For my review of this book, visit my Youtube Vlog at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QtpTYNWzHU

Enjoy!

R. A. Linda has my admiration. I selected this book to review because I am a Harry Potter affectionado. However, I was leery of how the author could find balance between satisfying Potter fans who craved more magical adventures and plagerism. I assure you the author found that critical balance! Welcome to a new series of magical adventures that scratch that itch for more Potter! ( )

I received this book as a part of Member Giveaway on Library Thing in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book, like so many young adult books that are pumped out these days, lacks balance. I feel like it had potential, but it was doomed by three issues that I grow weary of encountering in 80% of the young adult books I have read over the last five years. Honestly, I'm starting to feel that aspiring authors view YA as an "easy" genre start in to because the work can be riddled with grammar and spelling errors/oddities, world-building fail, and largely unresolved and overcomplicated plots as long as it also contains dangerous quests, teenage angst, some sort of "mystery," and a gifted child who falls into what I call the "oh-wait-i-am-awesome" category. I guess children who haven't developed critical thinking skills might be more forgiving, but I am not.

When possible or I feel inclined, I like to do a plot recap. I particularly like to do this for books I am on the fence about because it helps me assess, despite whatever other issues I might have with a book, how effectively the author told the story and explained the environment. This is because my ability to explain it to you unimpeded after the fact indicates my level of understanding overall. It also has the bonus of making any additional gaps, inconsistencies, unresolved situations, and unanswered questions apparent very quickly.

Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to do that in this case because there was just so much going on that I can't write a linear summary about what happened. It all happens in such quick succession (I think this book maybe spans four days?? perhaps only three??) and involves so many people, relationships, discoveries, and motivations, plus a bunch of magical terminology and nuances that I could not make enough connections to form a firm understanding. I would have to reread the entire book and take notes to be able to do this, which is not something I 1) should have to do, 2) want to do, or 3) would have the time to do (I have done it for some confusing novellas, but only because their brevity means I don't have to spend another two weeks reading it again). For a while, I was able to follow the plot, then at about 25%/30% in it started to get too difficult for me to understand what was going on and relate it to what had already happened. This was a bizarre conclusion to come to: the plot is pretty trite for something so complicated.

At the highest, most basic level, all I can tell you is that Kaira's dad is a super-important figure in a secret society that preserves magical artifacts and knowledge because that is (for some reason) safer than educating people about it (more on this later). By association with her father, she is also important and their family is clearly critical in fixing a catastrophe that is about to befall everyone. Kaira gets into lots of trouble and grave situations with her new best friend Guppy and Guppy's brother Jacob right away because they are, of course, left to their own devices when Kaira's dad and aunt have to tend to emergency business instead of giving Kaira the special first day they promised her. These children (for whatever reason) feel obligated to solve a mystery (or maybe ten mysteries, I can't tell anymore) that no powerful and connected adult has been able to solve for decades and, as a result, they turn the rules of the society upside-down, all the while Kaira learns how to do magic herself. Eventually, things get too hairy and they run away on a boat or something, apparently leaving the society to its own fate. That is basically it. Not all that original.

To counteract, cover up, or compensate for this triteness, the author attempted to create an overcomplicated "magical" world to accompany it. (Why do authors feel that for a book to be engrossing and taken seriously that it has to be grossly overcomplicated?) And, guess what that magical world reminded me of...

Yup.

Right from the get-go this is very Harry Potter-ish (which I guess was touted in how it was marketed but I had no idea until I had already written this review, so at least my comparison is validated). In the first couple chapters, we are taken to a good approximation of both Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic (which are just beyond the reaches of "normal" society--hidden, but not hidden), it becomes obvious that Kaira (or her family in general) is the key to something, she is well-known to people though she has no idea of her importance (just like Harry), and the government is covering up the appearance (or maybe reappearance) of some dark force (like Voldemort and the Death Eaters) which is killing off people and threatening to turn their world to darkness, so they must be dealt with.

Now, why do I bring this up. I bring this up because I think some people believe the Harry Potter series to be complicated, when in fact it's not. Conversely, I've also seen reviews complaining that it is too simplistic, but in my opinion those people don't realize that if it were any more complicated, it would not work--Symean is an excellent example of why it wouldn't work. Rowling did just enough to create a rich atmosphere and storyline without adding complexities that don't lend value to the plot or the world that might make it difficult for people to follow what's going on. It feels like Symean is trying to reinvent the Harry Potter world under this misconception that the Harry Potter plot and world are super-complex and so, therefore, their book riding on its coat tails must follow suit.

I am not saying that there is anything inherently wrong with trying to ride on the coat tails of a popular series. I am saying that it is unfortunate when it is not executed well. This is because instead of making me curious and fulfilled, these things just make me never want to read anything by authors who do this ever again because there is no satisfaction or enjoyment in feeling like I have to open OneNote and dedicate an entire notebook > section > page structure to log things like: what words mean and what they relate to, how the doors and elevators and "emergency" portals of this world work, which places can be accessed by whom and why, who stole what for what reason and sold it to so-and-so and then killed some other person over it, and on and on. Basically, I shouldn't feel like I, the reader, am the one outlining the book. At one point, along with trying to understand all the creatures and rules and buildings and ways of travel and government and kinds of magic and characters and animals and vendettas and motivations and connections and terminology and blood feuds and buildings and forbidden lands and society lands and normal lands and on and on and on, I was also trying to track these plot points, unanswered questions, inconsistencies, and other oddities:

- Did Kaira's dad essentially kidnap Guppy and Jacob at the end? O_o That's what it seemed like to me...

- What happened to Kaira's mother? Maybe this will be significant later. I wouldn't be surprised if she just randomly showed up later and was never dead to begin with due to obligations to the society. Why doesn't Kaira just look at the Follygrin to learn about her mother? Even if she's dead, it might've shown her something--or, she'd learn she's not dead after all.

- What happened to Kaira's grandfather and what does all this mean for Kaira being part Koll? Why doesn't Kaira look him up in the Follygrin? And doesn't this mean her father is also part Koll and what exactly did the grandfather do and why isn't Kaira considered "dangerous" if they know she has this Koll blood? Will this frowned-upon-but-possibly-powerful part of her be the thing that helps her defeat whatever darkness is threatening, redeem her grandfather, and earn her a real place in the society?

- For that matter, what happened to her grandmothers and her other grandfather? I guess we just assume they died normally, but given the complications of her family, it seems like these things would be significant.

- Who is really behind all of this? It seems like all of these society people who are turning bad or trying to hide things or sell things or kill people are pawns of a larger enemy. Who is it? And, what does whoever want it for, anyway? I guess they want the Terrecet to "control all dark animals" or whatever and take over the world? But for what purpose and reason?

- What is Guppy's mom going to do with the Terrecet piece, exactly? What is she waiting for? Why is she storing it? Is it going to someone else? Is she hoping to get the rest of the pieces? Is she really going to use it just to become head of this society and that is all? Seems like kind of an epic risk for very little reward.

- What is up with Jacob's loss of control and hurting that woman? Is that supposed to mean he will be trouble later? Is it a significant plot point or just a thing that happened? Is he the "bad" one and not his mom??

- Is Kaira's aunt really sleeping with the guy from the Orium Circle? What is going to come of that? It seems an odd plot point in a YA book--I mean, they are both unattached adults so it's not like it's an affair, but sleeping with a coworker, especially a high-powered one, can definitely cause problems and it was a main subplot that was brought up a lot.

- I don't really get the "seven steps for seven sands" thing in "The Curse of the Saralin Sands" tale. Was Elias a fool for not clarifying beyond "I must trade years of my life for grains of golden sand?" Did it mean that each step is equal to seven years, so seven steps times seven years is 49 years and that is why he got old? Is it his bad for assuming one step equals one year and he really should have asked, "How many years of my life does each step cost?" I don't really understand the nuances or what I am supposed to take away from that, aside from that it's best to really make sure of what you're getting into.

-- Incidentally, I think I sort of connected at one point that we are supposed to realize that this fable is true and the gifts Elias got from the creature named Symean in exchange for his years of life create the Terrecet which is the weapon that can control all the creatures of the underworld. I think?? But, then I couldn't understand why this book wasn't called something like "The Trouble of the Terrecet" or something like that because we learn that the "sign" appears to be a tattoo on the back of someone's neck but that doesn't seem very significant because the Symean is just a creature who didn't actually seem to be evil (maybe tricky but not evil) and the Terrecet is really the dangerous thing.

- Why didn't the spider web thing catch Guppy's mom when they went into the special hearing? (For that matter, why didn't her penchant dim and become unusable with all of her suspicious activities?) It is beaten into us that she is up to no-good and she is a bad person who craves only power at any cost and it's insinuated that her motives are selfish and she doesn't care who she hurts, yet the web that is supposed to detect your intentions didn't stop her (I had fully expected their mom to try to go through it and be disallowed entry, then was confused when this didn't happen). Is this an oversight or inconsistency by the author? Or maybe we are to take away from it that maybe Guppy's mom is actually trying to protect people (including her children whom she always seems to ignore and abuse) with what she is doing and everyone interprets her actions as nefarious? I am guessing the web will come back because why else construct such a device into the plot if you aren't going to pointedly use it later, so maybe this is foreshadowing a later time when Guppy's mom (or maybe even someone else) will be outed by the web?

- Kaira and Guppy between them have three very powerful artifacts that let them spy on what someone is doing now or what someone did in the past. I realize they have them without the permission or knowledge of their adults and that these artifacts are considered rare (so they shouldn't exactly be commonplace, yet if you DO get one there is NO restriction on how or when to use it! You have carte blanche to basically look at anyone at any time, whether past or present). But, I am annoyed that these artifacts obviously provide the deus ex machina for these girls to get involved and "solve" the mystery, yet I also can't reconcile away this convenience because they acquired them so easily and these objects interfere with privacy like that. It makes no sense to me, nor do I believe they could have actually hidden from the adults that they have them (no matter how they acquired them) AND that there are no... I don't know, "security sensors" at the ministry that don't allow anyone without permission to have items like that to enter.

- Honestly, so many of the potions and curses and spells and artifacts and remedies just seem... morally questionable and are used often, like as a matter of standard practice?? Like the remedy that removes all negative thoughts and feelings to "cure" criminal behavior before it becomes too big of a problem? Several artifacts that spy on people: in the past, in real-time, and even one that doesn't spy on your actions necessarily on you but weeds you out based on your intent to do harm (so, lay blame before they actually act on that intent--is this Minority Report?)? It made all the "good" the society proclaims it's doing to just feel... gross.

- Why are there 30 elevator stops when there are six "special" stops + 26 letters of the alphabet (so it seems like there should be 32)?

- We found out where her dad was, but we still have no idea what he is doing or why he is there, other than to possibly negotiate something? Though it looks like he is negotiating with dark forces, so...

- I sort of felt like all the many potions and curses and spells and artifacts and remedies were invented simply to circumvent difficult points in the book that would require an actual plot because they were all too convenient AND that it was overly convenient that Guppy, no matter how clever and resourceful she is, always seemed to have just what they needed or Kaira would just be given or randomly find what she needed.

- The society makes a big deal of focusing on preservation instead of teaching how to practice magic, but this... just seemed weird and counterproductive to me. How can you preserve something if you aren't teaching about it to pass on the legacy, and if you aren't teaching about it what is the point of preserving it for anyone? Further, doesn't that endanger the whole world by not teaching how to use it properly? Still further, is it morally right to hide away all of this stuff under the guise of "preservation" and, basically, denial? Seems more like hoarding knowledge for power, in which case, how is that any different than what the enemy is doing?? At one point Kaira muses to herself that: "...her understandings of the Society's focus on preserving magic became more evident - for its misuse could lead to catastrophe." But, they make it sound like "preserving" means "not using it," except the Society uses it all the time?? So, if it's okay for them to use it, who is it not okay for? Which only opens a flood of questions about world building elements that are missing regarding how many society families are there, how are they found, what about the outside world? Is this saying that only special people are let into the society now but that previously ANYone could have learned about magic? Are you born with it or do you just learn and only then if you have the privilege of being in a family where people are already in the society?

- The candy shop was just... creepy. The descriptions of how the children enjoyed it felt so gluttonous and disgusting and pointed that it seemed like it would have to mean something, like it was brainwashing them with dark magic or it was some sort of social commentary. Though, I did think the combination of candy and augmented reality was intriguing (from what I could tell, the candy created an effect on your tongue, sort of like when SnapChat overlays filters on your face, except it is something you eat and it creates a similar effect on your tongue, which, now that I think of it, is disturbing considering whatever could be commingling with your saliva doing who knows what).

- What about the supposedly dead guy who gave Kaira the Follygrin. Was it a ghost? Is he really alive? Did he fake his own death? Is he back to help save the world? Why would he treat Kaira to such a precious (and, frankly, questionable) gift?

- Kaira, Guppy, and Jacob never seem to consider that other people could use charms against them. For example, they use the muffling charm as though it's a shield and never once consider that there might be SPIES around who can DISARM it. But, maybe even weirder is that other people AREN'T using charms against them. These children act suspiciously all the time, even when they are directly under adult supervision for almost dying and endangering others, yet none of the adults think to maybe leave some charms to track their movements or look at what they did in the past or listen at doors or check a Follygrin to see where they are. This just seemed like a major oversight to me.

There is more, but I can't be bothered to reread everything to note it here.

I have an issue with authors who are unable to pare down what they include in their books. Complication does NOT equal a strong plot or a strong world, especially if the author cannot logically and adequately explain it to someone else and/or the author does not have the self-awareness to get unbiased outside help that can guide them in doing all this constructively and meaningfully.

Also, the ending. *sigh* As I grew nearer and had only 10% left, I could tell this would be yet another book where there is basically no ending and almost nothing is explained. I am so done with these books that are written with open endings so vast that the reader is simply left lost with no satisfying resolution to any part of the story, no understanding or appreciation of the world, and no real investment in what happens to the characters. (Though I do have to say that, even if the characters were like cardboard cutouts of personality types and functions, I think their development in here may have been one of the better aspects of this book.) There is a difference between "leaving a book open to continue the adventure" and "obviously trying to manipulate your audience into buying five books from you because that is the only way for them to know what happens about anything."

Lastly, I'd like to mention that this book could have used a good proofread and some editing. There were lots of typographical errors (just a few examples: "tyring" instead of "trying," "Gralying" instead of "Grayling," "quiet" instead of "quite"), some outright misspellings ("series" instead of "serious"), words used repeatedly in a sentence ("stretching" used twice in quick succession in a sentence to describe stairs), frequent misuses of colons and apostrophes and other punctuation, and some very oddly structured sentences (sort of like those that would result from bad translation of text from another language into English). Simple fixes to these areas would have made the book more readable.

This may seem nitpicky, but as an editor and writer I can't let this go without addressing it. The adding of pronunciations has to be done very carefully and, in this case, the author was too close to the material to give us a helpful guide with "S-I-I-M-E-E-U-N" because:

- There are too many hyphens (these should be used only to show where the syllables fall, not between each letter)

- The two I's in a row don't actually clarify whether it's "sea" or "sigh"

- It does not tell you where the accent should fall (due to a lack of a mix of lowercase and all caps to indicate which syllable is accented)

- If I am right in how it should be pronounced, I disagree that the last part would be "un" (although I think it's plain the author is writing in British English and a British person may pronounce it more as "un" so that may explain it? No idea, all I know is as a native U. S. English speaker, it would come out as "in" and not "un")

My guess is it's supposed to be: "SIGH-me-in." If not, oh well, that is how I pronounced it in my head because anything else felt distracting and unnatural.

Last comment: The name "Guppy" was just irritating. I don't know if it was meant to be cutesy or short for something or what, but it was just... no. Aside from my personal feelings about it, it seemed UNLIKELY that someone as stuffy as Guppy's mother would give her a name like that at birth or allow her to be called by a nickname like that. Seriously.

I waffled hard with this book between 2 and 3 stars. I went with 2 1/2. I finished it, which brought it to 2 stars because the writing itself, while a little awkward and bizarre, was at least readable. I was able to finish it, but can I say I would have bothered to finish it if I weren't fulfilling this obligation for a review? No, I cannot say that. I probably would have stopped reading at about 50%. ( )