Rise by Luis Almonte

Rise by Luis Almonte
Series: Trifecta #1
Published by Theorem on August 27, 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Witches, Young Adult
Pages: 212
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Purchase on: Amazon// Barnes & Noble
Add to: Goodreads

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

rating
three-stars

Fifteen-year-old high school sophomore Alexia Wick is an ordinary girl, with extraordinary abilities. She attends the prestigious South Haven Academy for the Gifted and Talented, but unknown to the other students, she is an Alerium witch. The daughter of a High Priest and Priestess, Alexia must learn to navigate the pressures of high school, all while preparing for one of the biggest competitions of her life- the Annual Trials.
Skill, stamina, and loyalty will all be tested in Rise, the first installment of the Trifecta Series. In this debut contemporary fantasy novel, magic gets real as Alexia trains for the Annual Trials, which pits teen against teen, by focusing on her craft and pushing her magic and spell casting abilities to their absolute limit. When the handsome and confident Kaleb moves into town, he offers Alexia a welcome distraction from the Trials, but a dark secret could soon tear them apart.
In the trials arena, friendships will be put to the test, fears will be confronted head-on, and powerful spells will be unleashed. When Alexia is confronted with the ultimate game of chance, and is torn between her first real love and the allegiance that binds her to her coven, will she buckle under the weight of the pressure ... or will she rise to the challenge?

Review

OMG WHAT A STORY! So, I was beyond confused at the start, not really caring for prologues that start at the end of the book. I was really worried that I had made a mistake picking up Rise by Luis Almonte. Then, the story switched to what happened before the prologue and just yessss! Read this in one sitting because it was that much fun!

Now, before you pick this up, do be aware that this is very much a young adult book. I don’t just mean it’s a book for young adults, I mean it reads like a book for teenagers, not like the other “young adult” books we might be used to that can sometimes pass for adult fiction (not the erotic kind). It’s cute and intense all at once.

Alexia is daughter to two of the most powerful witches in her coven and approaching her pre-trial, a time where young witches are given the chance to prove their prowess and finesse with the craft before moving onto Trials and then being recognized as an actual apprentice/student with potential. Of course, while this is all going on, she has school going on where her one-time bff no longer seems to be her friend, being from rival covens after all. Yet, there’s still the boy best friend from the rival coven, there for her. Almonte is great at side-stepping the potential one-sided romance here, shutting it down right after its implied to the reader. I loved that because we got the “angst” but without having it drawn out like it is in most YA books.

And the reason it gets shut down? Kaleb, yummm, the fantastic new student that’s also mysterious with his mysterious sister. I love him SO MUCH. Yes, the romance between him and Alexia is seemingly quick and sudden, but I didn’t care because I wanted it so badly. Then, we find out his secret (which I had already predicted woohoo) and it’s even better!

So, why three stars? I think mainly because it was fun, but it wasn’t the pinnacle of YA fiction. While it was fun, some parts were predictable and the writing was okay but not amazing. Still, Rise by Luis Almonte was extremely enjoyable and I would definitely pick up the second book in the series.

three-stars

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