Drake lives in a very strange magical home with 4 other residents, all of them are 16 years old, running away from a horrible life circumstances. Why strange magical home you wonder? First because each floor opens up to a different city/country - Germany, England, New Zealand.. But also you can venture through it to different dimensions / a somewhat parallel universe. While Drake, Jack, Terry and Faye aren't really friends they find a way to manage a household together, and even solve mysteries. In this one they don't really have a choice. As their house is threatened, their only way out is helping a German detective find who stole the "Red Beryl" and retrieve it.
Each of the guys (and gal) have their own "unique ability". No they are not superheroes, or have special "powers". They are regular kids trying their best to make sense of the mystery with the resources they have. Their wit and determination mostly. As the story unfolds we get to know the guys, the complicated relationships between them as well as 4 optional culprits. Going after them turns to be quite challenging, especially when threats are being thrown and time is running short.
But besides all this there is the story of Drupes, a parallel universe from which all 4 optional culprits are from. It's a magical place in which Dragons are grown, mutilated and used for heat in almost every home. It was truly heart breaking. The guys became quite involved in trying to save the Dragons as well because how could they not? The anti-dragon-slavery slogan says it all - "Am I not a being, can't I be your friend?". It feels so encompassing. Considering the background each came from it's no wonder they couldn't stay away and NOT help.
In the mix of all that there is also Drake himself, our sole POV, realizing his sexuality through his attraction to Jack. They might fight and bicker all the time but underneath there's so much more. It took them long enough and though is was frustrating I felt it was true to who they are and their age. Also there was so much going on, thinking about themselves wasn't something they had time for.
As you can imagine the 4 teenagers did the (almost) impossible by saving much more than their home. It was an interesting ride. I'm glad I gave this one a go even if I was a bit unsure about it. I stumbled upon this book while going through Anyta's published work (it's actually one of the last two I have on my list). It's one of her earliest work, offered as a free-read.
Really glad I gave this one a way. I say go ahead and give it a try. It's quite unique.
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Rating:
★★★★ |
Free
Read |
257
pages
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Read on:
21-24 September 2019
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