Book review: "The Five Fakirs of Faizabad" by P.B. Kerr

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

The twins have to take a test where they grant three wishes to someone. If they are judged worthy, they pass, if not, they lose their abilities for a year. So John sets of with Groanin and Phillipa goes off alone. But there is also the problem of the homeostasis, which Nimrod discovers is off and goes to investigate.

THE ANNOYANCE OF PHILLIPA

Phillipa still comes off rather unlikable. In one scene, she is horrified to discover a place where murderers and many other criminals are kept is...not very nice. She never seems to understand reality because she lives in a bubble. And in another, she asks if someone knows that “synthetic fur is the ethical choice”? Any normal person would say that making animals suffer and die when synthetic fur is affordable and widely available is immoral.

Whenever she tries to express herself in any way, it comes across so awkward. Like when she has to handle a tough situation: “...she felt entirely equal to the situation that presented itself. And she supposed that was all down to what Nimrod called 'experience'. The kind of experience that told it just might be a good idea to enter the room invisibly.”

Who thinks that way? I could maybe understand Nimrod phrasing something so oddly, but a fourteen year old girl? Any normal person would write: Having been through her share of adventures, Phillipa knew it would be a good idea to enter invisibly.

Also, when Phillipa turns some bad guys into animals, and they accidentally get killed, she is suddenly reminded of how her mom killed people in the book three. And she doesn't want to be like her. But at the time, and in every book after, Phillipa never cared at all. Does Kerr not think we remember the other books?

Also, after Phillipa is separated from the others on the flying carpet, she meets Nimrod. She completely breaks down, babbling and sobbing and becoming hysterical. We have had five books where people have almost died and she never once reacted this way. It feels like another character altogether. Don't get me wrong, I would love for this to be considered development but it can't. It's just inconsistent. Development would be gradual and over time. Not out of the blue.

NIMROD

Nimrod'a charm is completely dead, as it was murdered in the last book. He keeps feeling less and less realistic, as if he is some sort of god that lives outside of regular society and all of the stupid, little people. He hilariously asserts “how little he knows” when he has some sort of spiritual experience. This coming from the man who seems to think he knows everything.

RULES OF REALITY

I do feel the story has kind of lost any sense of logic or rules that we must play by. New things are thrown in to the point where I don't even try to make sense of it.

When Groanin almost dies, he is in purgatory. When Rakshasas dies, he is reincarnated. So basically whatever you believe is real and applied to you?

Does that mean murderers that believe they are good people get rewarded in the afterlife? What if one believes he will meet a loved one in the afterlife, and that loves one believes there is no afterlife? Do you get to meet a fake loved one? Doesn't that make everything false, even the afterlife?

And later it is asserted that God is real and there is proof of that. So God made it so every religion is true and whatever you want to believe is real? Everything is so contradictory and poorly explained its as if the author expects his readers to have no real sense of critical thinking.

LETS LEARN A LESSON

Stories benefit from characters learning to change and grow. It shows character growth and makes a character relatable. But in order to not seem preachy, an author must be delicate to show and not tell. Unfortunately, Kerr does not know how to do that.

Nimrod actually says that he has spoiled the twins. Which is odd, because throughout the series, the fact that they come from an affluent family is almost never mentioned which would be the real source of their spoiling.

He wants to teach them about “economic and social reality”. So he makes them stay at a crappy hotel for a day. And even though he makes it so the twins cannot use djinn power, it makes little to no difference on the rest of their lives. They will just use it whenever they want to after this event.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CONSEQUENCES?

The idea of using djinn power (as mentioned in the first book) and using up your own power has been completely discarded. There are never any negative consequences for the main characters (only Dybbuk or Zadie). There is a threat of the twins losing their powers, but it never gets brought up again. You would think two teenagers with god-like powers might cause some trouble. But apparently not. Not even tempted, it seems.

RACIST GROANIN?

In a weird part of the book, Nimrod straight out calls Groanin a racist. It wasn't funny, just weird. Groanin has been complaining about foreign cultures and lands for five books and been Nimrod's butler for a long time. If he was really such a horrible person, wouldn't this have been called out long ago? Wouldn't Nimrod have fired him?

No one really believes he is racist. He just hates traveling and the inconveniences it carries. He always stereotypes races and cultures but he doesn't actually believe himself to be better simply because of his race. We know because he never treats anyone badly nor says one race is better than another.

JERUSALEM-THE UNCOMFORTABLE CITY

One of my favorite parts of the series is the places that are traveled to. Every city, every culture explored and examined with a curious and appreciate eye. Venice? Beautiful. China? Amazing. India? Great. Jerusalem? It's an uncomfortable place.

Yes, Nimrod actually says he feels uncomfortable there. This is a djinn who argued for the eating of dogs, mind you.

This was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever read in any book, let alone this series. I was completely taken aback. I was expecting something flowery and vague, about how it was the birthplace of the three of the worlds largest religions and full of history.

What I got was an awkward rambling about how there were seven religions there and they were all fighting. (What religions? Who knows? He doesn't' say.) And the hotel he was staying at had been hit by a terrorist attack (What kind of terrorist? I don't know. Just a terrorist.) Yes, there is a lot of turmoil in the middle east. But Kerr doesn't seem to know how to talk about this in any real sense. Words like “Islam” and “Judaism” are never used. Are the readers supposed to be too stupid to know or so smart he doesn't need to be specific about anything?

TIME TRAVEL-SPOILERS

Time travel is used to make it so the story never happened. I don't care that it's unoriginal, just that it doesn't make much sense. It's stated that since two characters who helped them on the adventure are staying at Shangri-la, then when they go back, this adventure will never have happened. In that case, how did they get there to stay in the first place? Just seemed trying to be clever but coming off as illogical.

CONCLUSION

It was inevitable that a story couldn't be carried forever by a unique world. The characters of John and Phillipa refuse to develop in any way at at all, while charming characters like Nimrod and Groanin have become arrogant and condescending. I can't help feeling that so many aspects of the book felt weird because politics were pushed awkwardly into the story. Kerr seems to forget every other book he has written in this series and hopes you do too. There just isn't any consistency. I give “The Five Fakirs of Faizabad” one and half stars.

Book Review: "The Eye of the Forest" by P.B. Kerr

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

The twins and Nimrod travel to South America to stop an unknown enemy from awakening an evil force. But they are faced with enemies and traps on all sides.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

John unfortunately comes off as unlikable as Phillipa usually does. He instantly dislikes the new character Zadie and makes more than a few cruel comments. And although he misses Rakshasas, this doesn't make up for his annoying behavior. Also, he wants to leave a character to die, because he doesn't like her.

Phillipa is still the same. Making arrogant and ignorant comments. She still assumes she knows more than everyone around her.

Nimrod is losing his charm. He no longer comes off as witty and wise. Instead condescending and arrogant.

Groanin comes along and makes his usual blunt comments. Probably the most likable character in the book. Although he wants to leave a character for dead, so that doesn't say much about the caliber of characters in this story.

Dybbuk is only in a small portion of this book. He seems to have learned nothing from his past mistakes. There really isn't any time to hope for development. I am disappointed, because although he was rather predictable and selfish and the last book, I had high hopes that he would develop through realizing the horrible mistakes he made. He didn't.

NEW CHARACTERS-SPOILERS

Zadie starts as a friend if Phillipa, and I had hopes that she would help develop the mechanical twin. But this was soon lost. Apparently Zadie is obnoxious and no one likes her. This hatred becomes tiresome and makes our characters seem petty and childlike. Even Groanin. I think Kerr thought it would be funny if they hated her, but I think this is another mistake that I have previous talked about: making everything a joke.

I kept waiting to figure out why she was there. If not to help develop Phillipa or John, she had to have some purpose. When I found it, I wasn't impressed. (She is responsible for something bad.) If anything, I was annoyed. I could feel nothing, because the supposed backstory about her and another characters are told to us, and never shown. Not through flashbacks or anything. Also, she was just hypnotized, so who cares?

Sicky is a native who becomes a guide to the twins. His head is shrunken slightly from his body. He felt like a cartoon character with not much intelligence. Nothing about him seemed believable, not lack of desire for revenge or the desire to fix his disfigurement.

NEGLECTING DYBBUK

It seems Kerr could think of no way of incorporating Dybbuk into the main plot so he threw him into the end. It wasn't a terrible idea, after all Dybbuk could have easily been into denial about his past mistakes, and continued on the wrong path. But it just wasn't believable because the reader gets to only see the end of what should have been a full story.

WHO IS THE VILLAIN? SPOILERS

The villain who is in charge of the explorers who seek out the eye of the forest is a mystery. When it was finally discovered, I didn't feel much surprised or vindicated. I guess it had to be someone we already knew since it would be hard to add a new villain so late in the story. Oh, I'll just say it, it's Virgil Mcreeby.

PROPHECY

There is a prophecy mentioned early on about twins. I thought it was almost clever, the way it turned out to be not what we thought. Except that it's brought up, then never spoken of again by Nimrod. It felt like an oversight. If Nimrod thought the twins were part of a prophecy, wouldn't he have filled them in? Instead, we never speak of it, and when it is mentioned again, I was like, “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that thing.” It just never felt important.

IT'S NOT MAGIC, IT'S GLOBAL WARMING

There is an odd moment early on in the book where it is discovered that they cannot travel by whirlwind. It's speculated that it is because of global warming. It was such an odd moment that took me right out of the book. I wanted to say, “hey, they changed it to climate change, although they may change it again in another decade.” To throw politics into a fairy tale just felt weird. I am generally not a fan of these kinds of things, because they date books too. And years from now kids who read this book won't have a clue what they are talking about.

THE PROBLEM OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

When it comes to Phillipa, instead of showing, we get told that she is “too diplomatic” to express her anger at being abandoned by someone. And when she puts her life at risk, we have to be reminded how beloved she is, by Groanin, who says how much he loves her. It's like a neon sign by the author saying: “Phillipa is great! Smart and brave. Groanin says so.” Just stop.

Also, when it's pointed out that Lupuna trees are cut down and are important to the country, she shows extreme arrogance when she says they should stop. It's their livelihood. But she is too sheltered and privileged to know that, apparently. There is a perfect chance to make her struggle with power given to her, but instead she tells it to Nimrod after making the so-called hard decision to give it up.

As for Nimrod, he makes a few smarmy comments, one about how he doesn't want a to make a new religion, because there are far too many. Right. The stupid masses and their religion. That really made me wince.

Another time he says to John that American's can't understand words with more than three syllables. He is quickly becoming a jackass. Regarding the argument about how Christmas trees are cut down that he makes to Phillipa, he sounds like an idiot. Basically he says cutting down Christmas trees is the same as destroying the rain forest. No, really. When in reality those trees are planted to be sold, and then replaced. Unlike the Lupuna trees, which are just destroyed. But smart Phillipa can't see through this bad argument.

WHY, FINLEY? SPOILERS

John makes a note that he thought Finlay was helping out the villain of the story. Even though he makes no mention of this suspicion at all. There were also no hints about that. Didn't Finlay hate his dad the last time we checked? I wonder if Kerr remembers what he wrote.

JUST IGNORANT

When the group gets almost killed by Xuanaci, and they will most likely get killed by a wish gone awry, he points out they are ignorant. So it's okay that they tried to kill them all. Or something. This could have gone so much better if a different argument was made. As such, it just came across as stupid. He simply should have said that all lives are sacred, and maybe one day they could change and evolve, so they should try to save the Xuanaci.

SIDE STORY-SPOILERS

There is a side story about the twins' parents, Layla and Edward. I didn't quite get why Layla had to lose her body in the last book. Mrs. Trump going into a coma so she could have her body seemed macabre. So when she ended up going to South America, the same continent that the kids ended up going to later, I knew there had to be a reason. Except there wasn't. As djinnternal mail can be used at any distance, so it didn't matter that she was there. On the plus side, there is a random Marlon Brando reference that no one under thirty will understand.

Anyway, Layla uses her powers to control the governmental army to get a plane and put the lives of others in danger, because she can't use a whirlwind. It would be immoral you know, with global warming and all.

Now there is actually a point to this story, which is to resolve the relationship of Edward and his wife. He admits he is terrified of her, and how she can easily kill anyone she wants. So she agrees to swear off her powers again. The only problem? This came way too late. When Layla murdered the two intruders in her house, she was judge, jury and executioner. And the twins didn't even flinch. So it all feels all bottled up and put away for later, when Kerr suddenly remembers that murder might not be a good idea. Even if your a self-righteous djinn.

JOHN'S DREAMS-SPOILERS

John falls asleep next to a Lupuna tree and dreams an answer up crucial to the plot. Kerr tells us how dangerous they are, with people falling asleep next to them and waking up centuries later. But apparently Nimrod didn't think it was that important to tell John that, even though judging by his reaction, he knew all about it. This just doesn't make sense. Nimrod sees the trees and points them out, but doesn't share the crucial information he knows about them? If he didn't see them, that would make sense. But he points them out to John.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Near the end of the book, Phillipa ends up discovering the power of a gift she received in the previous book: her slippers. I couldn't help but feel this was thrown in at the last minute. I kept thinking, this wasn't planned when you wrote the ending of the last book, was it? I seriously doubt it. It felt cheap. I thought, well at least we will have a good conversation between her and Dybbuk. Wrong. Dybbuk is out cold, so she just tries to awaken him by telling him he's not bad. That doesn't work. Big surprise. So she leaves him to be evil.

CONCLUSION

John and Phillipa still don't develop, and it's getting more hopeless for them. Zadie could have been a female friend to Phillipa, but instead we get another annoying character. And although there is a mentioning of a prophecy to restore a djinn's power, Dybbuk still feels shoehorned into the story. There is plenty of adventure and monsters to meet, from giant mosquitoes to killer piranha. Unfortunately, the characters distract from this. Not to mention so much bad logic that you would think a teenager was writing this book. I give “The Eye of the Forest” two and a half stars.

Book review: "The Day of the Djinn Warriors" by P.B. Kerr

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

The twins have to save their mother from becoming the blue djinn of babylon. But to do that they need to get a replacement, which leads them on a quest to find her. Meanwhile, Dybbuk has become world famous by becoming a television illusionist. But his mentor may not be what he seems.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS-SPOILERS

John mainly resides inside Finlay in this story. Knowing everything about each other makes them uncomfortable, but only for a second. His personality is the same as the last books, not too distinct, but more so than Phillipa, and more likable than her too.

Phillipa still feels unrealistic. Oddly enough, when a character wants to end his life, she doesn't' argue, become anxious, and freak out like most of us would. She just leaves him and is described as crying. It felt so unemotional. And instead of being scarred after witnessing this, she soon forgets it and moves on. It isn't really brought back up again. Also, she stupidly reveals she is a djinn to a random stranger who saves her life and grants him three wishes. Isn't she supposed to be the smart one? He could wish for awful things, but she doesn't even stop to think. Felt uncharacteristic for her. And later we learn it was done to simply result in a plot point with her mother.

Dybbuk is too dimensionally selfish and stupid throughout this book. He starts with some desire to meet his father, and yet this never goes anywhere. Instead we seem his stay his course, without ever hesitating. Which makes it quite hard to feel any sympathy for him when he finally faces consequences.

NEW CHARACTERS

Faustina, Dybbuk's sister is confident and smart. Maybe to the point of being unrealistic. However, she is only in book for half of it, so she has no arc. She fell flat to me and I would have liked her to make another appearance. I thought she would be a love interest for John, but this goes nowhere.

Finlay, who you may remember as the boy who John turned into a bird from book two, is back and is now a friend of Johns. Since he had such a terrible relationship with his father, I expected him to be rather screwed up. But other than one scene where he gets revenge, he seems no different than John. He just never took on his own personality and was a poor replacement for Dybbuk.

IBLIS THE VILLAIN-SPOILERS

Iblis is still rather two-dimensional. I really wanted something between him and his son, but he was just too cartoonish to develop anything. Even villains care for their children. Instead he comes across as stupid and selfish, almost like a child.

RAKSHASAS' DRAMTIC EXIT-SPOILERS

There is a scene where Rakshasas gets absorbed by a djinn warrior. I didn't feel it was dramatic enough. Seeing how Kerr has previously portrayed John in traumatic moments in book two, I was surprised to find that the old djinn wasn't returning. I was like, oh, is that it?

FATHER & SON

I think the story would have been better if Dybbuk had met his father, learned to trust him, and then have been betrayed. As it was, it really had no impact, not that the reader gets to see. Kerr merely states that Dybbyk will discover what has happened to him much later. What should be a dramatic reveal isn't even shown. I wanted to see the shock and disbelief that Dybbyk felt. Maybe he even blamed himself? That would at least have shown some character development.

PACING

The story goes back and forth, giving Dybbyk a few chapters of his own. I have no problem with this format. Kerr was doing what he does best, working a piece of the story into the rest. Unfortunately Dybbuk doesn't develop a relationship with anyone that affects him. He basically just has his manager, who lets him do whatever he wants.

ANGELS WITH CHAUVINSTIC SOULS

Phillipa and Groanin meet an angel, and apparently he is a chauvinist. This just felt weird. I think Kerr was trying to be funny. But really, like the idea of a wrestling match with an angel wasn't goofy enough? We already went over how I felt about the angels being portrayed as less than wise but now they are sexist too. Just a small annoyance. This probably wont annoy most people though.

REVENGE

Finlay gets revenge on his dad for the abuse he has had to endure. But it's supposed to be comical and no seems to care. I expected at least Phillipa to protest, since Kerr is always stating how moral she is. This bothered me. These are the stories' heroes and it crosses no ones mind that revenge might not be a good thing? It certainly isn't closure for Finlay, if anything it may increase his hatred for his father.

MOTHER

There is a side story involving there mother after the leaves for home. I wasn't too interested but it wasn't that long. I assumed it would an important bearing on a future book since I didn't see the point of it in this book rather then a desire to further her character. She didn't really grow so, I don't know what was intended. Its claimed to be a result of Phillipa stupidly granting a wish, but no one ever knows it was her fault, so...there really isn't a point.

EXPLICIT CONTENT

A minor character ends his own life. Nothing graphic is shown.

CLIMAX

Kerr incorporates both John and Phillipa, allowing each to play their own crucial parts. But I felt that Iblis was too cartoony to take seriously and was seriously disappointed by a lack of a climactic scene between him and Dybbuk. Also, the fact that no one seems disturbed by his gruesome end made the twins feel two dimensional. Phillipa is supposed to be horrified, but we're merely told and not shown, by Kerr saying that “she wasn't made of as tough of stuff as John”. There should have been horror and shock on both their parts.

CONCLUSION

The new characters of Finlay and Faustina feel dull, but the story is still interesting and the world intricate. There are more than a few amusing moments and interesting places to see. Kerr takes each part of the story and works it all together in his usual fashion. I give “The Day of the Djinn Warriors” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "The Cobra King of Kathmandu" by P.B. Kerr

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Why Dybbuk gets in trouble, he asks for the twins help. They in turn, head to London for Nimrod's help. But he's gone, so with Groanin along, they head to India, to uncover a secret about an old cult.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

Phillipa comes off as annoying. For example, when she visits a djinn girl named Uma, she asks who will look after the djinn girl, and once in her thoughts, she thinks Uma's ideas are naive and she knows how to fix the problem herself. There is also a scene where she should be terrified of someone, but instead she has to resist the desire to make a biting comment.

John is still the more likable of the two. He even goes forward when he is caught, so the others can escape. He very much takes the role of a brother, seriously. And it was nice to see him protecting Phillipa. Also, even when Dybbuk had previously done nothing but manipulate them, he still wants to rush out and help him. Phillipa, on the other hand, protests helping him.

NEW CHARACTERS

Guru Mahasamjara isn't presented until chapter twelve, that's more than halfway through the book (unless you count the prologue). So we don't necessarily spend a lot of time getting to know him. But it's clear that he is insanely selfish and willing to go to any ends to achieve his goals.

Dybbuk is finally a main character. Although he is from a wealthy djinn family as well, he acts nothing like the twins. He enjoys playing jokes on people and seems rather sullen and resentful at times. But from the get-go we know there is more to him then being a selfish, rich kid. He cries openly when he talks about those who had died. Also, its established early on that he loves animals. The mystery of Faustina, his sister is set up in this book.

PACING

We get some chapters to set up the story before its set in motion. Before then though, it's important that a character is introduced, as she knows someone who will help the twins. We switch back and forth a bit, from the twins point of view, to Nimrods. But again, this doesn't really speed things up. But that's not really necessary. Kerr takes his time weaving all of the puzzle pieces together as he usually does. This is one of his greatest strengths.

EXPANDING THE WORLD-SPOILERS

Probably my favorite aspects of these books is the world that Kerr presents. We get to meet an angel, although it had already been established that they existed. I know that he has a sense of humor, but I would have kind of liked some reverence given to the angels, as they are far more powerful than any other creatures. I mean, there are angels and demons, so most likely there is a God too. So wouldn't that make the angels his messengers?

Also, we learn that djinn can posses animals, not just controlling their bodies, but seeing their memories as well as talismans that can be used to control djinn. Plenty of details are given on other matters, such as soul mirrors. Kerr really shines in this aspect, making up for other shortcomings.

COMEDIC RELIEF-SPOILERS

Iblis returns, but its clear that he poses not threat, as his bumbling servant is a main part of this side story. I found it rather unnecessary, although Kerr was setting up Iblis to make a return for the next book. I almost feel he should have simply made a note in book four slipping in info about Iblis' previous host body being destroyed. Or maybe not even at all.

KERR'S HUMOR

You may think from what I said about the angels, that I don't like Kerr's sense of humor but I do. In fact, there were multiple moments in the book where I was laughing. Groanin is hilarious as usual, and even Dybbuk made me laugh.

But when everyone and everything is funny, it makes a story feel less realistic (hence my criticism of the angels and Iblis). In a magical world like Kerr's, that can easily destroy the suspension of disbelief. But I still managed to enjoy the book and overlooking these small parts.

UNLIKELY KNOWLEDGE

Kerr has the habit of inserting himself into the book. I didn't mention it, but in book two, he makes John know a language he is suddenly speaking is Sioux. Because he watched a documentary, he just happens to know this. It makes no sense, since John is not into learning about history. Kerr could have easily stepped in as a narrator. Instead, it just comes off as taking over the character.

He does it again, making John know how to build a sweat lodge. What thirteen year old knows how to do this? It could have worked, if it had previously been established that John was a history buff or something, but it hadn't. Thus, it just feels unbelievable.

Also, it's John again who points to a book he supposedly read, “Sherlock Holmes”, to help them out. But it has already been established that he hates reading.

SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS

Like I mentioned, John offers to sacrifice himself getting captured so his sister can get away. He shows his love for her. Phillipa notes a few times on how courageous her brother is.

John comes off as more likable and real, as he isn't just saying, but doing. Any attempt to show how moral Phillipa is comes off more as telling than showing.

CLIMAX

Kerr does a good job of not painting the adults as idiots, even though the kids are the ones who have to save them. Phillipa and John still make big mistakes, and happen to be presented with ways to escape, that have to do more with the circumstances than their brilliance.

CONCLUSION

Kerr is rather inconsistent with his portrayal of John, and lacking in charm when it comes to Phillipa. But once again takes us on travels all over the globe, and expands on the unique world of the djinn. As well as portraying Groanin and Nimrod as charmingly eccentric, Dybbuk makes a worthy edition to the well of characters. He is more relatable than the twins and promises to be more complex and develop in the future. I give “The Cobra King of Kathmandu” four stars.

Book Review: "The Blue Djinn of Babylon" by P.B. Kerr

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When the twins and Nimrod learn that Solomon's Grimoire has been stolen from Ayesha, the blue djinn, they learn only they can help. But this turns out to be more trouble than they expected, and soon it becomes a rescue mission. And this time, John has to go it alone.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS-SPOILERS

Phillipa is the twin that I still feel slight indifferent too. There were two moments in the book that made her come off as actually unlikable. Once, where she thinks she is perfectly innocent of anything and pure hearted, and another where she looks down on the maid of Ayesha. Phillipa begins a change in the book that she cannot control, but it was up to her to explain how nice she usually was. I wish we could have actually seen her kind personality and her strong moral convictions in action.

John felt the more likable than his sister. He has two scenes in the book where he witnesses deaths that move him to tears. These were written well. Not enough detail to be gorey, and no flowery writing that made John seem unreal. These scenes made him very sympathetic. It is also mentioned that John has been bullied at school, making him seem more three dimensional.

Nimrod is actually in this story slightly less. But he remains the same character. I thought it was odd that John never took him aside and became angry with him for being kept in the dark about many djinn matters.

Groanin again, has most of the amusing lines. Although Nimrod had his share. I still favor him and Nimrod over the twins, for their charisma and odd behavior.

NEW CHARACTERS

Dybbuk is a much needed character, a similar aged character who knows all about djinns because he is one. Although he comes off as snobby and selfish at first, its obvious there is more to him than meets the eye.

Darius is the young driver who helps Groanin and John get to their destination. He is charming, and has a love for racecar drivers.

The Blue Djinn of Babylon, Ayesha is emotionless and unfeeling. She allows only facts to affect her judgment.

PACING

The pacing isn't really fast, just like the last book. Before we even get to the astaralagi tournament, where the story seems to get started, we meet Dybbuk and help Mrs. Trump with a problem. This may seem to have nothing to do with the story, but events occur that affect the story later.

Although about half way through the story, Phillipa and John are split up and we get a few chapters from her perspective, and some from his. This doesn't make the book feel faster, as there are a few chapters between John's before we even get to Phillipa's.

ALAN & NEIL

The Gaunts' pet dogs come with John and Groanin for protection this time around. I quite liked seeing how they were so protective of John. But I wish there had been a few scenes in this book, or the last one, that had mentioned how close John was with him. Perhaps mentioning they went on regular walks, played fetch, or they laid at the end of his bed. I understand that they are not normal dogs, but even so, a bond that people form with animals is easy to relate to and would have made John and Phillipa more relatable.

EXPOSITION

There were the usual bits of exposition, same as last time. But for the most part, again, the information was interesting and necessary. Although some of it was silly (the book of moans?). Although I admit, I was bored when details of astralagi were given.

EXPANDING THE WORLD-SPOILERS

Kerr does much to expand the world, partly through Dybbuk and partly through the plot. For instance, we learn about Elementals, creatures created of an element that can be summoned to to a djinn's bidding. Also, we learn that Djinn can travel by hurricane.

SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS

When Phillipa vanishes, John thinks about how he feels a part of him is missing. Its a sweet sentiment, but again, I wish Kerr would have showed us how close they are, and have always been. Do they have the same classes at school? Same friends? Do they have interests in common? Is it just being the same age that has made them close? Most of us have siblings, but only some of us call them friends. I just wish Kerr had expanded on this as it's an important aspect of their characters.

FORESHADOWING

There are few instances where foreshadowing occurs. Once with Dybbuk, and another when John learns about a king. Also an incident with a bird comes back to help John.

CLIMAX

It is set up where John has to go on alone, with only Neil and Alan with him, to rescue Phillipa. It definitely felt like his book, even though the twins were together until halfway through. The Iravotum is vast underground world that seemed so creepy, I wanted to see more. It was interesting how the Blue Djinn herself was not the the one thing keeping the twins from escaping.

CONCLUSION

Although Phillipa still seems to lack depth, I find myself drawn to the wonderfully detailed world of the djinn. We travel all over, witnessing new monsters, and places of myth and legend. And John does show some of his inner feelings. Groanin and Nimrod still prove to be unique and entertaining characters while future events are set in motion. I give “The Blue Djinn of Babylon” four stars.

Book Review: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

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.