Review Detail

5.0 1

Eden's Escape

Middle Grade Fiction 280

The Magic of Paris

November 01, 2016

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

After Eden's Wish, the title character has been allowed to live outside the lamp while she is granting her 999 wishes. Xavier and Goldie allow her to live in New York City with the genie Pepper as her guardian. The two have a great time taking in the sights, but when Eden gets her first wish, things go wrong. She has been called by David Brightly, the head of an enormous tech firm, and he wants to experiment on her and the lamp to see if he can unlock the secret to endless wishes. Eden manages to escape, but finds herself in Paris without a way to get back to New York. On top of that, Brightly alerts the news that his adopted daughter has been kidnapped-- and flashes pictures of Eden all over the news. Luckily, Eden meets Melodie, a French girl who helps her survive in Paris and contact Pepper to come and get her. Meanwhile, the Electra decide that this is a good time to claim the lamp for their own, so Eden is fighting them as well. The Loyals help, and eventually Eden is able to salvage the situation and return to her wonderful new life on earth.

Good Points

This was even more fun than the first book, and the sights and sounds of both New York and Paris are greatly detailed. Even Delta's decrepit house with huge numbers of birds is amusing. Eden has the background knowledge about both cities from her genie training, as well as a good command of French, so she should be able to travel anywhere!

The characters are my favorite part of this. Eden is a typical middle grade student, but one with a lot more opportunities and powers. Pepper is an energetic and amusing guardian, and Melodie is a worthy companion who gives her unquestioning support to Eden's escapades. Even Tyler and Sasha make a brief appearance, with the romantic interest in Tyler remaining fairly strong.

With a unique premise, evil tech villain, and lots of adventure, this is a great read for those who enjoy magical realism like Kessler's Emily Windsnap books, Mlynowski's Whatever After series, and the classic works of Edward Eager and Mary Norton.