‘Rise – Trifecta Series: Book 1’ by Luis Almonte
The Circle of Magic can be beautiful, spellbinding, & deadly…
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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?
Rise, the first installment in Trifecta series, is a YA Paranormal book about witches and magic. Alexia Wick, the protagonist of the story, is a 15-year-old sophomore at South Haven Academy who is also a witch with exceptional powers learning magic from her mentor Darren. The story revolves around her working hard to pass her trials and balancing school life. Alexia soon meets Kaleb, a charming guy who she finds attractive. They grew closer but Kaleb has a secret too that can destroy their relation.
This 240-page long book is fun to read as we learn about Alexia, her family, and the unique world she lives in. The plot of this book is quite different which involves 3 types of witches, their covens and their history with vampires. It gives Divergent – Esque vibe in some parts. The book ends on a promising note, foreshadowing the interesting events that will follow in the series which I’m looking forward to.
Apart from few typing mistakes, I also found some annoying things that bugged me and forced me to give it a 3-star rating.
I enjoyed the story overall but I find it hard to relate to any of the characters. The author, instead of taking the time to develop characters and make them interact more, did a lot of info dump. The world building was somewhat confusing; important points were loosely introduced and not explained enough, the relationship between characters didn’t feel real – almost robotic. However, I love the strong bond Alexia shared with her family.
Talking about the romantic relationship between Kaleb and Alexia, I didn’t see the bond between them. Maybe romance was a secondary/tertiary theme of the book yet it felt too forced or not developed enough. I wanted to see more interaction between them rather than too much description on certain unimportant things.
After reading the prologue, I had a clear idea where the story was going and that made me lose interest in what happened in the course of the middle part and made me wanted to skim through it.I didn’t and I’m glad. It’s all worth it in the end. But other than that, I really like where the series is going – the upcoming events look interesting and I have high hopes for the sequel given it ended on a promising note.
Recommended for all YA Paranormal/Witch/Magic fiction lovers.
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