Kiki is pulled back to her imagined Mysore, or the Kikiverse as she calls it. She’s back with the rebel kids she created/met in book one. There’s a new threat to deal with, and Kiki must get involved with witches to figure out how to restore the Khaveri River and save the Kikiverse from destruction.

Kiki is coping better with her anxiety, and is more confident now. Once back in the Kikiverse, she makes plans, decides what the kids should investigate or do, and tries her best to care for the welfare of her made-up world. Interestingly, the Kikiverse seems to be developing in unexpected ways, telling me that though Kiki created it, the world is becoming its own thing separate from her imaginings.

Kiki misses her aunt, as do all of the kids in the group, but they’re learning to deal with situations on their own, much as Kiki is in her life.

I loved how Sangu Mandanna is developing Kiki’s character, and I also loved how she threw me a curveball when Kiki’s mother appeared in the kids’ home. How Kiki and her mother deal with the oddness of the situation, and how Kiki’s drawings have power is echoed in her mother’s past and her own sketching from years earlier. It’s an interesting development, as is how their relationship grows as they begin dealing with her mother’s grief, albeit slowly, in this instalment.

Kiki Kallira the series is charming, full of adventure and humour, and I can’t wait to see what Kiki does next.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Kiki has another great adventure thanks to the talent of her drawing ability. I think readers in our library will love this tale of Indian mythology and find a little of themselves in the story.

This series is an absolute delight and I wish it had existed when I was in middle school. Still going to buy copies for all the inquisitive children in my life. Also: I need to look up Zenia Starr's other audiobooks because the narration was terrific. Read via audio.

Sangu Mandanna has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read her other book, A Spark Of White Fire. This series with Kiki Kallira has been another awesome story that I have enjoyed immensely. It's another favorite and 5 star read.
This is a fantastic story that I would have loved when I was in Elementary and I still love it even as an adult. My kids are enjoying it now as well. This has some good info with subjects touched on with anxiety and such, which is a very common thing that needs to be discussed often with kids and everyone nowadays.
In this continuation of Kiki's adventures with the world she drew, the kingdom she brought into existence with her sketchbook and magic is now in danger and needs her help again. This keeps the story going with Kiki having to find her confidence to do the hard things by helping solve the problems with the world and with repairing things and moving forward from the fallout and hard things that happened in the previous book. This shows what happens after the success of the last adventure and how the characters continue to develop and change as well. This appears to possibly be the end of the books and stories in this world, but there's room for possibly writing more with Kiki, her friends and family, and this kingdom too.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves Middle Grade reads, Mythology, and such. Go check this one out, you won't be disappointed! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking Books for Young Readers for letting me read and review this awesome book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.