The Cross-Road Travelers #1: The Key to the Demon's Gate by Daniel M. Quilter

My name is Henry, and somehow I touched a demon and was sent to its world along with my two friends, Alana and Karl. A prophecy says the demon will return in a year, and I'll be part of its destruction. The demon's touch gave me power over fire, and it's come in pretty handy. I was able to burn through a steel lock to free myself, and my guardian Ace. I'm not sure if it was smart to choose a pirate as my guardian, but I couldn't allow him to be killed. Now, I'm in a race to find the key to the Demon's Gate. I'm not totally sure who we're racing against, but I know they work for the wicked king. We need to recover a magical orb that I swapped for a small boat (hey, I didn't know what it could do!), and I need to free a young girl from her private school. I don't understand why the others keep asking about my dress size.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Despite the three main characters being around seventeen years old, the author's voice was not that mature. It's very readable for middle grade. Alana was Henry's secret crush, but she frequently got caught up in the thought of possibly having magical powers and a new cool name. The most interesting aspect of the book was how the characters' paths varied due to the first characters they met in the new world. Although they entered at the same time, they entered at different locations. Two of them ended up fighting for good, while the third was unknowingly influenced by evil. In addition, another dynamic was created when each teen chose a guardian for life even though they'd just met. Alana and her reluctant guardian shared amusing exchanges along the way. I was a little surprised when the book came to an end, but I guess it made sense. I wanted the characters to make more progress by acquiring at least one artifact before things wrapped up in this book. Oh well, it's my personal taste. I'm anxious to read the sequel.