Idris Williams’ life may seem perfect… scaly.
Cadi has finally found a safe and loving home. Then a malicious boy turns her whole world upside down. The next thing she knows, she’s wandering the streets on New Year’s Eve, alone.
— Until a crystal leads her to this lizard boy with a smart mouth and massive ego.
To change Idris back into his sexy human self, Cadi must reveal a secret she’s been holding close to her heart for as long as she can remember. A secret that will send them racing to close a wormhole ahead of a deadly army.
A secret that could change their worlds forever…
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What happens when a teenager is suddenly faced with the unthinkable? What if you woke up one day and suddenly discovered everything about your life wasn’t what you thought it was? What if you were unexpectedly something other than what you thought you were?
Well, in Silken Scales, you get to experience the unimaginable right along with the main character. No, neither of you have any idea what is going on, and that’s part of the magic of this truly creative and uniquely spun tale. Even more interestingly, readers also get to experience other character’s perspectives through varying points of view throughout the story. It’s a kaleidoscopic journey that not only sends you down the rabbit hole, but the worm hole as well.
Idris had no idea just how different he was until different seemed an understatement. He is left looking for answers with the only other person who is able to provide any insights and that’s because she, too, has been faced with the unthinkable. They are not what they thought they were. They are not human!
This is a wonderful Young Adult tale, full of all the struggles young adults face: anger and angst, bullying and bravado, aliens, invasions, turning into a green-scaled rendition of yourself with super-hero like gifts.
If you take it simply for what it is, then the story is entertaining and wonderfully descriptive (I love all the details the author wove into the story, although some readers may find them a bit of a quagmire). If you look at the story from outside the box, or the solar system perhaps, you can see an entirely ‘other’ level. A metaphorical insight into young adulthood and how difficult being a young adult can be.
Although, in most cases the challenges we all face as teenagers don’t include the possibility of being eaten by an alien!
An incredibly fun science fiction retelling of beauty and the beast. Even better, there’s a sequel!
***I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.***
This was a good book by Alex Hayes. This is a YA book with more of a Sci-fi appeal. It touches on the emotional aspect of teens.
So you have Idris who wants to sing but follows what his father wants for him to be a public speaker. He is a great student in school but at home he wants more. He adores his adoptive parents but he feels like there is something lacking that his mother tries to fill as best she could. As the story progresses you start to see the changes in Idris as he starts to figure out that he is not human. Then you have Cadi, who has finally found a foster home that she is happy in. She has already started manifesting her abilities and she feels like an outcast. She knows that she is different and tries to hide her abilities because she knows that if people see her using them, they may think she is crazy.
When these two finally meet that is when everything starts to happen. Can they handle it and overcome everything?
I felt that this story starts off slow, and it still had my attention to keep reading to find out what will happen. Overall it was a good story.
At first glance, if it looks like a human and talks like a human, you wouldn’t generally assume that it would be anything other than human, right? Now, if you started to experience what some would call superpowers or shifting into something with scales, what would you think then? Would you think that you were still human? Hayes will entertain, mystify, and captivate readers with an adventurous spin on some of these concepts.
Idris has always been groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps with the motivational speaking business, but hasn’t really been asked if that is what he wants. With the love of music and a friend that has an abandoned studio, Idris is forced to play in secret or when his father is out of town. Knowing that his parents adopted him at an early age, he’s always known that he was different, but just never how much until he starts to break out into scales. Full blown, green scales all over his body. Running away to live at the studio after a full transformation, he is greeted by a girl who has a lot to hide. The fact that this girl has been searching for someone and seems dead set on that someone being him, he becomes intrigued. Well, by that aspect and the other thing–you know–being thrown across the lot without anyone around, but her. All he knows is that he needs answers for why his world has suddenly turned upside down and she seems a little more knowledgeable about his condition than he does at this point. Sticking together may be in their very best interest, especially after a strange homeless lady starts creeping around with some seriously ominous glowing violet eyes that scream danger.
Hayes has an gripping story, filled with creativity, originality and fascinating characters. This story is one that will grab the reader from the beginning and lure them further into a depth of adventure and magic. The cover is what really draws the reader in at first glance, as you see a white textured-looking background with a dragon that appears to be made out of water. The colors and the name of the story really pop as well, drawing interest to the book. Hayes has well-developed characters that are captivating and likable. Also, the story is very well-written with little to no spelling or grammatical errors. If you are a reader of young adult fantasy and paranormal fiction, you may want to pick up this first installment. Since this is the first installment in The Chameleon Effect Series, the reader is able to dive in.
An electronic copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by Reedsy Discovery and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a five-star rating to Silken Scales by Alex Hayes.
This was a fun sci fi read, there are some real life struggles the kids are going through brought up. There is also sexual tension, thankfully the author skips that scene but you do read lead up and after.