Review: A story before bedtime
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2013
This was an easy read, a quick one that didn't take long to get the plot going. I really loved it for several different elements: the mythological element was there but not overdone, the setting was unusual for me, and the plot was very well done, especially considering the entire series was only 167 pages on my Nook. I think this series deserves that much more credit because of its ability to be so entertaining despite being so short.Firstly, I really enjoyed the characters. Amadi and Harun were of course great to read about, as was Bubul and Selim. We barely get to meet her birth mother and little brother, yet I enjoyed their characters for the small time span they were involved. The same goes for Yadin; she's gone so quickly from the series and yet she was still a great character. However, I do have to admit that all my favorite characters are the mythological beings: the Phoenix and Hanneh the sphinx. The Phoenix was snarky and was always complaining about something. The sphinx was always speaking in questions and I think that made her awesome from the get-go. The questions between her and Amadi were clever and still managed to convey what they meant to, which I think is a pretty impressive feat.The plot was very well done. It didn't really get a whole lot of explaining, and yet it was still possible to follow along with the story. It didn't get all convoluted and crazy and it still managed to flow well. I'm still amazed that it was such a good story despite it being so short. I mean, I suppose I shouldn't be considering that many of my favorite books as a child were excellent at this, but still. The plot was original and utilized a whole mess of mythological creatures. The best part about the creatures is that they're kind of lesser known ones. The sphinx and the phoenix are pretty well known, but not everyone can identify a manticore or those water spirits (I even forgot the name of it). I love mythology, so this was an especially fun aspect of the series for me.I do want to draw attention to one thing, though: that I think far too many of the harder aspects of the journey were solved too easily by wishing. It took away a lot of the tension, and I'm a fan of tension when done correctly.Seriously though, great series. The titles of each story explain it all, and I was more than happy to read it all the way through in one day.