Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
When I first started reading this book, I was afraid that I would have to give it less than 4 stars, but after a slow start I really enjoyed this story.
I had a major problem at first with the main character, Sara. She was very self-centered and mean, but by the end of the story she had matured. I decided that she would be someone I would like to be friends with. The same thing happened with Amesh, Sara's love interest.
Sara meets Amesh in Turkey, where her father is working. She is there for the summer and is very bored. She accidentally runs into Amesh, who works at the same place as her father.
She discovers an old carpet while there and absconds with it with Amesh's help. They find out that the carpet is magical and is a flying carpet. The carpet takes them to an island where there are djinn. The djinn are not the genies that we are familiar with. They want us to make three wishes so they can make us their slaves. They are mean and tricky. Amesh chooses to make two wishes, and Sara needs to save him from making that third one.
The writing is very good with a lot of plot twists. Again, the character development is outstanding. There are some cultural and geographical mistakes, but that can be overlooked considering it is a fantasy. I believe that many teens will enjoy this book and its sequels.
When I first started reading this book, I was afraid that I would have to give it less than 4 stars, but after a slow start I really enjoyed this story.
I had a major problem at first with the main character, Sara. She was very self-centered and mean, but by the end of the story she had matured. I decided that she would be someone I would like to be friends with. The same thing happened with Amesh, Sara's love interest.
Sara meets Amesh in Turkey, where her father is working. She is there for the summer and is very bored. She accidentally runs into Amesh, who works at the same place as her father.
She discovers an old carpet while there and absconds with it with Amesh's help. They find out that the carpet is magical and is a flying carpet. The carpet takes them to an island where there are djinn. The djinn are not the genies that we are familiar with. They want us to make three wishes so they can make us their slaves. They are mean and tricky. Amesh chooses to make two wishes, and Sara needs to save him from making that third one.
The writing is very good with a lot of plot twists. Again, the character development is outstanding. There are some cultural and geographical mistakes, but that can be overlooked considering it is a fantasy. I believe that many teens will enjoy this book and its sequels.
I was afraid going into this book that a story that involved magic carpet and genies (djinn) would be corny. Luckily, I was wrong. Secret of Ka was an original idea that was well written and well executed. It was a lot of fun learning the rules of the djinn, how you can only make one wish safely, if you get to the classic three wishes then you are in big big trouble!
Sara and Amesh's relationship was the only thing I really had a problem with in this book. I'm getting tired of reading books where the main characters "fall in love" after only spending a few short hours together. Sara and Amesh's relationship was even more unrealistic because they spent the majority of those few hours arguing and then Amesh takes off and betrays her when he gets the djinn. How does this equal love for Sara???
Overall, this was a fun story with an original paranormal element, that really drew me in and keep me engrossed and guessing what would happen next. I really enjoyed the action and all the twists and turns that get thrown at Sara. She ends up being a very strong character and takes everything thrown at her and doesn't give up!
Sara and Amesh's relationship was the only thing I really had a problem with in this book. I'm getting tired of reading books where the main characters "fall in love" after only spending a few short hours together. Sara and Amesh's relationship was even more unrealistic because they spent the majority of those few hours arguing and then Amesh takes off and betrays her when he gets the djinn. How does this equal love for Sara???
Overall, this was a fun story with an original paranormal element, that really drew me in and keep me engrossed and guessing what would happen next. I really enjoyed the action and all the twists and turns that get thrown at Sara. She ends up being a very strong character and takes everything thrown at her and doesn't give up!
