jbronderbookreviews

Shanti and the Magic Mandala by FT Camargo

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Shanti and the Magic Mandala is an adventure in which fantasy and reality are mingled. The book tells the story of six teenagers, from different religious and cultural origins and different parts of the world, who are mystically recruited to form two groups – one in the Northern Hemisphere, and one in the Southern. They eventually gather in Peru, and through a single alliance, begin a frantic chase for the sacred object that can stop the black magician’s final plan.

The story starts with Shanti, an Indian immigrant that lives with her father in a tiny apartment in New York City. She is having an out of body experience and is told that she is from Sirius Delta. That her and five others came to Earth to fight for the treatment of animals. That she was at Atlantis and fought followers of the darkness with their experiments with the animals. At a time in the near future three of the reincarnated fighters will meet in New York and form the Northern Alliance at the same time three fighters meet as the Southern Alliance.

We meet all six characters throughout the story as you learn how they come to meet a spiritual guide to help them meet with their groups and then as they battle the black magicians. All of the fighters, Shanti, Nasir, Itai, Antonio, Helena, and Tadao come together and have several different run-ins with the Children of Satan, what the black magicians are calling themselves this time around. It becomes a race against time when Shanti is kidnapped and the eclipse has started.

This was a good story. I really liked how it was about six kids from around that world. It’s such a change from the typical characters that are in more young adult stories. I also like the diversity of every ones beliefs. It was a great blend for the story and how the characters came together.

Shanti and the Magic Manadala has great action and a well written story. It’s easy to like the characters and cheer them on with every turn. This is a good story and I think that middle grade, teens, and adults will like it.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

For more information on Shanti and the Magic Mandala be sure to check out Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads. To learn more about FT Camargo, checkout his website.