Game of Shadows

Lewis’s contemporary fantasy debut has plenty of grounding in myth but a number of flaws in the story. Teenager Ethan Makkai’s mom won’t let him walk to school by himself, and she never gives him a reason why. In fact, she never lets him do anything by himself. On his 14th birthday he decides he isn’t going to take the babying any more. Ethan thinks that his mom’s trying to protect him from people who would be distressed that he can see ghosts—he isn’t about to tell anyone anyway, because kids will think he’s a freak—but he resents not being allowed to go for a stroll alone in his hometown of Venice, Calif. What Ethan doesn’t know is that he and his mother are fugitives from a hidden world called Tara where magic is possible and unbelievable creatures live. While he’s taking a solo walk, his mother is kidnapped, and he has to rescue her from Tara. Though Lewis has clearly studied Celtic legends thoroughly, the narrative she builds atop them is simplistic and lacking in depth; there’s plenty of exciting action throughout, but the main characters get mysterious help each time they’re threatened. Agent: Sally Wofford-Girand, Union Literary. (Feb.)