Potion Masters: The Eternity Elixir by Frank L. Cole (review)

In this first outing of a new fantasy adventure series, twelve-year-old Gordy Stitser is an apprentice potion maker; his mother is a leading Elixirist for the Board of Ruling Elixirists Worldwide (B.R.E.W.), the governing body of the potion community. Just as Gordy's own abilities begin to show real promise, he finds himself in the middle of a generations-long power struggle for the Eternity Elixir and its extraordinary power. Overall, the magical logistics of this story leave much to be desired, as the reliance on seemingly arbitrary potions feels just as tedious and cumbersome for characters to use as for an audience to read. Gordy, his family, and his two closest friends, Max and Adeline, are much more interesting in their interactions with one another than when they're engaged in uninspired potion magic. Likewise, the protagonists' efforts to keep the Eternity Elixir out of the hands of the Dark Elixirist Esmerelda Faustus is most compelling when it explores how certain members of the potion community—including Gordy's nonconformist aunt and his exiled grandfather—have justifiable concerns about the B.R.E.W.'s policies and potential abuses of power. Despite the lackluster magic, the novel manages to use realism effectively to establish a world of complicated family ties and devoted friendships. WJ