Synopsis:
When 12-year-old Krish finds out his mum is dying, he is desperate to give her more time to live. This leads to a deal with a devil-like creature to travel to another realm, Ilir, and collect the Myrthali – the essence of time itself.
Ilir is a tiny desert world where the days are a handful of hours long and there is magic and treachery on every corner. Here Krish is set three impossible challenges by the brutal King Obsendei to win from him the Myrthali. He joins forces with the razor-tongued, young girl-wizard Balthrir, who hopes to free her parents from the Black Palace; a living, breathing structure built entirely out of those subjects who have incurred the wrath of the King.
But as Krish battles these impossible tasks he may be about to learn that there is more than his mother’s life at stake as he gets embroiled in a blood-thirsty fight for power in Ilir that will push his friendship with Balthrir to its limits.
Review:
How many of us have wished for more time at some point in our lives? When we meet Krish he is struggling with the reality of loosing his mum, he is desperate for more time. It is an intriguing premise, time being something you can take, something you can use. Krish is offered the impossible and so starts his quest to steal more time for his mum.
You are very quickly pulled into the mysteries of the book. There is so much going on but it all works so well that you never feel overloaded, just pulled through each part, willing Krish on. Mark has also created the most amazing World. He paints such a clear picture of the landscape around Krish that you feel like you are there with him. He’s used every sense to create a vivid picture, yet you are not overwhelmed with detail.
What a cast of characters! I have to be honest it took me some time to warm up to Krish, I found him a bit lack luster at the beginning but he goes from strength to strength as the story progresses. My favourite character by far was Balthrir, she was fabulous. I loved her unusual nature, on the surface she was bright and breezy but she had so much depth to her. They made an excellent pairing. What I found really interesting was the personalities of the characters who were ‘using’ time. They were cruel, heartless and seeking more extreme forms of entertainment, they had no redeeming features at all. If you had endless time what would you become? It’s an interesting discussion point.
Some of the creatures that appear in this book are dam right disturbing, kids will love it! The Vulrein were an interesting concept, they reminded me a little of the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who. The Vulrein can only be seen by the person they’ve been set on and only when that person closes their eyes. However, when you close your eyes they can find you! The firebirds, another amazing concept – Mark’s imagination is incredible.
I really enjoyed this book it is quirky, fun and imaginative with a unique cast of characters. Just need my eldest to be a little older so I can read it to him, he’s going to love it. Personally I can’t wait for the next adventure. Many thanks Mark for giving me a copy of your wonderful book in exchange for an honest review. Follow the tour to see what others have thought.
More about the Author:
Mark is a proudly dyspraxic writer and filmmaker. He has written short fiction for Lionsgate’s Fright Club ezine as well as articles for Den of Geek, Boundless and Cult TV Times. Since going freelance in 2013 he has created video content for Unbound, Santander, Pearson, Choice Support, The Big Issue and LexSnap as well as various music videos and three award-winning shorts. He recently wrote and directed the pilot episode for a sitcom based on his previous career in film marketing entitled It’s All Lies. He isn’t married and doesn’t live in Surrey but he did once climb a mountain dressed as Peter Pan.
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