From Brick & Darkness
J.L. Sullivan
YA Fantasy
Bax always fantasized something remarkable would happen in his life. So when a decrepit man with glowing purple eyes offers him a ring intended for his estranged father, Bax accepts.
The ring speaks to Bax in a dream, tempting him with a vision of a powerful djinn. Desperate to make his fantasies a reality, Bax unleashes a creature called Ifrit, but soon learns this djinn isn’t what the ring led him to believe. Feeding off the depths of his subconscious, the sinister demon fulfills what he thinks Bax wants by manipulating, threatening, and murdering. With everyone he loves in danger and a trail of crimes pointing back at him, Bax must scramble to solve the puzzle that will banish Ifrit forever.
Uncaged Review: A great story with a great message. Bax is from a single parent home, his mother working a lot of hours to keep them going. A sophomore in school, Bax only has a couple of friends, his best friend Jason, and his neighbor Ashley. When coming home one evening, there is a creepy man sitting on the steps to his apartment building, who gives him a ring, telling him it’s for his long lost father, Greg. Bax takes the ring and the man disappears. Bax has always wanted a better life, for him and his mother, and for his father to be back in his life. But be careful what you wish for….when Bax rubs the gemstone on the top of the ring, he summons a djinn named Janni. Janni is a low level djinn, (or genie for those that don’t read heavily in the fantasy world) but can only do minor tricks. When Janni says there is a more powerful djinn nearby, Bax convinces his friends that a more powerful djinn can make their lives better. Little do they know, he’s a monster of a djinn.
This book has a good message to everyone, and it’s a little creepy for the really young, but older teens and adults will enjoy this one. Be happy with the life you have, and don’t go wishing for riches….Reviewed by Cyrene
4.5 Stars
