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A review by lastblossom
Winnie Zeng Shatters the Universe by Katie Zhao
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
tl;dr
The perfect conclusion to the previous two books, packed with action and adventure. And cookies!
Thoughts
Winnie's back for her third adventure, and she's better than ever! Literally. Winnie's been working hard to become a better shaman, and it shows. I spent the first book disappointed that she gave up so easily, and the second book cheering for her as she grew more confident in herself. In this third book, it's really great to see how far she's come as a shaman, and also as a person. There's a very beautiful coming of age arc over this trilogy that's paced out super well. It was also lovely to see her relationship with David turn into a friendly rivalry rather than full animosity. Far away from the requirements of homework and family, we finally get into the full-on adventure that I've been pining for in the previous two books. A tournament arc! The culmination of all the mysterious threats from previous installments! The tournament in particular was extra fun - fights were clear and easy to read, with some clever tactics in play. Also, there's a spirit boba shop, and I want to visit. As with the previous two books, this one includes recipes for readers to try their hand at baking. Winnie's own original recipe looks like it'd be awesome. The book seems to close the series for now, but the end is just open enough that we might get more in the future. One can only hope.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
The perfect conclusion to the previous two books, packed with action and adventure. And cookies!
Thoughts
Winnie's back for her third adventure, and she's better than ever! Literally. Winnie's been working hard to become a better shaman, and it shows. I spent the first book disappointed that she gave up so easily, and the second book cheering for her as she grew more confident in herself. In this third book, it's really great to see how far she's come as a shaman, and also as a person. There's a very beautiful coming of age arc over this trilogy that's paced out super well. It was also lovely to see her relationship with David turn into a friendly rivalry rather than full animosity. Far away from the requirements of homework and family, we finally get into the full-on adventure that I've been pining for in the previous two books. A tournament arc! The culmination of all the mysterious threats from previous installments! The tournament in particular was extra fun - fights were clear and easy to read, with some clever tactics in play. Also, there's a spirit boba shop, and I want to visit. As with the previous two books, this one includes recipes for readers to try their hand at baking. Winnie's own original recipe looks like it'd be awesome. The book seems to close the series for now, but the end is just open enough that we might get more in the future. One can only hope.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence