From a young age I knew this to be true and loyal I remained. To my friends, to my boyfriend Chris, to my school Sally Brown. I fought, bled, and cried for them. That is until my parents forced my transfer.
Thrown into the dangerous world of my greatest School rival, Kent Wood, I had to figure out how to stay in the shadows. So Loran Black disappeared and in her place Lovota Miller, a small alternative school girl emerged. Everything was going according to plan until the cheer captain knocked on my door.
As I befriended my middle school nemesis and was forced to associate with Chris's basketball rival, I knew that hiding in the shadows wasn't going to be an option for long. Tensions were on the rise and soon I would have to decide, what loyalty really meant.
For fans of Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Recommended 16+
Kristin Satterfield is an engineer by day and an author at night. In all she does, whether it's working on satellites or writing about new worlds, she enjoys exploring and creating the future. Her passion for writing started young in an eighth-grade writing course and has only grown. In her debut novel Lightning Rising, book one of The Shadow Wars series, she invites you to see the future she's made in a dangerous world of tomorrow.
Congratulations on your debut novel, Kristin! I arc read this novel, and am going share a bit about my first impressions.
I enjoyed Loran’s narrative voice, she was fun and I loved watching her interact with the other characters.
Found family jumped from the page when she tells her friends her parents desire for her to switch schools… and I am always a sucker for found family! The question is… does this found family last as Loran Black is forced to become Lovota Miller? I guess you will have to read to find out! ;)
Author Kristin Satterfield’s debut novel, Lightning Rising. embraces the thrilling elements of YA dystopian stories such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games, and even a touch of Harry Potter. With a richly detailed world built around a competitive group of schools spread across the continent, readers are introduced to the story and characters as they once existed while a grandfather plays a recording of the events for his grandchild.
The story revolves around the experiences of a student named Loran who finds herself forced to change schools, and therefore, alliances. With parents who are conveniently unaware of the danger switching schools poses, Loran relies on the close bonds she shares with her friends at her current school to come up with a plan for her survival and success despite the whims of her parents.
Much of Lightning Rising focuses on relationships between characters and a hinted at history that suggests visceral animosities exist between the students at the various schools. Being “the new kid” in school comes with serious consideration for personal safety. But this is a story about many things, including interpersonal relationships, so readers navigate the unfolding story along with Loran as she assumes a new identity and works tirelessly to form new bonds in her new environment.
The story also reminded me of The Goblet of Fire from the Harry Potter book series. In both stories, there’s a dark edge to the competitive nature of the rivalries between the schools. Allegiance to a school has more of a cultish feel than a feeling of school pride. The absence of concerned adults also gave me Goblet of Fire feels.
As the story nears its conclusion, the changing nature of established relationships become hardened. In addition, an intriguing secondary story begins to be revealed. I was left feeling like the medications these young adults were being fed had led to some unanticipated consequences for all. I feel like the ending brought me to the doorstep of a slowly unfolding mystery involving the nature of the main characters. I’m expecting book two in the series will pick up with that developing aspect of the story and provide me with the answers I am now left with!
For this debut novel, the author does a good job of creating an interesting world that resembles worlds we are accustomed to reading about, as well as our own, and this made for an easy transition for me to get caught up in the new world. Competition between schools makes for an interesting dynamic and we root for the protagonist, Loran, who has changed schools, as well as alliances.
This tension is an important element of the story, and I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I imagine book 2 is well on its way. The writing was very good for a debut novel, and this is one of the reasons I have Kindle Unlimited, to read books like this that I wouldn't normally read. This book is worth the read!
I was provided an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
(⭐️⭐️⭐️✨) I enjoyed reading this debut and look forward to seeing what Kristin can do!
I found the characters to be very likable and the plot to be well driven. I think the scenery was entrancing and there were definitely moments where you couldn’t have paid me to put the book down. The only reason I put 3.5 stars is I think there could have been a little bit more editing for clarity in the writing itself, but the plot and characters make up for that in my opinion.
I was very lucky to have received an ARC of Lightning Rising. The book is well written, the story started and it was great. From the first chapter I felt compelled to read it. However, I did find a couple of things that didn't make much sense to me (maybe things got lost in translation?), or that could have benefited a deeper explanation. What also bothered me a bit was the relationships and how Loran seemed to feel a little something with a lot of males in the book. Overall a good story :)