The Everlasting Road - (The Floraverse) by Wab Kinew

Book Synopsis

The boundaries between the virtual and the real world become dangerously blurred for a young Indigenous girl in the follow-up to the YA fantasy debut Walking in Two Worlds from bestselling Indigenous author Wab Kinew. Perfect for fans of Ready Player One and the Otherworld series.

Devastated by the loss of her older brother to cancer, Bugz returns to the place where she can always find solace and strength: the Floraverse. Over the past year, she has regained her position of power in that virtual world, and while the remaining Clan: LESS members still plot against her, she is easily able to overcome their attacks. Even better, she's been secretly working on a bot that will be both an incredible weapon and a source of comfort: Waawaate.

With the Waawaate bot looking exactly like the brother she misses so much -- even acting like him -- Bugz feels ready to show him off to Feng, who has become a constant companion in the 'Verse. She cannot wait to team up with both friend and bot to secure her dominance once and for all. But Feng has his own issues to deal with, especially when news that his parents are alive and want to contact him threatens to send his new life on the Rez into upheaval.

As they work through their complicated feelings of grief and loss, Feng and Bugz find themselves becoming ever closer. But disturbances in the Floraverse cannot be ignored, especially when Bugz realizes that her Waawaate bot is growing in powers beyond her control . . .

Review Quotes

A Kirkus Reviews Editors' Pick

"Kinew presents readers with another well-paced novel set in a vividly realized world in which young people create new paths that are grounded in community and cultural continuity." --Kirkus Reviews

"A great sequel that tackles grief and AI while infusing Indigenous culture."
--School Library Journal

"Packed with action and emotion. . . . [T]here is something for everyone, whether Indigenous or not, in this exciting novel." --CM Reviews

"Wab Kinew has created a beautiful world that intertwines virtual reality and Anishinaabe culture in a wonderful way. Descriptions of the Floraverse are stunning and I felt myself get sucked into the 'Verse, captured by Bugz' adventures." --Young Adulting

About the Author

WAB KINEW is the bestselling, award-winning author of the picture book Go Show the World, the memoir The Reason You Walk, and the young adult novel Walking in Two Worlds. An Honourary Witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and a follower of the Anishinaabe way of life, he is a former journalist, hip-hop artist and television host who was named by Postmedia News as one of "9 Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know." Kinew lives in Winnipeg with his family.