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It Makes Things More Fascinating
The Last Alignment: Cry of the Scorpions follows five teens that discover their families’ secrets and magical powers they have inherited. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
As a kid, the cartoons, shows, books, and movies that I loved the most all had an ensemble and revolved around a team dynamic. I think that’s why I have multiple main characters. I used to love when episodes would focus on different members and it wasn’t all about one experience or perspective. It makes things more fascinating and gives room for a lot of depth and richness.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
I’d say it’s a toss up between Androse and Natalye. Of the five main characters, they both have an element or two of my personality. I relate to Androse and his introverted nature, and I relate to Natalye and her peace-loving nature.
How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world your characters live in?
I started developing my story when I was fifteen as far as characters, plot points, and things like that. I had journals for each of my five main characters with all sorts of information about them and their families in them. Those journals got destroyed unfortunately, but luckily I had already made word documents for each where I had typed everything up. I didn’t actually start writing the story until I was twenty-one, and my twenty-one-year-old brain scrapped a good bit of what my fifteen-year-old brain thought was good or “cool.” I’m thirty-two now, so over the years I’ve had quite a few drafts, re-writes, revisions, edits, and everything else, but I got there and I’m extremely proud of my first book.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on the third installment of “The Last Alignment” series. To be honest, this third book has been a challenging ride for various reasons, and I’m particular about my work being true to me, my vision for the story, and my creativity. There is a slight possibility for the end of this year, but I’m more than likely looking at early 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram
Awbrey and Hudson are the only two of the five who have a pre-existent relationship. On top of being ripped from their lives, dealing with revelations, and being given stations they didn’t ask for, they also have to get to know and learn each other which, for a bunch of sixteen-year-olds, is everything but easy.
Spark
People are gathered in Reunion Square, enjoying things before the area would be flooded by the rising sea waters. Four friends set off for a night of fun, little did they know that their life was to be turned upside down.
Spark is a dystopian science fiction novel set in the future. It is set in a world of rising sea levels where neighborhoods being submerged and lost forever has become a commonplace occurrence. When a massive earthquake hits panic and chaos break out. With the threat of a tsunami, and a fire engulfing the town, this group of friends tries to escape to safety.
Readers follow along on the journey of a group of young adults as they navigate the obstacles that befall them. The story introduces our protagonist, Becky, and her friend Meghan, who is going to Reunion Square to welcome their long-time friends Robert and Connor. And that is when the first catastrophe hits. One after the other, author Y.C. Leung moves the story along a detailed and well-crafted plotline, full of twists and turns such that there are no dull moments.
The author does a fantastic job of keeping the readers engaged right from the beginning. Throughout the book, the characters go through many life-changing events, catastrophes, and inner turmoil, thereby making the story very engaging and realistic. The story covers multiple coming-of-age themes, like self-doubt, inner turmoil, embracing one’s identity, making life-altering decisions, drug abuse, and relationships.
The writing style is relatively straight and simple, making it easy for middle-grade teens to follow and stay engaged. The author doesn’t spend a lot of time setting up the scene and rather goes straight to the action, giving readers just what they need to know to be in the moment. The conversations, the scene-setting, and the action are straightforward, making this fast-paced novel move quickly, adding to the feel and drama of the storyline.
Spark is the coming of age story of a group of teens that were about to set off on the next stage of their lives before apocalyptic events turn their life into a race for survival with action at every turn. I recommend this book for young adults who are interested in dystopian science fiction.
Pages: 228 | ASIN : B09Q93XWK6
Bellocaro
Skye Moon has been trapped on a magical island in the Atlantic ocean called Sceadu. She was transported to the island one day against her will with no clue why or how to leave. Those that arrive on the island like this are called spellbound. They are trapped in this magical paranormal academy till the island decides they can leave.
When Skye does not return the popular boy Chad’s affections, she is shunned by most of the academy. This common scenario plays out all the time in schools with teenagers. The popular kid gets all their friends to ignore someone to get what they want. Teens will relate to many of the characters in this imaginative story.
Skye finds solace in her dreams of her dark-eyed boy, the one she calls Bellocaro. But in one such dream, Ballocaro says that he has put her in danger, and the vampire Nymir will track her down and kill her. To add to her precarious situation, the school’s headmistress has asked her to show around the new students, a family known as the Blues. Thatcher, Rane, Wes, and Alton have taken on the role of personal bodyguards to Skye whether she wants them to or not.
Author P.S. Meraux has written a new young adult vampire and werewolf story. This is not a retelling of other vampire stories, rather a fresh new take to draw in the next generation of paranormal readers. Bellocaro is an enchanting blend of a love story, action, and drama. The mystery of learning who the Blues are keeps Skye on her toes; while everyone else is mesmerized by their beauty, Skye picks up on the details that reveal their true paranormal identities.
The author has done a fantastic job building out the world of Sceadu and capturing the teenagers’ personalities that reside there. I could envision the groups all hanging out, and the characters, even non-human, teenagers are the same in this world, with their quirks and attitudes. The mystery of the brown-eyed boy with a mark on his hand will keep coming back to readers. Also, the drama of if the Blues family will capture Nymire will keep readers on edge.
Bellocaro is the first novel in the series and a fantastic start to this unpredictable storyline. With each mystery uncovered, new questions arise. Readers will be drawn into the fantasy world that seems too real at times and stay for the unforgettable paranormal characters whose personalities will keep them turning the pages to see what happens.
Pages: 467 | ASIN : B08L2M3QD2
The Right to Revenge
The Right to Revenge is a dystopian science fiction novel by author Veronica North. Set in a speculative future where gene editing experiments have split humanity into three categories. The “unstable” Alphas, the “normal” Betas, and the “enhanced” Gammas. This divide resulted in an ongoing genocide and civil war to stop it. In this world, we follow J, a Gamma rebel out to get revenge for the death of her sisters. This layered novel also explores her mental state and reactions to the violence around her as the story unfolds.
North’s style creates a vivid and distinct world for their characters to interact. One in which the sense of desolation caused by the war is apparent and where the motivations of each faction are understandable, if misguided. The author takes the reader on an intense emotional ride filled with action-packed scenes with quick, fluid, and exciting action.
The characters in this riveting novel are well developed and complex, drawing the reader in with their backstories and insightful dialogue. You love the good guys and have a love/hate relationship with the bad guys. The author has included some plot twists, so readers are hooked throughout the unpredictable story. J is such a strong and passionate character, and you immediately are drawn to her. However, I found it interesting that the plot and other characters in the story often influenced the main character’s actions and choices.
The science-fiction aspects of the story do not overwhelm the reader with scientific jargon but instead compliments the plot and help the story progress. In addition, the futuristic world and components add to the dystopian feel, which keeps readers on edge.
The Right to Revenge is an action-filled novel that opens with an NC-17 warning, often pulling from tropes and styles of Young Adult fiction but with some swears and steamy scenes are thrown in.
Pages: 299 | ASIN : B09MDSVRWN
What The World Wants Them To Be
Knights of the Alliance follows several warriors that are brought into an elite group of Knights in order to save their world. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The Alliance series in its earliest form was a fanfic of an online game I used to play. Which one? That’s the secret! Diehard fans may be able to figure it out, but Alliance has evolved so far from the game it has practically no similarities. The characters are based off the top players in the game.
Mirari has a complex backstory and works through a lot of emotions from her past. What were some driving ideals behind your Mirari’s development?
Mirari works through grief and loss while struggling to find her identity and place in the world. It echoes the way many people in the real world have to choose between who they want to be vs what the world wants them to be, whether it is among family, friends or peers.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The biggest themes are overcoming adversity and learning how to forgive and move on from the past. Despite how prominent political themes are in the book, those are only meant to serve as a backbone for deeper subjects. I like to make my characters as real as possible. I think it’s important that we don’t sugarcoat the struggles in life, and for readers to have themes they can relate to in some way.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My heart and soul is 100% dedicated to the Alliance series. Book 2, Birth of Resilience, will be available August 2022. If you like diving into the minds of complex characters, this is the book for you.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Meanwhile, Fangbane has spent his life trying to end centuries of social and political hostility. As his fame spreads, brave Knights rally to his cause.
But to truly succeed, Fangbane must have two others: Gaven, the headstrong warrior he helped put on death row, and Mirari, a simple merchant with a past as secretive as her formidable magical ability. Their aid could be the difference between success and failure.
Can Gaven put aside his apathy to fully commit to the alliance?
Will Mirari become a worthy fighter and subdue her desire for revenge?
With the threat of a growing movement of underground vigilantes bent on tipping the system, the Knights must act quickly.
Time is running out to rid the world of evil.
Maz’hura
When Shirakaya discovers a protostar, an essential source of her magical powers, she thinks her dreams are coming true. But when koth’vurians, a group of aliens that had been exiled years before, attack the ship, everything changes. Then, Shirakaya’s magical abilities begin to weaken; she begins to worry she’ll no longer be able to protect anyone she cares about. So Shirakaya embarks on a mission to defeat the koth’vurians once and for all, hoping that along the way, she’ll save those she loves and get her magical powers back. As she encounters friendly and not-so-friendly beings throughout the novel, she must learn to trust herself and decide how far she’s willing to go to protect those she loves from the koth’vurians.
Paul L. Centeno is excellent at writing intriguing battle scenes that move quickly yet give enough details for readers to really get to know how each character thinks. In addition, the action pulls readers into the story, making them feel as if they’re part of the battle themselves. Along with this, the pacing in this novel is fantastic. Even though the battle scenes are at a ripping pace, there are still enough calmer scenes that allow readers to catch their breath and feel like they’re back on their feet with the novel.
Centeno has an excellent feel for when readers need to pause and when they need the action to pick back up. At first, I got a little lost with all the new information I was expected to know for this novel, such as what each creature was or what some of the technical terms of weapons and things of that sort were. Luckily, however, I discovered a glossary at the end of the novel that helps readers understand a bit more what some of those terms mean. If I’d known about this from the beginning, it probably would have helped a lot more with my understanding of the universe and how certain things worked together.
It’s a great first novel to the series and really introduces the universe’s conflicts really well. At the same time, it ends well enough that readers who aren’t as interested in series can read the first book, knowing they’ll get a satisfying ending without reading through all the books. All in all, Centeno did a great job creating a new world that will intrigue and capture readers’ attention.
Maz’hura: Book One of the Twelve Dimensions will captivate readers with an exciting new space opera story. The characters are memorable, and the action moves quickly. Fans of fast moving young adults and teen fiction stories will enjoy this new epic fantasy series.
Pages: 301 | ASIN : B07QG7N221
Pull
Pull by Jaime Winn follows the life of Mischa, a high school student who is attempting to navigate the stress and relationships that come with being a teenager. All while trying to avoid a ‘flare’ up from her lupus, and strange recurring dreams. When she eventually starts a relationship with Casey, the boy of her dreams, things begin to get even more weird, and everything starts to get a little out of control.
The flow of the story and the steady build up of tension throughout the novel are written excellently. Within each chapter the reader can feel the anticipation building and it leaves them curious as to what is going to happen next. As each chapter changes narrative perspective from Mischa to Casey, it allows readers to get an overview of what both teenagers are going through and see the story unfold from multiple perspectives. By using specific descriptive language, Jaime Winn is able to transport the story to specific settings. For example phrases such as ‘hanging in the air like that fruity body mist’ or ‘chlorine in the pool hallway… give me a headache’ focus on the senses and allow the reader to imagine they are once again walking the hallways at their old schools.
Pull by Jaime Winn is a fantastic young adult book that steadily builds intrigue and tension towards the climax. The underlying story throughout keeps the reader engaged, but I felt that the story could be a little slow in places. The dialogue is short but engaging and echoes the awkwardness that most teenagers go through. Pull is a riveting novel that is punctuated by emotional turmoil that feels authentic and relatable.
Pull will be available August 2, 2022
The Surprising Potential Humans Have
Noki follows a boxer with Autism, he wants to use his skills to help his father but encounters people that do not have his best interest at heart. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The story of Noki was stuck in my head for over ten years. I couldn’t shake it. I just fell in love with the character and felt I needed to share him with the world. I believe the book does a great job showing the limitations we, as a society, place on people, knowingly or not. Even more importantly, it shows the surprising potential humans have. This is something I saw in my thirty-year experience as a doctor treating autistic patients. People with autism, like Noki, may have some social and communication difficulties, but it doesn’t mean they are without aspirations, goals, love, thoughts, or purpose. I hope this book shows the reader this.
What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
We all need to be aware that when you meet one person with autism you meet one person with autism. Everyone is different. Everyone deserves basic respect and nonjudgment from others, autism or not. That being said, autism is a spectrum and this has to be acknowledged. There is a pivotal point in Noki where there is a hearing to decide whether he understands the consequences and risks of boxing. Understanding the differences between each autistic person provides a learning opportunity for characters in the book and should do the same for those who read it.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I definitely wanted to explore the deep dark secrets of the boxing world. I know it all too well. No one really talks about it and it hasn’t changed much in a century. Putting someone like Noki in that environment was exciting to me. I wanted to also make a social worker a hero (heroine) because normally they are portrayed negatively. Lastly, the surprise ending in Noki is critical in realizing what you may have just read is something you have seen many times before.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am writing another business book now but will probably start on a book about Taddy Roosevelt (yes, that is spelled right).
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
A bankrupt boxing gym, a down-on-his luck drifter, and a desperate father grapple with an opportunity that could solve all their problems, but at a tragic cost.
Noki has grown up in his father’s gym, around the seedy world of boxing his whole life, the fighters there calling him a “man-child.” A young Black man with autism with a penchant for wearing Disney t-shirts, Noki is gifted with incredible boxing skills, considered by his inner circle as unbeatable. But when the unscrupulous boxing bigwigs see dollar signs, his gym family is torn: Are they permitting Noki to pursue his passion or are they taking advantage of someone with a disability. Noki, a new young adult fiction novel by Douglas Farrago, is a masterfully written coming of age story of loyalty, grit, and self-discovery in the most heartbreaking of circumstances.
LITERARY TITAN 