My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A unique tale for upper middle-grade readers featuring magic and myths, friendship, and trust.
Vibrations: Children of Atlantis by A.R. Alexander is a unique adventure for older middle-grade to younger young adult readers featuring magical realism and two determined teen protagonists tasked with defending the world against an ancient enemy. Incorporating elements from several mythologies, Nada Gilbride and Kani Kakoa are all that stand between their world and complete destruction.
The author has created a pair of unique main characters in Nada and Kani. Nada is deaf but can see sound waves. She learned to speak by mimicking the pattern of the waves she observes from others. Kani, while able to hear, can see the vibrations of energy and has learned to manipulate them. Urged from a young age to hide their unusual abilities from others, both are naturally full of questions about their gifts. Since the adults in their lives refuse to talk about it, they are desperate for answers, especially when their abilities seem to be attracting creatures only found in myths and legends and even affecting their physical well-being in public. Their confusion and need for clarity are well portrayed, and I was drawn to their situation and anxiety over not knowing what was âwrongâ with them.The story's suspense builds quickly with the appearance of supernatural creatures and the subsequent attention of a mysterious trio who seem to know more about their situation than they do followed by an involuntary stay with the FBI at a secret research facility. But a simple field trip to a museum where an ancient artifact awakens and causes both Nada and Kani to blackout brings things to the attention of someone close by that can finally deliver the answers the teens crave. Unfortunately, the explanation of what was behind their abilities and reactions was not clearly explained enough for me, and I was left feeling I didn't really have a better understanding of what was going on or the magic system in play than what I'd gotten from the book's blurb and the kids' own suppositions. I enjoyed the growth in the relationship between the two main characters, leading to the trust they would need to complete their trials later, as well as the budding, sweet romance (which kept this story appropriate for younger readers.) However, their pairing as a team during their training and the training itself is glossed over, while much more story is expended on a rivalry with another couple to be the champions who will defend the world from destruction.
The link to Atlantis, which given its prominence by appearing in the title, was only given a superficial explanation, leaving me wondering how all these teenagers with special abilities were connected to it. There were other instances of plot points suddenly popping up without explanation. I enjoyed that some inanimate objects were sentient, so there were some fun moments where a plane was complimented to keep her happy, and a platform was thanked for allowing their back to be used as a training surface, but there wasn't an explanation of why these objects were aware, and others weren't. Also, it just pops up that Auntie apparently had a rival from her past who is now the director at the island where the teens are undergoing their training. On the other hand, the various settings were diverse and vividly described, so I always had a clear picture in my mind of where the action was taking place.I recommend VIBRATIONS: CHILDREN OF ATLANTIS to upper middle-grade readers.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.