The Magic Shop
Ed SutterYoung adult
Available from Whiskey Creek Press
ISBN: 978-1-60313-692-1
May 2009
| Alec Gavins' needs a summer job and when his best friend Marina gets him a job working for her uncle Zach in his magic shop, neither teen has any idea how that simple favor will change both their lives forever. While working for Zack, Alec accidently ends up with a golden amulet that seems to grant his wishes which leads Zack, Alec and Marina on a research quest for information about the mysterious artifact. It also puts them right into the path of a murderous group determined to possess the amulet. If that isn't enough to deal with, the amulet appears to allow the spirit of Alexander the Great to try to possess Alec during times of danger – right when Alec needs to be paying close attention to hhis immediate surroundings...
I thoroughly enjoyed this story line! The action and plot are fun and move the story rapidly forward. In places, the dialog and the story read a little awkward and stilted but I enjoyed the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen next enough that I was able to ignore the clumsiness. Alec and Marina are very likable teens with the normal issues of fitting in and being liked or disliked by the in crowd but an amulet that can grant wishes could change all that… The bad guys in the story are truly evil and it seems to be quite a mismatch to have them going up against two normal teens, a magic shop owner, and his archeologist girl friend. But wondering how the kids and their allies are going to survive and solve the mystery is what keeps the reader engaged in the book. If you like paranormal mysteries, treasure hunts, or good verses evil types of stories, you will find something to like in this book. I hope there are more stories like this planned. I really would like to read more about Alec and Marina as well as their friends!
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Reviewer: Steph B. |
