What do you think?
Rate this book
The Elusive Spark #2
Alpha Wave
With so many hunting her for the power she possesses, Keira Fairchild needs a friend in her corner.
On the run from the Paragon Academy and a ring of slave traders, Keira is searching for answers. Who is the mysterious alien trying to contact her in her dreams, and why is he being held captive? Keira learns she isn’t alone. James, Lumen, and Paul are teens with powers like her own—and all of the teens are in danger. They’ve been sent by their alien father to look for Keira. The kidnapped alien needs their help, and the unscrupulous Dr. Albion has a plan to rob them of their powers and destroy them. In the battle that awaits them, standing together is their only chance.
On the run from the Paragon Academy and a ring of slave traders, Keira is searching for answers. Who is the mysterious alien trying to contact her in her dreams, and why is he being held captive? Keira learns she isn’t alone. James, Lumen, and Paul are teens with powers like her own—and all of the teens are in danger. They’ve been sent by their alien father to look for Keira. The kidnapped alien needs their help, and the unscrupulous Dr. Albion has a plan to rob them of their powers and destroy them. In the battle that awaits them, standing together is their only chance.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2018
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Demcak
13 books170 followersAndrew Demčák is an award-winning, American poet and novelist, the author of six poetry collections and eight Young Adult novels. His books have been featured by The American Library Association, Verse Daily, The Lambda Literary Foundation, The Best American Poetry, Kirkus Reviews, and Poets & Writers. He was selected to be the keynote speaker for the California Library Association's annual conference to celebrate his contributions to LGBTQ+ Young Adult literature.
He has been a finalist for the prestigious Dorset Poetry Prize, the Gloria E. Anzaldúa Poetry Prize, The Crazyhorse Poetry Award, and the Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence in Poetry. He did win the Three Candles Press Open Book Award, selected by the phenomenal poet, Joan Larkin, for his first poetry collection, Catching Tigers in Red Weather (2007).
He has been a finalist for the prestigious Dorset Poetry Prize, the Gloria E. Anzaldúa Poetry Prize, The Crazyhorse Poetry Award, and the Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence in Poetry. He did win the Three Candles Press Open Book Award, selected by the phenomenal poet, Joan Larkin, for his first poetry collection, Catching Tigers in Red Weather (2007).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 7, 2018
Alpha Wave picks up where A Little Bit Langston, the first book in the Elusive Spark series, left off. If you bonded with James, Paul, and Lumen in A Little Bit Langston, you’ll be glad to see them all again. I loved both books, but I’m a sucker for a mighty girl hero, and Alpha Wave delivers. And three cheers for a YA book with a totally believable cast full of boy-loving boys and girl-loving girls.
Keira, the main character, is a Southern California teenager with a troubled family situation and a major attitude. The adventure starts right away when she discovers her supernatural powers through a conflict with her foster father. Keira encounters a caring mentor in the form of a Tibetan monk who has assumed the shape of a talking rat and appears in time to save her from a demon who works for the government—and that’s just the first surprise. Originality is a huge strength in this story, which takes the bones of a classic coming-of-age plot and fleshes it out with all-fresh twisty details. There are plenty of funny and sexy moments, plus a few that will have you biting your nails or putting on your sunglasses on the bus so people can’t see you getting misty.
Demcak’s writing is infused with a gentle spirituality that reminds me of the best of Madeleine L’Engle. I had the good fortune to be one of Alpha Wave’s beta readers; this is definitely one of those books that holds up nicely to being read twice, and both reads left me with a wonderful sense of trust in his world’s design and his characters’ ability to choose love over fear, no matter how risky.
Keira, the main character, is a Southern California teenager with a troubled family situation and a major attitude. The adventure starts right away when she discovers her supernatural powers through a conflict with her foster father. Keira encounters a caring mentor in the form of a Tibetan monk who has assumed the shape of a talking rat and appears in time to save her from a demon who works for the government—and that’s just the first surprise. Originality is a huge strength in this story, which takes the bones of a classic coming-of-age plot and fleshes it out with all-fresh twisty details. There are plenty of funny and sexy moments, plus a few that will have you biting your nails or putting on your sunglasses on the bus so people can’t see you getting misty.
Demcak’s writing is infused with a gentle spirituality that reminds me of the best of Madeleine L’Engle. I had the good fortune to be one of Alpha Wave’s beta readers; this is definitely one of those books that holds up nicely to being read twice, and both reads left me with a wonderful sense of trust in his world’s design and his characters’ ability to choose love over fear, no matter how risky.
September 18, 2019
I enjoyed the first book in this series more. With A Little Bit Langston there's a lot of mystery, things unfold at a good pace and all of the sci fi elements get explained.
In this book, because it's less than 200 pages it feels like everything is rushed - there's lots of telling rather than showing, waaaay too many bad guy monologues, so many new science ideas compared to the first, two different antagonists, a whole host of new characters - so nothing gets fleshed out properly.
Also, one off hand comment made the whole world feel weird. This is a sci fi book, there are implants and fancy phones, crazy technology and electronic money - then a character just randomly mentions Trump. It just felt very out of place.
That being said, I did enjoy all the new powers on show, also I want a Tenzing!
I own the final book in this trilogy, so hopefully Demcak doesn't try to squash too much into the finale
In this book, because it's less than 200 pages it feels like everything is rushed - there's lots of telling rather than showing, waaaay too many bad guy monologues, so many new science ideas compared to the first, two different antagonists, a whole host of new characters - so nothing gets fleshed out properly.
Also, one off hand comment made the whole world feel weird. This is a sci fi book, there are implants and fancy phones, crazy technology and electronic money - then a character just randomly mentions Trump. It just felt very out of place.
That being said, I did enjoy all the new powers on show, also I want a Tenzing!
I own the final book in this trilogy, so hopefully Demcak doesn't try to squash too much into the finale
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews