Fair Coin

by E.C. Myers

Epraim is horrified when he comes home from school one day to find his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. Even more disturbing than her suicide attempt is the reason for it: the dead boy she identified at the hospital that afternoon--a boy who looks exactly like him. While examining his dead double's belongings, Ephraim discovers a strange coin that makes his wishes come true each time he flips it. Before long, he's wished his alcoholic mother into a model parent, and the girl he's liked since second grade suddenly notices him. But Ephraim soon realizes that the coin comes with consequences --several wishes go disastrously wrong, his best friend Nathan becomes obsessed with the coin, and the world begins to change in unexpected ways. As Ephraim learns the coin's secrets and how to control its power, he must find a way to keep it from Nathan and return to the world he remembers. (For ages 12 & up)

• ISBN10: 1616146095
• ISBN13: 9781616146092
• Publish Date: 27 March 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Temporarily Withdrawn
• Out of Print: 20 April 2017
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Prometheus Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Magical items that grant wishes isn't something I've seen outside of fairytales and children's fiction, so I was very excited to see how it would play out in Fair Coin. I think the author did an amazing job at adapting the "be careful what you wish for" theme for a slightly older audience. It all starts with Ephraim finding an odd quarter, then a note in his locker telling him to flip it and make a wish. Of course he's skeptical at first, but when his first wish comes true, he makes another, and another. Soon enough he realizes that his wishes aren't being granted perfectly; sometimes bad things happen to get him what he wants. Only he notices the small--and sometimes major--changes occurring between his "real" life and his life after each wish. Eventually the story takes on an awesome Sci-Fi feel rather than the seemingly magical start.

There are only a handful of characters in Fair Coin, but since they all change each time Ephraim makes a wish, there are actually quite a few to keep track of. Ephraim's best friend is the one that we see the most of, and the one who changes drastically from wish to wish. He takes on every personality from dorky to bully to completely deranged. It was interesting how even the smallest shifts could cause him to become a totally different person. However, Ephraim does let him in one the coin's secret, which ends up changing both of them. It's easy to blame all of the unexpected consequences on the coin, since the results are practically random. It's harder for Ephraim to admit that really it's his fault for trying to manipulate his life and those around him.

Fair Coin gets really, really good in the last half. It's also where it starts to get a bit confusing, since quantum physics and it's accompanying theories come into play. Ephraim's crush, Jena, is the one who brings it up after he tries to convince her that his coin is special. She believes that it's not granting wishes at all, but taking him into parallel realities where his "wish" is the reality rather than a consequence. From there, the story gets really crazy and exciting as Ephraim learns more about how the coin works, others try to take advantage of him, and he tries to set things right. Try not to think too much about how everything works or you'll get a headache! Just sit back and enjoy the ride!

I really enjoyed Fair Coin. It's unlike anything I had read before, and I think the author handled all of the science amazingly. The plot may get a little convoluted toward the end, but it all gets sorted out eventually. There is a nice, neat ending, but nothing everything is as it seems, since there is a second book.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.