Symbiosis

Shuri: A Black Panther Novel #3

by Nic Stone

New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone takes Shuri to uncharted parts of Wakanda in this original adventure

The royal palace of Wakanda is one of, if not the most, secure facilities on this planet—or any other. So the anxiety Shuri feels when she’s jolted out of sleep by the queen mother with the news that someone attempted to break into the palace—and succeeded—is significant. And as quickly as they broke in, they vanished.



The search for this interloper, a mysterious “symbiote” with superhuman speed and strength, will lead Shuri to the Jabari Lands, a remote, unforgiving part of the country she has never seen. And what she discovers will be more shocking than she could have imagined . . .

Genres: Marvel, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Young Adult

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2022

About the author

Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.

Stone lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @getnicced or on her website nicstone.info.

Reviews

[Ethan the Bibliophile]

More like a 2.75 but there were definitely a lot of fun parts.



Plus, you know, Miles Morales... obvi.

-Me✌🏼

[Dr. Andy]

I love this series and I hope gets to write as many Shuri books as she wants.

Symbiosis follows Shuri and her friends as they deal with palace break ins. But as soon as the mysterious trespasser appears, they disappear. The Wakandan royal palace is one of the most secure places on Earth, Shuri knows whoever broke in must have superhuman strength and speed in order to succeed. With her friends, and Miles Morales, an American boy SHIELD sends her to help, must travel to the Jabari Lands to figure out what is happening.

The cameos in these books are just so fun!! I love seeing various marvel characters showing up. Nick Fury is definitely one of my fave cameos and I hope he keeps coming back. Miles was so adorable and I loved seeing how he navigated his secret identity in this one.

The action and adventure in these books are so enjoyable. I love the intriguing plots Stone dreams up. They keep me engaged and I always have a good time with this series. Plus the audio narration by Anika Noni Rose is just chef's kisses.

Rep: Wakandan cis female MC, Wakandan cast, Black American cis male side character.

CWs: Violence, blood, body horror (possession by alien parasite), injury/injury detail, gun violence (sound canon type gun but still a gun), confinement of side character.

[Oyinda]

I love Shuri so much and I love the Marvel characters that showed up in this book 💗

[Nicole]

light spoilers

I truly hope this wasn't the last book in this series.
Cause I truly love how these are written, they are such an easy read/listen, and they are just way too fun.

I just love Shuri. And the rest of the girls/women around her.
I also absolutely loved seeing Miles Morales in this one, I really need to read more about him, cause I just love the kid.

The story itself didn't grip me like the ones before, where I just felt the stakes were much higher. But I still enjoyed this a lot.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X]

Shuri: Symbiosis By Nic Stone, is a Young Adult superhero novel based on the Marvel comic’s Black Panther character Sheri, and is the third installment of the “Shuri” YA book trilogy.

The nation of Wakanda faces new threat: a mysterious intruder who attempts and succeeds to break into the royal palace, disappearing just as quickly. As Shuri begins to search for the intruder an other-worldly alien symbiote she faces a discovery more shocking than she imagined.

One of the recurring motifs through the series is how Shuri feels as though no one takes her seriously. Despite being the princess (and a brilliant-minded one at that), people primarily view her as a child. With each book, Stone provides Shuri the chance to prove herself. Shuri: Symbiosis is no different. Readers continue to gain a sense of the exclusion Shuri feels within her own family. I think it works particularly well with this installment, as now, Shuri’s safety is directly threatened in a way that literally hits home. While readers and the other characters know Shuri’s capabilities, they’re put to the test a bit more this time around. She learns to adapt to a unique situation with clever, out-of-the-box ideas. Through Shuri, Stone continues to utilize fresh techniques to keep Shuri and readers on their toes.

Story-wise, Stone deftly guides readers into the action. Readers are privy to some information before Shuri, but they’re still able to unravel the mystery right alongside her. I enjoyed the way Stone set-up the symbiote’s main reveal. Rather than an “alright, here you go” sort of approach, she teases readers with tidbits that keep them hooked in the action. Not only that, Stone also garners a certain amount of sympathy for the symbiote and its quest. Readers will (obviously) root for Shuri, but they will also find themselves intrigued by her alien adversary.

All in all, Throughout Shuri: Symbiosis, Stone continues to exemplify her ability to capture Shuri’s character and make it her own. She maintains the integrity of returning characters, as well as introducing familiar ones from though out Marvel universe. Stone balances the urgency of Shuri’s mission with moments of levity. Like Symbiosis’ predecessors, young readers will appreciate this new journey. It’s full of thrilling suspense and adventure that offer a valuable and welcome addition to the Marvel universe.

[Ekene]

Really good ending to a fun series. I highly recommend if you’re a huge Black Panther fan

[Aoife Harpur]

QUESTION
(SLIGHT SPOILERS)
I have a question for anyone who read the book, I have read it myself but forgot: what is the symbiote's name? I have a feeling it was Venom because when he had Henbane as a host they became Venbane, and when Shuri was a host they were Shurom. Am I wrong?

[Becky B]

Shuri is startled awake one night to be rushed to the safe zone of the palace because someone has snuck into the palace grounds. Shuri is shook. True, half of that is the disturbing thought that someone got by her technology that should've stopped the intruder. Her investigation will have her meeting a relative of Venom's and teaming up with Miles Morales.

Another fun mystery for Shuri to solve with her brains, and the help of her friends. I like that she now has an adult guard on her team. The team up with Miles was great. Her best friend K'Marah is always good for a laugh and/or straightening out Shuri. The travels around to new places of Wakanda letting Shuri get to know more of her country seems important for her character (and fun for the reader). Hand this to Shuri and overall Marvel fans.

Notes on content: 1 minor swear. No sexual content. One person is clawed but ends up ok. Other perilous circumstances are faced but everyone is ok.

[Nathan]

the book is very confusing and sometimes isn't very great at explaining things, like why the characters do certain things or why things happen, but it is a great story and takes place in a very interesting setting. Am I glad I read it? probably. would I buy it again? probably not. Would I recommend it to anyone? probably not. Do I think the author should take this, or more things like this farther? probably not.

[Hannah]

Shuri: Symbiosis has been my least favorite of the Shuri novels. I love Shuri, K’Marah, and Nakia as characters, but the plot line for this book was just not of interest to me, which is surprising because I greatly enjoy Spider-Man and Venom. The plot was just odd to me. Venom just shows up and creates havoc for the people of Wakanda. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but I just liked the other two better.

[Christy]

I really wanted to love this one! I didn't feel the writing style at all. Third person present tense? It doesn't always work, and I don't think it worked here. The story was a little confusing, and to be honest, I really didn't care until the scene at the very end. Pretty bland. More internal monologue than actual plot.

[Jessi]

I finally finished the trilogy. This was fun and I liked meeting more characters like M'Baku and I enjoyed Shuri getting more time to spend with Nakia. I still think the second book is my favorite of the series but this is a close second with the first book coming in third.
It's very interesting where Venom ended up at the end (no spoilers).

[AiM]

Such a pity. From the beginning I could tell the story could have been good, but the sentences were horrid. Didn't flow at all, felt choppy and chunky at times. If they hire a line editor to clean up the book, I might try reading it again. But with my big stack of books to read, this is being put in the DNF for now. Not worth my precious time, sorry.

[Alyssa]

A really fun continuation of the series. Shuri gets into trouble (as usual), but changes to a couple supporting characters kept the action new. I liked the audiobook versions of the first two books and was pleased that the narration was just as good. I also enjoyed this book’s “guest characters.”

[Marcus Alexander]

Nic delivers again!

35yo man

I love the continuity of the trilogy. The callbacks to previous books in this one are awesome. The book is well written throughout and has an excellent finish. And the Marvel cameo in this one is my personal favorite.

Well done, Nic well done.

[Justin]

An excellent last chapter in this trilogy! I think it was the best yet. All of the amazing characters from Wakanda are here again, but this time with Venom and Miles Morales, too. It was smart, fun, and full of girl power! What more can you ask for?!

[Elise C]

Fun one.. 😁 Love the characters we meet

[Karissa]

My favorite in the series by far!

Be prepared for Miles Morales and a symbiote!

[Tanisha Felder]

These books just keep getting better and better. Such fun surprises!

[Marinel DeBerry]

Another great read with great characters. Shuri is a superhero!

[Ashley]

I love this series but this one was the most fun yet.

[Braden Waller]

This one is SO much better than the first two! Had all the things that made the first two great (cameos, integral characters) and then a better pacing. And Venom! This book was perfection!

[Sabrina]

Another excellent adventure with Shuri! Nic Stone is masterful in the way she crafts her characters and the world of Wakanda. I need books 4,5,&6! Please please please 💕! VenBane 😭💕

[Naylene]

Audio with Annalise

[Elisabeth]

Did not know I needed a Shuri adventure that involved symbiotes and Miles Morales.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Blood depiction
Gun violence
Loss of autonomy (possession)

[Sara Weather]

#142

[Amy Stokes]

Love this whole Shuri series from Nic Stone and the audiobooks are amazing thanks to Anika Noni Rose’s incredible voice acting, especially in this book. Such a fun summer read!

[Kelley Wood]

I hope Nic Stone continues to write Shuri stories. Loved seeing a special guest in Wakanda.

[tonya]

Loved all the Shuri books! Hope the series continues