Adam Silvera conjures a world where magic exists in a not so distant future

Emil Rey doesn’t want any of the powers of the stars. But as a reincarnated boy with phoenix blood, he needs to face his destiny and end the war between the celestials (those who carry the power of the stars and the sky) and the usurpers of the power of magical creatures.

Adam Silvera’s signature is his futuristic worlds, a not-so-distant future where readers still can relate. In “Infinity Son,” Silvera introduces us to the “gleamcrafters,” people with powers who are categorized as “celestials,” those who are born with natural powers, and those who are “specters,” people who received power through alchemy. The book focuses on Emil and Brighton, two brothers who will be caught in the middle of the battle between celestials and specters.

I had high hopes with this book, having been a fan of Silvera’s other books such as “They Both Die In The End” and “History Is All You Left Me.” But “Infinity Son” is such a chaotic story to read. The world-building technique of Silvera will pique your interest in the first few pages, even if the readers will be off with the yet unexplained world. The descriptions casually thrown on the chapters will make the readers be eased smoothly into that fantasy world. Then it becomes all confusing and that’s when you will see the problems in the plot.

The world Silvera built with the gleamcrafters is filled with so many loopholes, the powers he created make the story chaotic and bring about more problems. It is sad to say that the gleamcrafters and their magic were unimpressive, and kind of a cheap take of the mutants’ powers in X-Men, even with the stars and universe stuff. The characters then became cheap superheroes. It’ll be much better if he just focused on just one power instead and builds upon it.

There’s too much going on in “Infinity Son” that Adam Silvera couldn’t explain clearly. The background history of the world he created was chaotic. Even the character build-up of Emil as the main character was rushed. A one-week training for a hero? Come on, even Rey in Star Wars couldn’t pull that off. The biggest loophole: why are the so-called “Spell Walkers” the only ones fighting the Blood Casters? Where are the rest of the celestials?

Geek Rate

Thief Worthy (2 out of 5 stars). It is clear that “Infinity Son” was inspired by many books and movies though I’m just guessing here the particulars. The characters’ powers look like that of the mutants’ from X-Men, the immortality potion inspired from the “Goblet of Fire,” and the phoenix stuff (this is a wild guest) from “Fushigi Yuugi,” with the sibling rivalry and all that which I think will be full-blown in book 2. Overall, this is an interesting book that sadly screwed up its premise.

Reignell Francisco

I’m a Filipino content creator with passion for travel, history, football, and anything on TV. Visit my YouTube channel onelostgeek for my travel stories. Business inquiry: geekgodreview@yahoo.com