Zuberi, Uzochi, and Lencho were among the first of a new generation of Nubians to awaken to extraordinary powers—gifts their parents lost when they fled their island home decades ago. And now that Uzochi has been declared a Nubian catalyst, everyone expects him to lead.

But what should be a time of rebirth and celebration is instead one of turmoil. The so-called sky king, Krazen St. John, is bent on harnessing Nubian gifts for himself, and he has assembled a special, superhuman militia to do his bidding, putting a ruthless Lencho in charge.

Facing down his cousin feels insurmountable for Uzochi, even with Zuberi at his side, but now there’s more at stake than the hostile government of Tri-State East. Uzochi’s training has led him to discover an ancient, forgotten force hungry for conquest—and it won’t stop until all of Tri-State East . . . and possibly the world . . . is under its control.

In the sequel to Nubia: The Awakening, Omar Epps and Clarence A. Haynes has brought readers a powerful and addictive story in Nubia: The Reckoning. As with the first book, the story brings together four different characters that have extraordinary impact on each other as they struggle to find peace and belonging for themselves and for their people. From the first moment you pick up the book, you are back in the world of Nubia and its people, with a story that keeps you enthralled from beginning to end. 

One of the reasons that the story is so compelling is you get different perspectives with each chapter. Each character, Zuberi, Uzochi, Lencho, and Sandra, are three dimensional and have flaws and growth along the way. While each makes different choices, those choices make sense for the character and add to the overall plot and help the Nubians to find a place in the world around them. I love the growth in the characters and that no one person is perfect. Even the adults around the children have flaws. The struggles the teens face and overcome are part of why the story is so engaging. 

The authors do a fantastic job of building the tension and pace of the story. By the time the book reaches a resolution, it is an emotional and powerful moment that will make you want to read the next book. Given the hints within the ending, I do hope for another book to round out the story because there are unanswered questions. The story will leave you wanting more but only because it is so good and the characters so engaging. 

If you like science fiction or stories about super powers (in this case, elemental powers), you will love this book. I do recommend reading the first book before you read this sequel as the story will make more sense but the novel is written so well that you can pick up most of the storyline from the information given by the characters. This novel is so compelling and addictive, I recommend it highly. It is an epic and powerful saga. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 elemental powers