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A review by bookish_afrolatina
The Gatekeeper's Staff by Antoine Bandele
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Gatekeeper’s Staff is a heartwarming yet action-packed YA Fantasy championing late-bloomers. I love stories taking place in and around magic schools so this series was right up my alley.
TJ Young is such a sweet and earnest kid, which made me feel invested in his journey. I felt his pain as he navigated the loss of his sister and struggles fitting in at school. Being a nerdy Black boy is rough! TJ feels like a disappointment to everyone around him, which is pretty common for teens who are late-bloomers.
I love the themes of teamwork, honesty, connection to nature, and dedication throughout the book. It was also super cool to have a story that follows someone who is Nigerian-American. I love learning about other cultures through books like this and I know there’s been a trend in the U.S. of connecting Black Fantasy to Yoruba-inspired religions. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job capturing the different accents and the audiobook also had really cool sound effects at the beginning of every chapter.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone!!
Thank you to Antoine Bandele for the listening copy in exchange for an honest review!
TJ Young is such a sweet and earnest kid, which made me feel invested in his journey. I felt his pain as he navigated the loss of his sister and struggles fitting in at school. Being a nerdy Black boy is rough! TJ feels like a disappointment to everyone around him, which is pretty common for teens who are late-bloomers.
I love the themes of teamwork, honesty, connection to nature, and dedication throughout the book. It was also super cool to have a story that follows someone who is Nigerian-American. I love learning about other cultures through books like this and I know there’s been a trend in the U.S. of connecting Black Fantasy to Yoruba-inspired religions. The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job capturing the different accents and the audiobook also had really cool sound effects at the beginning of every chapter.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone!!
Thank you to Antoine Bandele for the listening copy in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death