The Root

April 25, 2016
A gay former child star discovers that he’s descended from gods and destined to fight supernatural creatures in this muddled debut from podcaster Tilahun (The Adventures of Yellow Peril & Magical Negro). What starts out promisingly descends swiftly into cliché with its two engaging characters, human Erik and angel Lil, in need of a better story. Erik, whose Disney career ended when he came out as gay, is blasé about stumbling into a world of angels and demons; Lil suffers from a lack of exposition, as it takes too long for the reader to understand who she is and what motivates her. By the time the true threat emerges, it’s hard to care. Tilahun’s strengths lie in writing family dynamics—Erik’s clash with his father, Lil’s interactions with her sister—but there’s very little real or metaphorical magic here.

June 1, 2016
Former child-actor Erik left showbiz, left his boyfriend, and is struggling with life as a regular teenager in San Francisco. All of that is turned upside down during an encounter with an otherworldly being. Erik learns that he's not a regular teenager after allhe is a descendant of gods. Suddenly, Erik discovers that he's about to become a soldier in the ultimate multidimensional war. At the same time, apprentice Lil (learning and working in San Francisco's dimensional double, 'Zebub) finds herself at the center of a mighty battle. Erik's mixed-race background and his interaction with the world place this title at the center of current conversations calling for an increase of diverse characters and authors. There are numerous characters, and the plot is slightly convoluted at times, but Tilahun's world building is majestic and vivid, and his characters are authentic and flawed. Explosive action sequences and amusing dialogue will keep the reader turning pages. Fans of traditional urban fantasy looking for something a little different would do well with this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)