Savant

by Jason Aaron Cameron

***2025 Pencraft Award - 2nd Place in the Coming of Age Fantasy category***
“There is so much to love here! A top-tier story, wonderfully inventive and so much fun in so many places… people are going to be blown away.” - Jason Letts, New York Times Bestselling EditorThree young hunters become the hunted…They stand between fragile peace and utter destruction.

Talia sought to prove herself as a hunter with the help of her two best friends, Sai and Yang. But after a life-altering tournament, they learn their intertwined destinies are so much greater.

Searchers, servants of a malevolent entity known as the Void, seek to use a slumbering power inside of Talia to help their master engulf all of creation.

An accident forces Sai into a desperate gamble to save himself from enslavement.

In the course of helping his friends, Yang discovers he has latent healing abilities.

Ripples of a brewing conflict between good and evil tear apart the trio’s lives and send them on their own separate journeys to overcome the Searchers and their spreading influence. They must master their new talents and gather enough influence to take on the forces of darkness, before the Void overcomes them all.

Join Talia, Sai, and Yang on their thrilling saga of self-discovery, sacrifice, and unwavering courage as they fight to save their world!

PRAISE FOR

“I loved everything about it. The world, the characters, the magic system, and the interaction of all the elements combined to make a compelling story.” Steven Moore, editor of the popular Spark City series by Robert J Power

516 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2023

About the author

Jason Aaron Cameron is an author, musician, database developer, and programmer. He has had a passion for writing from a very young age. He studied the art of writing at Brigham Young University and has written and published numerous short stories and poetry in his 60+ years.

Born in San Antonio, TX, he is a true-blue dyed-in-the-wool Texan, though he now lives happily with his wife, her children (the ones still at home), some dogs and cats, and a few chickens in Clinton, UT, where he plays guitar (classical and rock) and dabbles in photography and video when he’s not writing his next book.

Reviews

[Chris Power]

Loved it. I happened across the author in Eborn in Southtowne at the beginning of December. At first I was hesitant, knowing absolutely nothing about his writing or style, but the author’s passion drew me in, and I’m so glad I took that chance. It was a marvelous adventure! The first few chapters took a little time to find their footing, and once the premise is set, it takes you on a nice run!

I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book! Glad to have supported a local author, have a signed first edition, and been on a fun adventure. This experience has been positive start to finish. While there can be some harder words and name pronunciations, the story and reading level is appropriate for 10+. There is a pronunciation guide in the back.

[Nancy Fagan]

It's a really entertaining story. The author has created an interesting world and likable characters. I'm looking forward to book two.
This book was received from the author through Voracious Readers Only, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[areti tsangaris]

excellent storytelling

I loved everything about this book. There are not many books that I can’t wait to read and then I actually carve out time during my evening hours to read a number of chapters, but this was one of them. The characters were phenomenal, the story was excellent, and the hardships were real. I really can’t wait to read. Book number two.

[Barbara Cannon]

New read for me

The characters were more believable. They made mistakes, many out of anger, ignorance,, and unwillingness to listen. By the way,many years ago, Cajun dorm mate and I wanted to go to Brigham Young and make bets on how many hours it would take to invite us to leave.

[Sam Webber]

Book

Enjoyed it tremendously. Caricatures are coming together very well. Romance is starting to be possible. Magic is starting to be a fun game. Life is starting to be hard for everyone. I have already purchased the next one.

[Shelley Dale]

Excellent read, richly detailed, strong characters. Bring on the next!

[RK Byers]

Tolkien has a peer!

[Jerry Winn]

Excellent

Compelling and well written. I can’t wait to read the next in the series. The first leaves you hanging. You’ve been warned.

[Lara]

ready for book 2

Great read. Excited to start on number two. And I’ve heard number 2 is just as good so will be ready for 3

[PamF]

This book grabs you immediately!

What a ride! Fast paced character development with a large helping of intrigue. This storyline grows like innumerable rivulets twisting & turning from the main source which in this fantasy is a young 12 year old girl and her closet friends, Yang & Sai. Very compelling! Going straight to book 2. Highly recommend!

[Bonnie]

Great story, great world building, great characters. It started off slowly but picked up about halfway through. The quality of writing leaves a bit to be desired, but I'm excited to read the rest of the series and see where Cameron takes us.

[Percy Pew]

This book was amazing! The world building was great. I feel like there is plenty going on consistently throughout the book to keep your attention. I did get a little lost with the different story lines going on but you get used to it.

[Special_Case]

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at the mall, where he persuaded me to give this book a try. That I did, and I can confidently say it was well worth the time. Savant is a lot of fun, and although things kick off a touch quicker than I expected, I enjoyed the ride. Each of the POV characters get more and more interesting as the plot progresses, which is one of my biggest beefs with those types of stories, where one of the protagonists is extremely engaging, but others feel like a slog. Savant doesn't do that. I never truly felt like I was having to "get through" one chapter of a character just so I could get back to another one.
Each of the protagonists is fun in their own way, and each with their own distinct personality. Some of the minor side characters aren't as interesting, but the most important ones earn their place. The magic system is a simple, easy-to-follow concept, with clear limits and abilities to what it can and can't do. By the time I finished the story, I was pleasantly delighted, and eager for more. I'll definitely be going back for Books 2 & 3 when I get my hands on them