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Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

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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. 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. 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.

Walker Books has landed Angie Thomas’ debut middle-grade book Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy in a three-book deal. 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? 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!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. We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. 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. 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.

As a white person who is not that informed about US history, I learned details I didn't know about, which is always welcome. Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe. 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.

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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 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. 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.

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. 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. I cannot speak for any other reader, but for me one of the most important things in any story is that the protagonist must be entirely credible – even in a book such as this where the story is entirely fantastical. Nic’s reactions to the trials and tribulations she experiences are wholly believable, whether that is being grounded or discovering the true history of her immediate family. She is an astonishing heroine – brave and smart as we would expect, but also one who is prone to jealousy and temper and is all the more human as a result. Surely for the children for whom Angie Thomas has created this masterpiece, there can be no greater gift than to see themselves reflected in Nic Blake. 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.Het is een verhaal over dapper en moedig zijn. Over familie en vriendschap. En belangrijke thema's, zoals racisme en slavernij, worden aangehaald. 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. Hierdoor lukte het mij helaas niet om mezelf helemaal onder te dompelen in de wereld van de Buitengewonen en Onopmerkelijken. Ik bleef op afstand en was duidelijk niet gevoelig voor de magie in dit verhaal.

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! 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. The plot of Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy follows the story of Nic Blake, a young boy who discovers that he has magical powers and is destined to become a powerful wizard. Nic is a relatable and endearing protagonist who finds himself at the center of a prophecy that could save the world from evil forces.

The dialogue is also well-done and helps to bring the characters to life. The author has a talent for writing believable and relatable dialogue that adds depth to the story.

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