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Aiko Rising #2
Pulverize
Wrongfully accused. Ruthlessly hunted. Fighting to survive.
When thirteen-year-old Aiko awakens in juvenile detention, haunted by a freak accident, her life takes a darker turn. A mysterious figure named Malcolm offers her a harrowing help unlock the secrets of her mother’s work—or suffer the dire consequences. But nothing is what it seems. Behind her incarceration lies a tangled web of mind control tech, government conspiracies, and the Shadow Dealers—an elusive group obsessed with unlocking reality itself. As Aiko discovers the truth about her past, reality-warping abilities begin to manifest, thrusting her into a multidimensional schism where betrayal is currency, and power comes at a devastating price. With the help of her uncle Hiroto, a rogue AI named Kaen, and a firebrand ally called Dynamo, Aiko must outwit the forces that seek to control her—and reclaim her fractured soul before she loses it across the shifting veils of time and space.
Expected to release book in summer 2025
When thirteen-year-old Aiko awakens in juvenile detention, haunted by a freak accident, her life takes a darker turn. A mysterious figure named Malcolm offers her a harrowing help unlock the secrets of her mother’s work—or suffer the dire consequences. But nothing is what it seems. Behind her incarceration lies a tangled web of mind control tech, government conspiracies, and the Shadow Dealers—an elusive group obsessed with unlocking reality itself. As Aiko discovers the truth about her past, reality-warping abilities begin to manifest, thrusting her into a multidimensional schism where betrayal is currency, and power comes at a devastating price. With the help of her uncle Hiroto, a rogue AI named Kaen, and a firebrand ally called Dynamo, Aiko must outwit the forces that seek to control her—and reclaim her fractured soul before she loses it across the shifting veils of time and space.
Expected to release book in summer 2025
242 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2025
About the author
D.B. Goodin
33 books64 followersD. B. Goodin has had a passion for writing since grade school. After publishing several non-fiction books, Mr. Goodin ventured into the craft of fiction to teach Cybersecurity concepts in a less intimidating fashion. Mr. Goodin works as a Principal Cybersecurity Analyst for a major software company based in Silicon Valley and holds a Masters in Digital Forensic Science from Champlain College.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 12, 2026
Spoilers: Pulverize the second book in D.B. Goodin’s Aiko Rising series is an unsettling Science Fiction and a solid Family Drama.
13 year old Aiko Takahashi wakes up from a coma to find herself accused of a crime that she didn’t commit and sentenced to juvenile detention. Malcolm, a sinister figure at the center of this conspiracy, wants access to Aiko’s mother’s research and technology.
When Aiko refuses, she is subjected to mind control experiments which awaken hidden powers, rage, and a desire for revenge inside her. Meanwhile Aiko’s uncle Hiroto is looking to save the girl with the help of his AI Kaen.
The book is very disconcerting as certain moments occur out of time and place because of Aiko’s fracturing mind. She has nightmares of abuse, accusations, and torment which might be real but could be just as easily implanted into her head. While in prison, she compulsively writes numbers and phrases that she doesn’t understand like she is possessed.
All of this is meant to fill Aiko with unease. If she can’t trust her own thoughts and actions, how much of a defense can she build against outside forces like Malcolm and his cohorts?
If torturing Aiko doesn’t work, Malcolm isn’t above using others to break her. He threatens her adopted family so that even when her sisters visit, there are suspicions that they are being manipulated by outside forces. A fellow prisoner that befriends Aiko is set on fire right in front of her. An enigmatic character named Operator 47 seems to know more about Aiko than he is telling.
Aiko can’t trust her mind and body and now can’t trust that the people around her won’t betray her or get killed right in front of her.
Despite all of the uncertainty, there is a concrete more straightforward subplot. That of Hiroto researching his niece's whereabouts. He is a steady presence throughout the novel gathering information and interrogating others with dogged perseverance and obvious affection for this girl who is like a daughter to him.
In the chaos surrounding Aiko’s captivity and betrayals, Hiroto is the much needed order and sanctuary. He is the home that she needs and the adult who sees Aiko as a person not a means to an end.
13 year old Aiko Takahashi wakes up from a coma to find herself accused of a crime that she didn’t commit and sentenced to juvenile detention. Malcolm, a sinister figure at the center of this conspiracy, wants access to Aiko’s mother’s research and technology.
When Aiko refuses, she is subjected to mind control experiments which awaken hidden powers, rage, and a desire for revenge inside her. Meanwhile Aiko’s uncle Hiroto is looking to save the girl with the help of his AI Kaen.
The book is very disconcerting as certain moments occur out of time and place because of Aiko’s fracturing mind. She has nightmares of abuse, accusations, and torment which might be real but could be just as easily implanted into her head. While in prison, she compulsively writes numbers and phrases that she doesn’t understand like she is possessed.
All of this is meant to fill Aiko with unease. If she can’t trust her own thoughts and actions, how much of a defense can she build against outside forces like Malcolm and his cohorts?
If torturing Aiko doesn’t work, Malcolm isn’t above using others to break her. He threatens her adopted family so that even when her sisters visit, there are suspicions that they are being manipulated by outside forces. A fellow prisoner that befriends Aiko is set on fire right in front of her. An enigmatic character named Operator 47 seems to know more about Aiko than he is telling.
Aiko can’t trust her mind and body and now can’t trust that the people around her won’t betray her or get killed right in front of her.
Despite all of the uncertainty, there is a concrete more straightforward subplot. That of Hiroto researching his niece's whereabouts. He is a steady presence throughout the novel gathering information and interrogating others with dogged perseverance and obvious affection for this girl who is like a daughter to him.
In the chaos surrounding Aiko’s captivity and betrayals, Hiroto is the much needed order and sanctuary. He is the home that she needs and the adult who sees Aiko as a person not a means to an end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2025
She has been accused of a crime she did not commit and now she is in the run. She wants to try to find the truth so she can prove her innocence. Follow her as she tries to find the truth
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and a great action read
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and a great action read
November 25, 2025
a great story good action
January 19, 2026
Great fast paced book with lots of action. This will keep you entertained but also moves quickly, I read it in 2 days.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews