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Cross Roads #1
Cross Roads
Being sixteen, homeless and surviving on her wits in New York City has made Shawna's life more than a little challenging. She has never bothered anyone and makes it a point to stay in the background. Yet, she is on the run for her life and is being hunted by men with glowing red eyes.
Who is after her and why are they trying to kill her are just a few of the questions she needs answers to.
In order to get those answers, Shawna must ally herself with Decker, an agent from the only group capable of stopping the killers and keeping her alive: The Acolytes. Together they relocate to a small town where she begins her intense training to join the covert group.
Her new life offers her a chance at something that has always eluded her, a normal life.
However, everything changes when her enemies find her and force her to put her training to the test.
Shawna's world will never be the same again - if she can survive.
Who is after her and why are they trying to kill her are just a few of the questions she needs answers to.
In order to get those answers, Shawna must ally herself with Decker, an agent from the only group capable of stopping the killers and keeping her alive: The Acolytes. Together they relocate to a small town where she begins her intense training to join the covert group.
Her new life offers her a chance at something that has always eluded her, a normal life.
However, everything changes when her enemies find her and force her to put her training to the test.
Shawna's world will never be the same again - if she can survive.
- GenresYoung Adult
294 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2014
401 people want to read
About the author
Donald Wilson II
12 books28 followersDonald Wilson II has been writing since he was in elementary school and has been published in several journals and newspaper articles. Donald is a New York City native and still resides in the NY metropolitan area with his family and their very active dog. His award-winning debut novel, Cross Roads, has captivated readers across the US and was honored as the 2015 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards winner for Best Adventure and 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist for First Novel. He is looking forwards to sharing more stories with readers across the globe.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 6, 2014
3.5 Stars
This is the story of a homeless teenager in New York city named Shawna. Shawna was orphaned as a child and has been living on the streets with her best friend Javon. However, that life would be short lived as one terrible night Shawna’s world forever changed.
This book was a page turner from the beginning. I was immediately captivated by Decker and his lethal persona. The opening scene had me hooked and it was all because of him. He comes across Shawna one night and intervenes during a terrible situation. He admits to Shawna that the world does have its monsters – the Doma. These are creatures who may look human, but are anything but. Shawna begins to train as an Acolyte with Decker in the hopes of fighting off this evil – along with Decker’s handy assistant Mr. Gibbs (who I adore)!
This author was new to me and I really enjoyed this book. This story highlights the turbulent lifestyle of a homeless teenager in a big city who was thrust into a whole new way of life. I felt that the way the story was told, and the way Shawna reacted was very true for someone her age – even though she is an exceptional young woman. The outcome of the story remained a mystery to me, nothing was given away and I found myself surprised more than once at a turn of events – which is always welcome! This was an intriguing story with even more intriguing characters – including the Doma, who I found kinda fascinating. If you’re looking for a good fantasy YA read I definitely recommend it!
This is the story of a homeless teenager in New York city named Shawna. Shawna was orphaned as a child and has been living on the streets with her best friend Javon. However, that life would be short lived as one terrible night Shawna’s world forever changed.
This book was a page turner from the beginning. I was immediately captivated by Decker and his lethal persona. The opening scene had me hooked and it was all because of him. He comes across Shawna one night and intervenes during a terrible situation. He admits to Shawna that the world does have its monsters – the Doma. These are creatures who may look human, but are anything but. Shawna begins to train as an Acolyte with Decker in the hopes of fighting off this evil – along with Decker’s handy assistant Mr. Gibbs (who I adore)!
This author was new to me and I really enjoyed this book. This story highlights the turbulent lifestyle of a homeless teenager in a big city who was thrust into a whole new way of life. I felt that the way the story was told, and the way Shawna reacted was very true for someone her age – even though she is an exceptional young woman. The outcome of the story remained a mystery to me, nothing was given away and I found myself surprised more than once at a turn of events – which is always welcome! This was an intriguing story with even more intriguing characters – including the Doma, who I found kinda fascinating. If you’re looking for a good fantasy YA read I definitely recommend it!
December 22, 2014
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
Cross Roads brings a whole new meaning to the word fast-paced. This book left me breathless. Shawna is anything but your typical teenager, and this makes her instantly an intriguing, engaging character. She’s an orphan, forced to raise herself on the streets of New York. Luckily she has a best friend who has her back. While different, Shawna’s life is quite uneventful, until one night changes all of it. She becomes the target of Doma, a demonic race that appears human. Shawna barely escapes, but in order to stay alive she has to ally herself with the Acolytes, a secret organizations with as main purpose to fight Doma.
Shawna starts training to become a member of this group, which means moving to a small town and leaving behind her previous life. But her training is cut short when the Doma find out about her whereabouts.
I’m a huge fan of Decker. He had a great personality – always lingering slightly on the edge, dark and mysterious. I loved Mr. Gibbs too, Decker’s personal assistant.
The world-building is appropriate, with just enough background information to make it realistic and intriguing. The characters are three-dimensional, and it’s especially easy to connect with Shawna. The writing is good, and overall, the story just flows from the very first page, keeping the reader engaged.
Cross Roads brings a whole new meaning to the word fast-paced. This book left me breathless. Shawna is anything but your typical teenager, and this makes her instantly an intriguing, engaging character. She’s an orphan, forced to raise herself on the streets of New York. Luckily she has a best friend who has her back. While different, Shawna’s life is quite uneventful, until one night changes all of it. She becomes the target of Doma, a demonic race that appears human. Shawna barely escapes, but in order to stay alive she has to ally herself with the Acolytes, a secret organizations with as main purpose to fight Doma.
Shawna starts training to become a member of this group, which means moving to a small town and leaving behind her previous life. But her training is cut short when the Doma find out about her whereabouts.
I’m a huge fan of Decker. He had a great personality – always lingering slightly on the edge, dark and mysterious. I loved Mr. Gibbs too, Decker’s personal assistant.
The world-building is appropriate, with just enough background information to make it realistic and intriguing. The characters are three-dimensional, and it’s especially easy to connect with Shawna. The writing is good, and overall, the story just flows from the very first page, keeping the reader engaged.
November 10, 2014
Entertaining story that will keep you reading late into the night!
Donald Wilson II has written a fast-paced and intriguing YA fantasy adventure. What if a sinister life-form with advanced abilities wanted to enslave or kill human-beings? What if they blended in appearing to be human, and the majority of the population (outside of government) is unaware it is even happening? In Cross Roads, the only chance for humanity may be the Acolytes – a secret international organization formed to fight the Doma. As the plot unfolds, the importance of 16-year-old Shawna's role in this fight becomes apparent. Her character is well-developed. She's strong and has used her wits to survive out on the streets. At the same time, she is a kind and sensitive person with a sense of loyalty. The reader gradually learns about the incident in her childhood as it comes out in her nightmares throughout the book. Decker and Gibbs are also fascinating characters, although this book doesn't delve as deeply into their past; the author may be saving that for the next book in this series. The world Wilson has created within this book is incredible. The story is well written, and I could not stop reading until the end. I enjoyed this story and would highly recommend.
Donald Wilson II has written a fast-paced and intriguing YA fantasy adventure. What if a sinister life-form with advanced abilities wanted to enslave or kill human-beings? What if they blended in appearing to be human, and the majority of the population (outside of government) is unaware it is even happening? In Cross Roads, the only chance for humanity may be the Acolytes – a secret international organization formed to fight the Doma. As the plot unfolds, the importance of 16-year-old Shawna's role in this fight becomes apparent. Her character is well-developed. She's strong and has used her wits to survive out on the streets. At the same time, she is a kind and sensitive person with a sense of loyalty. The reader gradually learns about the incident in her childhood as it comes out in her nightmares throughout the book. Decker and Gibbs are also fascinating characters, although this book doesn't delve as deeply into their past; the author may be saving that for the next book in this series. The world Wilson has created within this book is incredible. The story is well written, and I could not stop reading until the end. I enjoyed this story and would highly recommend.
February 14, 2015
Just when you thought you've read all the best authors - Comes yet another one! This is one really enjoyable read! I was so absorbed in reading this book, I missed my train stop going in to work. Twice!
October 21, 2017
A fast paced, action packed and realistic story, with really down to earth characters and an incredibly captivating writing. It amazes me that so few people read this book.
So, we are first introduced to Decker, who spent his whole life in an organization - the Acolytes- that is fighting agains the 'Doma' in order to save humanity. After quite efficiently dealing with his current job, Decker is sent to NY, where in the middle of an assignment he stumbles upon (and saves) Shawna.
Shawna is a sixteen year old living on the streets of NY. But for a homeless girl she is rather educated. Learning new things always came easy to her and her friend Javon jokingly calls her 'Einstein'. Despite her living arrangements, life was going pretty okey for Shawna, until one day she ran into men with glowing red eyes, who tried to kill her for some unknown reason.
She is saved by Decker, who explains that she will not be safe now that the Doma know about her existence. He decides to take Shawna under his wing and train her to be able to fight against their enemy.
I loved how realistic the characters were. Shawna behaved exactly like a sixteen year old and not like some more mature version of herself (the way it often happens in a YA). She made some smart decisions and some stupid once, had a few tantrums and was grounded once.
I liked that Decker was made a mentor and a father figure for her and not a love interest.
And Gibbs, I loved that guy! He reminded me of Giles from Buffy, for some reason.
There were some things that I suspected but wasn't really sure about and I loved that the story made me doubt my judgment, unable to fully predict the events.
I only wish that the author was more forthcoming with the information, because some things were not really explained. For example, I still do not fully understand what the 'Doma' are and what they can do.
We only learned about what happened with Shawna's parents by the end of the book and some things (like why the Acolytes are so interested in her and what's up with her DNA) are still unclear.
Unfortunately, there is no second book to unswear all those questions. And that is a shame, I'd love to read it.
Want to Read
September 29, 2014I am organizing a review opportunity for Cross Roads by Donald Wilson II. Cross Roads is a Young Adult Urban Fantasy set in New York. If you sign-up for this review opportunity we ask that you review it within 3 months. You can sign-up to request a copy for review here
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews