4 Note Chronicles of the Celestial Warriors: Aura

A brother and sister find themselves in adventurous combat in MCB’s (4 Note Chronicles of the Celestial Warriors: Legacy, 2013) fantasy sequel.

Cameron, 19, and Jordan, 18, are both looking for revenge. After their parents are killed by shades (“dark spirits that endlessly attack people”), the two join the Paladin Academy of Tear City. Their auras (“the living essence of your energy that surrounds your body”) are read, and it’s determined by the aura reader that there will be trouble down the road. Though Jordan will have to overcome her emotions, the more serious issue is with Cameron: The aura reader predicts that Cameron will eventually have to battle an inner evil—a task that he alone can complete and one that, should he fail, will turn him into a wretched creature known as a Phantom. Fighting shades and phantoms—Jordan with her pistol, Cameron with his katana—the duo eventually encounters the embodiment of Cameron’s inner evil, a pesky figure known as Loon. Though Cameron and Loon are enemies by both nature and destiny, Cameron insists that Loon accompany him on his adventures as a way to keep his adversary close. “You shall not leave my side,” Cameron tells Loon, “and when I’m ready, I promise we will fight each other.” This twist makes for an intriguing development; however, it can’t salvage the story. The convoluted actions scenes can be difficult to follow, as when a character named Clear is surprised by a mummy: “Finally Clear calmly makes his way out of the hallway. Suddenly a tall mummy like creature with dark purple glowing eyes and is wrapped in strange gauze stained in ink charges for Clear and quickly grabs Clear by the neck and slams his body up against a wall.” Elsewhere, dialogue does little but state the obvious, as when Cameron is driving and admits that he doesn’t know where he’s going: “I was just going to drive until I finally reached another town.” Unfortunately, reaching the end of this adventurous road may prove to be too challenging for most readers.

Though dotted with occasional surprises, the book as a whole struggles to keep readers engaged.