Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “TOTALLY AWESOME!!!” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “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. |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“What if genies really existed? And what if you happened to stumble upon a magical flying carpet that could take you to them?
Jasmyn wrote this review Friday, October 14, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Sara is visiting her father in Istanbul and is totally bored out of her mind. Visiting him one day at work she finds an unusual antique carpet. The next thing she knows she flying across the ocean to an enchanted island of the djinn.
But when Sara and her new friend, Amesh, decide to use the djinn without understanding their ways...disaster strikes. Amesh betrays Sara and leaves her stranded on the island alone. Sara must find a way to escape and return home, and the only way she can do this is to learn the mysterious ways of the djinn and the Carpet of Ka.
This is a great, fast paced book. Some of the dialog seemed a little forced, but the book is aimed at a young teen audience. There were plenty of twists and turns and all the characters end up someplace and someone different than when they started.
3/5”“TOTALLY AWESOME!!!”
Kate (Kata) wrote this review Monday, June 6, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
TeensReadToo.com wrote this review Sunday, April 10, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
When I first started reading this book, I was afraid that I would have to give it less than 4 stars, but after a slow start I really enjoyed this story.
I had a major problem at first with the main character, Sara. She was very self-centered and mean, but by the end of the story she had matured. I decided that she would be someone I would like to be friends with. The same thing happened with Amesh, Sara's love interest.
Sara meets Amesh in Turkey, where her father is working. She is there for the summer and is very bored. She accidentally runs into Amesh, who works at the same place as her father.
She discovers an old carpet while there and absconds with it with Amesh's help. They find out that the carpet is magical and is a flying carpet. The carpet takes them to an island where there are djinn. The djinn are not the genies that we are familiar with. They want us to make three wishes so they can make us their slaves. They are mean and tricky. Amesh chooses to make two wishes, and Sara needs to save him from making that third one.
The writing is very good with a lot of plot twists. Again, the character development is outstanding. There are some cultural and geographical mistakes, but that can be overlooked considering it is a fantasy. I believe that many teens will enjoy this book and its sequels. ”
“Sara Wilcox is 15 years old, from Raleigh, NC, and is in Istanbul visiting her father who works at Becktar Enterprises. Unfortunately for her, she's left pretty much alone and bored all day long. Then she sees a cute boy with a package for her father. After a tussle in the hotel lobby, she has the package in hand and has met Amesh, who lost his right hand in some sort of accident. He also works for Becktar Enterprises, and with lots of encouragement, agrees to take Sara to the work site.
Julie S wrote this review Wednesday, February 23, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
At the work site, her surprised father gives her a mini-tour. With their shared interest in archaelogy, he tries to get her inside a cave with ruins over 7,000 years old that they unearthed during construction, but is not able to do so. On this visit, Sara finds an old carpet as she is resting and waiting for a taxi to bring her back to the hotel. She decides to clean it up and keep it, so, with a little (a lot) of help from Amesh, it is smuggled out of the worksite.
Cleaned up, the carpet is beautiful and seemingly indestructible. What's more, the carpet can move itself. It can even fly!
Thus begins an adventure that takes the reader to an island of temples swarming with djinn, which severely tests the greed and desire of Amesh, who is extremely poor. There are wishes granted, and a confrontation with the third race of the world, the Anulakai, who defeated the djinn in the last battle of the world. As Sara strives to find out more about her connection with the carpet, will she be able to keep her friend from becoming enslaved by the djinn? Even more, will she be able to find out what her own ultimate destiny is?
This was an enjoyable read. Sara was rather bratty at times; she even admits herself that she has an attitude. I liked reading about the folklore of the djinn and learning more about the power of wishes. There are some twists near the end that I didn't see coming, and the ending, while not a cliffhanger, lets the reader know that there will likely be a sequel chronicling more of Sara's adventures.
A good middle reader with mostly believable characters, fantasy, and some suspense as well.
QUOTES
Just his luck, he had to find a magic carpet that liked girls instead of boys. Plus he was stranded on an island swarming with invisible djinn and he couldn't find one to grant him a single wish.
"You have a great destiny set before you. You can try to achieve it, at great cost and sacrifice, or you can run from it and sink into mediocrity. The choice is yours."
"Did I ever tell you that you need to lighten up?" I said.
"...You were a much better girlfriend than I was a boyfriend."
"It was easier for me. I wasn't possessed."
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Characters: 3 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 3.5 out 5 stars
BOOK RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars”
“Magic carpets, djinn and 15 year old Sara saving the world. What more could you ask for? I loved it!”
Sandie B wrote this review Monday, November 15, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It has been a very long time since I had the pleasure of reading anything written by Christopher Pike. This was a bit refreshing as to the style many have come to love. The story was a unique mixture of Monsters mixed with Aladdin. My Disney movie comparison is due to the juvenile feel of this entire novel. I would recommend this read more toward middle school readers; feeling this would fit perfectly to their mentality level and relateability. Even with the age restriction as with many of Pike's reads this will demand your appareciation. With a long list of young adult best seller I find Pike's work to be very entertaining, but often divided into levels that fit a variety of ages. Pike has done it yet again creating a work of art for our young readers that will keep them interested in reading generation after generation.
Book Whisperer wrote this review Sunday, October 17, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
”
“Sarah is visiting her father in Turkey, but due to his work she barely see's him at all. She meets Amesh, a package deliver boy for the company her dad works at, and convinces him to take her to her father's work site. Out in the desert at the site, siting in the sand, she discovers an obviously very old, mysterious carpet. From there she is taken on an adventure that changes her life, and those around her. This book has great action and adventure, mystery and wonderment. I absolutely loved this book. I was able to get into it quickly and enjoyed each page to the end!”
ssdaphrodite wrote this review Thursday, October 14, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“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.
Leslie W wrote this review Monday, October 11, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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.
”
“I was afraid going into this book that a story that involved magic carpet and genies (djinn) would be corny. Luckily, I was wrong. Secret of Ka was an original idea that was well written and well executed. It was a lot of fun learning the rules of the djinn, how you can only make one wish safely, if you get to the classic three wishes then you are in big big trouble!
dukesangel002 wrote this review Friday, September 17, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Sara and Amesh's relationship was the only thing I really had a problem with in this book. I'm getting tired of reading books where the main characters "fall in love" after only spending a few short hours together. Sara and Amesh's relationship was even more unrealistic because they spent the majority of those few hours arguing and then Amesh takes off and betrays her when he gets the djinn. How does this equal love for Sara???
Overall, this was a fun story with an original paranormal element, that really drew me in and keep me engrossed and guessing what would happen next. I really enjoyed the action and all the twists and turns that get thrown at Sara. She ends up being a very strong character and takes everything thrown at her and doesn't give up!
”“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.
Liz A wrote this review Saturday, March 19, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
An enjoyable novel as a whole 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. 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.
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. No real swearing other than the word 'hell' popping up here and there and the violence is not detailed.”
