Tristan Strong Keeps Punching by Kwame Mbalia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Tristan Strong Keeps Punching is the third entry in Kwame Mbalia’s middle grade fantasy series inspired by African American and West African folklore. Picking up a few weeks after book two, Tristan must track down the missing Alkean inhabitants and children with fragments of Alke’s story woven within them, while trying to defeat the haint King Cotton and his Redliners, who want to take over the world and make it a safe space for them and their racist hateful views.
This time around, Tristan must deal with anger issues and questioning whether he’s worthy of still being an Anasesem and the Alkean Gods’ champion.
This time around, Tristan must deal with anger issues and questioning whether he’s worthy of still being an Anasesem and the Alkean Gods’ champion.
I don’t know what happened between the last book and this one, but I found Tristan to be so annoying. He constantly ran off halfcocked, ignoring everyone’s advice not to go off alone, and put himself and others in danger. And he suffers no consequences for his actions.
I get the adults are useless trope exists in middle grade and young adult novel for a reason, but just once I wished Tristan would have listened, instead of thinking he knew better. I could have excused this as his being only twelve-years-old, had he learned form his actions, but he doesn’t at all. And the only reason he survives is because of plot armor.
I also felt the romance Mbalia is setting up for Tristan and Ayanna wasn’t needed at all and it came off as an afterthought.
I will say Tristan’s sense of humor, which hooked me, was on showcase here, but those moments were rare as he spends mostly of the story complaining about things as though that alone will change things.
Overall while I did enjoy this book, I liked it much less than the other entries in the series. But I’m hopeful to see where the series goes next now that there is an army of kids with Alkean magic other there to be found and trained.
I give Tristan Strong Keeps Punching 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. If you liked the previous entries in the series, then check this one out. But know that it’s nowhere as light or funny, and Tristan can work your last nerve with his complaining.
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