A Sequence of Cosmic Accidents

by S.A Reyhani

'A funny, wild, crazily imaginative debut.' The Guardian

A National Book Tokens 'best new children's books of 2025' pick

The universe makes no mistakes…

Twelve-year-old Arian never wanted a foster sister, much less the weird and annoying one who has joined his family. From her outlandish outfits and bizarre behaviour to her claim that the random stick she carries is a magical weapon, Madlock is creeping Arian out. There’s just one thing the pair can agree that she’s from another planet. Of course, Arian never meant literally…

When Madlock summons a portal to another world, Arian is launched into an adventure of intergalactic proportions. For an ancient enemy is stirring in the shadows, and the universe has a bigger plan for them than the pair could ever have imagined

Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2025

Reviews

[Hannah Rials Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - this was a kooky, hilarious imaginative Sci-fi adventure with lots of gentle diversity - body diversity, family diversity, racial diversity. When Arian, a boy who avoids leaving his house whenever he can, finds out that his foster sister is actually a universe jumping warlock wrongly accused of a crime, his world is turned upside down. She needs his help, however impolitely she might ask.
Not necessarily my type of book with the sci-fi element, but I did really enjoy the writing, humor and characters.

[MR N · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sequence of Cosmic Accidents was a very enjoyable read. The book is highly creative, with a lot of depth in the fantastical world.

What I appreciated most is that the author doesn’t get bogged down explaining every detail of her world. Instead, the setting and its rules emerge naturally as the story unfolds, keeping the pace brisk and the reader engaged. At times, I half-expected the characters to wake up from a dream, the world was so imaginative and surprising. There are no slow or overly descriptive chapters; every scene moves the story forward and keeps things interesting.

The two main characters are beautifully developed, and their growth throughout the book feels authentic and meaningful, leading up to some beautiful moments. The story builds to a clever and satisfying finale, while also setting the stage nicely for the next installment. I’m looking forward to seeing where the adventure goes next!

[Sarsha Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT and more importantly my kids loved it! Because the book is new, I did check other reviews online before buying and saw it came heavily recommended, after reading it’s clear why! My son kept bursting out laughing while reading. The humour is so good which is important because there are some quite dark and scary places in the story too. This is the story of Arian and Madlock, two very different children, who get thrown together. There’s also some science with parallel worlds and black holes and wormholes all mentioned and Arian’s grieving for his mother was dealt with in a clever way.