Kingston and the Echoes of Magic

Kingston #2

by Rucker Moses, Theo Gangi

In this duology's finale, Kingston travels back in time and uses his growing magic to save the world.

Kingston might have saved Echo City but the victory is bittersweet without his pops by his side. The holidays are approaching and if Kingston could have one wish, it would be to have his father, who is trapped in the Realm, come home. But as new problems arise and blackouts blanket the city, Kingston begins to have a persistent feeling of déjà vu, as if he's lived this same day before—and he has. Echo City living up to its name, is caught in a repeating time loop.

Maestro, his father's old rival, has found a way to overwrite reality with an alternate timeline where he rules over all. It will be up to Kingston, Too Tall, and V to find a way to enter the Realm and travel back through time to stop him. But with a magic he still barely understands, Kingston will needs his friends’ smarts and their collective courage to figure out the mystery and find Maestro before Brooklyn as they know it is erased for good.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Magic

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kingston and his cousin, V, and his friend, Too Tall, find themselves in more trouble than ever in this follow-up to Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they were unable to rescue Kingston's father from the Realm. And now it seems that Echo City itself is caught in an unending loop. If they don't do something fast, their reality may become a loop permanently. With the help of Kingston's uncles, they set off into the Realm in order to prevent, Maestro, their father's rival, from turning Echo City and their lives into a permanent echo.

As Kingston and V learn more about their family tree, they discover their connects to the Realm may be greater than they ever realized and those connects might just provide the help they need to stop Maestro from changing the prime reality. But will it be enough to stop a most powerful magician from achieving his greatest dreams? Only time will tell.

Once again, Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi have created a fast moving, exciting story. While I found the magic a bit harder to follow in this one, the action was just as intense. As the magic of the Realm and it's creation get explored more in this sequel, it's not surprising that things get more complicated. The trio of kids is as likable as ever, with each one contributing to their efforts to stop Maestro. One of the things I especially like about this series, is that the secondary characters are just as interesting as the main characters. Even the villain in this tale is more sympathetic than one might imagine. And the visits the kids make to a variety of different time periods adds to the interesting nature of the story. I often have a hard time with time travel stories, they don't always work for me. But the way the Realm and it's existence have been set up made it easier for me to suspend my disbelief and enjoy the incredible courage and determination the kids exhibit as they try to save their home and families. Overall, a winner of a series. I look forward to finding out what happens to Kingston, V, and Too Tall in the future.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingston and the Echoes of Magic moves along at a much faster pace than the first book, which made me love it even more. I've always liked how the authors included portals and echoes of previous time periods in the story, even if I don't understand all the magic and science behind it, it never took away from my enjoyment. It was also fun to watch the trio connect with their family in the past and see a younger version of their parents (think something like Back to the Future). This time they made some surprising discoveries, uncovered new clues, and there were some sweet reunions. I also really enjoyed learning more about Black Herman, various Italian magicians, the pieces on immortality and especially the way that the Egyptian gods were incorporated into the story. I know I'm being kind of vague, but I don't want to give too much of the story away. Truthfully, I wish these books were receiving more attention, they're exciting, packed full of magic and I loved the setting of Brooklyn, home to the pizza pie, subway and grand Mercury Theater.

** A huge thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and MB Communications for kindly sending me my review copy. **

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kingston and the Echoes of Magic is Book 2 or a sequel to the first book, Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found. It’s as fast-paced and as easy a read as the first book. It might be a little quirkier, but I mean that in a good way. Kingston, his cousin V, and their friend Too Tall are stuck in a world that goes round and round. A sort of time warp that repeats the same day. Sometimes it’s good to know what will happen tomorrow and sometimes not. None of that will help Kingston find his pops.

There is plenty of magic or fantasy here and once again a cast of characters that most any young person can identify with. Winston and his pals are left with puzzle after puzzle to solve. It makes this book enjoyable to read but keeps the reader on his or her toes. There’s lots of fun here too. I enjoyed the plucky dialog and the interaction between the characters. I read Book 1 earlier. While either book can stand alone, I’m glad I read them in order. I think it gave me a better chance to know the characters and to understand the pace and flow of the story.

This was a good read. I was disappointed when it was over and wish there was a 3rd book on the way.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kingston saved Echo City, but did he really? Pops is still trapped in the Realm. The performance hall sounds like it’s encased in something out of Ghostbusters, and rolling blackouts plague the city. Plus King feels like he’s in Groundhog Day. Once he gets V to get on board with his theory, the two of them plus Too Tall are on there way to another adventure.

They must battle his Pops’s old friend, the Maestro, who has discovered a way to create echos of the prime timeline and a way to overwrite the timeline to one more to his liking. Briefly, King gets to see his dad in one of the Echoes. V also gets some help from the mother she never knew in another Echo.

Good adventure. You have to pay attention to the details. Fun to see who V’s mom is. Disappointing that King couldn’t save his dad, but instead brought young Maestro, Marcus, back with them.

[Alexx (obscure.pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bigger and bolder! That's what this book is 😭 This book blended magic, science, history and mythology, and then added in heart and humor that bound the story altogether. Kudos to the authors for a great sequel! 🥺👏

[Brenda Kahn]

Oh no! There are only two Kingston books? This was a terrific sequel. Saying nothing so as not to spoil anything, but I love the voice in these books.

[Remi Bova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5