Radiant Origin

by Dawn Husted

Phyre Brown is just an ordinary teenager searching for love and adventure. But when a tragic accident reveals her true identity as an alien with extraordinary healing powers, Phyre’s life takes a dramatic turn. Forced to leave home and live with her estranged grandparents, Phyre finds herself bound to an alien boy named Kreaxlae, a member of the rival colony.

But when she meets his charming and mysterious brother, Phyre begins to question everything she knows about her past and her future. With the fate of two alien colonies and their safety at stake, Phyre must make a choice that will change her life forever.

Will she choose love or duty, passion or power? Find out in this thrilling sci-fi romance about the bonds that unite us, the powers that define us, and the choices that shape our destiny.

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

Dawn Husted is the author of young-adult books written with romantic and dark twists. She was nominated as a panelist for Teen BookFest by the Bay V and is a member of SCBWI. Dawn’s written for online publications, such as Mother’s Day Magazine and A Backpacker’s Tale, and print magazines, such as Insite Magazine. When not writing, she's either camping or dreaming about hiking, minus the 100°F heat. She lives in central Texas with her husband, two kids, a feisty black cat, and an adorable golden retriever.

Among her many interests are sweet tea, wall calendars, kayaking on the rare occasion, acquiring another bookshelf that matches her old one, the color gray, and motivational quotes.

Reviews

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay Read

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens and Voracious Readers Only, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, Dawn Husted, for the opportunity to read your book. This was an alright read. In this book, the story of star crossed lovers is told. We meet Phyre, a young girl who lost her sister in a tragic accident and finds out that she is a part of an alien colony. As if that is not the biggest shock ever, she also finds out that she is the rightful heir to rule the colony. I thought this was a good story, but I did find some parts of the story to be boring and dragging. I thought that the characters were good, but I wish there was more about the alien colony and the past. I think it would have made the story more intriguing. I thought the ending was good. I think Dawn Husted has a lot of potential, and I cannot wait to read more books by her. I think she has a lot to offer the literature world, and I cannot wait to see the journey through her books. Overall, an okay read.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

*note: I received a free copy to review from the author Dawn Husted through Voracious Readers/Booksirens*

What would you do if you found you’ve been lied to your whole life? How would you react? Phyre has to answer that question after suffering a personal tragedy. Not only is she left grieving the person she lost, but she also has to grieve everything she thought she knew about herself. Phyre wants more out of her life than what she has when the book starts. She wants more than to be the one always helping her sister Octavia. Don’t get me wrong I understand that the author wanted to show even with this resentment toward the situation Phyre absolutely loves Octavia no matter what. However, Phyre was thrown more than any sane human can handle, much less a teenager. This becomes more real to Phyre as she realizes strange things are happening to her. Phyre keeps getting more surprises as her parents tell her she needs to stay with her grandparents for a while. Oh great! As the story continues it gets more muddled. New town with new people and even more secrets. Out of all the characters from the new town the only one I truly liked was Sofia. Chapter 26 I had no idea what happened in that entire chapter at all. Quite frankly this was a good story, but the substance was lacking. It was fast paced which I liked, but without likable characters and a well-built plot I struggled. I understand the plot was that she found out she was an alien, but I felt there was something missing and I can’t figure out what. Although I understand it was a romance story, I believe Phyre should have been angrier with the lies she was told and less concerned about the romance. It just didn’t work well together for me. I would recommend this story for readers who don’t care about character development or a real story based book. This one just reminded me how difficult the teenage years are and how I’m very glad to no longer be one even without the other elements blended in.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Dawn Husted’s books and I was excited to hear she had a new one. RADIANT ORIGIN is a YA sci-fi romance, actual star-crossed lovers. She opens the book with tragedy but continues to give the reader hope throughout, even when things are at their darkest.

We find out quickly that Phyre Brown isn’t your average teenage girl. She’s a member of an alien colony that has settled on Earth after war destroyed their home planet. Phyre didn’t grow up knowing about her extraterrestrial heritage and it’s a shock when she learns of it immediately following the death of her beloved older sister.

Phyre is whisked away from the home she knows and is sent to live with her grandparents until she can be “bound” to another of her kind, although the boy is from a rival colony. I immediately felt empathy for Phyre—how could her parents send her away like that? It feels cruel even if necessary and I wanted her to have time to process not only her past and horrific present, but this unbelievable future her family has dumped on her less than 24 hours after a terrible life-changing event.

Apparently, Phyre’s people have strict rules, customs, and division amongst themselves.
RADIANT ORIGIN has complicated family dynamics, a tumultuous love story, the classic “mean girl” balanced by the truly loyal friend, and the right amount of twists at just the right time.

Dawn Husted does an excellent job with intertwining the various subplots without bogging the reader down a lot of backstory. That said, I became very interested in the complexities of the alien people and I’d love to learn more about them. A prequel story about how they were before their war and their settlement on Earth would be a lot of fun to read.

Grab a copy of RADIANT ORIGIN today for an exciting YA with aliens, teen angst, and choices that will make or break an entire species.

[Jenny Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a story of star crossed lovers (literally). The author takes you on a journey of teenage tragedy and family discord in order for the protagonist to take her rightful position as the leader she was born to be.
The writing is fast paced, with twists galore and I absorbed the book in a couple of days, unable to put it down. I loved the character development of the main and some of the secondary characters, inciting you to avidly dislike the antagonists whilst rooting for the good guys.
It answers the question: “what is love without loss?” pretty eloquently for a young adult book making it approachable and on point.
All I can say is: bring on book 2!

[Story Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up to 4.

Radiant Origin boasts a great premise and Romeo and Juliet vibes (with a twist). For a YA Romance, I was pleasantly surprised that it is relatively clean—it does have some kissing and heavy petting and some language. I loved how fast paced and right to the point the plot was, and my attachment to the characters took me by surprise.

See the full review on my blog!

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[Céline Robertson]

I'm very picky with books and this one drew me in immediately. Not only do the characters have really cool names they're also very unique and relatable. Phyre is you're usual teen, figuring out how she fits in with this life, but seems to have it all planned out for her. Until something unexpected happens and turns her whole life around. I loved discovering who she was alongside her and following her treacherous journey to self-actualisation. I really hope there will be a sequel as I'm not ready for her story to end there.
Amazing read, would highly recommend!

[Reviewer King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literally my VIBE!! I’m not gonna make this review too long, but I just wanted to say that I enjoyed every moment and I felt all the emotions for our lovely main character. I rooted for her from the first page. Also, I’m not usually into sci-fi but this novel did a great job of keeping my attention, so kudos to the author! And the romance? I loved it. I’m so excited to read more about it.

[Rohayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot of the book is very interesting, I love star-crossed lovers, aliens, etc but I felt the character development was a little lacking. The story was also "told" to us instead of us experiencing it from the character's emotions if that makes sense.

Overall, an interesting read and if you like YA, this would be an easy read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Bri]

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens

Radiant Origin blends YA sci-fi and romance as teen Phyre Brown discovers her alien heritage and healing powers. The fast-paced plot and clean romance make for an engaging read, but the world-building and emotional depth sometimes fall short. With a few underdeveloped elements and uneven pacing, it doesn’t fully reach its potential—but it’s a solid choice for fans of light, romantic sci-fi.

[Veronica Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, something else happens instead. I really enjoyed this book. The last 20% of the book went by almost to fast, but I am glad to be on the ARC team for this book. I would read this book again!

[Jodi Crouch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall pretty good book. Would recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alethea Ackerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was invested from the beginning. I would have enjoyed longer storyline, hence 4 stars, as I quickly became invested in the main characters and would've enjoying spending more time in their world.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. Great pacing, intriguing interpersonal conflicts, and a steady stream of mystery reveals! A great YA sci-fi beach read.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book and am leaving my review voluntarily.

It’s a fast paced book with characters that hook you. I could not put it down. I cannot wait for Book 2 to see what happens next!