Blackblood: Acolyte

Gr 4-7–Kanna and Kita’s mother has made it clear they must hide their magical powers. Ever since the evil mages called Blackbloods started gaining power, the king ordered that all mages should be imprisoned. When bandits invade, they kidnap Kanna, and then the story diverges, gong back and forth between Kanna, who with the other captives tries to escape the bandits, and Kita, who hires a mercenary to rescue his sister. This dual perspective emphasizes the differences between the siblings, in their attitudes toward other people and their opinions about using magic. Kita wants to reunite his family, and he makes plenty of reckless choices along the way. Kanna is more slow and cautious, but she also wants to learn more about herself and her magic. The story is by turns funny, scary, and suspenseful. Enriquez’s artwork uses an earth-toned manga style, and there is plenty of action and humor to keep readers hooked into the story. Kanna and Kita appear to be light-skinned, and other characters are diverse in terms of skin color.