Kenyan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew is a thrilling MG story who has a unique hero in its young poet protagonist. The worldbuilding is incredible and fun, and the message to believe in yourself and the power of your voice shines bright.

Though no fault of this book, I just could not get into it. I am in *another* reading slump and this one just couldn't hook me enough to keep going.

I do not think that Sanders knew what he wanted to do in this story or what type of genre he wanted to slot this narrative into. Going into this story I expected fantasy and magic. Then I started reading and encountered a futuristic, postapocalyptic story. This confused me enough that I checked the synopsis again which, sure enough, talks about magic. Eventually, this magic does come into the narrative but when it does, it does not really make sense. I really wanted to enjoy this book but ultimately, I cannot recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I received this book from the publisher as an ARC on NetGalley.

My thoughts:

This book has the potential to be a great series. The story has layers and is a good adventure for YA readers. However, the story has so many layers that it sometimes hinders the story. More plot and character development will be needed in the world-building to make this story shine. Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially the characters, and would recommend it to a younger audience.

Rating: 3.5
Thank you Inkyard Press for providing an e-copy through NetGalley.

Synopsis:
Keynan Masters lives with his parents in Bizzy Block, a futuristic yet odd place surrounded by severe storms. The frequency and destruction caused by the storms keeps Bizzy Block secluded from the rest of the world, and no one really knows how or why. Keynan just wants to write poetry and help the family’s crops, but his parents desperately want him to attend the prestigious Peerless Academy. Only when he gets an invitation and a storm nearly destroys his home, Keynan decides to accept because maybe he can figure out a way to stop the horrible weather in his studies. But when he gets to the academy, strange things begin to happen. First, the professors teach nothing of substance - just repeating the same boring lessons over and over again. Second, the frequency of the storms start increasing, especially around the school, and Keynan wonders if it’s his fault. Third, he learns that there is magic in his poetry and rap lyrics. Things take a dramatic turn with an ancient evil is unleashed, and nothing about the world is as it seems. It is up to Keynan and his new Peerless crew to uncover the truth and set things right by combining the power of music, poetry, and the arts.

What I Liked: Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew is a fun magic-school adventure full of community and the arts. The book has a fascinating world premise, with the storms being an almost-living antagonist themselves and the mystery behind them fueling Keynan’s quest and determination. The creativity of fusing magic with arts and that the school focuses on the arts is unique to the genre, highlighting the importance of the music, writing, drawing, and so on to its middle grade audience. The tension from the professors drives the plot further, as the kids know that the adults are hiding the truth, but for what reasons, they will have to figure out. Lastly, the books hammers home the theme of community and the working together as a team instead of doing it alone toward the 2nd half of the story, emphasizing how each person has their own strengths that can make the world a better place. Overall, a nice addition to the magic-school genre that tries new ideas and has a fast-paced plot.

What I Didn’t Like: The main problem with this book is Keynan himself. He’s rebellious and defiant - all good traits for an MC - but it leads into annoying arrogance. It’s hard to connect with a character who thinks they are right all the time and pushes away their friends because of it. Side characters were developed fine, but they do not balance out Keynan’s personality. So it is hard for the reader to connect with any character in the story. Also there was a lot of repetition that could have been cut, and replaced with a bit more explanation of the world. Even though Keynan is left in the dark on major historical and worldly elements, the readers should not to the point of confusion.

Who Would I Recommend this to: Kids who love magic-school stories like Amari and the Night Brothers, The Marvellers, and Kelcie Murphy and the Academy of the Unbreakable Arts.

Review Date: December 30, 2023

Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew is a good musical, artistic and magical adventure. This story is set in a world where people don't use music, arts or dance because of corrupt magic, Keynan and his friends decide that they are going to try to put an end to corrupt magic. With the help of a professor who thinks they can handle magic and the discovery of combining arts, like poetry and music, the magic crew sets off to save their school and restore the magical balance in the world.
Thanks NetGalley!

DNF this one. Not being a fan of fantasy, the characters and world have to grab me right away. This did not and I found it tedious, not defined well enough. Needed more action at the start and was confusing with the tie to poetry and the climate.

I will definitely recommend this book to kids at my library. It will be great for Harry Potter and Percy Jackson fans.

I didn't realize I was downloading a middle grade fantasy novel but you know what- this was quite entertaining. Kenyan is the sort of kid other teens can appreciate and it's a good entry into the fantasy category. Thanks to Netgalley for the aRC. Over to others but I enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’m loving the latest crop of diverse middle grade fantasy, and Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew is no different. It has a lot to offer, with a unique take on the “magic school” archetype. The setting itself is super interesting, from the storms threatening their home to intricate education system, on the surface being designed for those in creative fields, but from a rather draconian, restrictive lens, presents an excellent contradiction.
Keynan also is an interesting lead to explore all this through. He’s not always the most likable, being rather selfish and smug at times. And initially his tendency to break rules is seen as a bad thing. However, the story strikes a great balance between him learning and growing as he forms bonds with people, while also allowing him to ask the questions about what’s really going on that school’s staff aren’t telling the students.
There’s a lot going on, between the deceptively simple “school” stuff to the unraveling mystery around what’s going on with the storms. It’s more or less fast paced, keeping me engaged throughout with the consistent suspense. And while there are some answers given to the problem at hand, the book ends with a cliffhanger, setting up the next adventure.
This was a fun first-in-series, and I can’t wait for more. If you’re looking for a new middle grade fantasy-adventure, I’d recommend checking this out!

I am so glad that more Own Voices fantasy has been coming out. This middle grade story was cute and fun and I think middle school kids will enjoy it overall. I have to say that Kenyan is a main character I struggled to like. He is defiant and even when he changes his mind he still has to break every rule or guidance form anyone including his friends. I like some rebellion but he was excessive. I thought the world building was interesting and I understand that the history was being kept from our main character but I could have used more of an info dump sooner in the story. I didn’t love the ending at all, i don’t think you need a dramatic cliffhanger to lead you to a second book and it’s a fairly cheap trick. The supporting characters were ok but none of the characters were developed as much as they could or should have been. Overall this was a cute start to a new fantasy series.

I love the premise of this fantasy world. The incorporation of poetry and weather in the magic systems worked well together and this could inspire some new fans of poetry in middle grade readers.

Keynan doesn’t want to go to Peerless Academy and is suspicious his parents are forcing him to go. There though, he is able to unlock his magic. With his friends, they must save the world.

I think this one might’ve brought me in quicker if Keynan had been excited to go to Peerless. The writing just didn’t draw me in like I thought it would.

Keynan has grown up to have a very health respect for storms for when he was little the storms sucked away his neighbors. Now that he is a bit older he has been given a chance to go to a very special school, but he doesn’t want to go he wants to stay home and write his rhymes. But when another neighbor is sucked up and away in a storm that wrecks most of his town. He now wants to go to this school really bad so he can learn about the storms and help his town, but what he learns about the storms is a lot more than he or his crew ever thought they would. Peerless is not the academy any of them thought it was.
This is a great book a very different kind of magic is used as well as Keynan and his friends the ones to figure it out. Each of them as well as the professors are very different but work together very nice. This is just a fun and great book. I hope these characters turn up again soon.

Well, that ending I did not expect and eagerly await the sequel to find out what happened. I did enjoy Keynan and his magic crew. Also found it disjointed and am still not sure where it is going, which is okay.

A solid, if at times under-explained, entry into the growing field of MG series focused on Black magic users. This one is set in an apocalyptic future of, it seems, the United States where devastating storms have forced communities to live in isolation and with far less technology than we currently enjoy. Young Kenyan Masters soon discovers, however, that the storms are not simply the result of ecological catastrophe but have magical roots and causes. The story moves quickly, sometimes too quickly, and it's a little hard to see how this will be a fully series as opposed to a very speedy duology, but the presence of a diverse cast of characters and a genuinely unique magic building system makes it worth inclusion in a YA/MG focused library collection

I would like to thank Inkyard Press for allowing me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story focuses on Keynan Masters, a young boy whose neighbourhood is plagued by mysterious storms. He attends the Peerless School in order to solve the mystery about why these storms keep happening and what he can do about them. He meets friends along the way, and they discover interdimensional magic by way of using various arts. They also encounter many dangers. Will they save Peerless from destruction?

I will admit, I cringed at Keynan's rhymes during the book's beginning, until I got to the middle of the book and saw that his rhymes were important and were integral to the magic system of the school. During that point, I eventually found the rhymes to be entertaining, like unique magic spells.

That being said, the school's storm announcements ("A storm is coming! This is not a drill!") got to become very annoying and repetitive as the story goes on. Keynan also seemed to have problems with working with his friends as a team at times.

Critiques aside, the book ended on a great cliffhanger, and it got me interested for book two in this series!

Despite the fact that there was some mild scary scenes in the book, I would recommend this book for all ages.

I'm loving how many amazing own voices fantasy series have started over the past few years! KEYNAN MASTERS AND THE PEERLESS MAGIC CREW looks like it aims to join the ranks with Amari, Nic Blake, Akata Witch, and more. It's got the school of magic: Peerless Academy, a building that seems to be both falling apart and turning into something else entirely. It's got a cast of flawed but lovable characters: the titular Keynan who has rhyming skills and a big ego, best friend code named Starbreaker, who's also mad talented, and an assortment of unique schoolmates united in a Hogwarts-style house. And it's got the forbidden knowledge problem: Keynan and his crew need to figure out how to use their artistic magic to combat the destruction of their homes and school by the mysterious and devastating storms that torment their land. The headmaster and teachers know more than they're letting on. Will Keynan and Co. figure it out on their own?

I appreciate what Sanders is trying to do here. He's got an interesting premise (the storms) and the world-building is really cool. The characters go through relatable development (Keynan discovers he can't do it all alone). But when I was reading, I was majorly confused for a good portion of the book. And I'm an adult reader! I think I could give this book to my really invested fantasy lovers, knowing they would push through to the end regardless. The average grade 7 though? Probably would get too frustrated with the gaps in what we're told to keep going. A bit more explanation/exposition earlier on would majorly help - so I might have those conversations with students who attempt this book, to give them more to go on, even though that's something I don't really do. Also, readers should know it ends on a MAJOR cliff-hanger. Although the story wraps up nicely, the last chapter is more like the lead for the sequel, introducing an entirely new conflict. I know this is common in fantasy series, so probably won't bother regular fantasy readers!

Overall, I'll be adding KEYNAN to my classroom library for individual choice reading, but I don't think I can use it as a text to study in our fantasy book club/lit circle. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy of the book to review for my classroom. Publishes Oct 17/23!

A really fun read for new/young readers. No complaints with this book. I would recommend this book to young children.