by Erica Kirov
ages: 9-12
First sentence: “The mysterious man in the black wool cloak sat in the front row of the Princess Theatre, precisely in the center seat.”

At first glance, you would be tempted to brush this book off. It’s a Harry Potter knockoff you would say: a 13 year old boy with a dead (beloved) mother, was raised (for protection purposes) outside of his “world” is reintroduced to a magical life he never knew existed, and finds out that he is the Chosen One, the magician that everything pivots upon.

But don’t brush it off too quickly.

Nick is our main character, and he’s much more jaded than Harry was. Nick’s grown up in a third-rate hotel on the Las Vegas strip where his father, a third-rate magician, performs every night (and twice on the weekends). Nick’s not a particularly special (or brilliant) kid: he likes his cheeseburgers, video games, and skateboard. So, when he’s kidnapped and wakes up in the most famous magician’s — Damian — hotel, told that he’s related, and that he’s one of the Magickiseepers — an ancient breed, of which this Russian family is the strongest, tasked with keeping track of magic relics — its understandable that Nick might just resist a little. Especially when there’s caviar and blini for breakfast.

This book suffers from first-in-a-series syndrome: there’s much exposition and explanation and very little pay off. That said, Kirov’s use — and slight twisting — of the historical (from Houdini and Jues Verne to Rasputin — the perpetual bad guy — and Princess Anastasia) was definately a highlight. And, by the end, the book has us hooked enough in the world to find us eagerly anticipting the next book (the final teaser with Edgar Alan Poe also helped). It’s a creative mix of magic and historical fiction that gives it just enough of a unique spin to make it different Harry Potter, in spite of all the similarities.

And it’s those differences that make it worth reading.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powells, or your local independent bookstore.