Archeology. History. A dash of geography and social studies. All you need for a boring school day, yes?
Not if you let Sarah Benson have her way. Or should I say, “work her magic”?
With her books, you’re not learning this stuff so you can get an “A” on the latest test. Nope; you’re learning it because you’d really like to figure out how to get rid of those shape-shifting shadow creatures who have a rather disagreeable habit of nailing you with a dark-colored slime that burns into your flesh. (Do I hear the makings of another Hollywood spa treatment?)
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Meet The Gang
Ok, but let’s recap, start at the beginning. Let’s see…Grandpa—whom you’re going on a trip to visit—hates his own son, has completely rejected him, stripped most of his pictures from the house, and forbids the family to speak of him. And, you guessed it—his son is your father, and apparently doesn’t even want to see you. His own granddaughter.
But here’s the kicker, sweetheart: that’s kinda the good news. So far, you’ve got a deserted village, a shifty police force, an almost entirely unreliable family, and your grandma—the grandparent who actually likes you—is MIA. You? Well, all you wanted was a freaking vacation.
“Come visit us,” she said. “Most of the ‘excitement’ is over,” she said! Yeah, maybe you should’ve taken a hint when she referred to a revolution as “excitement,” but…hindsight, eh? Of course, that 20/20 vision is only useful if you actually live long enough to employ it.
So far, you've got a deserted village, a shifty police force, an almost entirely unreliable family, and your grandma—the grandparent who actually likes you—is MIA. You? Well, all you wanted was a freaking vacation.Click To TweetThere are some upsides though; for your traveling companions, you have Yasmin, your fierce and feisty cousin; Haji, an expert tour guide; a charming, handsome Brit by the name of Liam; Chris, a young but surprisingly capable and mature boy; and Samuel, a professor who’s perhaps a few paintings short of a museum—so to speak. Oops, forget that last one; I was supposed to be cheering you up. Ah, never mind. I’m sure most of you didn’t hear a thing I said after “Liam,” did you? (You’ll have to forgive me…after spending much of the day immersed in the Batman universe, I think my wisecrack mode is pretty much jammed on for the time being.)
And just to clarify, he’s not that particular Liam…although that doesn’t seem to stop 98% of female readers from furiously making wedding plans. Better save my skin, so before you start coming at me like a bunch of walkers, I can assure you that I’m mostly unaffected by Liam’s charms, and will gladly let you have dibs on him. It’s a long line, though, and I’m pretty sure he only has eyes for our tenacious leading lady—the lovely (and stubborn…) Kami.
See The Sights
Ok, in between all the charming Brits and crazy professors, the tales of revenge and an epic rise to power, there’s the thing that makes the whole story feel especially unique and worthwhile for me: the setting itself. Seamlessly woven into the story, you find yourself wandering throughout Egypt, one moment squeezing your way through a packed airport, another pondering Alexander the Great’s travels through the land. You’ll get to munch on time-tested favorites while digesting the darker sides of the Arab Spring.
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Brain Candy Ahoy!
This attempt to cover all these different facets of Egypt could leave one with a bad case of whiplash—or conversely, it could feel like a dry, forced, all-too-methodical trip down memory lane for the sake of thoroughness. But it doesn’t. Nope—it feels effortless. And tasty. To use a food analogy, this isn’t dutifully spooning semi-stale bran flakes into your mouth in an attempt to up your fiber intake. No, this is more like popping handfuls of your favorite cereal into your mouth, because you’re darned hungry.
And here’s our second kicker of the day: IT’S HEALTHY.
When I can come out of a story feeling I’ve been not only entertained, but have actually learned something, that really makes it feel worthwhile. Sometimes what you learn is more a moral/philosophical theme. Hopefully, all stories have at least a little of that. Other times, you learn things a bit more academic in nature. And of course, you have books like this: where you get some of both.
Fun for the Family?
Of course, in terms of audiences, this may be educational, but you’d better find another book for your first-grade students to read…unless you want a bunch of angry phone calls later on from sleep-deprived parents. Between a brutally abusive father, that flesh-eating acid I mentioned, and some disturbing deaths, I would rate this story anywhere from a strong PG to a moderate PG-13. The topic matter itself could easily have garnered a stronger rating, but I think the handling of it makes that unnecessary. You might want to consider skipping the bug scene and related conversations, though. Whatever the rating, some things simply cannot be unread…
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Summary
In short? This is a story that gives you no shortage of action, mystery, humor, and history, along with those cute, fluttery, kilig moments that’ll make you say “Aww!” (Thanks to my fellow readers for teaching me a new word!) I think it’s fitting to have an enchantress at the center of this story, because chances are, you’ll quickly find yourself under its spell.
You can find out more about Sarah and her works on her website, Sarah Benson Books, and on her Wattpad page. [Do please note that the Wattpad version is unedited, so will have some typos and whatnot.]
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