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Magistrate
One year later, peace seems to prosper, but the consequences are worse than Talon ever imagined.
December, 2493
New York City is flourishing. With the government reformed and the class system demolished, the citizens are thriving. All seems well.
Talon Chambers has been living in Yahn with Castor and Amber, adjusting to the quiet life they’ve attained. He’s glad to leave behind everything that happened in New York, glad to start a new life, glad he can finally attempt to live up to all his father hoped for.
However, everything changes when Talon and Castor are attacked by a masked figure whose identity remains a terrifying mystery.
Talon ties the horrific incident back to their excursions in New York. Why else would it have happened? But, with the emergence of a hidden society and someone long thought dead, he realizes New York had nothing to do with the attack. Something much more sinister is festering in the shadows.
As suspicion of unrest within The Empire of Danyor begins to circulate, Talon realizes that he, Castor, and Amber are part of something bigger than they could’ve imagined. He just doesn’t know what it is.
But one thing is abundantly clear. He will have to confront their attacker; a faceless assassin known only as the Magistrate.
December, 2493
New York City is flourishing. With the government reformed and the class system demolished, the citizens are thriving. All seems well.
Talon Chambers has been living in Yahn with Castor and Amber, adjusting to the quiet life they’ve attained. He’s glad to leave behind everything that happened in New York, glad to start a new life, glad he can finally attempt to live up to all his father hoped for.
However, everything changes when Talon and Castor are attacked by a masked figure whose identity remains a terrifying mystery.
Talon ties the horrific incident back to their excursions in New York. Why else would it have happened? But, with the emergence of a hidden society and someone long thought dead, he realizes New York had nothing to do with the attack. Something much more sinister is festering in the shadows.
As suspicion of unrest within The Empire of Danyor begins to circulate, Talon realizes that he, Castor, and Amber are part of something bigger than they could’ve imagined. He just doesn’t know what it is.
But one thing is abundantly clear. He will have to confront their attacker; a faceless assassin known only as the Magistrate.
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About the author
Jayden Jelso
3 books412 followersJayden Jelso is an author, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His love of storytelling first stemmed from an obsession with the Star Wars franchise, The Lord of the Rings series, and all eight Harry Potter films. He began making short films at eight-years-old, and still has a passion for it. He started writing his debut novel, Talon, when he was only sixteen and published it at eighteen.
Outside of writing, you may be able to spot him making a film, watching The Office, laughing at inside jokes, or posting about his current work in progress on his Instagram feed @authorjaydenjelso.
Outside of writing, you may be able to spot him making a film, watching The Office, laughing at inside jokes, or posting about his current work in progress on his Instagram feed @authorjaydenjelso.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 16, 2026
IT'S RELEASE DAY!
It's been three years. Three years to the day since my debut novel, Talon, was released to the world. And now, its sequel is in your hands.
My family and my friends have watched me pour such hard work into this book. You all have as well. The reason it took three years was not because I lost interest, but because I wanted this book to be good. I wanted its tull-fledged final version to be the best it could possibly be.
And you all waited for that. You all waited three years for Magistrate, despite countless setbacks on my end.
To those of you who stayed, thank you very much. I hope you enjoy Magistrate. Here's to Book III.
Cheers!
It's been three years. Three years to the day since my debut novel, Talon, was released to the world. And now, its sequel is in your hands.
My family and my friends have watched me pour such hard work into this book. You all have as well. The reason it took three years was not because I lost interest, but because I wanted this book to be good. I wanted its tull-fledged final version to be the best it could possibly be.
And you all waited for that. You all waited three years for Magistrate, despite countless setbacks on my end.
To those of you who stayed, thank you very much. I hope you enjoy Magistrate. Here's to Book III.
Cheers!
February 16, 2026
To say nothing of typos, grammatical errors, plot holes, and other painful reminders that anyone can self-publish, the ideals and morals the author proposes to push are absent. Jelso claims to support Godly men and the biblical ideal of masculinity, when his characters have the emotional range of mashed potatoes. While I support his goal of keeping porn out of literature, this isn’t literature. As a Christian Conservative man, I can’t condone my brothers and sisters in Christ reading this. Claiming motherhood as the highest of all callings for a woman ruffled some feathers in my family, mine included. If you want your boys to grow up smart, manly, and understanding what an unclear antecedent is, do not let them read this book. This book is fanfiction written by a 13-year old church girl.
February 18, 2026
Oh. My. Gosh. This book, man.
The first book in this series has been my favorite book ever since I first read it in January of 2025. And when I saw that the second book was coming out, I was beyond excited and didn't know how I was going to be able to wait until it released. I knew it was going to be incredible (I rated it five stars on Fable before I ever even read it if that tells you anything) and it definitely was. I won't say much so I don't spoil any of it but…wow. Just wow. I have never been so on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next for a good majority of a book like I was with this. There were a lot of moments that my hand flew over my mouth in shock, that I was gasping, etc. I loved the first book. I loved the second book. And I can't wait to love the third!
The first book in this series has been my favorite book ever since I first read it in January of 2025. And when I saw that the second book was coming out, I was beyond excited and didn't know how I was going to be able to wait until it released. I knew it was going to be incredible (I rated it five stars on Fable before I ever even read it if that tells you anything) and it definitely was. I won't say much so I don't spoil any of it but…wow. Just wow. I have never been so on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next for a good majority of a book like I was with this. There were a lot of moments that my hand flew over my mouth in shock, that I was gasping, etc. I loved the first book. I loved the second book. And I can't wait to love the third!
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February 3, 2026for chrissake this book isn't even out yet. How the hell does it have 31 ratings and 4 reviews.
February 16, 2026
SPOILERS
This sequel did not disappoint! I’d say it was an improvement on the first book, without a doubt.
Similar to the first book, I think the most impressive part this book was the settings, I loved the visuals of every single scene. Freaking awesome.
The new, larger cast of characters was fun, although I hope we get to see more of the twins in the third book, bc I felt like there was a lot we don’t know about them, especially Kalia. (I was also surprised Castor’s dad survived, I’m scared for the next book)
The plot twists. I guessed a few, could never have guessed who the Magistrate was, or Cain’s real identity. The whole story is very tightly plotted, and the references to the first book’s events are incorporated really well. (I also write, if you can’t tell by now lol.)
Talon and Amber’s relationship was adorable, although frankly the amount of times Amber’s eyes are described as varying shades of green got on my nerves. The constant use of phrases like “sparkling emeralds” and “pools of green” started to pull me out of otherwise really nice scenes.
Talon’s new arc, although not fully completed yet, felt like a natural growth from the first book, I could really understand where he was coming from. I enjoyed that there was a good amount of internal monologue from him, even if occasionally I felt like the audience could be trusted to infer and extrapolate a little more, rather than having so much explicitly laid out. I also thought there was a missed opportunity to parallel his character to General Ross. Ross is so determined to protect people that he ends up becoming completely controlling and ultimately damaging himself and others because he refuses to let go, until the end of course. I really thought his character was a setup to show talon that if he continued the way he was going, obsessed with becoming what he thinks his father would want him to be, he could end up being a leader like Ross. But oh well.
Overall, I really couldn’t put this book down. I like how Castor and Amber are getting arcs that mirror Talon’s, in a way. Can’t wait for the final instalment!
This sequel did not disappoint! I’d say it was an improvement on the first book, without a doubt.
Similar to the first book, I think the most impressive part this book was the settings, I loved the visuals of every single scene. Freaking awesome.
The new, larger cast of characters was fun, although I hope we get to see more of the twins in the third book, bc I felt like there was a lot we don’t know about them, especially Kalia. (I was also surprised Castor’s dad survived, I’m scared for the next book)
The plot twists. I guessed a few, could never have guessed who the Magistrate was, or Cain’s real identity. The whole story is very tightly plotted, and the references to the first book’s events are incorporated really well. (I also write, if you can’t tell by now lol.)
Talon and Amber’s relationship was adorable, although frankly the amount of times Amber’s eyes are described as varying shades of green got on my nerves. The constant use of phrases like “sparkling emeralds” and “pools of green” started to pull me out of otherwise really nice scenes.
Talon’s new arc, although not fully completed yet, felt like a natural growth from the first book, I could really understand where he was coming from. I enjoyed that there was a good amount of internal monologue from him, even if occasionally I felt like the audience could be trusted to infer and extrapolate a little more, rather than having so much explicitly laid out. I also thought there was a missed opportunity to parallel his character to General Ross. Ross is so determined to protect people that he ends up becoming completely controlling and ultimately damaging himself and others because he refuses to let go, until the end of course. I really thought his character was a setup to show talon that if he continued the way he was going, obsessed with becoming what he thinks his father would want him to be, he could end up being a leader like Ross. But oh well.
Overall, I really couldn’t put this book down. I like how Castor and Amber are getting arcs that mirror Talon’s, in a way. Can’t wait for the final instalment!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2026
It was pretty good for a self-published book. Decent plot, fun characters, the occasional typo and grammatical error. An okay book to read if you’re looking to waste some time, but I’d still err on the side of a classic or a good fantasy novel in the airport or on a train. There was a lot of hype online for it, especially with the author posting, but I don’t really get it. The themes he talks about (Christianity, true masculinity, motherhood, literature without smex scenes) didn’t really come through. It felt more like a cool fanfiction a teenager thought of than a finished novel. Maybe would’ve been better received on AO3 or wattpad.
February 18, 2026
This sequel was a BIG step up from the first novel.
I sped through it in 2 days!
The characters were all written pretty well, I liked the romance, it was really good and reminded me a lot of 2010s dystopia in lots of ways!
I only have a few issues with it. It could get kind of repetitive at times with the descriptions or plot twists. 3 times in this book people who were thought to be dead were revealed to be alive. I think it was too much, honestly.
BUT- the good outweighs the bad in my opinion. AND there’s so much left unanswered that I’m excited to see in book 3!
I sped through it in 2 days!
The characters were all written pretty well, I liked the romance, it was really good and reminded me a lot of 2010s dystopia in lots of ways!
I only have a few issues with it. It could get kind of repetitive at times with the descriptions or plot twists. 3 times in this book people who were thought to be dead were revealed to be alive. I think it was too much, honestly.
BUT- the good outweighs the bad in my opinion. AND there’s so much left unanswered that I’m excited to see in book 3!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2026
Magistrate more than lived up to my expectations s far as plot and characters go. It was epic and action-packed, with a twist at the end.
The reason I docked a star from 5-stars is the language (p*ss, etc.) used semi-frequently. 🥲 The kids I would recommend this to don’t read *anything* with crass language like that, so I can’t recommend this to them.
The reason I docked a star from 5-stars is the language (p*ss, etc.) used semi-frequently. 🥲 The kids I would recommend this to don’t read *anything* with crass language like that, so I can’t recommend this to them.
March 21, 2026
The blend of emotional stakes and external stakes in this book is so perfect and it truly feels like you are present and experiencing everything alongside the characters. Incredible descriptions and beautiful storytelling.
January 15, 2025
It’s obviously not out yet but if it’s anything like Talon it’s gonna be epic!!
February 16, 2026
I’m an avid dystopian reader and this series got me out of my reading slump. Keep it up JJ!
February 19, 2026
still haven't read the first book, let alone the second one. I'll get to it eventually. I’m sure its good. He's a nice guy in person at least!!
April 7, 2026
So excited to read the next installment in the series! I loved Talon and will buy Magistrate as soon as it comes out. Keep up the good work, Jayden!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews