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Alex Wise #3
Alex Wise vs. the Gods of the Apocalypse
Saving the world is one thing...saving the multiverse is another. Alex Wise returns in the third book in this thrilling fantasy series all about finding your inner hero.
Alex may have failed to stop the Cosmic Shift, but that doesn’t mean he is giving up on saving the world. The only problem is…he has no idea what world he’s even in. A rip in the multiverse has stranded him and his best friend Loren in a mysterious realm—without his sister Mags, or demi-god crush Liam, or even his kinda-cool-kinda-annoying stepbrother Nick. Like Earth, this world is at war, and Loren and Alex will have to use all their wits and magic to escape space pirates, an underground rebellion, and advanced technology with terrifying consequences.
But even if Alex manages to find a way to return home, it will be nothing like the home he once knew. His nemesis Ezra is stronger than ever, and along with War and Famine, is turning Earth into a violent, chaotic dumpster fire. Alex never asked to be a superhero, but with the weight of not one but TWO worlds resting on his shoulders, that’s exactly who the needs to be.
“Never has the apocalypse been so fun!"
—Mark Oshiro, author of THE INSIDERS and co-author with Rick Riordan of THE SUN AND THE A NICO DI ANGELO ADVENTURE.
Alex may have failed to stop the Cosmic Shift, but that doesn’t mean he is giving up on saving the world. The only problem is…he has no idea what world he’s even in. A rip in the multiverse has stranded him and his best friend Loren in a mysterious realm—without his sister Mags, or demi-god crush Liam, or even his kinda-cool-kinda-annoying stepbrother Nick. Like Earth, this world is at war, and Loren and Alex will have to use all their wits and magic to escape space pirates, an underground rebellion, and advanced technology with terrifying consequences.
But even if Alex manages to find a way to return home, it will be nothing like the home he once knew. His nemesis Ezra is stronger than ever, and along with War and Famine, is turning Earth into a violent, chaotic dumpster fire. Alex never asked to be a superhero, but with the weight of not one but TWO worlds resting on his shoulders, that’s exactly who the needs to be.
“Never has the apocalypse been so fun!"
—Mark Oshiro, author of THE INSIDERS and co-author with Rick Riordan of THE SUN AND THE A NICO DI ANGELO ADVENTURE.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published April 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 15, 2025
I’m glad I can be the first official review for this book!!
Thank you to Terry for pushing your publishers to get me this book and to Edelweiss for letting me read it on your platform.
I can’t say enough how much I love Alex and his friends. Everyone is so fleshed out and you can’t help but feel all the love they have for each other. Alex has grown so much in this series and I can’t believe it’s over now.
We see Alex on 2 separate adventures in this book and they are both thrilling. While I didn’t expect the alien sci-fi angle this would take I enjoyed the other universe. The battle scenes throughout this book were great and it felt like I was present with Alex and his friends. There is a lot of fighting and fixing and Alex is able to navigate and help anyone who needs it.
The friendship aspects to this are just as strong as the family aspects. Alex cares about his loved ones and we see a lot of Alex and Loren as a duo in this book. I was glad to see Liam and Mags return as well. Mostly I am
so happy about Alex and Nick. Over the course of 3 books their relationship blossomed and I teared up a little that he has him in his corner now instead of feeling jealous of him.
This series has shown me a lot. Love yourself and your family/friends, find your community, and fight for what’s important. Alex stands up to injustice and we never see him back down from the challenge. That’s so important for kids to see. Also a queer black boy saving the world isn’t as seen and I feel like it should be and there should be more!! I feel like I’ve watched Alex grow since it’s been a few years with this series. TJ is a master storyteller and I am so proud of him!
Thank you to Terry for pushing your publishers to get me this book and to Edelweiss for letting me read it on your platform.
I can’t say enough how much I love Alex and his friends. Everyone is so fleshed out and you can’t help but feel all the love they have for each other. Alex has grown so much in this series and I can’t believe it’s over now.
We see Alex on 2 separate adventures in this book and they are both thrilling. While I didn’t expect the alien sci-fi angle this would take I enjoyed the other universe. The battle scenes throughout this book were great and it felt like I was present with Alex and his friends. There is a lot of fighting and fixing and Alex is able to navigate and help anyone who needs it.
The friendship aspects to this are just as strong as the family aspects. Alex cares about his loved ones and we see a lot of Alex and Loren as a duo in this book. I was glad to see Liam and Mags return as well. Mostly I am
so happy about Alex and Nick. Over the course of 3 books their relationship blossomed and I teared up a little that he has him in his corner now instead of feeling jealous of him.
This series has shown me a lot. Love yourself and your family/friends, find your community, and fight for what’s important. Alex stands up to injustice and we never see him back down from the challenge. That’s so important for kids to see. Also a queer black boy saving the world isn’t as seen and I feel like it should be and there should be more!! I feel like I’ve watched Alex grow since it’s been a few years with this series. TJ is a master storyteller and I am so proud of him!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5 stars
I've loved this series so much, and while I'm sad it's over, I'm so grateful that its final installment does the first two books justice. If our new adventures with Alex and co. have to come to an end, well, this is the ending I want.
This book begins with a particularly moving author's note, and it really stayed on my mind throughout the read. Don't miss it.
Alex goes through *a lot* in this concluding effort, but he doesn't do it alone. His relationships are the heart of his individual world and of the world readers observe. I really enjoy the way things come together on this front.
Like the preceding books, this one is well paced, there's solid world building happening, and the emotional content runs high, at least for me. I stepped away from this book a few times as I moved more obviously toward the ending because I wasn't ready to let go, but I'll tell myself now what I'll tell my students next: Alex and his adventures will always be there for us when we need him. He may have completed this set of quests, but we still have a lot to learn from him.
I hope we also still have much more to read from this author. This series has been one I've eagerly anticipated with each new installment, and I look forward to new possibilities next.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Labyrinth Road for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've loved this series so much, and while I'm sad it's over, I'm so grateful that its final installment does the first two books justice. If our new adventures with Alex and co. have to come to an end, well, this is the ending I want.
This book begins with a particularly moving author's note, and it really stayed on my mind throughout the read. Don't miss it.
Alex goes through *a lot* in this concluding effort, but he doesn't do it alone. His relationships are the heart of his individual world and of the world readers observe. I really enjoy the way things come together on this front.
Like the preceding books, this one is well paced, there's solid world building happening, and the emotional content runs high, at least for me. I stepped away from this book a few times as I moved more obviously toward the ending because I wasn't ready to let go, but I'll tell myself now what I'll tell my students next: Alex and his adventures will always be there for us when we need him. He may have completed this set of quests, but we still have a lot to learn from him.
I hope we also still have much more to read from this author. This series has been one I've eagerly anticipated with each new installment, and I look forward to new possibilities next.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Labyrinth Road for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Labyrinth Road and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A epic ending to a fantastic series! Alex Wise failed to stop cosmic shift but he’ll never give up on saving the world. Only first he has to find his best friend Loren and then figure out where he is. Loren was sucked into the multiverse and he went in after her. Now he has no idea what realm he’s in or how to get him. Especially before the Gods make the apocalypse happen. Oh and Liam, his Demi-god crush, probably hates him since he left him to go after Loren. The world he’s ended up in is also at war and he’ll have use all his wits to figure out how to escape space pirates, an underground rebellion, and advanced technology. But even if he gets home he won’t find it like he left it. The Gods have wreaked havoc on Earth. Now to save all he loves he’ll not only have to save one world but two. Is he strong enough to survive? And can he keep everyone safe in the process? A fast paced read that is unputdownable! Terry J Benton-Walker writing is phenomenal as always, never miss an opportunity to read one of his books! An exciting and thrilling adventure that’s full of hope and perseverance! Loved being back with Alex, Loren, and Liam! This series is fantastic!
May 4, 2026
Adventurous chapter books are very popular now for ages 12 and up. Reluctant readers can be drawn into reading with chapter books like this one.
Sci-fi is a theme of this engaging read. Alex wants to save the world, but he does not know which world he has found himself in with this adventure. Can the multiverse really be torn? Alex and his best friend are stranded in a world that he knows nothing about. He and his best friends must escape the space pirates and frightening new technology that is present in this world that he finds himself in. Alex discovers that he might have to be a hero to save two worlds. Readers who enjoy sci-fi will find this to be a page turner.
Fans of Terry J. Benton-Walker will want to add this chapter book to their reading list. This is his final book in the trilogy with the character of Alex Wise.
Sci-fi is a theme of this engaging read. Alex wants to save the world, but he does not know which world he has found himself in with this adventure. Can the multiverse really be torn? Alex and his best friend are stranded in a world that he knows nothing about. He and his best friends must escape the space pirates and frightening new technology that is present in this world that he finds himself in. Alex discovers that he might have to be a hero to save two worlds. Readers who enjoy sci-fi will find this to be a page turner.
Fans of Terry J. Benton-Walker will want to add this chapter book to their reading list. This is his final book in the trilogy with the character of Alex Wise.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews