Mud Crab Kingdom: The Soft-Shelled Prince by Dr. Joel Anthony Hamilton

Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Writing the Future We Need: LGBTQ+ Representation
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Writing the Future We Need: Gay Representation
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Finalist: Writing the Future We Need: Black Representation by a Black author
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Best Debut
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Best Morally Gray Character
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Best Setting
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Best Light Read
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Best Book Cover & Cover Artist
Indie Ink Awards 2022 Nominee: Best Friendship

In a time ruled by fair-skinned kings and racial divides, the son of a fair-skinned king and mud-skinned peasant, Marcious Leojé, spends his days far beyond his father's kingdom in the muddy mangroves with his best friend, Etel Duetman. Here, they form an unusual kinship with the native crabs and build a mud kingdom. These two mud-skinned teenagers feel invincible within this playground-sized fortress. The discrimination within the kingdom cannot reach them and the mud walls provide a sense of security. However, they soon learn that their kingdom is nothing more than a mud wall, as it is unable to protect those they love. Cast into despair and the unknown world, they must learn to build a kingdom capable of protecting those they love. Along their journey they encounter people who show them the products of love, war, and despair. However, Marcious cannot envision his product, his own kingdom. Everywhere, being mud-skinned is worse than murder, and being "different" is worse than being mud-skinned. Will his vow to create a kingdom withstand the rising tides or will it wash away like that of his childhood?

Young AdultRomance/Action and AdventureRomance/FantasyDiversity Representation/BIPOCDiversity Representation/Own Voices BIPOCDiversity Representation/Own Voices LGBTQ+


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📖 Forcefield

Worldbuilding: Piqued curiosity
Plot: Mostly clear
Characters: Some more thought out than others
Storytelling: Minimalistic
Immersion: Satisfying, fulfilling experience
Emotional Response: Didn’t feel much
Thought Provoking: New ideas came up
Cover: Adequately represents the story

Submitted by 📖 JoelHamiltonMCK on


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