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Grace's Life: How the Adventure Began
Twin teens Grace and Jordan find themselves caught in a battle of good versus evil in modern-day America.
Grace, a foster child who has faced a lifetime of hardships and has a mysterious past, is kidnapped and rescued by a secret rebellion group. While Jordan, a troubled youth with untapped powers, struggles against the tyrannical and manipulative CEO Dr. Adrian.
As they uncover shocking truths about their identities and abilities, they must join forces to save their newfound family from Dr. Adrian's sinister plans.
Filled with themes of family, friendship, and the fight for justice, this gripping Young Adult Science Fiction novel will take readers on a thrilling journey of loyalty, courage, self-discovery, and redemption. Will they be able to save the world from Dr. Adrian's grasp?
Trust will be tested, alliances will be forged, and their journey will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Grace, a foster child who has faced a lifetime of hardships and has a mysterious past, is kidnapped and rescued by a secret rebellion group. While Jordan, a troubled youth with untapped powers, struggles against the tyrannical and manipulative CEO Dr. Adrian.
As they uncover shocking truths about their identities and abilities, they must join forces to save their newfound family from Dr. Adrian's sinister plans.
Filled with themes of family, friendship, and the fight for justice, this gripping Young Adult Science Fiction novel will take readers on a thrilling journey of loyalty, courage, self-discovery, and redemption. Will they be able to save the world from Dr. Adrian's grasp?
Trust will be tested, alliances will be forged, and their journey will leave you on the edge of your seat.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2025
3 people want to read
About the author
Makenzie Carpenter
1 book3 followersCollege Student, Avid Reader, Writer
Makenzie Carpenter is a novelist, born and raised in Utah. She still resides in beautiful Utah with her family and her adorable little Yorkshire terrier.
Her passion for reading flourished at a young age, but still is a huge part of who she is. She currently owns over 200 books! And she still buys more, despite needing to read the ones she already owns. She is also notorious at breaking book buying bans.
Makenzie will be pursuing a degree in American Sign Language Interpreting at a local Utah college.
When not writing awesome Young Adult adventures, she can be found reading, talking about writing, creating content, baking, camping, or out in nature.
Makenzie Carpenter is a novelist, born and raised in Utah. She still resides in beautiful Utah with her family and her adorable little Yorkshire terrier.
Her passion for reading flourished at a young age, but still is a huge part of who she is. She currently owns over 200 books! And she still buys more, despite needing to read the ones she already owns. She is also notorious at breaking book buying bans.
Makenzie will be pursuing a degree in American Sign Language Interpreting at a local Utah college.
When not writing awesome Young Adult adventures, she can be found reading, talking about writing, creating content, baking, camping, or out in nature.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 26, 2025
4/5 - I finished this book in one day! It really kept me hooked, from the chaotic (albeit a bit confusing) beginning to absolutely NEEDING to see the corrupted billionaire be destroyed.
Jordan has a really strong, distinct character, and I found his arc nice and he definitely saw some improvement throughout the novel.
Grace's backstory is so sad but a reality for a lot of foster children. Seeing her get the family she wanted was really awesome and she was someone I rooted for.
Dr. Adrian is super annoying, but in a good way. This definitely reminded me of Spiderman and Doc Ock, and was a very subtle sci-fi nod. I hope the series gets more scienc-y as the sequels are released.
Overall, I found this read super fun and easy. Was it my favorite book ever? No, but I can't wait to see what Makenzie Carpenter comes up with next!
Jordan has a really strong, distinct character, and I found his arc nice and he definitely saw some improvement throughout the novel.
Grace's backstory is so sad but a reality for a lot of foster children. Seeing her get the family she wanted was really awesome and she was someone I rooted for.
Dr. Adrian is super annoying, but in a good way. This definitely reminded me of Spiderman and Doc Ock, and was a very subtle sci-fi nod. I hope the series gets more scienc-y as the sequels are released.
Overall, I found this read super fun and easy. Was it my favorite book ever? No, but I can't wait to see what Makenzie Carpenter comes up with next!
March 27, 2025
This book is a relatively short and easy read! It’s outside my usual genre as I don’t often read sci-fi type books, which this book definitely leans towards with the high tech the villain uses and the science experiments that gave the main character his powers. Since it’s been a while since I’ve read this genre I did sometimes struggle to stay engaged.
Overall, this book was a chaotic adventure. Sometimes that made it exciting, but sometimes it made things feel rushed over. The ending was especially full of commotion!
Some of characters did feel like stereotypical character archetypes, specifically the main villain and the school bully. I wish we had a little more backstory as to why the villain wants to take over the world or how he built up his company, perhaps more of that will be revealed in the next installment.
My favorite part of the book would have to be the found family aspect! I love reading about characters who have gone through trauma finally find a group where they belong.
Since this is a shorter and easier read I definitely think this book could be enjoyed by the younger middle grade audience in addition to the young adult audience!
Thanks for the arc Makenzie and congrats on publishing!
Overall, this book was a chaotic adventure. Sometimes that made it exciting, but sometimes it made things feel rushed over. The ending was especially full of commotion!
Some of characters did feel like stereotypical character archetypes, specifically the main villain and the school bully. I wish we had a little more backstory as to why the villain wants to take over the world or how he built up his company, perhaps more of that will be revealed in the next installment.
My favorite part of the book would have to be the found family aspect! I love reading about characters who have gone through trauma finally find a group where they belong.
Since this is a shorter and easier read I definitely think this book could be enjoyed by the younger middle grade audience in addition to the young adult audience!
Thanks for the arc Makenzie and congrats on publishing!
March 19, 2025
I received this novel as an ARC reader, but all thoughts/opinions are my own!
I enjoyed *Grace’s Life: How The Adventure Began*—it was a pretty good read! The plot kept me engaged, and I appreciated the depth of the characters. Dr. Adrian, the evil scientist, was a classic villain with his crew of minions, which added a fun, stereotypical touch to the story. I also loved seeing Jordan and Grace reunite and explore their evolving relationship with Levi, who was a father figure to them. Their dynamic was heartwarming and added a nice emotional layer to the book.
That said, while the story was enjoyable and easy to follow, it didn’t quite blow me away. It was a lighter read, which was a nice palette cleanser between the adult romantasy novels I usually gravitate toward, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. Overall, it’s a solid book for what it is—a quick, entertaining story with some heartfelt moments. I will be keeping an eye out for the next instalments!
Thanks Makenzie!
I enjoyed *Grace’s Life: How The Adventure Began*—it was a pretty good read! The plot kept me engaged, and I appreciated the depth of the characters. Dr. Adrian, the evil scientist, was a classic villain with his crew of minions, which added a fun, stereotypical touch to the story. I also loved seeing Jordan and Grace reunite and explore their evolving relationship with Levi, who was a father figure to them. Their dynamic was heartwarming and added a nice emotional layer to the book.
That said, while the story was enjoyable and easy to follow, it didn’t quite blow me away. It was a lighter read, which was a nice palette cleanser between the adult romantasy novels I usually gravitate toward, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. Overall, it’s a solid book for what it is—a quick, entertaining story with some heartfelt moments. I will be keeping an eye out for the next instalments!
Thanks Makenzie!
March 27, 2025
I'm sorry. I literally cannot. That was awful and not well written 😐.
Only got to 18% before I gave up, so maybe it gets better as it goes along.
I read this as an ARC.
Only got to 18% before I gave up, so maybe it gets better as it goes along.
I read this as an ARC.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews