SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
When twins John and Phillipa get their wisdom teeth taken out, strange things start to happen. Zits clear up, weather feels colder, and they get an overnight growth spurt. Turns out they are djinn, and they visit their uncle Nimrod in London to learn about it. This leads all the way to Egypt, where the leader of an evil djinn tribe, Iblis, may be up to no good.
OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS
John is laid back, but rather blunt. He may come off as uncaring, but he is very protective of his sister.
Phillipa is the more book smart of the two. And although she may seem flippant with her brother some time, it's obvious she really cares for him.
Nimrod is rather eccentric, wearing all red, refusing to own a television, and disliking children to name a few things. He can go on rambling about the oddest things, not at all realizing how strange he sounds to normal people.
Groanin, Nimrod's butler, is always complaining and rather dramatic. But he actually likes Nimrod and learns to love the twins. He is a good contrast to Nimrod with his grimness, and often made me smile as I read his lines.
NIMROD'S ROLE
Nimrod is basically a mentor character, as well as the source of all exposition in the story. We get all of our information about the djinn world. It didn't take me out of the story. All of the information is important and Nimrod has a unique way of telling things.
THE WORLD OF THE DJINN
Kerr paints a detailed and original world, and it's one of my favorite aspects of the book. The homeostasis, the three beings, the use of focus worlds, the tribes of djinn, ect. And he manages to make the world seem believable for the most part. He adds enough science to make it feel logical, but not enough where you feel he is trying too hard and just doesn't make sense. And it isn't given all at once, but sprinkled throughout the book. So you are left wondering about what else you don't know.
PACING-SPOILERS
The pacing is decent. It's not action packed off the bat, and although it takes one chapter before we get to where the plot starts (meeting Nimrod) the first chapter is an introduction to the main characters and their family. From there we note some odd things that have occurred. And it's not until chapter six that they travel to London. In seven we meet Nimrod for real and in chapter nine we learn about the children being djinn.
Even though it takes nine chapters before this important secret is out (which the real plot cannot start without) it didn't feel slow or unnecessary. Kerr puts little hints throughout about Phillipa and John being djinn and the characters are more established as well as the relationships they have with each other.
JOHN & PHILLIPA
Oddly enough, although I didn't dislike the main characters, it was the world that made me want to to read the story. They were likable enough, but I didn't feel drawn to them. And it was Nimrod that I found the most charming, while Groanin was quite entertaining as well.
CLIMAX-SPOILERS
The story is set up where Phillipa and John are left without Nimrod and have to save him. But throughout the story, they are not presented as being overly powerful. This is a mistake that would be easy to make being that djinn can create whatever they want. But they even have to be rescued by Nimrod once (although in fairness, they save him once before that).
CONCLUSION
Kerr has created an original story and a unique plot with some likable & distinct characters. The world is detailed and complex and will surely grow. The pacing is good, and the amount of places we visit is vast. I give “The Akhenatan Adventure” four stars.
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