Tristan Strong Keeps Punching by Kwame Mbalia || Black Folklore and History Mixed With Fast-Paced Adventure

Tristan Strong Keeps Punching (Tristan Strong #3)

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.

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.

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Flawed Black characters as heroes, pulling through and saving the day.
• Black folklore and West African gods come to life.
• A protagonist who’s learning to cope with PTSD and grief.
• Gum Baby! (And honestly, who doesn’t want Gum Baby? Don’t be ridiculous.)
• An exploration of Black history and healing from atrocities.
• Super high stakes, where fantasy meets reality for a showdown in the real world.
• A squad of characters that will continue to make you laugh out loud.

Many thanks to Rick Riordan Presents and Rockstar Books for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

We’re back with more Tristan Strong!!! I’m sure most of you already know how I feel about this, but for anyone who may have missed it: I absolutely freaking love this series. It’s everything I wanted as a kid, and continues to be everything I want as an adult. I have single-handedly thrown it at a ridiculous amount of library patrons, children and adults alike, all who have loved it. In fact, my boss’s son (who’s slightly older than I am) has called dibs on the library copy already, after I sent the first book home with her years ago for him to read. So mission accomplished. Needless to say, I have been waaaaaiting for this book with much anticipation.

Our favorite squad of heroes is back in Tristan Strong Keeps Punching, where the trouble in Alke has spilled into our world and Tristan’s anger is getting the better of him. This book is a celebration of Black mythology, culture, and struggle to overcome the past.

I’m actually really sad to see this trilogy wrap up, because I’m not ready to say goodbye to this world and these characters. I need more! As far as conclusions go, though, I really can’t complain. This is a solid third book in a fantastic series, and it wraps up nicely.

This review may contain mild spoilers for the first two books.

Tristan still has a lot of growing to do, despite everything he’s already been through. Mostly, he has to get a handle on his overwhelming anger . . . but who could blame him for being angry?

The more Tristan sees, especially at his age, the easier it is to empathize with the fact that he’s angry about everything. But who wouldn’t be? His friends are in danger. The world is in danger. And time and time again, what’s coming back to haunt him are the ghosts of atrocities dealt to Black people.

In this book, Tristan learns about a lot of things that happened in the past, particularly around New Orleans and up the Mississippi. Part of the book focuses on him coming to grips with the anger over how people are treated and learning how to control that anger and funnel it into something useful. I loved the exploration of the past, though, and the idea that the ghosts of what happened still haunt us today. I learned about some things in US history that I hadn’t known that I plan to learn more about.

As always, Tristan isn’t alone in his quest. The old squad is back . . . mostly . . . and better than ever!

Well, okay, not quite, because they’re stuck on Earth rather than Alke and Earth is boring. Plus, if you recall from the last book, their magical accessories have kind of become . . . less than magical. Which is a bummer. Still, if you were missing the likes of Gum Baby, not to worry! She plays a big role in this book, just like the others, and is every bit as feisty as normal.

Tristan adds some new people to his squad, too, as he meets more people in the real world. The only catch is how can he keep them safe? Especially when his anger causes him to do rash things that may accidentally put his friends in danger.

It’s not just his Alkean friends, either. Tristan has cultivated an amazing support group in his family.

Even the annoying ones (and we’ve all got those family members, right?). I remember how much I hated Granddad in the first book, so I’m especially pleased to have things come full circle. Because even adults can be wrong and learn and grow, right?

This book actually opens with a Strong family reunion, so Tristan is surrounded by family. Including his younger cousin, Terrence, who’s a bit annoying (and what younger cousin isn’t?!). But that also includes Granddad and Nana, who are absolutely amazing and entirely supportive at this point, because just like Tristan, they’ve changed too and had their priorities realigned. I love the solid support system Tristan has in this book!

As you might imagine, there’s a bit of trouble in paradise, as Alke’s problems spill over into the real world . . . including King Cotton.

That’s right, the haint is back and bringing all his dreadful minions with him . . . plus some new ones. No one knows quite what King Cotton has in store for the world, but I think we can all agree it’s nothing good. What’s more, he seems to be capitalizing on all the grief and anger already existing in the area and recruiting new powerful allies.

I love King Cotton as a nemesis, especially since he keeps his plans close to his chest and is so sly and manipulative. He knows which buttons to push to get a rise out of Tristan, and he’s not afraid to wind him up in order to get what he wants. Which is fun as far as villains go. Arguably less fun for Tristan, though, I’m sure.

Like the previous books, this one also deals a lot with grief and loss and Tristan learning to grow and heal from it.

He’s just moved on to a new stage in the grieving cycle: anger. The more things go wrong and the more danger grows, the more Tristan’s anger grows. Which is fair. As with the previous books, anger is hard to let go of, especially when it’s actually justified. Except anger can also be poison for the person wielding it.

I absolutely love Mbalia’s exploration of grief and loss and healing. It’s so poignant and relatable and hits all the right feels.

About Kwame Mbalia

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 several projects, including a new middle grade series. Follow him on Twitter @KSekouM or visit him online at  kwamembalia.com.

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3 winners will receive a finished copy of TRISTAN STRONG KEEPS PUNCHING, US Only.

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Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

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