Kids of Kazumeth: The Roots of Kaluna

by Steven Ray Wriston

Jack Hackley had everything-until the cave surfaced, his friends vanished, and no one remembered they ever existed.



When a mysterious cavern splits open beneath his sleepy Pennsylvania town, Jack is pulled into Kazumeth - a world of sentient forests, fractured magic, and long-buried secrets. There, he uncovers a legacy he never asked he's one of five teens bound to powerful Vocation Stones-ancient relics that could save both worlds . . . or destroy them.



But in the shadows, Akuramundo is twisting minds and turning allies into puppets to seize the stones - and he'll stop at nothing to claim them.



As Jack is pulled deeper into a war he never chose, truths begin to fracture. The friend he came to save may already be lost. A rebellion is splintering. And as memories shift and loyalties blur, Jack must choose who to trust - and what kind of hero he's willing to become.



For those who grew up with Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Eragon-this is the kind of fantasy that reminds you why you fell in love with magic in the first place. Kids of Kazumeth is a journey filled with loyalty, betrayal, and a legacy that proves even destiny can be rewritten.

381 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

Reviews

[Sav Rosthauser · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of unlikely peers find themselves in the center of a new world that needs them more than ever. Those you don't like, you grow to love and those you love... give you complex feelings of "what would I do?"
This book was non-stop adventure and the best balance of young adult and fantasy. I really cannot wait for book two.

"You wielded anger - the most volatile and dangerous emotion- the hardest to master. True strength lies not in unleashing power, but in taming it" -Chapter 8, page 166

Truly loved my trip to Kazumeth and will be rereading and looking for fan art in copious amounts until the next new chapter.


****SPOILERS AHEAD

Alright just to get some of my thoughts shouted into the Ether.
The world building in this was fantastic once we started getting into the fantasy portion and away from the modern life. The gradual transition to the fantasy world was done in a way I didn't feel lore dumped on which is refreshing.

Jack and I got mad beef.
This is a book where the male main characters are written by a male - which was something I had to kind of switch mindsets for as I have been reading too much MMC written by women.
He's sweet and also such a bro at the same time that I love and hate it. However he does progressively grow on me until that cliffhanger. WOW

Emerson.
My favorite.
I love that as a ready I had conflict with how much I liked this character. It made everything more interesting to read. While his arc is not done obviously, it was my favorite in this book.

Adina is basically the only one keeping everyone alive besides the adults and we love that for her.

"You can speak up. Attempted murder makes things awkward, but we're all about growth here." Chapter 8, pg 169

CACKLING

The rest of the characters are important but I believe we will get more from in the rest of the series.
There were moments when I was shouting "GROW UP FFS" and then remembered these are literal teenagers. The visceral reactions like this are why I love reading though.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since a YA fantasy has pulled me in hook, line and sinker and not let me up for air- but this story did just that.
What an incredible, fast paced, suspenseful and immersive fantasy story that had me rooting for the main character of Jack and whether or not he was going to be able to fight in the upcoming war along with his friends against malevolent creatures and a supernatural big bad monster.
The story gave me vibes of if the lord of the rings crossed over with Harry Potter combined with the chosen one trope and I was definitely hear for it- a cracking read which left me on the edge of my seat in awe of what will happen next in the second instalment.
A huge thankyou to Net galley, Pilfert's Quill and of course the author for an early arc of this amazing book.

[Ryan Hair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid first book in a Young Adult fantasy series. The character writing is good, the world-building once we get into the other world is pretty interesting, and the implications set up in the prologue were refreshing. However, I can't rate it higher because of our main character Jack. He is not the most likeable of protagonist's to follow. He seemingly has everything, a good mom, friends, a long-term relationship, hockey player, and he refers to him and his girl as the "IT couple" at school. Jack is a lot of things, but he's also an asshole. He's rude to his mom, uncaring to his best friend, a pushy ass to his girlfriend whenever sex is brought up, and he's very uncaring about his school. He is the type too mooch off his friends homework, be uncaring toward an emotionally distressed mom, and it makes you wonder why we should root for him. Now, these are the very strong impressions you'll have when you first start the book, but, it does get better. Once we go to the other world, Jack begins to change. He becomes someone worth reading for. But it's not for most people. I would recommend you give this book a chance.