The Secret of Ka

by Christopher Pike

One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a hot boy she's starting to love but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the formidable monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara’s flying carpet—the ancient Carpet of Ka—and leave her stranded.

Discovering the Carpet of Ka has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she loves. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Paranormal, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Romance

407 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Christopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel the need to point out that this book begins with a number of MAJOR factual errors, as listed here on Amazon.

As a short sampling, let's just point out that Turkey is a modern, secular Mediterranean nation where women do not habitually wear veils (indeed, the proposal to allow women in university to wear headscarves was considered shocking! ATM, the requirement is that they attend bareheaded). There is no desert in or near Istanbul - in fact, Istanbul (which is NOT the capital of Turkey!) is on the water. And the list goes on - you'll note that the linked reviewer stopped reading after 30 pages or so.

These are very basic errors that could've been caught with nothing so much as a google search. The fact that the author did not consider it important to get these facts right is appalling.

It is not necessary for every fact in every book to be correct, people will make mistakes. However, it is insulting to read a book and find out that the author did not bother to do even the smallest amount of research. It's like opening a book and finding it full of typos. A few is okay, these things happen, but for the first page to be rittin lyk this becuz nobode tawt the arthur too speel? That's not good.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in high school, I binged the Thirst series. I went to Borders (remember Borders in the states? Yes, I crossed the border specifically to buy this series) and someone working there recommended Thirst to me because I was binging vampire books. I got SO many good YA book recommendations there... I hope those workers are doing well.

So on my shelf has been sitting this other Christopher Pike book. And I mean for YEARS. Ages. So long. I finally decided it was time...

This felt like a book definitely targetted to teenagers, maybe 13-15 years old, but instead of vampires... hear me out... genies! Not exactly genies, they are the Djinn, but come on! Why not the other supernatural creatures?

It felt very stereotypical but I enjoyed it. It wasn't complicated and had me reading away, happy and pleased. It did seem like it might have tried to start up a series with that ending, but it looks like that didn't go anywhere.

So overall? Okay book. Not the best YA book from the 2010s but worth the $5 I likely spent 10 years ago on it...

Three out of five stars.

[J.Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Secret of Ka
Dear Christopher Pike,
Please stick with horror. This foray into Istanbul and djinn (genies) was NOT a success. You are better than that.
Thanks,
A concerned reader

Sara is staying with her father in Istanbul for the summer when she finds a magic, flying carpet. Also, she meets a one-armed boy, Amesh, who works at her father’s job site and whom, you are supposed to believe she falls irrevocably in love with, despite the fact that he summons an evil djinn and leaves her stranded on an enchanted island that the carpet flew them to without any way of returning. Sara is apparently descended from a bloodline that enables her to have better control over djinn and to fly the carpet. She spends two weeks on the enchanted island learning how to throw a pot. YES, THAT’S RIGHT, throw a pot. She does this so she can enslave a djinn and tie it to the earth in the pot which she can then smash later to break her connection to the djinn. She needs the djinn so that she can go back to earth and save Amesh before he becomes a thrall to his djinn. And as she had known Amesh for approximately two minutes before he left her on the island, I can totally stand behind her actions. Wait. NO. Anyway, lots of stuff happens, blah, blah, Sara saves Amesh, finds out some significant things about her family, almost dies, wait, yes, I think she did die, comes back to life and rescues her mom. All in the day’s work for a regular American teenager in Instanbul, wouldn’t you say? I couldn’t tell if there will be a series or sequel or not.

But it doesn’t matter to me since I think I’ll leave the Christopher Pike books to my thirteen year old self.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know about you, but I've been in love with magic carpets since I first heard the story of Aladdin, then Disney went and made a movie about it and cast a totally cute animated character in the role and a beautiful princess and the hook sunk even deeper in.

So when I came across The Secret of Ka on NetGalley I jumped at the opportunity to read it. But let me warn you - I know I received an uncorrected e-galley of this book and am not sure if the book was deliberately typed up like I received or if it is something that will be changed... but the capitalization of things was all off and the beginning of chapters made me feel as if a teenager was writing the story and trying to be cool. wRiTiNg lIkE tHiS doesn't impress me, nor does not capitalizing the "I" when referring to yourself and capitalizing only some of the names. But again - I don't know if this is intended, just something that really bugged me in this copy of the book.

Other than that the book really was fantastic. I was worried about the story being corny... I mean, we're talking genies and magic carpets here. However the story unfolded in a very cool way - with the carpet being used as a specific item and the passage of time moving in a different way on the island of the djinn.

I thoroughly enjoyed the warfare lore mixed in and the touch of romance - it was nice to see another strong female character determined to save the boy in this case and a refreshing change of pace for me.

The cover of the book is beautiful and the story is a fascinating one. There were a few other issues which I'm sure editing will take care of.. but once this book is released I would highly recommend for those seeking a different sort of fantasy adventure.

[Nurshafiqa · Rating 2 out of 5]

i have been a fan of christopher pike since about two years ago. back then, i was still in secondary school. i can still remember the first time i held a pike book in the school's library, kind of wary because of the lame cover. read it and was immediately hooked. so was some of my friends. we made it a kind of mission to read all the pike books in our school's library, and we did. in a few months.

so imagine my surprise when i saw this book in the national library! i got so excited i think i jump around a little. here was another pike book, right in front of me, all glossy and new. without any hesitation, i borrowed a friend's library card (since i've used up the 12-books limit) and went home smiling.

i was so so so disappointed.

mr. christopher pike, please do your research before publishing a book. muslims don't pray in the toilet, what more a bathtub?! oh and if amesh was that much of a good muslim, like he wouldn't look at sara properly just because of her wearing a tank top and shorts and was even shy to use her freaking hotel room's bathroom, he wouldn't do half the things he did! there was just so many inconsistencies, i couldn't bother listing them all. it's like, amesh's religion, islam, is SUCH a huge part of who he is. it's kind of distracting to the story. (oh who am i kidding, it is!)

basically, there were a lot of moments when i think, "what the eff?" while reading this book. but hey, whatever right? just a story. gimme a break!

but it wasn't all bad. it was okay if you read it without thinking too much. but ugh i practically skimmed this book just cause it was so boring. i have been let down big time. thanks a lot, mr. pike!

PS: giving 2 stars only because all those pike books i've read before have given me so much pleasure.

[Phil Ansell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a massive fan of Pike's books, both the adult and teen ones and cannot recommend them enough. However in my opinion The Secret of Ka is the worst one i've read. The idea for the story has so much potential and could be a great read but the execution of the book seems shallow and rushed with no real depth.

I think the main problem, other than the innacuracies about Turkey and Turkish people (as discussed in many other reviews), are the two main characters and their relationship.
Sara is not a very likeable character, she's rude and very shallow. And Amesh is so dislikeable from the first moment you meet him that I found it very difficult to care what happened to him throughout the story, in fact the whole way through I was really hoping for something fatal to happen to him. The relationship between the two seemed forced and very unrealistic, one second they were fighting and the next they were in love. It came across very childishly written. Neither character showed any vulnerability that I felt I could connect with and make me care about them. And I feel that because of these unbelievable and unlike-able characters the whole book suffered and you couldn't get swept away into the story which usually happens when I read a Pike book.

Overall not a great book, but if your a Pike fan you may want to give it a read. Although be warned that your high opinion of Pike as an author may change after reading it.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story of an American girl who while visting in Turkey with her father falls in love with a local boy, discovers a flying carpet that takes her to an island inhabited with djinns (genies), and must prevent a war between three mystical races from starting up once again. An enjoyable novel somewhat but I found the two main characters to lack real personality. They are typical teenagers: selfish, hotheaded, and stubborn. Because of this I felt no chemistry between them and their love to be artificial, as if they were thrown together simply because the author felt that there needed to be some sort of romantic interest for the young girl. If you ignore that, you will see what else the novel provides; thrilling action sequences, great detail into the mythology of the djinns, and true potential for this to be a fairly decent series....so long as Pike gets off his ass and develops the characters a little more thoroughly.

Targeted towards teens but I must disagree with that and say that I think the 10-13 year olds would get more of a kick out of it than the older teens. Anyone older would realize how demented these characters are, the younger crowd wouldn't know any better. No real swearing other than the word 'hell' popping up here and there and the violence is not detailed.

[Bookworm007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to painfully peel myself away from this book several times throughout the course of reading it.
Literally, this is that good of a book. In fact, it's the best original teen book I've read in a very long time.
And that's saying something.
The thing I loved most about this book was the fact that the magic world discovered by Sara didn't only involve her, but also many other people who, at first, didn't seem important. I also loved the fact that minor information that happened before the setting of the story, such as Sara's "Aunt Tracy"'s death, were actually IMPORTANT information.
Towards the climax, I was prepared to give this book a 5-star rating. But upon finishing it, my score decreased to a 4.5. Perhaps there will be a sequel in the future, (actually, there had BETTER BE ONE!), because the book totally felt unfinished. The bad guys, for one, were still "out there", and many of Sara's questions to her mother were left unanswered.
I hope there will be another book that countines Sara and Amesh's adventure in the magical world of the djinn.
It's too good a story line for only one book; it needs to expand into a series!!

[Cait]

I found THE SECRET OF KA to be fairly different from other Pike books. With the idea of genies and magic carpets, it’s much more fantasy than horror/thriller; but I liked it just as much. Sara’s a pretty interesting character. At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of her. She’s this headstrong, get what she wants type girl, who’s a tiny bit bratty. As the story progresses and Sara comes into posession of the Carpet of Ka, her entire character begins to change. She realizes there are bigger forces at work in the universe than she ever thought, and she has a destiny that she isn’t sure she wants. Her whole life gets flipped upside down and inside out, and she handles it about as well as can be expected. But Amesh. I did not like him, at all. He did nothing but cause Sara trouble, and yet she loves him and gives him more than enough second chances. Yes, I can see that he had a difficult life and of course he wants revenge. But to be so weak as to let that overpower everything to the point that you put everyone in danger? Nu-uh, no thank you. Hopefully his character gets explored more in any sequels that might pop up and help redeem him to me.

Once I got involved in the story, I couldn’t put it down. Pike’s writing style has always dragged me in and kept me captivated, and THE SECRET OF KA is no exception. But it was when I reached the end of the book, and talk of time travel and other worlds appeared that I smiled in satisfaction. Very reminiscent of the STARLIGHT CRYSTAL, the end of the book is when things start really getting good, and of course Pike leaves us wanting more. With more questions than explanations, I was at once both satisfied and crying for more explanation. I’m highly looking forward to any sequels, and my love of Christopher Pike books has in no way diminished – just been reinforced.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I spent a good portion of my teenage years reading Christopher Pike. Probably, at the time, he was my favorite author. I haven't gone back to read any of the same books to see how they stood the test of time. I suspect the writing quality is about the same now as it was then. Easy, entertaining reading that will appeal to teens.

The story here was different than most of the other YA fantasy that's on the market right now. There wasn't a love triangle in sight, thank goodness. The problem was that I found the romance completely unbelievable, and almost annoying at times. It was possibly because I found Amesh to be an entirely unlikable character, with almost no redeeming qualities. He is selfish, rude, jealous . . . and that's before he is badly influenced by a djinn. I just can't understand how or why Sara falls in love with him, except that she thinks he's attractive, which is so annoyingly shallow I just can't get behind a romance like that.

Sara was an interesting character--definitely not my favorite, and not one that I would want to be friends with in real life, but she's a fairly strong female character, which is nice because that can be so rare in YA these days. This wasn't the best written story, but it was entertaining enough that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, and the end, which I assume was the set-up for another book, was pretty intense and enough to make me pick up the next one. It was a bit too abrupt and cliff-hangery for me, but that's the norm--it's rare to find a standalone novel anymore.

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy. Just don't go in with your expectations too high. Now I want to go back and re-read some of my old teen book loves by Pike, and see how they compare.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Looking for a souvenir to bring home from your summer trip to Istanbul? How about a lovely flying carpet? That’s what Sara manages to dig up when she visits her father at the construction site for a new hydroelectric plant his company is building. Before Sara knows it, she and Amesh, the cute boy she just met, are whisked away to a mysterious island. Once there they bite off more than they can chew when Amesh unleashes a malevolent wish granting djinn and refuses to put him “back in the bottle.” Now Sara has to unlock the secrets of her unknown lineage in order to rescue Amesh from making a third wish and losing his soul to the genie. The characters of Sara and Amesh are flat, lacking even the most superficial character development and worst of all they’re whiney and annoying. This book is full of ridiculous cultural stereotypes (both American and “foreign”), factual inaccuracies, and plot holes big enough to fly a magic carpet through.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a Christopher Pike book without any of the charms of a Christopher Pike book—which is to say that no one is a secret snake person at all.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christopher Pike and I go back a long ways. When I was in junior high and high school, I was obsessed with his books, counting his Final Friends series, Chain Letter, and Gimme a Kiss amongst my favorite books. Every time I was able to visit the Mr. Paperback a half hour from my house, I would go straight to the Young Adult section and hope for a new Christopher Pike book, anxious to fork over my $3.95. I owned every book he published. So it’s not surprising that I was excited to see this new book as a galley offered through NetGalley.

Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed in this. But I think my disappointment stems more from the book being mis-categorized than with the story itself. This really didn’t have the sophistication that I remember from the thrillers he wrote in the 80s and 90s. I think it would be better marketed as a middle-grade book rather than a young adult book. I can see 10-13 year-olds reading this, but not 16-18 year-olds.

As far as the story goes, I don’t have too many major complaints, but I don’t have any major kudos either. It just left me feeling "eh". Our main characters, Sara and Amesh, really aren’t that compelling. They both come off as shallow and selfish and immature, and inconsistent. And whatever spark we’re supposed to feel between them just wasn’t believable. To me, it seemed like Sara didn’t really care about him — liking him was just a way to get attention. I thought the mythology of the djinn was interesting, since I haven’t read many (if any) books with that as a basis. Istanbul started out as an interesting locale, but he could have gone further with it. I’ve been to Istanbul, and this story didn’t recall the feelings I hoped for. I would have loved to see more of a description of the city, with its mosques and palaces and bazaars and variety of people, and a flying carpet could have given us a really unique perspective. Instead, the story started to feel like it could have taken place anywhere. The plot gets a little out of control with its twists and turns and double-crosses, but things are mostly wrapped up at the end. I suspect there will be a sequel, at least.

[Rhiannon Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like so many others I was a great fan of Christopher Pike growing up. His teen thrillers were positivly iconic, and i'm thrilled to see he's still going strong (his thirst series is a New York Times Bestseller), but even more excited to see he's branching into a slightly younger audience.

The Secret of Ka follows Sara on her bored ramblings through Turkey while her father spends all day everyday ensconced on a work site she's not allowed to visit. Until, that is, she discovers the Magic Carpet of Ka. At which point everything changes, possibly for the worst, and Sara's world quickly comes tumbling down. Between her new friend Amesh's problems with a seriously bad news Dijinn, her own tricky relationship with a powerful Dijinn and the voice of the carpet trying to guide her it'll be a miracle if everyone survives.

To be honest I found the narration a bit stiff. From a first point perspective of a 15 year old I expected a little more personality, but there are some strangely formal paragraphs, which isn't something I remember being a problem with Christopher Pike. But what the narration lacked the story made up for. Fast paced and very engrossing Sara's enormous mis-adventure through Turkey and beyond had me flipping pages fast.

The story is original enough to seem fresh and different while at the same time referencing historical myth that most people will feel at home with. Aladdin anyone? I'm not sure that it painted Turkey in the best possible light but then writing about it from a white Americans perspective might be tricky. In any case the country was just a bit player in a mostly mythical tale.

I was surprised to find the ending was definitely an open ended thing suggesting this was just the beginning of a series. I perused online but couldn't find any mention of a planned second book, but I'm assuming there is one being written in the wings possibly as I type this review. I'm intrigued to see where this story is headed, it has distinct possibilities of being a very fun series.

[Mjhancock · Rating 3 out of 5]

With this book, I have now been reading Christopher Pike books for fifteen years. Back then, he was writing YA supernatural horror with a heavy emphasis on romance (see: The Remember Me trilogy). Now, it's more fantasy than horror, but the rest stays largely the same. But the for most part, that's a good thing. The plot of the story is that Sara Wilcox, fifteen year old American girl, is vacationing in Istanbul while her father works. A few random misadventures, and she's teaming up with hot (sigh--this would be the peril of a late twenties male still reading YA these days) local boy to discover the origin of a magic carpet she finds on her father's dig site. But the boy--Amesh--has his own ideas on the rightful use of said artifact, and moral ambiguity enters quickly. From there, the book delves into ancient wars, djinns, and Sara's discovery that she and those she cares about are very different from whom she thought they were. In a book with this sort of plot, the cultural appropriation can either be the elephant in the room, or a driving force, and Pike expertly navigates the latter course. The power relation between Amesh and Sara in terms of economic status, nationality, and gender is understated but well developed, especially in the earlier sections of the book. The mythology and magic rules of the Middle East are also treated with respect. In a YA book, the development of the main character is an essential feature, and Sara progresses from a nice but sort of spoiled girl to a confident, kind person. There's a heel turn of one of the main characters near the end that seemed so tonally off that it soured the ending of the book considerably for me, but in general, it's a good, breezy fantasy story.

[Holly Botello · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!! It pulled me in after the 5th page. Pike has a special way of introducing history and culturial facts into his books. It was such a pleasure read this book I felt drawn in and given the ablility to fly and feel the magic, he woven into this book.

[Michelle Cronjè · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was a good story and kept me intrigued. The characters were a bit unrealistic, however, and Sara’s guesses were never wrong. It annoyed me a bit that she was right every single time she predicted something.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Sara, and who knew a trip to Turkey would throw my life into turmoil? I guess I have some royal blood inside me that allows me to control an ancient flying carpet! Amesh and I found temples containing Djinn, but he did not fully understand the laws of wish-making. I fear he has made a third wish, so he's now being strongly influenced by an evil Djinn. A Djinn queen named Lova must now follow my orders, but she will quickly become my master if I say the wrong thing. I must be very careful if I hope to have any chance of freeing Amesh. However, I've recently discovered powerful people in my father's company hired thugs to cut off Amesh's arm, and those same men have now attacked me. I don't think there's any way my father can be involved, but how can I be sure?

I was expecting a traditional story about genies and wish-making, but this book became much more. Sara is taken to an island of Djinn where she becomes a key figure in an age-long war. She gets information about the history of the war and rules of wishes by communicating with a voice through the carpet. It's not until later in the book that we learn whose voice has been talking to her. In addition to her shaky battles for control with the Djinn, Sara's problems are complicated by a huge change in Amesh's character. He's obsessed with revenge for his injured arm, so he's blinded to the consequences of his choices. Sara still cares about him, but he's not exactly working with her anymore. Sara's relationship with Lova is the most interesting part of the plot. Lova grants wishes with the hope she'll eventually be able to enslave her "master" after the third wish. Sara is well aware of this and learns to phrase her comments very carefully. She uses commands to control her Djinn at times and seems to know the rules of wishes better than Lova. They form a very strange team of characters. There are surprising twists to the plot, and secrets are revealed as the book nears its climax. Overall, I think you'll love this book if you don't have a big problem with genies.

[Anita Lear · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t know the plot to this book but I know some had found it inaccurate in terms of Turkish geography and culture perhaps. I took it for what it was, a fictional story where Turkey was seen through the eyes of a naive teen girl who may not of travelled much. In that respect, the level of detail given seemed fine. I didn’t see the part where Istanbul was the capital of Turkey. I found the lead character a little irritating. She grew on me slowly…. not sure I grew to love her, more tolerate her.

What I really loved about this book was the Djinn and all that went with that. This book was a setup for a sequel at least and honestly that’s the book I’d prefer to read after getting some of this needed back story.

The other part which I loved but felt was rushed or not explored properly was Sara’s relationship with her father especially later on in the story. It was kind of treated like it wasn’t a big deal, a means to an end but it was full on Jerry Springer like and I would’ve expected some kind of teen angst about it vs. what felt like a shrug of the shoulders. I mean I really felt for her and I was so shocked and wanted to shake her a little.

So I was left feeling great I want to know more about this world that’s been created and maybe when she’s slept on it all she’ll go it’s such a bummer about her dad being such an arsehole etc etc In this way I didn’t connect with her.

So this is why I’ve given it 3 stars. In some ways maybe this should’ve been a longer book so the more exciting parts could’ve been explored more now the setup was complete. I know there won’t be another book and I guess I’m left feeling a bit dissatisfied. Overall an easy, fun read but I was left wanting…

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a YA book. Fast-paced with a lot of things going on (do I believe these things?) taking place in Turkey. An American teenager is there with her father who is an amateur archeologist. Although he works for a company in Turkey, he also gets involved with the ancient cities Turkey and his company are digging up. But she meets a great Turkish boy who knows English, lucky for her, and the two of them quickly form a bond over something she finds while sitting on a ledge waiting for him. Turns out this object is of unbelievable value and all sorts of people are after the two teenagers to get it back, no matter what they do. Just about the time you think your head might burst the tempo will slow down so you can catch your breath. A truly remarkable book.

[Tiffany Easterly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Genre is included.

This was about a girl with a royal bloodline who finds a beautiful carpet that is made either by magic, or technology. Christopher Pike combines modern and an ancient form storytelling that creates beautiful imagery in the readers mind from start to finish. I read up on magic carpets on Wikipedia following links to little known websites about them and am so glad the author revitalized an old and important relic of universal imagination. After reading this book I'm inspired to believe in limitless possibilities for my own life. Thank you Christopher Pike for writing this story and for continuing to write. The author weaves every genre into this book as seamless as he is known to do. I was impressed with the way he added the horror elements.

[Lost Inside A Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Action Packed. Magical. Plot Twist.
Sara is a young teen girl who goes on vacation to Istanbul, were her father works. She meets a young boy (Amesh) and she also discovers an ancient carpet. Sara is drawn to this carpet and she feels the power it emits. Sara believes the carpet is magical, and it is. She goes on an adventure with Amesh on the flying carpet. They arrive on a mysterious island and run into djinn temples. They begin to make wishes, they begin to fall apart, now Sara must save Amesh before he becomes a thrall.

[Jennifer Ulrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher Pike was my favorite author as a teen. This is definately a young adult novel.

Sara was an entitled brat who was out of touch with reality and the world around her, and her and Amesh's "relationship" moves a little too fast in such a short time to be remotely realistic.

The story of the djinn and human slaves to the Anulakai is like something from the show Ancient Aliens. This book is all over the place and will take you on a magic carpet ride. It all makes sense in the end though.

[Cheryll Lim · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading this book, one must not forget the fact that it is a fantasy novel intended for young readers. It is not meant to be historically, culturally nor geographically accurate. It is to feed one’s young imagination for it’s thirst for magic and the supernatural. If I had read it when I was younger, I would have enjoyed it a bit if not for the slowly paced story that the author has tried to spread thin. Too many unnecessary scenes unrelated to the story. I loved Christopher Pike’s other teen novels, this one just didn’t tickle my fancy.

[yalini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun and interesting read.
"She is driven by a need to do what is right, no matter what that cost to herself." Sara's character was really good and inspiring. The book had lots of twists and It was quite unpredictable so I would say this was well written. It ended happily but I didn't quite like the ending because it leaves me with unanswered questions. Eventhough those questions could be answered by myself if I thought about it, I still wish that there would be a sequel.

[L.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sara Wilcox is spending the summer with her Father in Turkey, What she finds is that she is on her own most of the time due to his job at Bectar, a hydroelectric construction site. Sara finds the language difficult and loud, it is hot and crowded, no fun at all. She has just turned 15 years old and looking for something to do.


It is then that she meets Amesh. He also works for the same company as her father. She finds him very attractive and really likes him. He is missing and arm, injured at his work he explains to her, and is now a delivery boy. He is able to get her to the job site where they discover a carpet. There is something about it that has them both excited, but especially Sara. She can feel some sort of power in it. They find a way to sneak it away without being seen, and take it back to the hotel. It is beautiful and seems to be made of some material that they had never seen before. Sara decides to see if she can cut a small piece off, and finds that it will not cut. She puts a lighter to it and it flies across the room.

Wow! They have discovered a flying carpet. While they discuss how they can keep their secret, they order up food, and clean up. As Amesh is in the shower, Sara surfs the internet and finds several articles about flying carpets. One of them talked about ley lines, magnetic lines that surrounded the earth, as being the fuel that helped them to fly. Sara learned the information as quickly as possible. They decide to see if they can find these ley lines, and if so, would they be able to operate the carpet. The compass should react abnormally when they were within the ley lines, so that is what they look for. Curiously enough, they found some ley lines and laid the carpet upon them. As they did several of the tassels folded and stood straight up looking like possible driving apparatus’s. They climbed on and off they went for a ride.

The carpet has its own agenda; it works for Sara and seems to communicate with her. She feels close to it almost as though it is a part of her. Amesh is very jealous and petulant, but refuses to leave her side because he is having trouble trusting her. His family is extremely poor and he sees the carpet as a way to riches.

The carpet takes them to another place, and even possibly another time, where they are guided by the carpet onto an island. It is here that Sara finds she can communicate with it. She also learns from the carpet that she is of the ancient lineage of the Kala, and is in fact a Royal Princess. This is why the carpet responds to her. It is the carpet of Ka, and is very important. While it communicates and answers many questions, it leaves many unanswered that she will have to find out for herself. There is something happening in her world and she will have to be the one to save them.

On the island they find a beautiful city consisting of towers. They find that this is where the Djinns are located. As they learn about these beings, they find there is good and evil involved. They can grant you three wishes, but there is a price. The first wish is for free, the second one requires something of you and the third makes you a thrall, or slave of the Djinn.

Amesh becomes enamored of this thought and at the first actual wish he surprises Sara by asking for a wealth of jewels instead of his arm. As he sees how his wish comes true, he becomes besotted with the Djinn, giving it even more power over him. He feels in control of the Djinn, instead of what is really occurring. The Djinn is gaining control over him. Thus emboldened he makes a second wish, that to get his arm back. Amazingly enough his arm is returned to him. As Sara protests and tries to let him know what he is getting himself into, his jealousy takes over. He feels that she just wants what he has. He and the Djinn take the carpet from her and head back to Turkey leaving her there on the island.

Sara is on her own, but finally runs into a very kind older man and a young woman. They put her to work on their farm, where she learns milking as well as pottery. As she learns the pottery she also learns more about the Djinn and how to control them. She feels responsible for Amesh and therefore must save him. One more wish will destroy him and it is up to her to keep that from happening.

How will Sara get home? Will she return and really be able to save Amesh from his own weaknesses.


This is a fun and fast paced story that keeps you guessing at what is going to happen. Just when you think you know where it is going, the story takes a twist and sends you into an entirely different direction.


While Sara is only 15 years old, she seems far older then she is. She is smart and caring, and just a bit of a handful. Amesh is a lonely young man, hurting and bedeviled at what life has thrown at him. He is very close to his family, but has allowed his weakness to guide him and become someone else. He is looking for revenge and puts his family at risk as he looks for answers.

This is a YA book and at times that is obvious. However as the story twists and turns it also makes for fun reading for book lovers of all ages. A rollercoaster of fun, enjoy.

This book was recieved as an e-book, free though Netgalley. All opinions are my own based of my reading and understanding of the material.

[Oliviaolivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very typical young American girl finds a flying carpet story. Positives: good description of the setting, and some actual folklore. Negatives: annoying unrealistic characters, bullshit happy ending, and very predictable.

[LaNona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another phase I've gone through: Egyptian themed books. This one however, is complete with Jinn/Djinn/Genies, a back-and-forth romance, and a completely unexpected plot twist (or several).

I actually liked this book quite a bit, and if there is a second book- I wouldn't mind reading it.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ! Too short for me i wish this was a series like thirst. Christopher pike is one of my favorites. There was alot of geographical errors however about turkey/instanbul but if you can ignore that …the story line is great. I suppose this is why he didn’t make this a series ?

[Chandra Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty cool story line though was a little but stereotypical. Some parts of the text were badly written.