I am re-exploring middle-grade books this year and this was a great addition to that category on my shelf.
Nole, Dapple and Kia were adorable in their own ways as they figured out life and love throughout the story. The character arcs were unexpectedly really deep and satisfying.
The fact that these friendships deveoped through an RPG was super interesting to me and their interactions within Enix were my favourite. I couldn't wait with Nole for him to log in.
The serious issues discussed without being didactic -- body image issues, bullying, eating disorder and dealing with rejection -- were refreshing to have in a middle-grade book.
I really liked some of the juxtaposition of the game onto real life and the aesthetics of the really beautiful world of the game.
I am looking forward to reading more by the author and in the genre.

Cute and relatable for many teens out there. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

follows Nole, an ‘awkward eighth-grade introvert’ who uses gaming as escapism from the struggles of middle school. At school he faces bullying, whereas in Enix he’s a brave adventurer.

‘Kianola is a tale of friendship, self-discovery, and imagination, capturing the journey of growing up across two worlds.’

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I can see a younger audience really resonating with the themes of friendship and the struggles Nole faced at school. From feeling different to the other kids (he wore glasses where no one else did) to unrequited first crushes and being bullied - this story really brings out important themes.

The friendships in the novel are what made it for me - from real life in the school yard to fantasy gaming quests we see how his friends enrich his life and help him along. This is a powerful message to send to younger readers and one that the author gets across really well. The idea that friendships may hit stumbling blocks (so falter slightly) and other times they may be brought closer together but they always come back around.

Gaming is such a huge part of young peoples lives and this was a perfect depiction of how it can bring children closer together - bonds created over a shared interest.

Overall a great read!

ARC copy provided by BooksGoSocial & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I don't really have any specific complaints about the book itself it just wasn't for me

In Kianola, we follow the journey of Nole, a young boy, and his friendships. From school lunches to fantastical in-game adventures, we witness the epic world of Enix bring them together. Through real-life insecurities and the healing power of true friendship, Kianola takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. Their friendship ebbs and flows, sometimes growing weaker, sometimes stronger, but they keep reconnecting over shared loves: games and the universal struggles of growing up.

Let me tell you, this book had a hold on me, and I was the first to be surprised. Kianola rekindled my enjoyment for young adult fiction and gave me throwbacks to my own gamer journeys.

The quests and battles were written so well, the conversations felt real, and the main character was so easy to root for. It reminded me of just how powerful connections forged through games can be (and how easy it is to get lost in the digital world).

I also thoroughly enjoyed how present and supportive Nole's parents were; supportive families often feel left out in MG/YA, so this was refreshing to see.

Gamer guys and gals, this one’s for you!

I really enjoyed the use of friendship and how it worked in the video game in the story. The characters had that charm that I was looking for and felt realistic for the story. The plot was everything that I was wanting and enjoyed getting to go on this journey with the characters. Nathan Roth wrote this perfectly and am excited to read more.

Truly more of a 3.5 but I chose to round down after some internal debate. This was a cute story. I don't quite remember middle school but I do remember it being formative to how my time in high school started. Nole is an interesting character and he defiantly spends some time growing into who he wants to be. Now I cant say much for how the relationships are in this book though. The minds of children escape me and I personally was never into the dating scene although I do recall quite the few get togethers and break ups happening around me during this age.

The story has good bones and one of the things that fell flat for me was that things happened quick and sometimes there didn't seem to be any build up to those happenings. Occasionally I would even have to read back to see if I missed something (usually I didn't). The time period is early 200os or so from what I can tell due to mention of CDs and Blink-182. There are actually quite a few refences made throughout the story to games and music which were fun as someone who grew up in that era. But with so many books currently that are game based being for VR games I actually was a bit confused with how Nole's time in game was described until I figured out the time period. Then I was just impressed with Nole's imagination. To him he really felt as if he was living a 2nd life inside the game. I'm going to guess Enix is comparable to World of Warcraft or Runescape.

My biggest issue though was the parents. Or lack of them really. Nole has a big issue with food throughout the book and while he gets better on his own there was no intervention from adults. That disturbed me a bit. Also there is no online safety. I grew up being told not to give out information online but Nole isn't the most careful. I get them not being present that much since the story is from Nole's POV and the game world has a bit more focus, but I still would have expected a bit more parental guidance. And things like that make me less likely to want my nephews to read this despite some of the good that this story also gets out because its description as "a tale of friendship, self-discovery, and imagination that captures growing up in both reality and the virtual world" does still stand.