I thought The Crossover was fantastic and was excited to read this book by Kwame Alexander. I did enjoy this one, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I loved the musical aspects and appreciated the writing style that used a mix of content in verse to provide the details of the story, from narration, to text messages, to song lyrics, to dreams. However, this story was just a little too all over the place for me. There were so many things creating conflict and leading in different directions so that the pieces did not come together to feel complete at the end of the book. I would recommend this book for teenage readers with an interest in novels in verse and music.

I got hooked pretty quickly and it was a whirlwind of emotions. There's a lot embedded in this story about love and loss, grief and hope, longing and wonder.

Solo, Kwame Alexander's latest novel-in-verse, introduces 17-year-old Blade, whose drug addicted rock star father has provided a glamorous lifestyle that is filled with turmoil since Blade's mother died. When Dad derails Blade's commencement speech, he decides to hit the road with his girlfriend Chapel, whose parents disapprove of him. However, before Blade can convince her to leave with him, he catches Chapel with another guy and his sister hits him with a bombshell. Blade is adopted. He revises his plans and determines to find his birth mother, which leads him to Konko, Ghana, where his mother does charity work. There he finds not only his roots, but also a new perspective on family. Blades' original rock ballads are scattered throughout the novel, giving it a lyrical quality readers will enjoy.

Solo is a novel written in poetic verse. I don't know if that's genius or completely cheating. This was my first experience with Kwame Alexander and I understand that's this whole thing. Taking on a novel written in such a way allows the reader access to some thoughts of the main character that can be lost when written in a traditional style, but I think we lose out on a lot too. The story was really good and tugged at the heartstrings. I can definitely see the easy reading style being popular with the intended audience (it's a YA book) and it makes for a relatively quick read. I give a solid 3.5 stars. Could be better but was still done incredibly well.

About Solo
Solo, a YA novel in poetic verse, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, whose life is bombarded with scathing tabloids and a father struggling with just about every addiction under the sun—including a desperate desire to make a comeback. Haunted by memories of his mother and his family’s ruin, Blade’s only hope is in the forbidden love of his girlfriend. But when he discovers a deeply protected family secret, Blade sets out on a journey across the globe that will change everything he thought to be true.

My Review
Even though it’s told in verse, the details and imagery are so rich, I kept forgetting I was reading poetry. Alexander has this way of pulling you into each scene, really making you feel everything as the story unfolds. I felt Blade’s sweet hopes for his relationship with his girlfriend and his bitter disappointment and anger with his dad for every broken promise, every ruined moment.

I loved the way Blade’s music appeared in the story—both as lyrics he’d written, and his own emotional experience playing the guitar. His international journey wasn’t what I expected, but I liked the way the story pursued Blade’s process of grief over his mom’s death and his father’s failures and the journey toward forgiveness and peace.

The story’s a bit grittier than others I’ve read in this line, but the writing is absolutely superb.

This book was all over the place, just like my feelings towards it.

I loved The Crossover, but this book seemed to be overly dramatic with the plot. I didn't connect with these characters much at all because they felt much more like caricatures instead of genuine people.

Positives & Negatives -
+ I love the way real songs are scattered throughout the book. I pulled them up and listened to them while reading and it made for a really interesting experience.
+ The idea that this is a music family fits perfectly with the verse format since it’s so lyrical.
+ I absolutely loved the little music trivia bits dropped into the story. If the story was more that and less angsty drama, I would have been happy.


- The characters are really really cartoony and stereotypical. Some of the events just seem over the top.
- The PK is literally named Chapel… and Blade & Chapel's romance is very toxic.
- Is he really going to have cell phone reception in a village so remote he had to walk 3 miles to get there and without changing his SD card to an international card?
- The plot was all over the place and didn’t flow well…. Hard to explain more than that without spoiling it, but the “conflict” changed about five different times without any real resolution.

A stunning tale of finding one’s self and realizing the most important things in life. Told in poetic verse, Solo is a tale that is touching and real down to the heart.

Solo is the story of Blade Morrison, a seventeen-year-old of a rock star that has fallen from grace. Blade is tired of living the life of glitz and glamour and wants to find more in life. His mother died when he was nine leaving him and his sister to deal with the aftermath of their father’s addictions. When Blade discovers a deep held secret within the family, it threatens to throw everything into a tailspin and threaten his relationship with everyone around him. This sets him on a journey across the country to discover the truth about who he is and how that will shape the rest of his life.

Solo is one of the clearest examples of not judging a book by its cover I have ever read. The premise sounded very interesting, but when I opened and realized it was told in poetic verse I was initially turned off. Poetry is usually not my kind of thing. I have a hard time getting into poetry and the flow of the story told that way. I decided to give Solo a chance and as the story progressed with each poem, I found myself entranced and pulled into the story. There was such an intimacy to the characters and the way they interacted with one another. I read this in one day and enjoyed the flow much more than I imagined I would. This is the type of story that is for poetry readers, but also for those that enjoy a good story with heart and will leave readers thinking of their family and friends in a different way. So, if you are like me and open the pages of this book and think it isn’t going to be your cup of tea, give it a few pages and enjoy the story for what it is. You won’t be disappointed!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMilf...

I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blade Morrison is the son of music royalty. He had a good childhood living in the limelight but after his mother's death his rockstar father down spiraled into drugs and alcohol. After a showdown with his father Blade learns a family secret that will start him on a journey of self discovery.

This book has all the heart that you expect from a book by Kwame Alexander. The characters and story are incredible well rafted for a boo in verse and left me wanting to read more.

OMG - what an amazing book!! This is my first exposure to Kwame Alexander, and I will definitely be going back to read prior works by this author and look forward to reading future efforts.

The style of writing is absolutely refreshing, and promotes a high feeling of intimacy with the main character, Blade. I felt as if I were in his skin, going through everything with him. It takes real talent to pull that off!

Blade is the 17-year-old son of a famous, addicted, constantly falling-off-the-wagon rock star dad. There's plenty of money, but little happiness. His mother died years ago, and her death left a wide hole in the family. Blade is tired of being embarrassed by his father, whose antics are always fully covered by the ever-present paparazzi. His older sister thinks she can be a rock star too, releasing an album even though she can't carry a tune in a bucket. Considering his family a total embarrassment and a laughing stock, he places all his hope in his love for Chapel, whose parents don't want her to see him due to the constant negative press.

Finally, Blade has had enough of his family and decides to leave asking Chapel to meet him and go with him. When she doesn't show, he goes to her house, insert drama and teenage angst here as I don't want to spoil it for you. Temporarily back at home, a whole-family argument occurs in which words are said that cannot be taken back, nor forgotten. Blade makes a momentous decision that will change not only his life, but that of others as well.

This YA novel is a page-turner whatever the age of the reader. A super read! Do yourself a favor and don't miss this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blink Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Solo by Kwame Alexander, a book in verse, grabs your attention from the very start. Who would not want to be part of a famous rock and roller family? As this is a book in verse, the sparsity of words lends itself to concentrating on the emotions of the characters rather the "scene" and is a very quick read.

I had the opportunity to read a digital arc of this novel-in-verse from NetGalley. I'm really glad that I read it, because I'm sure it'll be hugely successful among YA/middle grade readers. Kwame Alexander’s other novels (The Crossover and Booked) have been very popular with the fourth and fifth grade students in my classroom, and while this book is more appropriate for older students, I know it will hold the attention of the most reluctant of readers.

Written in fast-paced, easily digestible verses, this novel shares the turmoil of a young man who has grown up in the savage glare of the media spotlight focused on his aging rockstar father. Blade, who has just graduated from high school and is about to turn eighteen, has spent a great deal of time mourning the loss of his mother, being embarrassed by the media attention toward his dad’s constant battle with addiction, and dealing with the emotional turmoil of being a teenager in love. As Blade discovers painful truths about his family, his girlfriend, and his own past, he sets off on a journey to Africa. There, he learns so much more than he dreamed he would.

I really like that this book gives young readers an opportunity to look inside the lives of the rich and famous to see that all of the money and material possessions don't amount to much, if you're spiritually and emotionally lost. Money and fame can't shield Blade and his sister, Storm, from the pain of losing one parent and seeing the other parent caught up in the devastating spiral of drug addiction. I also like that the book shows that everyone deserves a second chance and no one is beyond redemption.

Blade can’t get away from the paparazzi or his family. The final straw was when his father crashed his commencement speech and embarrassed him in front of the entire school and then being told about a family secret. Blade cannot stop thinking about his dead mother and his crazy rock ‘n roll family, so he goes on his own quest to determine what is actually true.

Solo is a novel in verse with song lyrics dispersed throughout. Alexander has taken Blade on a trek of self-discovery and readers will find themselves questioning their own lives alongside Blade. Since it is a novel in verse, it is a quick read and will probably be completed by most readers in one sitting. A great read, even if you don’t know the songs along the way.

Kwame Alexander has such a gift. His words are beautiful, and it is amazing to watch a story unfold.

This story ran the gamut from materialism to philanthropy. I think teens can glean something from several angles. Will recommend to readers of realistic fiction. The novel in verse is also a great "sell" to reluctant readers.

I want to love everything Kwame Alexander writes because I think so highly of him. However, his new book Solo just doesn't seem as well crafted to me as his previous books in verse.

17-year old Blade Morrison is the son of a famous musician struggling with alcoholism. He is trying to sort out familial and romantic relationships. Blade is navigating his world through music, which many students I am sure can relate to.

Blade is a seventeen year old who has grown up living the life of a rock star legend's son - the good and the bad sides. He's had everything he could ever want, but he grew up in the public eye with paparazzi watching out for every misstep. His life hasn't been without tragedy either. At nine he lost his mother, and his father lost himself to addictions. Blade and his sister grew up with broken promises of sobriety.

When his father literally crashes one of the biggest moments of his life, Blade has had enough. He's witnessed enough broken promises to fill a lifetime and cannot forgive his father this time. Blade begins to question everything he has known when a deeply hidden family secret comes to light. A journey from the hills of Hollywood to a village in Ghana may be just what he needs to rediscover who Blade Morrison is and for what he stands.

THOUGHTS: Like Alexander's sports themed The Crossover and Kicked, Solo is told in verse. With the music inspired characters, this time the story is interspersed with song lyrics, many by main character Blade Morrison. Fans of music, especially rock and roll, will appreciate the references and lyrics. Within the short lines, there is much more than music. Family contentions, addiction and substance abuse, as well as one's identity are all pieces of the puzzle. This book has so much more to offer all readers, and reluctant readers especially will enjoy its brief verse style.

Quick read with unexpected depth. At first the characters seem a bit one-dimensional, but then there is a big reveal and things change quite a bit.