FOREVER

Asian tween writing phenom Running River serves up forbidden love, war, palace intrigue and epic stakes in her debut novel.

Fourteen-year-old Gen. Pengfei of the Moon Country is promised in marriage to the fussy, spoiled Princess Qiuyue, daughter of the Moon Country’s Queen. Pengfei does not love nor want her, but marriage was the least he could promise to thank the Queen for saving his life in their last war with the Shadow Country. He always keeps his promises. When evidence of spies is discovered on the royal grounds, only one suspect is apprehended–the young Ai-Shi of the Jungle Country, allies of the Shadows. The attraction is immediate between Ai-Shi and Pengfei, and while the young General keeps his heart in check, it’s clear Ai-Shi is The One. Pengfei convinces the royals to let him keep Ai-Shi under his protection while they sort out her true purpose for being among them, thus fueling bitter jealousy between the Princess and her new competition. As court intrigues deepen, war between the Moon and Shadow countries threatens, and Ai-Shi’s dark past reveals itself by literally coming back to haunt her in the form of the DarkFists, deadly agents of her old nemesis Shunyuan. Penfei is caught between Shunyuan’s plots to steal away Ai-Shi and his conflicted heart when he suddenly discovers Ai-Shi may be working for the enemy. A perfect storm of love, obsession and revenge come together to test the budding romance, while the fate of nations hangs in the balance. River gives voice to a complex array of characters, and while situations border on the simplistic, the reader is helpless to find these youngsters anything but appealing. Despite clumsy English, sloppy punctuation and amateurish editing, this first effort reveals talent, imagination and real promise. Tweens and teens will likely ignore the technical flaws and enjoy the age-appropriate romance and action.

Formulaic and poorly crafted yet irresistibly readable.