Readers will root for this STEM-focused girl hero.Īdventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.Įlisa-Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle-has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. The main storyline is tied up enough to keep readers satisfied but interested in the sequel readers don’t need to be familiar with the video game to understand the book. Drayden ( Escaping Exodus, 2019, etc.) gives Efi a clear voice in this engrossing read with smooth pacing and action-packed scenes. While Efi teaches Orisa to integrate into Numbani, Orisa teaches her about responsibility and friendship-and as Doomfist provokes discord between omnics and humans, Efi, Naade, and Hassana must come together to save Numbani. The immense pressure of this project strains the three friends’ relationship, forcing Efi to go it alone. The destruction left in Doomfist’s wake spurs Efi to put her grant money toward developing Orisa, a compassionate robot that can protect the city she loves. On the way to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate, Doomfist, who should be in prison, attacks the airport.

But her work pays off when Efi wins the Genius Grant given out by her idol, Gabrielle Adawe, who founded both the organization Overwatch and the African city of Numbani. Young roboticist Efi dreams of creating a better life for her community, where omnics and humans live peacefully, in this novel inspired by the video game “Overwatch.”Įfi spends so many hours in her workshop ironing out bugs in her robots that her mother worries she isn’t connecting enough with best friends Naade and Hassana.

The Hero of Numbani by Nicky Drayden