Book Review: From Brick and Darkness by J.L. Sullivan

Bax always fantasized something remarkable would happen in his life. So when a decrepit man with glowing purple eyes offers him a ring intended for his estranged father, Bax accepts.

The ring speaks to Bax in a dream, tempting him with a vision of a powerful djinn. Desperate to make his fantasies a reality, Bax unleashes a creature called Ifrit, but soon learns this djinn isn't what the ring led him to believe. Feeding off the depths of his subconscious, the sinister demon fulfills what he thinks Bax wants by manipulating, threatening, and murdering. With everyone he loves in danger and a trail of crimes pointing back at him, Bax must scramble to solve the puzzle that will banish Ifrit forever.

GENRE: Young Adult / Modern Fantasy / Retelling

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J.L. Sullivan writes young adult stories inspired by gritty urban environments and the tales that percolate within abandoned buildings and desolate alleys. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, two daughters, and a dog named Princess Penelope Picklesworth. For more information, you can check out his website, or follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Goodreads.

Review & Recommended Listening

This is the first time I’ve read a modern take on Aladdin, and it’s been a fun, thrilling ride. We know wishes are always a bad idea in fantasy, yet you just can’t help but feel for Bax, even as he stumbles and makes a mess out of things. His friends and companions are delightful too, and some of them (okay, all of them) in the quirky kind of way. And there’s a whole lot of djinn lore to be engrossed over, admittedly an aspect of mythology I haven’t paid too much attention to. Forget about the blue genies. These djinn are the real deal, the scary ones who will harm you...

Case in point:

His hand slithered out of the brick-colored sleeve as his arm rose, trembling as he strained to hold the weight of his own limb. Gloved in loose, veiny skin, his skeleton hand had yellowed fingernails so overgrown they grew in on themselves like curly birthday ribbons. As his fingers unfurled, he revealed a ring nestled in his palm.

It was large. Too large. The ring resembled the toy jewelry Jason’s sister played with or something from a Halloween costume. Grimy gold with a single dull purplish jewel that matched his eyes.

His hand trembled under the heaviness of the ring. “Take it.”

Definitely not a blue, all smiles, musical number genie!

And yes, don't be deceived: this is a young adult book with a coming-of-age theme, but it has plenty dark twists and turns. You know, a lot like making a wish and it's granted — but with a dark surprise. It's one of those books where I've had to stop and check if it's meant to be YA or not, though the scenes aren't particularly graphic or anything, just more... daring, I guess. It dares to hurt, it dares to stun, it dares to leave you worried about Bax and his friends. And I've missed that about some books and shows and movies, so I'm not complaining!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, I’ll now be adding a song to my reviews! It’ll be one that either sums up the book for me, what I’d imagine in a trailer were it a movie, something that I associate with the story or one of the characters for whatever reason… or maybe even an original inspired by it 😉