December 1, 2021

BOOK TOUR: Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy (The Inferno Verse Book 1) by TR Tells

 

Hi all! I'm excited to help Caffeine Book Tours promote Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy, the first book in the Inferno Verse series by TR Tells. Please make sure you check out the link below for the rest of the tour schedule and to see the other tour host's pages!

https://caffeinebooktours.wordpress.com/2021/12/01/tour-schedule-keisha-and-the-rise-of-the-legacy/

Book links for Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy: Amazon - Goodreads - Bookshop.org

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy

Author: T.R. Tells

Publisher: Self-published

Publication date: 14 September 2021

Age group: Middle Grade

Genres: Fantasy


Synopsis:


What would you do if you found out that magic and monsters were real, and you were born to stop them?


14-year-old Keisha Alighieri thought she was just a normal teenager and that her biggest problems in life were what outfit to wear to school. But when her mother is kidnapped by an evil society, secrets get revealed that will change Keisha’s life forever.


Keisha finds out that her papà, Dante Alighieri, and his bloodline are hunters and protectors of the Inferno world. Keisha decides she will do anything to rescue her mother…anything.


She is joined by Verona Maro who acts as her guide and mentor as they pass through the portal to the Inferno realm. There, they will face monsters that she never thought actually existed.


However, even more trouble is just around the corner. The Monarchs are plotting to turn Keisha to evil and use her abilities to unlock an ancient power that will help them control the world.


Will Keisha and Verona be able to overcome the impossibly dangerous obstacles that stand in their way? And will Keisha be able to save the Inferno and become the Legacy she was born into?


REVIEW for Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy (The Inferno Verse Book 1) by TR Tells

Rating: 4 Stars

Release Date: September 14, 2021

Format: eARC

Publisher: Self-Published


Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, TR Tells’ Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy is an action-packed, emotional adventure. I would recommend this book to middle-grade fantasy readers who enjoy books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky or The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. 


Keisha thought her life was fairly normal. Sure, her dad disappeared a while ago, but she lives happily with her mama in the city of Atlanta. That idea of being normal gets thrown out the window when her mom is taken through a portal by a masked man in black, and Keisha must venture into the mythical Inferno to rescue her. Will she be able to come into her powers as a Legacy, find her mom, and save the Inferno before it's too late?


I really enjoyed how Keisha set out to be different as a Legacy. Just because something is “tradition” or the way things have been done for years, doesn’t mean it’s the best method. Change is uncomfortable, but sometimes it's necessary to move things in the right direction. A lot of the characters that Keisha encounters during her journey seemed to respond to her desire to be different. In being different, she’s also stepping out of the shadow of her legendary father Dante (who she thought she knew but ended up having connections to an entire world that was kept hidden from her). 


I’m also really happy that this book didn’t focus on romantic relationships for the main characters. Sure, in some books it's nice, but those relationships usually develop over the course of a series or multiple series at the middle-grade level (think Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Kane Chronicles). This book focuses more on familial relationships and friendships, like parent-child relationships or sibling bonds. For example, while Verona is initially unsure what to do with Keisha (especially since she is untrained and the daughter of the legendary Dante), they end up becoming quite close by the end of the book. I love seeing more books focused on strong friendships and platonic relationships.


While it is inspired by Dante’s Inferno, you don’t need a lot of prior knowledge to be able to follow along in this book. As long as you have a very basic idea of how Dante’s Inferno was structured (i.e. that there are nine levels), you should be fine. As this book is set to be part of a series, I’m curious if the author will use the other parts of the Divine Comedy as inspiration for subsequent books (Inferno is the first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso respectively). 


Thank you to the author and Shealea at Caffeine Book Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour! I received a free review copy of the book as part of my participation in the tour; all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way. 


TRIGGER WARNINGS: loose adaptation of Dante’s Inferno for kids, parent kidnapping (shown and mentioned), death of a parent (mentioned not seen), PG fighting, the word damn (used once), racism (theme), mistreatment (mentioned), the word killing (not graphic or gore), blood (mentioned and seen - not gore)



FAVORITE QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

  • "He woke up and chose violence, baby. Unfortunately, we can't control the actions of others, but we can see to it we don't become like that and be kind to others, even if we're in an unpleasant situation ourselves."
  • "No. Killing is wrong." The look of shock crossed their wide-eyed expression. "I refuse to be that Legacy. I'll protect everyone, no matter who or what they are - so you can leave, or fight and I could knock you out. Either way, your life is your own to choose."
  • She was sad, yes, and like her mother would say, it was okay to be sad and cry for however long you needed it, but after, take a deep breath, be kind to yourself, and get back on your feet.

About the Author: TR Tells


T.R. Tells chose the pen name created as a play on words “T.R “TELLS a story”. She’s a book-lover for anything fantasy (but will try any genre) and created her first story at 11 years old. She currently lives in upstate New York with a Bachelors's in Fiction and Creative writing. In her free time when she’s not creating infinite worlds in her writing, you can find her binge-watching Netflix and being an Otaku (anime) lover.


Her first Middle-Grade Debut “Keisha and the Rise of the Legacy ” combines her love of anime, fantasy, and the Black and LGBTQIA+ representation.




AUTHOR LINKS:

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/trtellsauthor 

Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18680874.T_R_Tells 

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/trtells/ 

Twitter — https://twitter.com/TRTELLS





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