Nic Blake and the Remarkables is one of those books that hooked me from the very start, and I was excited about it because it was written by Angie Thomas and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I would say her first middle-grade fantasy debut is a success on its own and I love how she puts her own flair towards it. With a literal Underground Railroad, haints, vampires, ghosts, a dragon, and tons of magic, Nic Blake and the Remarkables takes readers on a wild ride through a world that looks like, but isn't quite, our own, making for an inventive, suspenseful (and funny!) ride in this new trilogy. Reflecting on the presents that her peers have received for their twelfth birthdays, Nic Blake’s anticipated gift tops the lot, for she is expecting to be taught how to use the Gift by her father so that she can finally become a Manifestor, a type of Remarkable. Ahead of this though, home-educated Nic firstly has to catch a hellhound puppy, another gift, which she swiftly names Cocoa. After a couple of hours of learning on topics other than the Gift, Nic’s father takes to her juke joint Ms Lena’s – a place for Remarkables to hang out together. Receiving a warm welcome and many birthday wishes, Nic is surprised when owner and Visionary Ms Lena offers to fetch a vision for her as a gift. 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. Thomas, beloved for such novels as “The Hate U Give” and “Concrete Rose,” has many Gifts (with a capital G) herself, as a fiction writer. Her characters are richly drawn and always engaging. She has a delicious sense of humor and a strong ear for dialogue. “My momma says I’m sneakier than a snake in slippers,” JP remarks at one point.

De world building is sterk, maar voor mijn gevoel kwam er nét iets te veel informatie op mij af. Er werd veel beschreven, veel details, alleen was er daardoor nog maar weinig ruimte over om Nic en haar vrienden écht te leren kennen. 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. I was stoked to see that Angie Thomas had written a middlegrade book. I tried reading THUG but the depiction of PTSD was so good that it set off mine and I had to put it down, and ignored the other books in the series for the same reason. Representation is another important aspect; Nic, Alex, and JP are wonderful, charming, and relatable characters, and it's such a joy to see POC characters that middle-graders (and other readers) can see themselves in and relate to. I am sure these characters, but especially Nic, will become fan favourites. 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.If you want a fun adventure full of magic and self-discovery, but also with some important topics being touched on, then I think you might really enjoy this one. I'm excited to see where Thomas takes this story! 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. Nic Blake and the Remarkables is the first children’s fantasy book from renowned YA author Angie Thomas. The book is aimed at middle-grade readers and follows Nic, her best friend JP, and Alex (no spoilers here for who he is) as they set out to help Nic’s dad and two others who have been captured by Lore – the Remarkable’s police force, by finding a precious and powerful item and return it to the Lore to prove Nic’s dad is innocent of stealing it. 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. The characters in Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy are well-developed and interesting. Nic is a likable and relatable protagonist who readers will root for. His journey of self-discovery and growth is inspiring and heartwarming.

This does not go to plan when Ms Lena reaches for Nic’s hands and is badly affected by what she unexpectedly experiences. Hurrying her from the establishment, it is clear that Nic’s dad has been shaken up by what has happened and he forbids Nic from going to a book signing later that day with best friend JP. Determined not to have her special day ruined, Nic sneaks out to join JP and the two of them head to the bookstore where Nic is amazed to recognise author Mr Retro as a Manifestor and then further astonished when her furious father appears as she reaches the top of the signing queue. This pales into insignificance though when it is clear that Retro knows who she and her father are and after revealing to Nic that he is her godfather, Retro tells Mr Blake he will visit him later. 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 ✨🤍 With her dad being accused of a crime she can't believe he committed, Nic is plunged into a terrifying and dangerous quest. To prove her dad's innocence she must hunt for a magical tool she's never heard of in a remarkable world she knows very little about. But with some very dodgy characters on her tail, does she have any chance of finding it in time? And what is Nic's role destined to be in this remarkable world? 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. Nic Blake wil niets liever dan een machtige Manifestor worden, net als haar vader. Maar voordat ze de kans krijgt om alles van hem te leren, zorgen een reeks ongelooflijke onthullingen en angstaanjagende gebeurtenissen ervoor dat Nic en haar vrienden op zoek moeten naar een magisch voorwerp. Ze heeft geen idee hoe het eruitziet, en toch moet ze het vinden, want anders zal Nics vader gestraft worden voor een misdaad die hij volgens haar nooit kan hebben gepleegd.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. I didn't know what to expect when I started this new MGLit title by the incredible author that is Angie Thomas, but I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it!! While this was all a lot of fun, I was hoping for a stronger emotional tie to Nic. I think it's because she would tell us how much her best friend meant to her, rather than show us how much he meant to her. There were many parts of the story that happened in Nic's head, and I just didn't feel as much of it. But I think this is something that can definitely change in future books. We are only just getting to know who Nic is, and it's more than just the 'Chosen One'. I'm hoping to see her relationship with her mom and brother develop, as well as have her father become an important person not just in her life, but in the rest of her family. And yes, I want her best friend to remain part of her life! Mezelf onderdompelen in een magische wereld is iets wat ik erg graag doe. Even alles om me heen vergeten; mijn fantasie prikkelen. Heerlijk! Dus toen ik de flaptekst van het nieuwste, vertaalde, boek van Angie Thomas las, dacht ik: dit boek móét ik lezen!

In “The Manifestor Prophecy,” Nic’s origin story, Thomas uses her narrative mojo to connect with adolescents. As the trilogy progresses, it’s sure to light the way toward the multifaceted worlds of adult speculative fiction — from Octavia Butler to Neil Gaiman to N.K. Jemisin — that await this next generation of fantasy readers.

Did we miss something on diversity?

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. The epic ending is not to be spoilt. However, Angie Thomas has set-up what is going to be a incredible trilogy with an outcome that is impossible to predict. Turning the 'chosen one' scenario on its head, I cannot wait to see what happens next in this world and what lies in store for Nic Blake and her friends and family. 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? 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.

There is a little too much exposition at times, though this of course is necessary to understand this Remarkable world. But Nic, her best friend JP and later addition Alex are a threesome with strengths, foibles, great interaction and both history and a future together as the plot moves towards the first of many denouements that spell 'coming soon' for future chapters. 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. When they meet their favourite author, everything Nic thought she knew is turned upside down. The thrilling events he wrote about really happened – and they’re linked to Nic herself. Soon, Nic, JP and a new friend find themselves pursued by the Guardians, the Manifestor police, for something they didn’t do, while Nic’s dad is thrown in jail. They must find the mysterious Msaidizi, before his Gift is removed forever. And so begins a thrilling adventure involving shapeshifters, wizards, the devil’s daughter and even a dragon.There are a lot of nods of the well-known 'Chosen One' trope in this book (mainly the big one with the Golden Trio) and I liked how it flipped it on its head a bit as we are following the trio's children and see what it's like living with a heavy legacy and expectation upon one's head as well. As a white, UK-based reader, I liked both the fantasy plot and the weaving into it of important topics. And the story-within-a-story also worked very well and could be useful to the characters in forthcoming books. The story is well-paced and keeps readers engaged throughout the book. The author does an excellent job of building tension and creating a sense of urgency that propels the story forward. The plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end.