The Descendants
by Destiny D Hawkins
GENRE: Dark Dystopian Fantasy
BLURB:
Fail
the tests and become a slave. Display defectiveness and be put to
death.
Monroe
Academy was built to separate the weak from the strong. Pass the
biyearly leveling and be released into society upon graduation. Fail
to be promoted and be stripped of rank and forced into servitude.
That was a rule that applied to all but Rayah Bardeau. A student of
Monroe Academy, branded as a Null because of her absence of Lighter
energy.
With
her mother standing as a slave in her place, Rayah was given until
the age of twenty to make level six, but at nineteen-years-old and
with only eight months until her twentieth birthday, she was only a
mere level one. The same level she’s been since she was ten. With
the stress of her upcoming test, the loss of a friend, and the
constant wrongdoings towards her, Rayah could only dream of escaping
from Lytonia, and escape she did. Only, when she awakened in her
dorm, she couldn’t distinguish if she had only dreamt of meeting
Soren, a wild and adventurous defect in the Wild Lands, or if she had
somehow used her Lighter Form to get there.
But
only the elite ― the most powerful of Lighters ― could tap into
their Lighter Forms. Right? And what was the dark energy she used
when she and Soren were attacked by Depleters? Was Rayah really as
powerless as she thought? Was she a defect? And if she used dark
energy, could she call herself a Lighter at all?
Bestselling
author Destiny Hawkins brings you the first installment of a gripping
dark fantasy where a powerless girl must survive in a society that
doesn't accept the weak...or the defective.
Buy Link:
Excerpt:
I jumped over logs, roots, and was cut by a few loose branches but had created distance in between him and me. I didn’t come to a stop until my tired legs finally gave out, and I doubled over while trying to catch my breath. Inhaling, I leaned back against a tree, resting.
“I was wondering when you would stop running,” I heard someone say in my ear.
My eyes shot open, and I slowly turned my head to the left to find the gods son standing only inches away from me with his arms crossed over his chest and his shoulder leaning against the tree.
I gasped and quickly moved away from him, almost stumbling backwards again. The only reason that I didn’t fall was because he had quickly flashed over to me and clamped his hands down over my shoulders, holding me up. The lime green light trail he left behind finally caught up to him.
Right, he has all three abilities.
“Wow, you really don’t have the hang of this, do you?” he chuckled.
I frowned and yanked myself out of his grip, stumbling again, but not falling.
“Whoa, whoa.” He raised his hands up in front of him. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I opened my mouth to speak but hadn’t gathered any words together, so nothing came out. The sound of a dog barking startled me, and I quickly shut my mouth, then moved out of the way as the dog ran past me and to his owner.
“Hey boy, you finally caught up.” The strange man kneeled down on one knee and pet his little friend for a moment with his eyes still focused on me. A moment later, he stood upright.
I was getting ready to run back the way that I came, but his unusual green eyes held me in place. Not to mention that I couldn’t help but notice the crisscrossed designs on his chest dimming out like a fading light.
“Are you alright?” the man asked. As he took a step forward, I took a step back. He seemed okay ― normal even, but I wasn’t sure that I could trust him. Of course, I couldn’t. I didn’t even know him. “Can you speak?”
I gave a slow nod. “You’re…”
“Soren.” He nodded. “My name is Soren, and my dog’s name is Cane. What’s yours?”
I cleared my throat. “I wasn’t asking you for your na－”
“You were going to say that I’m a gods child? Yeah, and you’re a lighter from Lytonia. I guess we’re enemies now, huh? Although, you don’t look like you’ll be much of a challenge for me.” Soren chuckled.
My eyes widened in fear, and I quickly stepped back with raised fists. I wasn’t sure what I could do against him, but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. A very pitiful, pitiful fight.
Soren sighed with a slight smile. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Then,” I slightly relaxed my shoulders, but held my guard. “What are you going to do with me?”
Soren pushed a few curls back. “Nothing. I just saw you watching me and thought that I’d come meet you.”
My stomach dropped. “But, why?”
“To convince you not to tell anyone of what you saw.” Soren may have smiled, but I could hear the seriousness behind his words. Defects like him liked to keep themselves hidden. Lytonians weren’t the only people that wanted to harm them.
My Review:
The Descendants starts out with a bang and never lets up. It is full of action and suspense from the first page. The Descendants makes a great start to a new world. The descriptions are so vivid I could see it all playing out in my mind. I could see the students as they practiced their special powers. I could see the looks and expressions on their faces through each and every event throughout the whole story.
In The Descendants, we get to meet Rayah, a student at the Monroe Academy, where students are taught to use their special powers. Rayah is what is known as a null, someone who has no powers or their powers have not manifested yet. Anyone whose powers have not manifested yet is bullied/punished by the students as well as some members of the faculty.
Rayah has been given a length of time for her powers to manifest and if they don’t she will become a slave to be punished whenever her master deems fit. Rayah works hard trying to get her powers to work but without much success. Rayah is lucky as she has very good friends to help her and won’t let her give up. Friends who push her and push her to reach deep down inside of herself to find her magic.
Can Rayah find her magic within her allotted time? Does Rayah possess any magic? Or is she truly a null? Will Rayah find her magic before it is too late and she becomes a slave?
The Descendants was a fast read that kept me hanging on without a dull moment. It is loaded with action, suspense, and magic with twists and turns around every corner. I have fallen in love with this series, The Descendants. I can’t wait for more in this world.
I highly recommend The Descendants to all fans of magical powers and academy settings with loads of fun! One-click your copy of The Descendants today for a great adventure into a whole new world!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Destiny Hawkins is a multi-genre author with a dark imagination and a love for magic.
She enjoys working on her graphic designing business : Vibrant Designs LLC, writing, listening to music, reading, and of course watching some anime! Her favorite genres to read and work in are Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Romance, Dystopian, Sci-fi, and young adult.
Destiny loves creating stories and building worlds that both teach and entertain! When writing she sticks to her slogan: Where beauty can be found in darkness.
Get ready for The Unbroken, Book Three of The Descendants Series!
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4 comments:
Your review is great, definitely sounds like a book that's hard to put down
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Great excerpt and video, Destiny, Descendants sounds like a great book for me to read! Thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks for sharing your review, Avid Reader! Have an awesome day!
I like the sound of this story. Thank you for sharing your review thoughts.
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