XODUS (Astralis #1)

PARANORMAL:  Lali Yavari’s mother walked out on her family a couple months ago, leaving Lali’s family devastated. When a mysterious boy arrives at Lali’s school at the same time Lali has an out-of-body experience. She is certain that Kai knows something about her mother’s disappearance and now has his sights set on Lali. After an unsettling confrontation reveals both Lali and Kai have astral powers and are looking for their family members, they have a choice: work together or allow their distrust and fear keep them from rescuing their families from those who would see them all destroyed.

An emotionally-driven YA novel, “XODUS” combines teenage romance, determination, and astral powers from another world into one fast-paced tale. The story follows Lali’s perspective so the reader learns about Astralis as Lali does - which sometimes results in info-dumping and general confusion about what and how Lali’s powers work. The romance itself is a bit hampered by the fact that Lali is suspicious of Kai almost the entire story (and for good reason), but there are enough sparks to lay the foundation for more romantic development in the next book. Additionally, the world of Astralis and the threat it represents to Lali’s family will leave the reader on edge. Despite the sudden time skips and confusion over Astralis, Lali's emotions seem to leap off the page, and readers will be unable to help being drawn in to Lali’s story.

Sarah E. Bradley