FORCE OF CHAOS

Five teens are chosen to protect their town from an alien vendetta in this story set in the world of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Trini Kwan has carefully cultivated her studious, “quiet Asian girl” persona at school, hiding her frustration when students take advantage of her hard work, underestimate her, or bully her friend Billy. Despite years of martial arts training with Nai Nai, her grandmother, she hides her true strength. Then her school’s Homecoming game is attacked by Goldar, a furry blue monster with gold armor, and the Putties, his clay minions. Even as most kids flee, Billy, football captain Jason, popular new cheerleader Kimberly, and Trini’s former best friend, Zack, rush to help two trapped students—and Trini joins them. The five teens are chosen by “galactic warrior scholar” Zordon to become the Power Rangers; Trini is named the Yellow Ranger. Ma adds new dimensions to the original story through the inclusion of Chinese mythology and explorations of racial stereotyping and Trini’s struggle with an inner voice that tells her to hide her true self. While the tone of the writing and the treatment of intriguing themes—strong women, power and responsibility, friendship, and self-control—skew young and lack complexity, the slow-burn romance is believable and grounded in a rebuilt friendship. Trini is of Chinese Taiwanese and Korean Chinese descent, Zack is Black, and other main characters read white.

A lightly developed read that may appeal to avid fans of the long-running franchise.