Scions

Raptors #3

by Jaime Castle, C.J. Valin

As you should know by now (it's Book 3 after all!), my name is Sawyer William Vincent and I’m Red Raptor. The world as we know it has pretty much ended. Imagine your least favorite class from school. The one you hate showing up to because you can’t stand the teacher—and maybe the feeling is mutual, even though they can’t admit it. You hate the subject, and you’re miserable the entire period, every day, every second. None of your friends are there, and even if they are, you can’t hang with them. You just sit and do your work. No talking. No bathroom breaks. No moving at all. Just book work and worksheets. Or workbooks. Whatever, you get what I mean. Now, imagine that the class has several aggressively strict teachers, and those teachers have superpowers. In fact, they’re the most powerful people on the planet. And the class lasts 24/7. Is your gut clenched yet? Do you have that feeling of overwhelming panic? Good. Because that’s all of us now, all the time. We have no idea what’s going on, but as usual, we’ve gotta figure it out. Oh, and this time, Frank—FD3 himself—is gonna help tell the story along with Osprey and me. Isn’t that awesome? If you like Tim Drake as Robin or ever wondered what Peter Parker would be like if he lived in Gotham, Raptors is right up your alley. From #1 Audible Bestseller Jaime Castle and CJ Valin comes a new superhero universe perfect for fans of both DC and Marvel. Actually, its for fans of anything superhero-related. You’re gonna like it. Promise.

Genres: Audiobook, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fantasy

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2021

About the author

Jaime Castle hails from the great nation of Texas where he lives with his wife and two children and enjoys anything creative. A self-proclaimed comic book nerd and artist, he spends what little free time he can muster with his art tablet.

Jaime is a #1 Audible Bestseller, Audible Originals author (The Luna Missile Crisis) and co-created and co-authored The Buried Goddess Saga, which includes the IPPY award-winning Web of Eyes.

Fantasy:

The Buried Goddess Saga:
Web of Eyes
Winds of War
Will of Fire
Way of Gods
War of Men
Word of Truth

Dragonblood Assassin:
Black Talon
Red Claw
Silver Spines
Golden Flames (2023/2024)

RAPTORS:
Sidekick
Superteam
Scions
Baron Steele

HARRIER (Raptors)
Justice
The Trench
Invasion

The Black Badge:
Dead Acre
Cold as Hell
Vein Pursuits
Ace in the Hole (2024)

Jeff the Game Master:
Manufacturing Magic
Manipulating Magic
Mastering Magic

Science Fiction:

This Long Vigil
The Luna Missile Crisis

ROGUE STARS:
Purgatory (2024)
Divine Intervention (2024)
Reclamation (2024)

Find out more at www.jaimecastle.com

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third instalment of Castle and Valin's Raptors YA superhero series was the best one yet. This series is getting better by the book! The series has the right balance of action, humour, drama, superpowered happenings, and characters the reader can invest in to keep this an engaging read!

The story was pretty good in this one. With the worlds prime superhero team acting a tad villainous after the weird events at the end of the second book it was up to Red Raptor, Osprey, and their ragtag group of young heroes to step up and save the world. Lucky for them they still had Frank, the one time Black Harrier, on their side!

This story added Frank as POV character and I thought that addition was a fantastic one. He gave the story a new dimension and was surprisingly likeable and often added a bit of unexpected humour to the tale while still having a story that had more than enough drama to help the reader emotionally invest in him as a character.

All our favourites from the earlier books were back for this one as well and they were as much fun to follow as ever. All in all this has developed into a very fun YA superhero series that seems to be getting better by the book. It definitely has elements of being Batman fanfic but it is done so well that it is easy to still invest in these characters as their own original creations.

Rating: 4 stars.

Audio Note: Jack Meloche and Jessica Almasy were joined by Jay Snyder on this one. All three were very good. The addition of Snyder to voice Frank was an excellent choice.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and action packed! The epilogue has me hopeful for another novel 🤩🔥

[Danny Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great.

This is a comic book in audio format. It is in the style of superhero comics. And it is done well.
The heroes are easy to get behind and the Villain is a tough one.

This is great for light, fun reading. I really hope the authors keep writing more stories in this universe.

[Cmoore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Jaime Castle and CJ Valin just keep getting better and better as this series ARC progresses! I like that they've added a third Point-of-view making this a more complicated story... and still the authors aren't done! It looks like they're keeping plenty of cards hidden up their sleeves, and hopefully that means more books! I for one, can hardly wait!!!
Jack Meloche and Jay Snyder are fine narrators, but I've got to admit that Jessica Almasy is Fabulous, and one of my faves! 😊👍

[Answer Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raptors 3: Scions fully embraces the chaos and claustrophobia of a world gone wrong, raising both the emotional and narrative stakes of the series. By this point, Sawyer William Vincent Red Raptor feels lived-in rather than introduced, and the first-person voice continues to be one of the book’s greatest strengths: raw, sarcastic, and laced with the kind of humor that only works when things are truly falling apart.
What stood out most in Scions is the expanded perspective. Bringing Frank (FD3) and Osprey into the storytelling adds texture to the narrative and deepens the reader’s understanding of how differently each character is processing the same relentless reality. The result is a more layered story that balances action with character-driven moments and genuine emotional weight.
The “end-of-the-world classroom” metaphor isn’t just clever it perfectly captures the suffocating loss of autonomy that defines this installment. The superpowered authority figures feel omnipresent and unpredictable, reinforcing a sense of constant surveillance and pressure that keeps the tension high even between major action beats.Castle and Valin continue to blend classic superhero energy with darker, more grounded consequences. The comparisons to Robin or Peter Parker aren’t superficial; Scions leans into questions of responsibility, identity, and survival in a world that offers no safe corners. This book doesn’t reset the board it complicates it, setting the stage for even bigger conflicts ahead.
Raptors 3: Scions is a confident continuation that rewards readers who’ve stuck with the series while expanding its scope in meaningful ways. It’s fast, intense, and emotionally grounded exactly what a strong mid-series entry should be.

[Julie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it's not easy to tell the bad guy's it makes for an interesting adventure and one I loved. This is book three in the series and continues on from the previous books, I would recommend you read or listen to at least the first book, so you know the characters and the situation. This book is full of action and I can easily imagine it on the big screen, up there with some of the great super hero's. The reason I enjoyed it is because of the great characters (and there back story) with a number of them getting there own voice as each chapter is told by a different one, which works really well and doesn't get confusing. It all gives the author a chance to pack a lot into the story. I hope this is not the end of the series because it has been set up so that it can continue.
After an accident at the sidekick appreciation festival things have gone down hill. The guild have stepped in and taken over, which should be good with no crime left in the city but for Sawyer something doesn't feel right. His team isn't coping with no crime and endless practicing for nothing but can they come together when the world needs them the most and go up against there toughest enemy yet. One that isn't afraid to hit back where it hurts.
I liked the use of three narrators although the female narrator was a lot louder than the others so I was constantly playing with the volume but otherwise good with some great character voices.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Victoria Pring · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book still lacked a little something but it was definitely closer to 4 stars than it was to 3. Sawyer had really grown by the end of this book, as had his team. Cricket finally had his moment to shine which made me so happy, who doesn't love a good underdog. I personally would have been ashamed to call myself a superhero if I didn't respond to a call to iradicate the evil doppelgangers, the only person who came was swamp rabbit, says something about the rest of the heroes. The characters in this book are sometimes annoying, they act out, they are impulsive they make a lot of stupid mistakes, this however can be easily dismissed when you take into account they are mostly teenagers, so ofcourse they act like teenagers. I loved reading Franks POV, it was such a nice break from the teen drama and I liked his scenes with Osprey. Overall I would rate this series at 3 stars, I don't regret reading it but I wouldnt re-read it.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing third book in this series; I don't want to use the word 'conclusion' as I really, really hope that there are more stories about these dysfunctional characters.

Plenty of action, loads more humour and snark, a surprising betrayal, some sinister 'replacements' from an alternative dimension, a very funny coffee moment and a bittersweet decision makes for an exhilarating read. Again the errors that should have been edited out, so again only 4 stars.

I have got to get my hands on more stuff by these authors!

[Jesse | jessereviewsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in this trilogy was a lot of fun. This time around, the ragtag group of superheroes that were put together in the 2nd book are the only chance the world has against an evil group of superheroes (think the Justice League gone bad).

In this book we get a 3rd POV - the original Harrier (the Batman character from Book 1). Between his storyline and the two returning POVs there is a lot that happens in the book and it all culminates in an epic showdown.

Overall, this one was probably my least favorite of the trilogy but I still really enjoyed it. This whole series was a lot of fun and a great summer read. I'm really glad that I found it in the Audible Plus catalog. If you're into superheroes and are looking for something fun I would highly recommend this series.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime Syndicate of Earth-3-esque superhumans have replaced the Guild and are planning a takeover of the world's superheroes. Unfortunately, Sawyer and Frank are the only people who see through them and Alex is ready to join up with them. This was a lot darker than previous ones and that lowered my enjoyment a bit. Still, I love see Sawyer slowly come into his own even if I wanted to punch Alex repeatedly.

[Christopher Morgan, · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Superhero tale worthy of a avengers movie

So now we pick up a year after book 2 and Sawyer is about to turn 18. This time the story POV is told by Sawyer osprey and Frank. It's the epic finale book that feels like the stakes of a avenger or justice league team up.I cant wait to listen to the audio

[Alecia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superhero fun

This series is so much fun! I have read a few supers books in the past and they have always been lacking the fun of comics. This one hits the mark. This book does a good job closing out the series but not so much that it will be awkward if they have more books. It wouldn't surprise me after the final epilogue. Give these books a try.

[Tyler Carlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good god I love this series. It’s like if a CW show was a novel and you couldn’t help but keen reading it. They get points for diversity and then EVERY character is hot and nobody does the no pants words dance.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I really enjoyed this one from start to finish. Excellent characters, high stakes, and a great story. I really loved all three of these books. They made me fall in love with the superhero genre again.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple continuation in the series. Almost mindless and a little formulaic, but lots of fun. Interesting perspectives as view is switched between different characters.

[Mike Gagliardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another decent story.

Good story, decent characters, but agin, needs some serious editing. Quite a few mistakes, just like the first 2 in this series.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Not a bad book. Has it’s moments, but is a bit juvenile at times. Can’t complain too much as it was part of Audible Plus and a free listen.

[Davis Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book this far

I thought this was a trilogy but with that ending it better NOT be a trilogy. The series has hit its stride and it would be a shame for things to end here.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this series, slightly darker take on the Superhero genre, lots of teen angst.