Review: "Escape: The seven potions" by Andrea Izquierdo

Title: "Escape: The seven potions"

Author: Andrea Izquierdo

Publisher: Nocturna Ediciones, S.L

Year: 2018

Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 978-8416858408

Price:16 €

SYNOPSIS

The visit to an escape room of Harry Potter in Edinburgh seemed the best way to celebrate Jasper's birthday: an hour to try to leave a castle solving riddles and riddles among friends ... Until an unforeseen change the plan. With your decisions you will determine if the group can overcome a game that turns out not to be as innocent as it appeared. And each of the possible paths will reveal (or not) unexpected secrets, since, as one magician said, "it is our choices that show what we are". After all, it is possible to escape from anything, except oneself.

PERSONAL ASSESSMENT

JUSTIFICATION

I thought it was curious that he wrote a book out of his saga "Autumn in London", I decided to read the synopsis and had everything I was looking for now to read a book: mystery, escape room, friendship and ... HARRY POTTER. As David Lozano has said, it is "a story of intrigue that will force the reader to face risky decisions". In summary it has been much better than I expected. 

PLOT

In all the time that I have been reading books I have never read anything like this before, that is, that the reader decides the course of events. I find something original, new in the world of youth literature and I especially like that the main issue is not a love relationship.

The summary of this book without spoilers is: a group of friends go to an escape room for Jasper's birthday in the city where everyone resides either for studies (Cédric, Connie, Shibani and he studied the same career) or because it is his native city. Among them all are completely different and each one stands out for a quality, for that reason they complement each other so well and have that friendship. Will they be able to pass the tests of the escape room? 

CHARACTERS

• Jasper: He's a pale boy, with dark hair and eyes, the only child in an upper class family in Edinburgh. He is a person who did not take life very seriously and therefore is very joking, sometimes likes to attract attention. His strong point is the computer and his way to expose in front of other people.
• Cédric: He is the best friend of our protagonist (Jasper), of French origin, with an incredible gift for languages, an ace looking for information and solving cases. Just like Jasper is also something teasing with others.
• Connie: She is a shy Chinese girl with a super sweet character, humble, generous and observant. She knew when to act and act as mediator in case of dispute.
• Shibani: She is a girl of Indian origin with an enviable intelligence, extroverted, analyzes all the details and likes to be the best in everything. It was a machine of order.
• Zac: She is a very restless person, interested in religion and writing. He and Jasper have known each other since they were little. 

ATMOSPHERE

Describe every detail so well both the city, as the escape room, the characters ... that you enter the story in a very simple and makes it easier to enjoy the book. 

WRITING STYLE

So far I had not read anything about Andrea Izquierdo, I had seen the content I created on YouTube and I even have my bookshop "Autumn in London" pending to read. I quite like his writing style, how he creates the mystery in the plot and also how he manages to hook the reader. Reading "Escape: The Seven Potions" has encouraged me even more to read his saga.

GENERAL COMMENT

Mystery, escape room based on Harry Potter, friendship, the wonderful city of Edinburgh... What more do you need to spend an entertaining day, afternoon or evening?

Marta