YA is a controversial genre. When I hear about it, it’s usually in one of three ways:
1: Fantasy romance. Usually something with fairies or vampires. The female main character is pretty and stupid; everyone loves her. Steamy.
2: Knockoff dystopia romance. Suzanne Collins got famous, and now everyone wants their movie starring Jennifer Lawrence. The female main character is pretty and tough; everyone loves her. Also steamy.
3: This is obviously either middle-grade or adult, but it’s marketed as young adult for some reason.
Now, to be fair, I don’t read much YA. I just look up sporks of ACOTAR and Divergent. But based on my research, most popular YA-lit really isn’t YA and really isn’t lit. (Please comment below if you disagree, because again, this isn’t a genre I read much.) However, author Vella Karman just released Beyond the Mirage, a chaotic road trip novel featuring teleporting cars. Yeah, you read that right.
In Beyond the Mirage‘s world, certain people are able to teleport via a faith-based driving system called quodeshing. Lauren is a quodesher, but she’d really rather finish her college work and avoid the annoying lovebirds in the backseat. Unfortunately, they’re all heading to her sister’s wedding, and her grandpa decides Lauren should take the wheel. Nah, Lauren thinks, I don’t have time for this! Unfortunately, things keep going wrong. Wildfires cause them to detour, then the car breaks down, then Lauren picks up a hitchhiker . . . and it’s getting more and more obvious they won’t make it to the wedding.
Beyond the Mirage has a lot going for it: lovely prose, relatable road trip antics, a cool magic system, and a non-preachy Christian base. But what I loved most was how genuine the characters were. I’ve barely driven and I can’t teleport, but I related to Lauren’s worries about her workload and her fears of taking charge. She’s mature and she does her best, but she makes some impulsive decisions that really don’t end well. Lauren perfectly illustrates that in-between phase of being young and adult.
If you like dysfunctional friend groups and crazy road trips, this is for you. If you like light magic and people learning from their mistakes, this is for you. If you like beautifully-written stories that get deep without getting gritty, this is for you. And if you like stories about Christians who actually struggle, this is for you.
Check out Beyond the Mirage, releasing today to all major platforms! This is some genuinely good YA lit that you don’t want to miss.
What if God allowed people to teleport?
Lauren is a quodesher – one of those people who can teleport a whole carful of people across the country.
When California wildfires turn the drive to her sister’s wedding into a mad dash teleportation tour of the country, she’s entrusted with her sister’s wedding ring…and thrust into a responsibility she knows she’s not ready for.
When the ring goes missing, Lauren is forced to make choices that will impact the lives of the people around her forever.
As the leader of this ragtag group of wedding guests, she finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for. And since when did she ask to be haggled about her parents’ death (ancient history) at every move?
Not all is as it seems. And trusting God…might just be a journey.
With the imagination and powerful prose of Nadine Brandes’s Wishtress, this clean YA novel speaks to the journeys we all embark on, and the faith it takes to put the broken pieces back together.
Click the link (https://amzn.to/4upFiM4) and get your copy today!
You are absolutely right about the YA genre. It’s very difficult to find clean healthy good books for tweens and teens. Especially for kids whose reading skills are above their maturity level.
Very true.
I just started this book, and so far it is very entertaining. Grandpa Mack is a beautiful work of art
Isn’t he???
How far have you gotten?