City of the falling sky(The Seckry Sequence, #1) : Joseph Evans

First off, when I looked up on the net about this book, it didn't impress me much. It was touted as the next big thing after Harry Potter and I'm a complete Potterhead. I detest comparisons to a series that defined my generation's literary interests and imaginative abilities. This book surprised me!

City of the falling skies is a Young Adults fiction novel by Joseph.C.Evans. It is the first book in a trilogy named The Seckry Sequence -after the protagonist Seckraman Sevenstars. Seckraman Sevenstars is your average-next-door-Joe living with his family in Marne. He is forced to relocate, preceding and following which, a series of bizarre events take place. The book ended on a cliff-hanger and frankly? I'm excited for the next book.


What didn't work for me was the convenient placement and entry of characters. Also the book, at first, seemed like an absolute rip-off of Harry Potter. The similarities are too many and I ended up drawing too many parallels between the two. Like for example, Snibble is quiet like Draco Malfoy and Eiya like Hermione Granger, the headmasters are eerily very eccentric and the list is endless. But despite these similarities this book is a winner. The contrast between the picturesque Marne and the concrete paradise Skyfall has been beautifully depicted. The author has effectively succeeded in creating a whole universe set in a different time. Coming to the romance angle, there were absolutely no sparks or chemistry between the lead protagonist and his significant other. It was tepid and wasn't something that was progressively obvious. To be honest, it caught me off-guard when it was mentioned towards the end.


Even with all it's pitfalls and jarring similarities, I'd rate it a 3.5 on 5. It is  a must-read for everyone who's enjoyed the Harry Potter series. I'd recommend this book solely because of the brilliant, imaginary world the author has created with exemplary word play.

-Divya