Query

Sixteen-year-old Jay Allen is on an island. A foreigner living in Hong Kong, he’s ostracized by the remnants of his broken family, blamed for his mother’s death in childbirth. He finds refuge in superhero comics, fantasizing of a grander life than the lonely, ordinary one he knows.

When a demon attacks Jay at his mother’s grave, he’s saved by Blake, a young vagrant who can transmute her blood into searing flame. As the vessel for a stir-crazy demonic entity known as Lilith, Blake battles an innate urge to unleash destruction, pushing her to the brink of madness. Inspired by his comic book heroes, Jay resolves to fend off Lilith’s influence by becoming the champion Blake needs: a friend.

Blake draws the attention of Libra, a dissident alliance of celestials and infernals sworn to end the war between their kinds. Though Libra claims they can free Blake, Jay senses a lie seeded by a deeper thirst for her power. He turns to his classmate, Ash, a reluctant celestial warrior embittered by the war, for help, but a past encounter with a demon has rendered her too traumatized to fight.

Overeager and out of his depth, Jay plunges into a world beyond his comprehension, endangering his life and unleashing a cursed monster upon Hong Kong in the process. Dragging Ash along, Jay and Blake race against Libra to save the city as the ensuing chaos feeds the flame within Blake’s heart—slowly tipping the scales towards the demon within.

THOSE EYES DIVINE is a multi-POV YA dark fantasy standalone with series potential, complete at 104,000 words. It will appeal to fans of the secret societies and powerful teens found in Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn, and to readers who resonate with strong female characters at odds with their demons, as seen in Krystal Sutherland’s The Invocations.

If you are a literary agent and have interest in reading a sample of THOSE EYES DIVINE, please email me at ccvariot52@gmail.com.