The Devil Particle

by Kristin A Oakley

Overview

A skyscraper filled with deception. A troubled teen seeking redemption. Will his race to the top become a fatal dilemma?

Paul Salvage longs to prove himself. So, the loyal seventeen-year-old is thrilled when he's selected to compete in the trials to determine who is worthy enough to save society by accepting all of humanity's evil. But when his brother is murdered, the gallant young man gives up his dream to comfort his grieving father.

Persuaded not to drop out by a powerful family friend, Paul sets aside his own feelings and joins the group of fifty teens chosen to battle to the top of a tower filled with tests and traps. But as he grapples with one horrible choice after another, the haunted young man fears he isn't noble enough to be the hero who will rescue everyone on Earth. Can Paul escape the endless doubts and dangers to climb his way to victory?

The Devil Particle is the explosive first book in the Devil Particle dystopian YA series. If you like flawed characters, deadly competitions, and world-shattering stakes, then you'll love Kristin A. Oakley's dark tension.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798987870303
Publisher:	Kristin A. Oakley - Author
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Series:	The Devil Particle , #1
Edition description:	Large Type
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Kristin A. Oakley is the author of two award-winning suspense thrillers, Carpe Diem, Illinois and God on Mayhem Street. She is writing a four-book young adult thriller series called The Devil Particle Series, which will be released on June 6th, 2023. Kristin teaches writing workshops, has critiqued manuscripts through the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies, and has helped writers hone their agent pitches at the Division's Writers' Institute. As a Chicago Writers Association board member, Kristin was the managing editor of The Write City Magazine and The Write City Review and is currently assisting with educational programming. Additionally, she reviews books and writes about being a novelist in her bi-monthly newsletter, available at kristinoakley.net.

Editorial Reviews

2023-04-19
A teen and his friends brave a grueling competition to save humanity in Oakley’s YA SF series opener.

In a war-ravaged, near-future world, scientists have discovered that evil is contained in the human body’s easily extractable “agonistons,” or “devil particles.” Those devil particles have to go somewhere—stashing them in a secure bunker proved disastrous, so the scientists conclude that they must be contained in a human vessel, someone who can control all of the evil inside of them. Paul Salvage feels he was born to be the Devil Particle Vessel. The 17-year-old will get his chance if he triumphs at the upcoming Vessel Trials. The government invites a group of youngsters to the Trials, all prospective Vessels possessing a “solid core of goodness,” including Paul and some other people he knows. All they have to do is reach the 52nd floor of a skyscraper—the one with the most points at the end will be selected as the Vessel. But as the competitors don’t know exactly how they’ll score or lose points, the journey upward promises to be an unpredictable and dangerous challenge. As Paul and the others make their way to the top via elevator or rickety ladder, they’re never sure if what they encounter is part of the competition. The author develops characters exceedingly well: The participants aren’t as wholesome as they may appear—some hide selfish and/or vicious tendencies. Paul regularly commits “acts of random kindness,” but is it only to earn a place in the Trials? The first-rate supporting cast includes Paul’s older, warmhearted brother, Asher, and Paul’s girlfriend, Jaelyn, whose deceased scientist parents discovered the devil particles. Oakley couples a brisk narrative pace with concise dialogue and short scenes that keep the characters moving (“I cringe as the mirror splits into three massive pieces. Somehow, they’re still attached to the ceiling. For now”). While the action slows down in the final act, the story ends with a fantastic denouement and a tantalizing sequel tease.

A captivating, thrilling tale with believably flawed characters.

Kirkus Reviews