed in and a lot of great elements about friendship. I enjoyed the lightness of it and I'm sure younger readers will get pulled into the story.
I do want to note that you can jump right in and enjoy everything about the book even though it's the second book in the series. I never really felt like I was missing much from having missed the previous book, although I did walk away interested in seeing how the trio met.
The only thing I can find to complain about this book is that I have many questions about how the young prince of Wakanda is sent by himself to the US when he has already proven to get into trouble on his own in a previous volume and he's always surrounded by bodyguards as an adult Black Panther, but I guess that's just me not being in the right target audience and asking questions a younger reader probably wouldn't think of.
Dion Graham does a great job of narrating the book and suffusing each scene with emotion, be it the fun of three friends enjoying summer vacation together or the danger of facing off against an evil opponent.

Happy thanks to NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks, and Marvel Press for the early listen!

I listened to the audio version of “Black Panther: Spellbound” which drew in the listener from the beginning. Narrator – Dion Graham - 5+ stars! One of the best narrators I have ever listened too. He elevated the storyline with his intriguing voice, ability to vocally express emotion, and grabbed the attention of the listener immediately.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks & Marvel Press for providing me an advance copy (ARC) of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Disney for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Black Panther is one of my all time.favorite Marvel heros so I had to jump onto this audiobook as fast as I could. Of course, it didn't disappoint at all. Being that I live in Alabama myself, it was such an amazing g thi g to be able to know of all the areas they went to.
Getting to know the Black Panther before he took over the mantle was a breath of fresh air. To see how he was with friends and still trying to solve issues as a young prince.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing me with this advance listener copy.

Description from NetGalley:
The second book in the hit Young Prince series from Ronald L. Smith, recipient of the 2016 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award.
I'm T'Challa. The Prince of Wakanda. Son of T'Chaka. And one day, I will wear the mantle.
Thirteen-year-old T'Challa can't wait to go back to America to visit his friends Sheila and Zeke, who are staying with Sheila's grandmother in Beaumont, a small Alabama town, over their summer break. He's thrilled to be on vacation away from his duties as the Prince of Wakanda for a few weeks, and he's taking full advantage of his access to the amazing food and the South's rich history.
But as T'Challa continues to explore the town, he finds that a man who goes by the ordinary name of Bob happens to be everywhere he is—and T'Challa begins to think it's no coincidence.
When residents of the town begin flocking to Bob's strange message, and a prominent citizen disappears, the Young Prince has no choice but to intervene.
T'Challa and his friends start to do their own sleuthing, and before long, the three teens find themselves caught in a plot involving a rare ancient book and a man who's not as he seems.
Swept up in a fight against an unexpected and evil villain, T'Challa, Sheila, and Zeke must band together to save the people of Beaumont . . . before it's too late.
I read the first book in the series as an ebook, so it was an interesting contrast to listen to Spellbound. The narrator, Dion Graham, does a great job with all the different voices. Both this and the first one are pretty good middle grade adaptations of Marvel’s Black Panther. Both books take their time to set up the main plot allowing the readers to see T’Challa’s reactions to different places in the US and also making sure that the readers know his knowledge. It’s also very interesting to have T’Challa be a middle school kid.

Overall, the story is fun. There’s danger and mystery but also the big question of can they keep T’Challa’s real identity and home a secret. That last bit seems a bit harder this time around than in The Young Prince since Sheila and Zeke join him for summer vacation in Alabama. When things start to go down, I’m very happy that the Wakanda tech, while definitely used, didn’t just solve everything for the kids. Plus I love hearing T’Challa be a kid with other kids.

I honestly can’t wait to see if they’re doing another. 4/5

We are Black Panther fans in our house so another book in the series was welcomed with open arms! Young T’Challa and his friends, how exciting! It may be written for middle grade, but all ages will enjoy. Requires some knowledge of Black Panther.

Note: This is for the audiobook version that I received from Disney Audiobooks and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Spellbound was an exciting middle-grade novel focusing on a middle-school aged T'Challa. The narrator, Dion Graham, has a pleasing voice with a wide range of accents and the story flowed smoothly as a read-aloud. (I enjoyed the narrator so much that I looked up more of his audiobooks from the public library.)

Thank you to Disney Audio and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio copy of this book. I liked this different version of the Black Panther and I know that my students are anxiously awaiting the release of this book. I’m sure that my students, who are obsessed with superheroes, as well as Marvel enthusiasts would enjoy and relate to this version of the Black Panther as well.

The sequel is as AMAZING as the first in this series! I love the premise of this series. This is Black Panther BEFORE he's black panther; in fact, he's in ,middle school. And middle school is scarier than anything the Avengers will ever face.
T'Challa is back in the United States for summer break from Wakanda. He's excited to see his friends Sheila and Zeke and spend some time being a tourist in Alabama. And of course, he's ready to grub on some tasty southern food. Of course, T-Challa can't avoid the evil in the world, not even in a small town.
Things start to get weird when they visit the Iron Man (not the Ironman, but a statue called Iron Man) and a guy named Bob jumps off it: scattering pamphlets on his descent. Things fall apart when an politician name Achebe starts to brainwash citizens of the town. And of course, there's complications with possessions, hypnosis, and nightmares. Sheila, Zeke and T'Challa take on the darkness on their own without Wakanda's help and intervention.
If you read the first one, you won't be disappointed in the sequel. If you love the mythology and lore of Wakanda, you'll love this one! If you haven't read the first one, there's a few allusions to the first one, but you won't be completely lost reading it first.
Narrator: 5 stars. Love the voice acting!