Review: Titus Fogg (The Wyrd #1)

'' ''This stuff, magic, isn't what you think it is. The word makes it sound whimsical, fantastical, like it's a fairytale, but there are things out there that would feed on your sanity, kill you in ways you couldn't possibly imagine, not because they're evil, but because of how insignificant we are as a species.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
Titus Fogg hates magic, and with good reason. Born into a murderous family of cruel and powerful casters in modern Massachusetts, magic has contributed to every bad thing that has happened to him since birth. After finally managing to banish the most likely evil (but definitely dirty-minded) entity called Shade from his body to the sidelines as his shadow, Titus has the chance to have a normal, magic free, high school life. But, when Tess Roe, his classmate, neighbor and model of justice at their school realizes she can see the creatures Titus calls the Wyrd too, Titus must return to the world of the strange to help her. Soon Titus's dark past comes to light as he must prove that he isn't responsible for the death of one of Tess's friends, and the theft of a magical book that could lead to the destruction of Arkham.

Titus is tired of everything. He hasn't slept well for ages and every time his head hits the pillow he can't escape the Dreamlands.

Titus Fogg, the last heir of the Fogg main lineage. The cursed one for most people who have even a small inkling of what he might be capable of. The fifteen-year-old has one goal: be normal. Nothing out of the ordinary, in the middle of the mass. Titus is far from that, and might never be able to reach what he desires. Then through a series of unfortunate events, he meets Tess who reads a book she wasn't supposed to, exposing herself to the Wyrd. From that moment on Tess is dependent on Titus to learn about the dangers of the world and how to navigate with her enhanced sight.

I expected something a bit different, but I have to say that I didn't have to be disappointed. The story begins with a flare, capturing the reader in its grip. The book lets you chill for a bit in the middle and then picks up the pace towards the end. 

Titus is against everything that messes up with his quest to becoming normal. His knowledge of the 'real' world is vast, having been raised up in a notorious Caster family. Tess messes up all his plans and the mysterious attacks against the two of them don't make it any better. Most of the time Titus appears to be just an over-worked 15-year-old so sleep-deprived that it's a miracle they haven't passed out already. Tess' sense of righteousness interferes with Titus' focus on solving the case as fast as possible leading to sarcastic remarks and necessary threats against Tess' sanity to keep her out of the way.

Then there is Shade. A literal Shade, who follows Titus wherever he goes making snide remarks about everything. Shade doesn't care about anything else but possessing Titus' body after he dies. He once got his body keeping Titus locked inside Dreamlands for years. Shade made me question the future of the book series. There are infinite ways how the plot might develop from here on out. Who will turn out to be the enemy and why Shade wants Titus' body? The book paved a way for a beginning that will keep the reader addicted and begging for more.