Life's not going so great for Brody: his family is in financial
difficulties, the neighborhood mean girls have picked him as their
favorite target, and he'll never be as smart or important or appreciated
as his genius brother James. One day, when the mean girls have
kidnapped his beloved cat, he's unexpectedly rescued by a boy with
enormous blue papier-mâché wings, Nico, who invites Brody to come to a
specific place at a very specific time. Intrigued, Brody shows up, half
expecting that he's been the butt of yet another unkind joke -- but then
Nico and his friends arrive, and together they step through a door into
another world. Everland is a place of pure wish-fulfillment, where
nobody can get hurt and everybody can be whoever they want to be.
However, as time goes on, Brody learns that the doors that lead to
Everland from different parts of their world are disappearing. Before
their door disappears, Brody and Nico must make a choice. Nico is
determined to stay in Everland, but can Brody leave behind his family
and real-world friends?
I loved this gritty, bittersweet fantasy.
In general, I'm a fan of books that play with the tropes of portal
fantasy, as this one does. Brody's hardships felt legitimate, and it was
hard to guess what decision he would make in the end. If you enjoy this sort of fantasy, this one is highly recommended.
(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)
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