IA: Initiate

I had the pleasure of reading IA: Initiate, written by John Darryl Winston. This book is about a thirteen-year-old boy named Naz and his nine-year-old sister, Meri, who live within the suburb of Exclave. In this city, Naz and Meri are subjected to gangs, bullying, and a less-than-ideal living situation. With Naz’s many issues, such as sleep walking and hearing voices, he finds out that protecting his sister from the gang Incubus Apostles is a lot harder than he bargained for. During one of the run-ins with the gang, Naz discovers that he has telekinetic abilities and puts a stop to the bullying. Naz was unaware of these abilities and it causes him to search for secrets about his parents as to how he got them. Naz, Meri, and Artie set off on a quest to find about who their real parents are. With both parents deceased, it becomes a journey to find out more.

When I first read about this story, I was excited about it being a supernatural thriller, but was disappointed when it didn’t really have too much of the supernatural. Even though I felt that it could have included more telekinetic and telepathic events from Naz, I still thought this story was really good. It was thrilling and funny, and has a storyline that keeps you interested. The characters were really easy to relate to. I was able to understand their feelings and what they were going through. I was very emphatic towards Naz and Meri and anxious to find out more about what they were searching for. I feel this story is a great read for tweens and teens and is one I would recommend to any of my friends. This book has become one of my favorites and I will be sure to read this again!