J.W. Zarek

We first follow Laureus, whose mission is to return a scroll to Professor Stone. The scroll reveals a prophecy, a prophecy that Laureus starts. And now, we follow Boone Daniels. Boone is trapped in the middle of everything after severely injuring his best friend, Flynn Michaels, and now taking Flynn's place in a band in New York City. A planned meeting turns awry and Boone literally bumps into Sapphire Anjou. They are thrown into bound fates that change Boone’s demeanour and knowledge, as well as his outlook on life. He must undergo music, tragedy, adventure, action, and tasks to face his darkest fears and ultimately save New York City.

The book is written in the present tense, so readers read the narrative in real-time. A personal pleasant way to read since nothing in the future can be foreseen and readers learn what happens at the same time as the protagonist. The structure is wonderfully written, and its actions can be read at an understandable pace. The dialogue is also endearing and humorous. In addition, the story is visual and audibly descriptive, so the author wants readers to understand exactly what they want them to read, using the ‘breaking the fourth wall’ style and using very specific metaphors and similes to explain emotions and sights.

The characters are charming. Boone is down-to-earth, and demonstrates loyalty and persistence based on his decisions. He doesn’t want to be in the situation he is in, but he’ll carry on for Flynn’s sake. Sapphire is an eclectic character, rambling about information she assumes everyone else should care or know about. There are segments that can be easily omitted from the story as the information add nothing to the plot; however, it's good to read Boone’s opinions on character behaviours and he fills in the gaps that the information is borderline unimportant, informing readers what are at least relevant to the story. While the story follows Boone, it would have been nice to see more of Sapphire’s involvement; this prophecy affects her as well, albeit not as much as Boone.

A lot goes on, so there’s a lack of continuity in places: Boone and Sapphire confirm to Professor Wickhamby they are open to know magic is real, even though they experienced a supernatural event with the taxi and the homeless woman who called Boone ‘Ivan’. Boone doesn’t want to know about Sapphire’s criminal record, but then insists it’s imperative he knows. He also finally accepts calling the police is not an option, yet he gives Sapphire the last chance to change her mind. As mentioned, a lot happens so it can be difficult to follow the events. Neither Boone nor Sapphire know everything, so readers are learning alongside them, but this makes it difficult to understand what is supposed to be visually seen and audibly heard. There are also questions scattered throughout the story, some addressing the readers and some addressing other characters.

The majority of times, the book shows, but information that are not applicable in the real-world is explained through dialogue. If Boone and Sapphire were shown instead of told, this would not slow down the quick pacing of the narrative on other occasions of the book. Finally, while the story follows Boone, it would have been nice to see Sapphire’s involvement outside playing the violin. This prophecy affects her as well, not as much, but she is still a part of the prophecy.


I received a free review copy. Thank you to OnlineBookClub and author.… (meer)