Grimpow: The Invisible Road by Rafael Ábalos

I've decided to go ahead and announce GRIMPOW: THE INVISIBLE ROAD (UK, Canada) by Rafael Abalos, even though I cannot find any reviews worth mentioning. Maybe the dearth of reviews is because this is a YA book? But that can't be right, because so was WICKED, LOVELY, which had plenty of reviews. Anyway, here is the blurb:

GRIMPOW HAD NO idea who the dead man was, but hidden in his leather bag was a treasure that would change his life forever. Ruby and emerald encrusted daggers, silver coins, jewels, and a letter with a golden seal depicting a snake swallowing its own tail. And clutched in the man's firm grip - a stone. A stone that will shape Grimpow's destiny. For when he holds it, strange things begin to happen. Visions of places he's never been fill his mind and he's able to read the strange language in the letter, a message meant for someone else entirely.

So begins Grimpow's journey with the stone - a centuries-long journey that has driven sane men crazy, turned peaceful men violent, and made strong men powerless. No man has ever unlocked its secrets. But no boy has ever tried.

And, um . . . that's about all I can find. The plot sounds familiar. The stone sounds like it came from Heavy Metal and I know I've come across that snake symbol in some other novel (anyone?). However, I have noticed that YA fiction often uses familiar fantasy tropes with great success. Kids have not yet read it all!