Darius has a lot of things that don't seem to be going right for him. His dad disapproves of some of his choices and how he handles things. He's half Persian but doesn't feel like he fully fits in with family. He loves tea but works at a tea store that doesn't do anything right and he deals with depression. School bullies are just icing on the cake. Darius has a long road ahead but I really like his connection to fantasy and how he calls things and people by fictional beasts and characters. It makes me want to make the journey with him and read the rest of this book!