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Across the Stars #4
The Reaction
Hayden Dawson, formally Zedo Jeta, is back and it's much too late. The third law of physics states: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Hayden is a super human gifted with numerous powers and was destined to save the world. But in the world’s most desperate hour, he abandoned the planet to serve his own self-interests. He put his growing family before the fate of the entire planet and now the planet has suffered as World War 3 rages on. The war has spanned generations and has left the sky perpetually darkened.
But the guilt of Hayden's actions were eating him alive so he, his wife Laura, and their children returned to Earth to join the fight in the global war. But they weren’t ready for the devastation they found...This was his fault…
Now, it's up to Hayden to try to correct his mistakes and save the world before it all comes to an abrupt end. But can the might of his powers save the day after evil's consumed the world? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and now it's time to pay the ultimate price.
But the guilt of Hayden's actions were eating him alive so he, his wife Laura, and their children returned to Earth to join the fight in the global war. But they weren’t ready for the devastation they found...This was his fault…
Now, it's up to Hayden to try to correct his mistakes and save the world before it all comes to an abrupt end. But can the might of his powers save the day after evil's consumed the world? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and now it's time to pay the ultimate price.
269 pages, Paperback
Published November 4, 2020
2 people want to read
About the author
Jay DeMoir
25 books77 followersJay DeMoir is the owner of DeMoir Books & Things in Memphis, TN and as a child discovered that his life could be a whirlwind of adventures by simply opening a book and reading. To this day, reading is still his favorite thing in the world, followed closely by watching movies. He still has a fondness for fantasy, sci-fi, and general fiction, which is probably why he writes for those genres.
When Jay DeMoir isn't working on his next book, he's usually binge-watching old tv shows on DVD or making music or teaching young minds.
Jay DeMoir is not only an alumnus of the University of Memphis, where he received his BA in Communications (Film& Video Production) and minored in English Literature and Psychology, but also an educator. During the day, he's a Middle School English Language Arts & Creative Writing teacher and has received his M.Edu as of 2021.
Jay DeMoir would love to hear from his readers. Feel free to contact him via:
Twitter: @JayDeMoir
Instagram: @jay_demoir
or on Goodreads
When Jay DeMoir isn't working on his next book, he's usually binge-watching old tv shows on DVD or making music or teaching young minds.
Jay DeMoir is not only an alumnus of the University of Memphis, where he received his BA in Communications (Film& Video Production) and minored in English Literature and Psychology, but also an educator. During the day, he's a Middle School English Language Arts & Creative Writing teacher and has received his M.Edu as of 2021.
Jay DeMoir would love to hear from his readers. Feel free to contact him via:
Twitter: @JayDeMoir
Instagram: @jay_demoir
or on Goodreads
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 25, 2024
As the author, I'm biased but I definitely love the growth Hayden has this time around. New friends, new challenges,& dark days are on the horizon in the 4th entry in the ACROSS THE STARS series.
The saga continues as a very real threat to Earth comes to a head!
Dive into book 4! You won't regret it.
Book 5 is also out if you choose to continue the series ✊🏾💯✨
The saga continues as a very real threat to Earth comes to a head!
Dive into book 4! You won't regret it.
Book 5 is also out if you choose to continue the series ✊🏾💯✨
November 6, 2020
I finished this one in 2 days. I'd like to thank the author for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What I will say is that this book is a lot less action packed then the first 2 books. The 3rd one didn't move me as much, but I can see the growth in Zedo/Hayden's character, the turmoil all of his actions is causing him, and the demise of things he holds dear. Though I'm an action kinda guy and really enjoy reading sequences that are fast paced, I can appreciate the human aspects of much of this novel. Hayden isn't a kid anymore, that's for sure. He's an adult with a wife and kids and still trying to juggle all of the responsibilities of having the weight of the world on his shoulder.
I must say, I wasn't expecting the reaction to have THAT kind of reaction (I won't spoil the GASPING moment) But I found that really disturbing, in a good way. The author did well at handing out consequences. Though this was a decent read, I would say it could've been gritter seeing that this is supposed to be the end of the world.
3 stars it is since I did like the story.
What I will say is that this book is a lot less action packed then the first 2 books. The 3rd one didn't move me as much, but I can see the growth in Zedo/Hayden's character, the turmoil all of his actions is causing him, and the demise of things he holds dear. Though I'm an action kinda guy and really enjoy reading sequences that are fast paced, I can appreciate the human aspects of much of this novel. Hayden isn't a kid anymore, that's for sure. He's an adult with a wife and kids and still trying to juggle all of the responsibilities of having the weight of the world on his shoulder.
I must say, I wasn't expecting the reaction to have THAT kind of reaction (I won't spoil the GASPING moment) But I found that really disturbing, in a good way. The author did well at handing out consequences. Though this was a decent read, I would say it could've been gritter seeing that this is supposed to be the end of the world.
3 stars it is since I did like the story.
November 21, 2020
I enjoyed this installment of the Across the Stars more than the last one. The writing is way smoother this time around and the drama takes center stage, which I’m a huge fan of in my fiction. Big fight scenes and huge explosions don’t excite me much as a reader, no matter how well written. To me, the best action is always the interaction of the characters telling the story and their growth throughout that story.
Zedo Jeta, now going by the name Hayden Dawson has grown to the mature family man I wanted him to be. Hayden has every reason not to fight in a war that really isn’t his own, but eventually, he makes the choice because, in the end, that’s what he’s always done. Fight for those who lack the means of fighting.
Zela-Marie is 100X less annoying this go around (…well, sometimes). Maybe it’s the onset of children and being a mother that really humbled her out from the horny and irritating teenage girl she used to be. I even counted her as one of the best main characters in the book. Her new identity as Laura is a welcoming turn, though at times I found her behavior aggravating as the plot unfolded. But while I could deal with that, who got no my nerves to no end was Zedo/Hayden… boi oh boi where do I start with this dude…
For one, I liked Hayden at the beginning. He was mature, levelheaded, and firm when needed. It’s easy to follow a character like that. But man, when his wife, Laura, decides to run as a Senator to further help her people, who’ve been beaten down more times than any—Hayden becomes a whiny, overanalyzing brat to no end.
Here’s his wife, y’know, the former princess of a kingdom, tapping back into her element as a delegate and not a soldier. Meanwhile, Hayden lets his imagination override rational thought and he suspects the worse possible scenarios imaginable whenever his wife isn’t within visible sight of him. It grew tiresome when Hayden accused his eldest stepson of being aloof when in fact his stepson—being a typical teenager—assumed his father, y’know the wartime general busy fighting a war, was too busy to keep track of his messages and the dealings of his life.
Yet I never understood how Hayden drew this rudimentary conclusion that his wife (who is a busy senator, meeting with other senators… because that’s what senators do) was sleeping with another senator. Like…how? Where are these blind accusations coming from?
Somehow Hayden is still mad that his wife ‘cheated’ on him in the past whilst he was lost in the Atlantis. AKA he was basically dead at this point, and she had every reason to move on. So why is this man still mad at her about that?
But then (all of a sudden) all of Hayden’s baseless assumptions of his wife’s actions come true when Well, that’s convenient.
Outside of the bitter romance, the action scenes were fresh and illustrated well. I liked the new superhuman characters introduced here and I’ll like to see more of them in the future. I liked the way Hayden made Norman his right-hand man in the Team Apocalypse Taskforce operations. It almost felt like old times from the previous book, and I feel that the dynamic of what the world used to be was at odds to what it was changing into as the plot unfolded.
In the end, I liked the read and I thank the author for providing me an ARC. Much appreciated!
Zedo Jeta, now going by the name Hayden Dawson has grown to the mature family man I wanted him to be. Hayden has every reason not to fight in a war that really isn’t his own, but eventually, he makes the choice because, in the end, that’s what he’s always done. Fight for those who lack the means of fighting.
"I’m not the only one who can fight against evil"
"But you’re the only one who could win"
Zela-Marie is 100X less annoying this go around (…well, sometimes). Maybe it’s the onset of children and being a mother that really humbled her out from the horny and irritating teenage girl she used to be. I even counted her as one of the best main characters in the book. Her new identity as Laura is a welcoming turn, though at times I found her behavior aggravating as the plot unfolded. But while I could deal with that, who got no my nerves to no end was Zedo/Hayden… boi oh boi where do I start with this dude…
For one, I liked Hayden at the beginning. He was mature, levelheaded, and firm when needed. It’s easy to follow a character like that. But man, when his wife, Laura, decides to run as a Senator to further help her people, who’ve been beaten down more times than any—Hayden becomes a whiny, overanalyzing brat to no end.
Here’s his wife, y’know, the former princess of a kingdom, tapping back into her element as a delegate and not a soldier. Meanwhile, Hayden lets his imagination override rational thought and he suspects the worse possible scenarios imaginable whenever his wife isn’t within visible sight of him. It grew tiresome when Hayden accused his eldest stepson of being aloof when in fact his stepson—being a typical teenager—assumed his father, y’know the wartime general busy fighting a war, was too busy to keep track of his messages and the dealings of his life.
Yet I never understood how Hayden drew this rudimentary conclusion that his wife (who is a busy senator, meeting with other senators… because that’s what senators do) was sleeping with another senator. Like…how? Where are these blind accusations coming from?
Somehow Hayden is still mad that his wife ‘cheated’ on him in the past whilst he was lost in the Atlantis. AKA he was basically dead at this point, and she had every reason to move on. So why is this man still mad at her about that?
But then (all of a sudden) all of Hayden’s baseless assumptions of his wife’s actions come true when Well, that’s convenient.
Outside of the bitter romance, the action scenes were fresh and illustrated well. I liked the new superhuman characters introduced here and I’ll like to see more of them in the future. I liked the way Hayden made Norman his right-hand man in the Team Apocalypse Taskforce operations. It almost felt like old times from the previous book, and I feel that the dynamic of what the world used to be was at odds to what it was changing into as the plot unfolded.
In the end, I liked the read and I thank the author for providing me an ARC. Much appreciated!
November 12, 2020
so that was anticlimactic. I wanted so much more for this book! Hayden deserved better. Hayden deserved more. And his wife can choke!
I see their relationship similar to the toxic one I just got out of, minus the kids.
However, I did enjoy the dark moments. The prose soared in those moments where Hayden was being swallowed up by the guilt of his choices. I'd love to see more of that.
If the book had gone along those lines and stayed that way this definitely could've been more like 4 stars or even 4.5, but the lack of action bothered me.
The Battlefield scenes could've been more evolved. I couldn't tell if the author was trying to recreate the chemistry between past characters by creating a new team of superheroes or what, but they just seemed like window dressing compared to the authentic team-ups earlier in the series.
If one thing can be focused on and kept that way, then I could see this going places. Dark and twisty and powers is the way to go. Keep the politics out of it.
I see their relationship similar to the toxic one I just got out of, minus the kids.
However, I did enjoy the dark moments. The prose soared in those moments where Hayden was being swallowed up by the guilt of his choices. I'd love to see more of that.
If the book had gone along those lines and stayed that way this definitely could've been more like 4 stars or even 4.5, but the lack of action bothered me.
The Battlefield scenes could've been more evolved. I couldn't tell if the author was trying to recreate the chemistry between past characters by creating a new team of superheroes or what, but they just seemed like window dressing compared to the authentic team-ups earlier in the series.
If one thing can be focused on and kept that way, then I could see this going places. Dark and twisty and powers is the way to go. Keep the politics out of it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews