Sangoma's & Pirates & National Treasures! Libertalia 2: The Quest For Land by Mel Lewis - Book Review #46
Many thanks to the author, Mel Lewis, for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest opinion.
* SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT * SPOILER ALERT *
It is always refreshing when I read a book that is full of local flavour, locations and culture that it is almost like walking in your back yard. Getting to visit with Karabo and her friends again was like a breath of fresh air.
If you would like to check out my review for Libertalia: Lost Fortunes you can do that right here.
Libertalia is a melting pot of pirate dreams and African legend that takes four very different young people on a journey of friendship and adventure.
Following on the story from book 1, the characters have grown a little and managed to settle back into their ordinary mundane lives. I love the fact that Karabo is a strong, independent young lady who puts her studies first, is dedicated to her love of netball and fiercely loves her Mother. Although she has been called by the ancestors to be a Sangoma, she struggles to find a balance, even though she has accepted her role in life; this is a really difficult decision for someone her age, after all...
There is a lot of focus on friendship and family values in this series; I believe that these virtues are a quality that should be instilled and nurtured in the young people of today before these ideals, too, disappear in the murky greyness of ambiguity...
The story itself is completely unique in that Edward is trying to resurrect an entire culture, almost a civilization, where pirates aren't around anymore except as descendants, instead of the age-old tradition of telling another pirate story. It's fresh and new and entertaining.
Confession time: since I'm considerably older than the intended target audience of the book, I do struggle a little to fully relate to the age group - maybe it's because I'm from a different generation and my youth is not the same as today's youth...?
Anyway, this means that I have read this book from both the perspective of the audience (to the extent of me being that age anyway) and as my usual self, and this may very well reflect in my rating; but this is my honest opinion and that's just who I am.
For me, the story was a little slow-paced, especially the beginning and then the end felt rushed, but I love how this highlights the growth points of my beloved Karabo, making her more; stronger of will, more self-assured, self-confident. But this is also a story of Karabo accepting her fate and becoming a Sangoma and I would have loved to sit in on a lesson or two between her no-nonsense, matter-of-fact Sangoma teacher and herself, maybe one or two kind of mind-opening moments, you know?
I also feel that there could have been an Anathi POV timeline, where we get to see some of the things that she was up to in order to coincide with the things Karabo and her friends were doing; I think it would have created a little more drama and intrigue.
During lockdown, to keep the kids and the parents entertained, Mel will be doing a live reading of Libertalia: Lost Fortunes every day on Facebook live - click here for more details.
But overall, this series is well written for its market - not only is a middle grade but it's also young adult - putting a fantasy-like spin on a contemporary tale, with a main character that can serve as a solid role model for girls; I definitely recommend this series for your tweens and teens and, of course, never give your kids something to read that you wouldn't.
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