I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the TRISTAN STRONG KEEPS PUNCHING by Kwame Mbalia Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
TRISTAN STRONG KEEPS PUNCHING (Tristan Strong #3)
Author: Kwame Mbalia
Pub. Date: October 5, 2021
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 320
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents the finale of Kwame Mbalia’s trilogy, in which Tristan Strong faces off with his archenemy King Cotton once and for all.
“Imagine if you combined Anansi the Spider, John Henry, and Marvel into, like, one book.”–New York Times best-selling author and Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander
After reuniting with Ayanna, who is now in his world, Tristan travels up the Mississippi in pursuit of his archenemy, King Cotton. Along the way they encounter new haints who are dead set on preventing their progress north to Tristan’s hometown of Chicago. It’s going to take many Alkean friends, including the gods themselves, the black flames of the afokena gloves, and all of Tristan’s inner strength to deliver justice once and for all.
Shocking twists, glorious triumphs, and a cast of unforgettable characters make this series conclusion as satisfying as it is entertaining.
Grab the first 2 books in the series now!
Alke has been torn apart but Tristan wove the citizens into his world. They did not cross over smoothly and have been scattered throughout the US, but Tristan is determined to find them. When Tristan combined the worlds, he released more haints into his world as well as released King Cotton again. Tristan needs to gather all his lost friends, partner with the gods, and regain confidence in his own powers as the Storyteller. These haints are remnants of some of the most painful and covered-up sections of American history. Tristan will need to be strong, resilient, and calm in the face of such angering circumstances.
A large portion of this book is about anger and how anger can poison a person. There will always be injustices in the world but you cannot do any good work if you are blinded by your anger and sadness. You have to allow yourself to feel those emotions, pay your respects to those who have been lost, and recenter yourself to keep fighting. Tristan struggles with this a lot in this book as he sees some of the true horrors of African American history and the spirits affected by those events. This book is definitely very heavy for a middle-grade read. I knew about all these events before reading this book because I have always been interested in history, but this may have been a bit much for me at 12 years old. This series is definitely good for a parent-child reading session or some guided discussion afterward. These are important topics for kids to learn about, especially black kids, but they might need some guidance to process it.
Another theme in this book was being a good and responsible leader. It did feel like a lot of pressure on a 12-year-olds shoulder, but Tristan tries to keep up. This book definitely teaches readers not to jump right into “fixing things.” Sometimes it is better to sit back, process what’s going on, and reach out to your friends/support group before making any drastic decisions.
I wish that Tristan had been allowed to grow up a year or two in this series! I hope we will get a sequel series with Tristan a little older (kind of like PJO versus HOO) but I’m not sure if this is in the works. This entire trilogy takes place over the course of about one summer and some change, and I really want to spend longer with this character. It’s crazy to think how short the timeline is on such a large story! I also want to see this character grow and mature, but for now, I am satisfied with this amazing trilogy.
This book takes readers on a wild ride across America. If you thought the world in the previous stories was large as you travel from Alke to the modern-day, you are in for a treat with this series installment! There are so many new characters (as well as new monsters) introduced that I could barely keep track. I flew through reading this novel in a matter of 2-3 hours, devouring every chapter and following Tristan on his journey. It did feel like a lot to keep track of at times, but the story was worth focusing a little harder on a few passages.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new Middle-Grade fantasy read.
I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 books.
About Kwame:
Kwame Mbalia is the New York Times best-selling author of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award. The book was also named to best-of-the-year lists compiled by Publishers Weekly, the Chicago Public Library, and the New York Times. The second book in the trilogy is Tristan Strong Destroys the World, and Tristan Strong Keeps Punching is the third. Kwame lives with his wife and children in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he is currently working on several projects, including a new middle-grade series. Follow him on Twitter @KSekouM.
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Giveaway!
3 winners will receive a finished copy of TRISTAN STRONG KEEPS PUNCHING, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
| 10/1/2021 | Amani’s Honest Reviews | Excerpt |
| 10/2/2021 | BookHounds YA | Excerpt |
Week Two:
| 10/3/2021 | YA Books Central | Excerpt |
| 10/4/2021 | Rajiv’s Reviews | Review |
| 10/5/2021 | Lexijava_Bookish | Review |
| 10/6/2021 | What A Nerd Girl Says | Excerpt |
| 10/7/2021 | GivernyReads | Review |
| 10/8/2021 | Kait Plus Books | Review |
| 10/9/2021 | The Bookwyrm’s Den | Review |
Week Three:
| 10/10/2021 | Books and Ladders | Review |
| 10/11/2021 | More Books Please blog | Review |
| 10/12/2021 | @bookstagramofmine | Review |
| 10/13/2021 | Nerdophiles | Review |
| 10/14/2021 | Books a Plenty Book Reviews | Review |
| 10/15/2021 | Rockstar Book Tours | Excerpt |
| 10/16/2021 | The Momma Spot | Review |
Week Four:
| 10/17/2021 | Books Are Magic Too | Review |
| 10/18/2021 | onemused | IG Post |
| 10/19/2021 | Lifestyle of Me | Review |
| 10/20/2021 | Bri’s Book Nook | Review |
| 10/21/2021 | coffeebooksandmascara | Review |
| 10/22/2021 | Locks, Hooks and Books | Review |
| 10/23/2021 | Feed Your Fiction Addiction | Review |
Week Five:
| 10/24/2021 | Lily Luchesi’s Blog | Excerpt |
| 10/25/2021 | Little Red Reads | Review |
| 10/26/2021 | @drewsim12 | Review |
| 10/27/2021 | @fictitious.fox | Review |
| 10/28/2021 | BookBriefs | Review |
| 10/29/2021 | Popthebutterfly Reads | Review |
| 10/30/2021 | two points of interest | Review |
Week Six:
| 10/31/2021 | Two Chicks on Books | Excerpt |