Shanti and the Magic Mandala

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

Shanti and the Magic Mandala is a interesting book. It's been over a week and I'm not sure what to really write about this story. At it's core, Camargo has written a global, multi-cultural story about hope and working together. However, the pacing of the story is rushed and I feel the fast pacing of the plot does and disservice to the characters and their task. It's fast pace leaves you a bit wanting for more and I think this could have been a great start to a series.

This book tells the stories of 6 kids, located around various locations in the North and South American contents. Each one has been selected to participate in defeating the bad guys. Sounds like a great premise but there's not a lot of substance in how the group builds their dynamics and grows together. Instead, they accept the words from their dreams as truth and act out the parts as played.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the multi-cultural vibe to the story. It's why I requested the book. But I just felt that modern kids wouldn't just accept what they're given and leave home and life to do what they're charged to do without knowing what's really at stakes. Likewise, the baddies in this book... lacked a personality. They just operate around and don't seem to have personalities. I also loved the play on the title: Shanti. It's not just the name of a character, but of an action.

Bottom Line: Want a quick read that attempts to break the stereotype of most YA fantasy books, then this is for you.