The Six Review

383 pages

Darcy Pennington hates her life. She is an insufferably average teenager with no real friends, crushing social anxiety, and an indescribable sense of not fitting in anywhere. A change in her dad’s job forces her to attend Cedar Cove Family Camp the summer before her eighth-grade year, and Darcy once again finds herself on the outside of a social circle of teenagers, with her only advocate being an awkward girl named Samantha Palm. The only problem is, Darcy has no desire to be friends with her, but as the hostility from the other teenagers increases, she decides to return the friendship. When Darcy begins to experience strange magical occurrences, she comes to believe she’s either losing her mind or on the brink of a discovery that could give her purpose in life. After unwittingly stumbling through a magical gateway to a new world called Alitheia, she convinces Sam and the other four teenagers to travel there with her, and despite their earlier hostilities toward her, they eventually concede leadership of their small group to Darcy. Once there, they learn the “arrival of the Six” was prophesied hundreds of years before, and that they must expel an ancient evil from the land. In the end their lives, and the fate of Alitheia, will hinge upon Darcy. Will she have what it takes to fulfill her mysterious purpose? Or will she fall prey to a deadly foe?

Review:

This was an interesting fantasy novel, although more so for younger readers. I love alternate worlds and Alitheia is no exception. The world-building is excellent and seems pretty realistic despite the fantasy part. Darcy as a main character is pretty sullen and a loner but she also has a lot to learn about making and keeping friends. The other characters all have differing personalities but it makes them all memorable in some way. At first reading this novel felt a little slow to me but by the end there was plenty of action and adventure to keep my mind occupied. There is a lot going on in Alitheia that isn't fully covered in this book, leaving a little mystery for the next one. I think that this might be a book series in which you watch the characters grow up and learn more than they expected to. I definitely got sucked into the story and now I'm excited to read the next one. I can understand why this book has been compared to Narnia since it has the same feel of magic and wonder to it. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes fantasy novels and alternate worlds.