Reviews by Saph: Fantasy Friday Presented by Sapphyria's Books ~ #Review of Black Lightning by K.S. Jones @KSJones2011 ~ Middle Grade #SciFi #Fantasy @MirrorWorldPub

Friday, September 3, 2021

Fantasy Friday Presented by Sapphyria's Books ~ #Review of Black Lightning by K.S. Jones @KSJones2011 ~ Middle Grade #SciFi #Fantasy @MirrorWorldPub

About Black Lightning:

Life moves on — no matter what...

Following his father’s puzzling disappearance and his mother’s death, ten-year-old Samuel Baker goes through the motions of living in a world turned upside down. He wears an Apache talisman, a long ago gift from his father, in hopes its promise of strength and guidance is true. But what he truly wants is the power to bring his parents back.

Heartless Aunt Janis is elated at the prospect of becoming Samuel’s legal guardian. She is sure an orphan boy will elicit such an outpouring of public sympathy that her husband will win his Senate bid by a landslide. But when Grandpa Tate arrives, things don’t go as expected, especially when black lightning strikes!

My Review (originally published May 26, 2016):

Samuel Baker is not in a good place right now. His father disappeared a few years ago and his mother just recently died. Samuel is also being used as a pawn by his aunt in an effort to boost Sam's uncle's popularity in order to win a seat in the Senate. Fortunately, Samuel's mother's will designates someone else to take care of him and he heads to Arizona to live with his grandfather.

While in Arizona, Samuel learns a lot about Apache heritage from a local family, including tales regarding black lightning. No one is certain that the tales are true but everyone still watches out for the lightning. When Samuel tries to escape the clutches of his greedy aunt, his world turns upside-down.

Black Lightning is a well-written science fiction novel for middle grade - adult readers. The content is engaging and the plot is unique. The dialogue flows nicely and the book keeps the reader engaged. Black Lightning has science fiction elements that magnify an superbly written story of love, loss, and continuing on when it seems like there isn't any hope left at all.

The story is organized well, making it's fast pacing smooth. I was done with the book before I knew it, having been completely absorbed in Samuel's life and his journey. I highly recommend Black Lightning!

My Rating: