Winnie Zeng Shatters the Universe

English language

Published April 30, 2024 by Random House Books for Young Readers.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-42665-4

No rating (1 review)

If awards were handed out for multitasking, then Winnie Zeng would come in first place. Between evil spirits and middle school—boy, does she have her hands full. And ordinarily, winter break couldn't come soon enough, but this year marks the return of the Shaman Youth Tournament, where shamans from around the world battle for the title of champion!

When Winnie and her archnemesis, David, are invited to participate, they are quickly trained for their toughest battles yet. But when some of the tournament contestants start acting a little stranger—and a lot stronger—than normal, it’s clear that something’s up.

Soon, it becomes clear that the spirit breakouts in Winnie’s hometown were just the beginning of something larger than any one shaman can tackle. With evil spirits threatening to pour from the spirit realm into the human world, it’s up to all the shamans to take on this mission. It may be …

If awards were handed out for multitasking, then Winnie Zeng would come in first place. Between evil spirits and middle school—boy, does she have her hands full. And ordinarily, winter break couldn't come soon enough, but this year marks the return of the Shaman Youth Tournament, where shamans from around the world battle for the title of champion!

When Winnie and her archnemesis, David, are invited to participate, they are quickly trained for their toughest battles yet. But when some of the tournament contestants start acting a little stranger—and a lot stronger—than normal, it’s clear that something’s up.

Soon, it becomes clear that the spirit breakouts in Winnie’s hometown were just the beginning of something larger than any one shaman can tackle. With evil spirits threatening to pour from the spirit realm into the human world, it’s up to all the shamans to take on this mission. It may be the last mission they ever undertake. . . .

1 edition

lastblossom reviewed Winnie Zeng Shatters the Universe by Katie Zhao

The perfect conclusion to the previous two books, packed with action and adventure. And cookies!

No rating

Winnie's back for her third adventure, and she's better than ever! Literally. Winnie's been working hard to become a better shaman, and it shows. I spent the first book disappointed that she gave up so easily, and the second book cheering for her as she grew more confident in herself. In this third book, it's really great to see how far she's come as a shaman, and also as a person. There's a very beautiful coming of age arc over this trilogy that's paced out super well. It was also lovely to see her relationship with David turn into a friendly rivalry rather than full animosity. Far away from the requirements of homework and family, we finally get into the full-on adventure that I've been pining for in the previous two books. A tournament arc! The culmination of all the mysterious threats from previous installments! The tournament in particular was …

Winnie's back for her third adventure, and she's better than ever! Literally. Winnie's been working hard to become a better shaman, and it shows. I spent the first book disappointed that she gave up so easily, and the second book cheering for her as she grew more confident in herself. In this third book, it's really great to see how far she's come as a shaman, and also as a person. There's a very beautiful coming of age arc over this trilogy that's paced out super well. It was also lovely to see her relationship with David turn into a friendly rivalry rather than full animosity. Far away from the requirements of homework and family, we finally get into the full-on adventure that I've been pining for in the previous two books. A tournament arc! The culmination of all the mysterious threats from previous installments! The tournament in particular was extra fun - fights were clear and easy to read, with some clever tactics in play. Also, there's a spirit boba shop, and I want to visit. As with the previous two books, this one includes recipes for readers to try their hand at baking. Winnie's own original recipe looks like it'd be awesome. The book seems to close the series for now, but the end is just open enough that we might get more in the future. One can only hope.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!

Lists