I thought this was an excellent addition to the series. I do not know if this series will conclude as a trilogy or not. If it does, I think that Zhao concluded things well but if she plans for more entries in the series, then she left the door open just enough that further adventures fit right in. Winnie shows a great deal of maturity in this installment, learning and growing from her experiences in the first two novels as well as this entry.

As the third book in the series, Winne Zeng Shatters the Universe continues the story of young shaman, Winnie, in her battle against the evil spirits that threaten her world. Unlike the previous books in the series, this book takes place mostly in the spirit realm where Winnie and her friends are set to compete in a competition against other young shamans. The Shaman Youth Tournament quickly takes a turn, leaving Winnie and her friends to once again save the world.

Winnie Zeng is such a fun character. She is smart, interesting, and cares so much about her friends, family and the lives they all lead. Her relatability provides an easy starting point for getting wholly invested in the book. While most mid grade readers won't find themselves battling spirits, they will relate to her worries, fears, hopes, dreams, friends, and family.

Winnie’s story is great for younger and older readers alike because of the fast paced nature of the story. From start to finish, Winnie’s story was quick to devour and the action never stops. While the fast paced nature of the story made the book hard to put down, it did leave the age old problem of feeling rushed in some spots. It would have been lovely to see more of the ending sequences played out for longer and a few of the middle scenes, where Winnie doesn't quite yet understand what is going on, to take up slightly less of the book time.

Despite feeling rushed during the plot, one thing that the Winnie Zeng series really excels at is providing really fleshed out characters. Throughout the series readers encounter some of Winnie’s friends and family, and each of them eventually feel just as three dimensional as Winnie herself. It has been fascinating watching Winnie grow in her friendships, her culture, and her family structure.

⅘ stars for a book that I absolutely can’t wait to read with my family!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I feel like I saw that this is the last book in this series, though there is definitely room for more.

This installment sees Winnie and David going to the Shaman Youth Tournament but, surprise, there's evil spirits thrown in.

Like previous books, I think this will be well-liked with the intended audience, but I also think it continues to be a bit obvious with some plot points and needlessly repetitive. It is always "the Shaman Youth Tournament" and never just "the tournament" and always "the Groton mustard tower" and never just "mustard tower" or "tower". It feels unnatural in the text.

It's been a while since I read either of the previous books, but this one did a good job recapping all the important parts from them so it was still easy to know what was going on and who was who.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Another fun installment in the Winnie Zeng series! I enjoyed this one very much. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

Winnie and her friend/rival David are off to the Shaman Youth Tournament which is basically a 10 day camp over winter break where all young shamans come to the spirit world to compete head to head for the grand prize. But naturally things go awry, and Winnie and her friends must figure out how to combat the evil spirits before they threaten the balance of the world.

As always, there are some delicious recipes included. Let me tell you, I have a major hankering for black sesame chocolate chip cookies now! The description had my mouth watering and I've got to give it a try.

Can't wait to see what's up next for Winnie and the other youth Shamans! Recommended for ages 8+.

Winnie is chosen to compete in the Young Shaman tournament in the spirit world, but all is not what it seems, and she and her friends end up in a larger battle against evil forces. Winnie remains a sympathetic and relatable protagonist, and I was very much invested in the outcome for her. I also enjoyed the continuing development of her unconventional relationship with her grandmother. A very fun, magical adventure!

This was, sadly, the last book in this series and my very favorite. I really loved this entire series and this book. I love the main character, Winnie, and how she always somehow gets into shenanigans. She's funny and smart and fun. I also enjoyed the plot a lot. Shaman camp?? Yes. With a tournament? Double yes. And trouble is brewing??? Triple yes.
So, yes, this entire series was a lot of fun, I really liked the magic system and all the characters. I wish it had even more books!

Winnie Zeng Shatters the Universe is the third (and I believe final book) in this delightful middle grade fantasy series, and I’ve enjoyed the ride. This final book does a great job on a personal front for Winnie and her friends, as well as being truly fun and engaging on a fantasy front. Plus, the foodie element remains present, from confidence cookies to spirit boba, and there’s recipes at the end once again.
Winnie’s coming-of-age has been a major thread throughout the series, and I love how she not only develops in terms of her shamanic powers, gaining new skills over time, but also on a personal level too, with her friendships and even rivalries continuing to develop in compelling ways this time around.
The tournament setup is very cool, and is a great way to present the mythological elements early on, as well as the inciting incident with the attack by the Four Evil Beings. The story was exciting and fast-paced, and a perfect epic conclusion for the series.
This was an enjoyable series, and I hope Katie Zhao writes more in this vein in the future. If you’re looking for a fun middle grade fantasy series with Chinese mythology.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley.
This third in the trilogy wraps the story well. Winnie, David and Kelly along with many other Shamans all attend the Shaman Youth Tournament during winter break. The tournament begins as any do but hints are offered that this one will not be traditional. Soon, The Four Evil Beings wreak havoc on the tournament and the human world. Naturally, they head for Groton and the records repository. Six of the Shaman did not suffer from the sleep spell so must save both of the worlds. It's not every day teenagers combine with gods but they make this work and vanquish the evil spirits.
The story flows smoothly and Zhao offers information on the gods and other beings. Her characters are flawed and offer a look at a variety of human emotions and reactions when challenged. I appreciate the high energy Zhao maintains through her writing style. Middle grade readers will be delighted with this third book. If she does not write any more, the series wraps well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this DRC.
What can go wrong at a magical Shaman Youth Tournament. If you are Winnie Zeng, lots of things. Winnie and her sometimes archnemesis, David, have been training hard and are ready to well this knock out round only tournament. Winie and her friends begin to realize that some of the other Shaman kids are acting a little too strong, and really, did their eyes just flash red? Winnie has to round up friends and sort of enemies to fight the evil spirits.
Another fun adventure for Winnie, David and Kelly. The relationships with her family, friends and ghostly grandmother are wonderful. The recipes are great, too.

#WinnieZengShatterstheUniverse #NetGalley

tl;dr
The perfect conclusion to the previous two books, packed with action and adventure. And cookies!

Thoughts
Winnie's back for her third adventure, and she's better than ever! Literally. Winnie's been working hard to become a better shaman, and it shows. I spent the first book disappointed that she gave up so easily, and the second book cheering for her as she grew more confident in herself. In this third book, it's really great to see how far she's come as a shaman, and also as a person. There's a very beautiful coming of age arc over this trilogy that's paced out super well. It was also lovely to see her relationship with David turn into a friendly rivalry rather than full animosity. Far away from the requirements of homework and family, we finally get into the full-on adventure that I've been pining for in the previous two books. A tournament arc! The culmination of all the mysterious threats from previous installments! The tournament in particular was extra fun - fights were clear and easy to read, with some clever tactics in play. Also, there's a spirit boba shop, and I want to visit. As with the previous two books, this one includes recipes for readers to try their hand at baking. Winnie's own original recipe looks like it'd be awesome. The book seems to close the series for now, but the end is just open enough that we might get more in the future. One can only hope.

I am always a fan of the Winnie Zheng series. I look forward to every new one coming out. I love the combination of baking and Chinese mythology. I appreciated the new setting of the Shaman Youth Tournament. I hope this series continues with more books, I highly recommend the latest!

This is the third book in the series of Winnie Zeng and her shaman friends. Once again she has to fight evil spirits, though this time she is doing it while at a shaman camp (which she tells her parents is a study camp), where she is supposed to improve her skills.

And of course, she has her archnemesis/friend/rival David, who when her parents here he is going to be at this camp, agree to let her go, not realizing that it is in the spirit dimension, because her parents are clueless to her powers.

This is a cute series of adventures of Winnie as she gains more skills with each book. She has gone from merely connecting with her overspirit, who is her grandmother, who was also a shaman, to learning to fly.

I do enjoy how Winnie has to learn how to do everything, that she isn’t born being a good shaman. This is a fun series for those who like to see their heroines grow with each book. Winnie has to bake confidence cookies to keep confident as to her abilities, something that would be nice to have around. And yes, you do get the recipes at the end of the book, though as to whether they will work like they did for Winnie is up to your magical abilities.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 30th of April 2024.