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Aluria
In order to save his teenage crush, Jason Conner allows an extra-terrestrial spirit, named Aluria, to inhabit his body. At that moment, Jason vowed to protect the innocent and hunt down the guilty, avenging those that were tragically taken from him. But while Jason thought that his first enemy, Raiz, was long deceased, the evil sorcerer returns to Canton to obtain what Jason robbed him A magical item that grants anyone who possesses, it infinite power. Aluria is the first in a series that tells a story about heroism, love and hope.
- GenresFantasy
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2016
4 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Tyler Cook
27 books28 followersTyler Cook is a graduate of Western Carolina University with a degree in communication, a concentration in public relations and a minor in history. A native of Franklin, Cook is co-founder and publisher of Moonshine Press, a co-op with Eva McCall that published her latest novels, Murder on Haint Branch and Button Box.
In 2014, Cook co-wrote A Guide to Historic Dillsboro, a book celebrating the 125th anniversary of Dillsboro, NC. Five months later, Cook released his debut novel, The One, a love story set in the Applachian Mountains. In April of 2015, Cook received the WCU Outstanding Student Achievement award for his work on Dillsboro. Cook wrote his second novel, Aluria, in 2015. He is currently working on the sequel.
Cook is tied closely to the region, currently working at Southwestern Community College, assisting Barbara McRae in her campaign for Franklin Town Alderman, interning with the Macon County Schools Administrative Offices and WCU’s College of Arts and Sciences, as well as volunteering through the New Century Scholars program. Cook plans on remaining in the Western North Carolina area, promoting and participating in Appalachian culture.
In 2014, Cook co-wrote A Guide to Historic Dillsboro, a book celebrating the 125th anniversary of Dillsboro, NC. Five months later, Cook released his debut novel, The One, a love story set in the Applachian Mountains. In April of 2015, Cook received the WCU Outstanding Student Achievement award for his work on Dillsboro. Cook wrote his second novel, Aluria, in 2015. He is currently working on the sequel.
Cook is tied closely to the region, currently working at Southwestern Community College, assisting Barbara McRae in her campaign for Franklin Town Alderman, interning with the Macon County Schools Administrative Offices and WCU’s College of Arts and Sciences, as well as volunteering through the New Century Scholars program. Cook plans on remaining in the Western North Carolina area, promoting and participating in Appalachian culture.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 5, 2018
The story of Aluria reminds me a series named Arrow where Oliver Queen, a rich businessman disappeared & considered to be dead until he came back to save his city. Well, back to Aluria it is a fast-paced story with so many errors. The storyline is one-dimensional. The author didn't do justice to the characters. It's a short read so characters are not described well. The dialogues or description between characters is lame. I can't feel any kind of emotional connection with any of the character. Aluria and Jason have odds on how to handle situations, with Jason's empathy for his enemies.
Read the full review here - https://www.bookscharming.com/2018/03...
Read the full review here - https://www.bookscharming.com/2018/03...
July 25, 2018
The storyline is general. A boy who finds power and kind of has to save the world. This is too general. Lots, if not thousands of stories revolve around this theme. Which is okay for me. Because usually there would be some distinc elements of the book. For example, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. She too made a plot of saving a city/world but what makes her work so amazing is her world building. The elements she put on her stories really make the story alive and vivid in readers mind. Or Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. She too made a story about saving the city and eventually the world. But what made her work so powerful is her depth on the characters.
Sadly, I don't find any uniqueness and distinct elements on this book. It is simply, painly, too general of a story. It does not come alive in my imagination.
On the first scene/first chapter, I had to roll my eyes so many times. I think the boy's perspective lack depth. The author portrays him as an ignorant teenage boy who just able to have a date with a girl. Then moments later, he is in love with her and wants to protect her with all his might that eventually he summons a hidden power. Umm.... It's not that it's a bad story, I think it is too general.
And the author's writing seems not to be able to save the "general" story. Sometimes, readers like the book simply because of the author's beautiful writing. Good writing can conjure brilliant images in readers' minds and stir readers' feelings. I feel indifferent towards this book. Rather I was hoping it'll end quicker so i don't have to read it anymore. I was so close to DNF this book. But I managed to read only few pages each day.
I hope the author's next work would be a better one. I am really sorry to put 1 star here, but there is always room for improvement. The road to success is not always smooth. Best of luck.
-Erhi.
Sadly, I don't find any uniqueness and distinct elements on this book. It is simply, painly, too general of a story. It does not come alive in my imagination.
On the first scene/first chapter, I had to roll my eyes so many times. I think the boy's perspective lack depth. The author portrays him as an ignorant teenage boy who just able to have a date with a girl. Then moments later, he is in love with her and wants to protect her with all his might that eventually he summons a hidden power. Umm.... It's not that it's a bad story, I think it is too general.
And the author's writing seems not to be able to save the "general" story. Sometimes, readers like the book simply because of the author's beautiful writing. Good writing can conjure brilliant images in readers' minds and stir readers' feelings. I feel indifferent towards this book. Rather I was hoping it'll end quicker so i don't have to read it anymore. I was so close to DNF this book. But I managed to read only few pages each day.
I hope the author's next work would be a better one. I am really sorry to put 1 star here, but there is always room for improvement. The road to success is not always smooth. Best of luck.
-Erhi.
February 24, 2018
Aluria is a great short read by Tyler Cook, which I think is possibly aimed at young adults, but which can also be enjoyed by adults too. It is the first book in an extra-terrestrial science fiction series, which is full of romance and heroism, twined with important life lessons. It uses plain, simple language, though has a few swear words here and there.
It reminds me Batman and other similar superhero stories, and while I enjoyed it, the large number of spelling and grammar errors let it down.
You can read the full review here at OnlineBookClub.org:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
It reminds me Batman and other similar superhero stories, and while I enjoyed it, the large number of spelling and grammar errors let it down.
You can read the full review here at OnlineBookClub.org:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
May 13, 2019
Tyler Cook builds a new superhero universe in Aluria. When Jason Conner’s crush is threatened, he accepts the help (and powers) of an entity known as Aluria. Now he must battle a powerful sorcerer as he protects his home and the people he loves. Aluria is a fun origin story with action and heart that reminded me pleasantly of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This one’s perfect for any lovers of all things superhero!
February 5, 2018
Full review here - http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/view...
The pacing of the story was good; each scene was necessary and progressed the story, but that is the only good thing I can say about this book. The character development was non-existent. The actual writing, descriptions, and dialogue were basic, stunted, and lackluster. There were many points of the plot that didn't make sense at all and felt forced, as if that outcome had to happen so the story could go where the author wanted it to.
You can tell that this book was written by either a novice or inexperienced writer. It needs a lot more work before it can hold it's own. Oh and it needs to be less of a batman fan fiction in the first half of the book to stand on its own too.
The pacing of the story was good; each scene was necessary and progressed the story, but that is the only good thing I can say about this book. The character development was non-existent. The actual writing, descriptions, and dialogue were basic, stunted, and lackluster. There were many points of the plot that didn't make sense at all and felt forced, as if that outcome had to happen so the story could go where the author wanted it to.
You can tell that this book was written by either a novice or inexperienced writer. It needs a lot more work before it can hold it's own. Oh and it needs to be less of a batman fan fiction in the first half of the book to stand on its own too.
May 15, 2016
The core of Aluria centers on two heroic young people whose characters enable them to triumph over great obstacles to attempt to make a genuine difference in the world. The storyline begins with Jason, a typical young teenager who attracts the attention of an ancient spirt (Aluria) by a selflessness act to put himself in mortal danger to protect his young friend girlfriend Tessa. With the help of Aluria, Jason believes he has defeated Raiz, a major magic wielder, who he believed to be dead after their first catastrophic encounter. Exit Jason for ten years, being trained by Aluria on how to defend himself and reveal the true nature of a hero with a combination of courage, faith and his struggle his to do what he believes is right. When Jason returns home to set in motion his plan for ridding his city of evil, he rekindles his relationship with his beloved Tessa and in that course discovers that his enemy Raiz did not die from their first encounter. Raiz is actually after Tessa, who has a secret of her own, a prophecy tied to an oracle with almost unlimited power that could set in motion the coming of a possible apocalypse. Without giving away any more of the storyline let me just say that this book was a surprise. I am usually reading about heroes who are a set above the rest of mankind and will destroy all evil to preserve life. I was not prepared to delve into the emotions, instead of logic, that drove the characters to do what they did. The personal lives of the Jason and Tessa dictated each to their separate paths but to hold onto their love and trust in each other. Aluria and Jason were often at odds on how to handle situations, with Jason’s empathy for his enemies as humans. Raiz was in search of limitless power and that drove him to commit terrible things and exploit his likeminded minions to do the same at whatever cost. Tessa would do anything to protect her father, even to commit an act that could endanger the world. Jason with Aluria and Tessa were destined to be true leaders of their people and make the world a better place and at least reduce the quantity of evil, this is their story.
October 27, 2018
Aluria by Tyler Cook is a tale about honor, bravery and protecting what you love. It centers around Jason Connor, who, in an effort to save his teenage sweetheart from an evil magician, fuses his soul with a mystical being called Aluria. After a 10-year absence, Jason returns to his hometown Canton, masked and under the alias of Aluria, where he faces a new evil that has been destroying the city in his absence.
In general, Aluria is well written and easy to read. Cook clearly invested a lot of time in setting the scenes, planning sequences of events and communicating the action to the reader. The plot is well paced for the majority of the book, and Cook manages to maintain the reader's interest by replacing one mystery with another.
One of the major shortfalls of the story is that the character Jason Connor is heavily inspired by existing superheroes - too heavily in my opinion. The main character and his persona are a thinly disguised mash-up of Batman, Iron Fist and the Power Rangers. Unfortunately, the characters in Aluria also lack nuance and complexity, and the reader is left guessing what motivates them to act. The characters evolve little throughout the story, which only contributes to their feeling flat and uni-dimensional.
Unfortunately, I do not think that the writing and story arcs make up for the fundamental flaws in character design and near plagiarism. As an adult novel, I believe this book is misplaced. I do, however, think that the easily accessible characters and gripping superhero tale might make Aluria an interesting book for youths and teenagers.
See full review here: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
In general, Aluria is well written and easy to read. Cook clearly invested a lot of time in setting the scenes, planning sequences of events and communicating the action to the reader. The plot is well paced for the majority of the book, and Cook manages to maintain the reader's interest by replacing one mystery with another.
One of the major shortfalls of the story is that the character Jason Connor is heavily inspired by existing superheroes - too heavily in my opinion. The main character and his persona are a thinly disguised mash-up of Batman, Iron Fist and the Power Rangers. Unfortunately, the characters in Aluria also lack nuance and complexity, and the reader is left guessing what motivates them to act. The characters evolve little throughout the story, which only contributes to their feeling flat and uni-dimensional.
Unfortunately, I do not think that the writing and story arcs make up for the fundamental flaws in character design and near plagiarism. As an adult novel, I believe this book is misplaced. I do, however, think that the easily accessible characters and gripping superhero tale might make Aluria an interesting book for youths and teenagers.
See full review here: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews