This is a YA fantasy that will resonate with teenagers. It has a marvelous tone, especially the dialogue. The two main characters have a wonderful relationship, realistically presented. While the vocabulary is advanced, the level of wit will also appeal to adults who influence the purchase of the book. Some of the parenthetical asides are quite hilarious. The comparison of a cowlick to the effect of an elephant sneezing on a hay bale comes to mind.

The story is also full of description, a lot of it very creative, especially the magical sections. “His brain wobbled and was probably about to dribble out his ears,” for example. Personification of Tobias’s adrenalin comes a close second. This author must be a high school English teacher.

One small disappointment: putting footnotes at the end of a chapter, while simple in eBooks, is counterproductive. Especially with this quick patter, you need the joke at the moment it strikes. Funny though the aside might be, topping later to go back and find the reference destroys any transition between the chapters.

Another minor complaint. One of the characters, a monk, uses the they/them gender pronoun, an example of the mess that occurs when politically correct groups get involved with something they have no knowledge of. For example, “The combatants streaked overhead in unison, thumped into the rock behind them.” This problem is resolved by realizing that “them” is the monk.

Oh, yes, and you don’t “lay awake.” A hen lays eggs. You “lie awake.”

The plot follows a standard pattern. Teenagers discover they have magical powers, and after a brief fun-and-games where they try them out in our world, the heroes are transported to the magical world where they belong. At this stage, the story line consists of a stream of new characters showing up on both sides of the conflict, and each action sequence seems to be solved by the introduction of a new player in the game or a new power for the hero. This easy-way-out method of conflict resolution probably won’t bother the average target reader.

The rest of the book contains a complex and action-filled battle, leading to an ending that answers quite a few questions we don’t need to know about, but serves as a reasonable introduction to the coming sequel.

A YA book that will also appeal to parents. Highly recommended.

Five stars.

This review was originally posted at Reedsy Discovery.