What’s that light? On a cold, dark night, Michael saw a light in the sky. At first, he thought it was a shooting star, what he didn’t know was that it was really a princess from another world. Unexpected occurrences left Michael with no memory of the mysterious princess…and in a completely different world, where color didn’t matter and people flew on air boards…Raluza. King Lavier, King of Raluza, separated his kingdom into four quarters, separating his people by class. By now—five years after he met the princess—Michael was part of an organization of skilled fighters whose objective was to overrun the palace and restore Raluza back to the way it was. His objective: give his family a new home. The organization’s order: kill the Princess.
Destiny Hawkins is a multi-genre author with a dark imagination and a love for magic.
She enjoys working on her graphic designing business : Vibrant Designs LLC, writing, listening to music, reading, and of course watching some anime! Her favorite genres to read and work in are Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Romance, Dystopian, Sci-fi, and young adult.
Destiny loves creating stories and building worlds that both teach and entertain! When writing she sticks to her slogan: Where beauty can be found in darkness.
Get ready for The Unbroken, Book Three of The Descendants Series!
In Aveena: The City of Gold, Michael sees a light in the sky, and thinks it’s a shooting star. Turns out it’s a princess from another world, Aveena, but as if that isn’t thrilling enough, Michael ends up in a completely different world than his own: Raluza. He also has no memory of ever meeting the princess.
Five years pass, and now Michael is part of an organization of skilled fighters who want to overrun the palace, and restore Raluza to the way it was before. This organization orders him to kill the princess.
The author did a good job on the world-building. Raluza was a vibrant, ineresting world, similar to earth yet very different. The characters were interesting, in particular Michael, who went through a lot of character development by the end of the book. The writing was fluent, and fast-paced.
What a fun book- it completely surprised me! This story somewhat reminded me of The Princess Bride meets Back To The Future! Absolutely original, with tons of action, and a little flair of romance, this was an amazing read! The dialogue was great, the descriptions were amazing and the storyline was one-of-a-kind. Somehow, the author manages to pull off involving you in three different times/worlds at the same time while still keeping it utterly interesting. At he beginning, it starts to play out as a middle grade reader, but only until the third chapter. Then, it spins off into more mature themes for YA that kept me completely captivated until the end! I really, truly enjoyed this book and I'm on the lookout for a sequel soon!
The cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! I mean, just look at it! It is one of the reasons I bought this book and when I started the first chapter, I was glad that I did. The story follows Michael who is living in the era of the Jim Crow in the United States when one night he sees a light and followed it which led him to a sick girl that his family nursed to health. when she recovered enough, she brought him back to her kingdom of Raluza. Thus Michael's adventure begins. What I loved about this book was how original the idea was and how apt the descriptions were. I felt as though as I were on the journey with Michael. There was character development, there was a stunning plot and the pace was not rushed so there was a smooth transition into every scene. Each secondary character added to the story and was not just there to fill the space. They helped to move the plot along and I loved it. The female lead was strong and followed her own choices and the chemistry between her and Michael was so palpable practically leapt off the page! I loved it and is looking forward to the second instalment!
From one flawed world to another It’s the 1870’s and young Michael, born at the end of slavery finds a young girl who has become ill. She recovers at his home then takes him to her own home where she is a princess in a land called Raluza . She’s threatened by her uncle who wishes to seize the throne but must wait until her magical protection fades. Michael, unable to return to his home, finds friends and five years later manipulated his way into being the princess protector and one who will help the princess overcome the evil intent of her uncle. The whole story is told to a current generation by an old grandfather who (allegedly heard the story ) smoothly weaves the tale of two young people from different worlds. A good read.
My Review of Aveena: City of Gold (The Black Knight Duology Book One) I reviewed this book of my own choosing as I am a blogger. This review was not paid, nor is any review that I do. Let me start off by saying if you like fantasy with knights, castles, a princess, and people to save then this book is for you! I was sad when it ended and I cannot wait to read the second book in the series! I loved that the story was being told by someone in the story, but in the first book, it is not exactly clear how these characters fit into the story. I have a feeling that they have something to do with Raluza (the other planet/realm) in the story, but I won’t know until I read the next book (maybe?). I immediately fell in love with Michael’s character. To me, it felt like a “my brother’s best friend” type of feeling that I got for his character. He was kind, funny, and apparently easy on the eyes. The princess reminded me of myself. A rebel, but a bit shy. I loved the futuristic aspect of the weapons and transportation that the knights use. The entire story is definitely my type of read and I want the next book! From an editorial aspect, there were very few typos in this book and very few misused words. These issues were minimal and did not take away from the story or leave me confused at any point. All books have these errors, so this does not make this book any different. I love that the author did not try to incorporate big words when small words would work. I felt like the author used their own style of speaking when writing the book and this made the book amazing! I don’t like to read books that feel robotic. The authors writing style is genuine and gives the book a soul. Love it all the way around. A definite five star read! ~Shelf Infatuation Book Blog
Changes in life were not new to Michael; he'd gone from slavery to freedom, in his young life. He saw a light fall from the sky. Excitement coursed through his body as he strode towards 0what he thought was a shooting star. Instead, he found a beautiful girl! Someone had done awful things to her. He rescued her, taking her to his family home. Her name was Aveena. She recovered and had to return home. Michael followed Aveena. His life was about to drastically change, from toil and careful, to heroic and thrilling! In another realm... An exciting, suspenseful world! The people are different then on Earth, yet similar. My emotions shifted from tension, laughter, sadness, disbelief, anger and outrage as the pages turned. Yeah, it's that good. 1st book in a series. Book free for honest review.
Destiny Hawkins has created a wonderful and exciting world in Aveena: The City of Gold. Her idea is very original, and her world building is impeccable! Get ready for a fun read!
I loved the characters. Aveena is the Princess of Raluza, and she is such a great character. Michael is human from the 1800s. He ends up in Raluza, but he cannot remember her! Hawkins has created two characters that really mesh well together and have a lot of chemistry.
The plot of the book is exciting. I loved Raluza itself. It sounds like a wonderful place! (Besides when it is ran by Lavier.)
This is a book you should read if you like The Princess Bride and/or fantasy! Or you should just read it. :)
*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
A true fantasy read indeed! Plus this cover is gorgeous!!!! This fantasy read has the true elements of a fantasy from Knights to a Princess. This truly is a fantasy novel but a unique one for sure. This story line is solid without a doubt as we learn about this world and characters. Michael was a great build up character with a difficult life. Lucky for him he found Aveena! Which I might add is a perfect combination for each other and fit perfectly.
This is a fun read to just sit down and not put down while you go through tons of emotions as the book unravels itself. I highly recommend those who need some light fantasy. I have a feeling this is going to be one fantastic ride of a series.
I'm hooked!! A different direction from this author's other stories, but again she pulls you in. This story switches between a grandfather telling a story and the events of a different time and place. A princess, trying to make a difference. A evil uncle that killed the king to take the crown. A newly freed slave, somehow zapped into this other world, lives amongst a group of rebels. The plan, to kill the princess before she comes into her powers so the king can't control her. I can't wait to see where this story goes!!
This was an exciting book. I wanted to learn more about Aveena. I'm not sure I would follow a shooting star. :) But I'm glad Michael did. The book was exciting and great set up for more in the series. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Enjoyed the plotline and watching the characters develop. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Like watching a child grow up within the cover of the book.