Evanescence

by R.J. Rogue, Morissa Schwartz (Editor)

The Black Rose Series - Book I Although Evan Macrae grew up in the small city of Utica, New York, he's never found his father and has no memory of his childhood. After asking, 'who am I?' throughout his sixteen years of life, Evan learns that he is adopted, why his skin is getting pale while his eyes change color, and that his heart has stopped Evan isn't human. He is a late-blooming vampire. Evan doesn't want to accept this reality, but when he meets the Macrae clan, his real family, it becomes difficult to deny. He learns that his death is the key to completing his unavoidable transformation, and with the help of his stepmother, a human friend of his vampire family, and Essence LaRoux, his crush since middle school, Evan receives the help he needs to prepare for his new life and to hopefully overcome his amnesia. Just when he believed things couldn't get any more unusual, Evan learns that after his transformation, he is going to be handed a destiny that every vampire wishes to fulfill. However, within Evan’s coven is a jealous rival who wishes to have the destiny for himself and would do anything to take it over, even if that means spilling family blood. What is a vampire to do?

444 pages, Paperback

Published February 29, 2016

About the author

R.J. Rogue writes Young Adult Speculative Fiction and is a New York native currently living in San Bernardino, California. He enjoys its gorgeous mountains, scorching heat, and delicious street tacos.

He studied Creative Writing at SUNY Empire State in Rochester, NY in which his early inspirations include a collection of works by Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Orson Scott Card, and Gary Paulsen.

At the age of 7, R.J. wrote fan-fiction to his parents from his addiction to Debbie Dadey's and Marcia Jones' Bailey School Kids book series. He enjoyed reading and watching R. L. Stine's Goosebumps and continues to find laughter in dark works that typically frighten the strongest at heart.

When R.J. isn't writing, you will likely find him reading The Transall Saga for the thousandth time, breakdancing, practicing his voice impression of Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise, or traveling the country.

R.J. Rogue is represented by Heather Cashman at Storm Literary Agency.

Reviews

[robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down.

Loved it. Didn't want it too end Ann and to read more! Really enjoyed the very descriptive places and getting to know everyone. Waiting for the next one to continue their story

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Never a dull moment.

[Sbkr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. The prose was truly beautiful. Best book I've read in a long time. Can't wait for book 2.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

This was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to other people to read

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of felt like I was reading the Vampire Harry Potter! Don't get me wrong...I loved Harry Potter. I just thought it would be something else...

[Alara Harpell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the best part of this book was the feeling it invokes within the reader. The fluid descriptions effortlessly transports you into the setting and the transformation of Evan’s life comes just as naturally. This type of writing makes the story, though fantasy, feel very real especially since it mixes school and teenage problems with the supernatural world of vampires. The plot line isn’t necessarily full of twists and turns, but with that being said, the development of the characters and their relationships proves this book to be a deeply satisfying read that captivated my attention through the entire novel.