Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

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As a white person who is not that informed about US history, I learned details I didn't know about, which is always welcome. Also, I do recommend listening to the audiobook whilst reading as well. The audiobook was so well-done (like all Angie Thomas’s books) and it gives the story more depth. The main characters were fun and loveable. I loved the dynamic between the three by the end of the book. And I loved the family aspects especially. It was just very sweet and wholesome at times. Vanaf de eerste bladzijde spat de magie van de bladzijden af. De magische schrijfstijl leest vlot en Angie Thomas omschrijft en creëert een hele nieuwe wereld. Een wereld vol betoveringen. Vol verwondering. Eto, pan maen nhw’n cyfarfod eu hoff awdur, mae popeth y mae Nic yn meddwl ei bod yn gwybod yn troi ben i waered, ac mae’n rhaid i’r ffrindiau frwydro i achub tad Nic.

Mae Nic Blake yn un o’r grŵp Manifestor – pobl Ddu sydd â’r Ddawn o’u mewn – ac sy’n gallu gweld fampirod, bleidd-ddynion a phob math o fodau hynod. Mae ei ffrind gorau anhynod JP yn byw drws nesaf – ond mae e yn hynod oherwydd ei frwdfrydedd dros lyfrau ffantasi TJ Retro a thros gadw cwmni i Nic. The tensions in the novel between who has the Gift and who is just plain ordinary go to the heart of questions kids ask about themselves: Am I special? Do I matter? Is it OK to feel fear? How do I keep going when I’m so afraid? I've seen that most people absolutely love this book, so I hope that most young readers really enjoy it as well. Maybe it just didn't work for me - and that's a good thing, because I want kids to be able to love this! I usually try to review books objectively, especially if I'm not the target audience. I wouldn't read a horror novel and give it a low rating because it was 'too scary', and similarly I don't judge MG/YA for feeling 'immature'. Still, I have to be honest about how I felt.Overall, this is another take on the middle-grade magical fantasy genre that has exploded over the last twenty years. Though it has more in common with the likes of Shadow Hunters than HP. I am now looking forward to the next instalment of Nic Blake. It’s not easy being a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world. Some things are cool — like getting a pet hellhound for your twelfth birthday. Others, not so much — like not being trusted to learn magic because you might use it to take revenge on an annoying neighbour. Twelve-year-old Nic Blake, is a Remarkable living with her Remarkable dad in an Unremarkable world. A Remarkable is someone with powers and an Unremarkable is someone without. (Think HPs wizards and muggles). Though there are lots of different types of Remarkables. And I am interested to see how it goes, as Nic will change schools and her whole life will take a different turn after the events in this one. Will we get a school of magic setting, or will she go out on adventures? We'll see.

The book was adapted into a movie, starring Amandla Stenberg and released by 20th Century Fox. The movie of Thomas’ second novel, On The Come Up, is set to première on Paramount+ this autumn, directed by Sanaa Lathan and starring Jamila C Gray. We have a straightforward first-person-narrator middlegrade adventure with a ton of fantasy elements, which is something I always look out for. Well, I don't care about the narrator choice that much, but fantasy?! Hell yes. Nic Blake is 12 years old which means it's finally time for her dad to show her how to use The Gift, the type of magic that people like her (Remarkables) wield to make life a little better than if you were an Unremarkable (normal humans like her best friend JP). But things take a turn when Nic meets her godfather, and finds out some things her father has been hiding from her - mainly her mother, and her twin brother Alex - and suddenly she has to find something really special to save her dad.

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Overall, this is def a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to read the sequel! Its fun, its a great read for a palate cleanser and it gives hope and representation especially for people of colour ✨🤍 I read this book as an audiobook from the library, but I also have an ARC from the publisher (full disclosure), which didn't affect my review in any way. Angie Thomas has never let me down before. Her writing usually draws me in so well. Her characters and prose feel so real it's as if you're there, and her stories are absolutely gripping. I can't tell you how excited I was to read her first fantasy novel. It looked so fun. I was squealing when I saw I received an ARC. But today is also the day she get to go with JP (her best friend and neighbour) to meet TJ Retro their favourite author,. He writes stories about three children who live in a magical world, and fight evil. Only something happens when she holds Ms Lena's hands and her Dad gets freaked out and says she can't go. After a fight Dad goes to get pizza, and Nic sneaks out. She and JP see the author as he arrives, he has an aura - he's a Manifestor too! Dad arrives at the bookshop, he's not happy! It's then that TJ Retro greets her father, turns out they were best friends as children and TJ Retro (or Tyran J Porter) is her Godfather. However, Dad doesn't seem all that happy to see him. The first middle grade title by author Angie Thomas – best known for her YA books – and written in response to never seeing herself reflected in the stories she read growing up, this is an astonishing piece of writing which will thrill young readers as they are transported to a world hidden from most of us and populated by those with astonishing powers: the Remarkables.