Title: The Six Days
Author: Anna McCormally
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
Fifteen years ago, in the middle of the night, Jamie Carpenter’s mother went up to the dark lighthouse on the cliffs. She never came back.
Yesterday, Jamie had a nightmare: his little brother disappearing like their mother did, through the door of the lighthouse, a door that has never opened.
Today, the nightmare came true. Jamie’s brother is missing. And not just missing–he’s been abducted, taken through the lighthouse door into the world of magic that lays beyond.
With his best friend Nia at his side, Jamie crosses into a world he never knew existed–but Emanu is not the fairytale world of childrens stories. Desperate to understand who took Danny and why, struggling to survive in a world of shadowy magic, Jamie and Nia seek the help of the Council of Witches. As they uncover more and more of Jamie’s family secrets and unknown powers, it becomes clear that Nia herself may be something more than human–and that it’s her the Council views as their biggest threat…
Swept up in a dark political game they don’t understand, burdened by magic they don’t know how to use, Jamie and Nia are going to have to learn fast if they’re going to survive Emanu and rescue Danny Carpenter. There are only six days until the gate between worlds closes again.
For good.
In The Six Days, Jamie Carpenter’s Mom disappeared fifteen years ago. He’s left alone with his Dad, his older brother Cal, and younger brother, Danny. His mother’s disappearance is the talk of town, which isn’t always easy for Jamie. Luckily he has his best friend Nia around, who supports him, no matter what.
But when the siblings and Nia discover old books on the attic of their home, books Jamie can read but Nia can’t translate at all, they know something strange is going on, and the books are connected to their mother’s disappearance. When a storm hits the small town, and the lights go on in the spooky lighthouse – where the lights never go on, and one can’t even access it – Jamie’s little brother Danny gets kidnapped, and Jamie and Nia are attacked by a witch from another dimension.
If they want to find Danny and return him home, they must travel through the gate hidden in the lighthouse, to another world, Emanu. The world their mother came from, and a world they never knew existed. In this strange world filled with dark magic, they ask the help of the Council of Witches. But when the Council begins to suspect Nia is more than just a regular human, and begin to see her powers as the biggest threat of all, turning to them for help may not have been a good decision after all.
They have six days before the gate between worlds closes again. Six days to find Danny. And if they don’t, he’ll be stuck in Emanu forever.
The writing is great, and the characters each have their own, distinct voice. I liked Nia the most – I’ve no idea if that’s because she’s a girl, or just because she has a fun personality, but she’s pretty cool. Jamie is fun too, but Nia was my favorite. Considering the main character is a boy, but one of the most prominent characters is a girl, I’m sure this book will appeal to both boys and girls.
The plot had some original and fresh elements that managed to surprise me. I enjoyed how much the lines between good and evil were blurrred here. There is some romance, but it’s secondary to the overall plot, which was another bonus. While I found the political war in Emanu intriguing, I’m afraid not everyone may like that though, and some parts of it may be a bit too complicated for the audience the book is geared at.
However, all in all, this is an excellent read with fluent writing, intriguing characters, and an interesting plot. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy, you should definitely read The Six Days.
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