"Ninth City Burning"

Description:

For fans of Red Rising, Starship Troopers, and Ender’s Game comes an explosive, epic science fiction debut...

We never saw them coming. 

Entire cities disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but dust and rubble. When an alien race came to make Earth theirs, they brought with them a weapon we had no way to fight, a universe-altering force known as thelemity. It seemed nothing could stop it—until we discovered we could wield the power too.

Five hundred years later, the Earth is locked in a grinding war of attrition. The talented few capable of bending thelemity to their will are trained in elite military academies, destined for the front lines. Those who refused to support the war have been exiled to the wilds of a ruined Earth.

But the enemy's tactics are changing, and Earth's defenders are about to discover this centuries-old war has only just begun. As a terrible new onslaught looms, heroes will rise from unlikely quarters, and fight back.

Author Bio:

J. Patrick Black has worked as a bartender, a lifeguard, a small-town lawyer, a homebuilder, and a costumed theme park character, all while living a secret double life as a fiction writer. While fiction is now a profession, he still finds occasion to ply his other trades as well. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he likes to visit the ocean. NINTH CITY BURNING is his first (published) novel. He is at work on his next book.

For more information visit his website at http://www.jpatrickblack.com/, and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

Reviews:

"Grabbed my attention from the first page—fresh and un-put-downable. An intriguing cocktail of science fiction, fantasy, and military adventure stirred into something new and satisfying." —Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fire Touched 

"A finely crafted and original science-fantasy epic full of wonder and spectacle. Highly recommended." —Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Waking Fire

"Ninth City Burning is simultaneously an epic fantasy, a science fiction adventure, a coming of age story, and a delight." —Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of A Red Rose Chain

"Fans of Ender, Harry Potter, Starship Troopers, and manga-style armored mobile suits will find Black’s debut the perfect ticket to a fantastic new world…This thrilling kickoff to an action-packed series will appeal to those who enjoy science fiction mixed with fantasy." —Booklist

"Black is a fresh new voice who pays respect to the classics of SF in this enjoyable adventure debut…Given this strong foundation, readers can expect more thrilling adventures from this new author." —Publishers Weekly

"Ninth City Burning is an intense, complex, engrossing story, a tale of multiple lives intersecting… Fans of both fantasy and science-fiction will want to keep an eye out for the next, and the next…" —Jean Johnson, national bestselling author of The Terrans

This is a must-read for fans of YA sci-fi/fantasy novels.  J. Patrick Black has created a world and characters full of intrigue, magic and a book that is easy to become lost in.  This is the first book in a series, so there are a lot of details shared to help set the scene and introduce the character to this world and to the many characters.  This is definitely an author and a series to watch!