Root
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Product Details
Publisher: Aurélie Benattar
Release Date: January 31, 2023
Formats: Paperback, Ebook
ISBN: PB: 978-965-93051-0-0; EB: 978-965-93051-1-7
Trim: 5.5 x 8.5
Page Count: 438
Spirit Era Book 1
Aurélie Benattar
National Indie Excellence Awards 2023 Winner
IPPY 2024 Silver Medalist
Seven teenagers. Seven chakras. Seven keys to save humanity.
In 2035, fifteen-year-old Rae, an orphan, has chosen silence. Or perhaps silence has chosen her. After the sudden death of her father, she has lost her ability to speak.
But that is the least of her problems. An elusive genius known as the Keeper has created an advanced AI program—Spirit Era—that predicts the world will end in two years without massive human intervention. The solution? Seven teenage volunteers who must work together to prevent this doomsday. Despite her reluctance to apply, Rae is selected, along with six other teens from the four corners of the world, to save humanity.
Spirit Era has designed seven Mantras, virtual reality worlds revealing the seven most likely apocalyptic disasters. Within these Mantras are concealed seven keys that will unlock humanity’s potential to stand in the way of planetary destruction and fight for the future of the world. The seven chosen ones—quiet Rae, hotheaded Chayton, sensual Helen, quick-witted Ali, gentle Keiji, intense Alpha, and reserved Stepan—must journey into these worlds to find the keys.
Root, the first book in this gripping saga, follows the seven into a hyperrealistic simulation of the not-too-distant future, where the rich have seized control of the world’s resources following a global famine triggered by a devastating loss of biodiversity. In order to escape this possible future, the seven must join together and use all their powers to find the key—and survive the simulation.
Two years left until the end of the world. The countdown begins . . .
About the Author
Aurélie Benattar was born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1971. In her childhood and teenage years, she spent most of her time reading, listening to music, dancing, and acting. After a few years in Paris she moved to Cannes, where she earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a degree in pediatric nursing. Early on, she questioned the connection between body, spirit, and soul. This drove her to take several courses on spirituality and alternative medicine. Her first novel, Un corbeau au 36, won the crime Femme Actuelle award. Today she writes full-time and lives in Israel. Fascinated by fictional worlds, she loves to bridge the gap between the real and the imaginary to let readers explore unbeaten paths and reconsider humanity’s way of life.
Reviews
“With constant action and inevitable excitement, YA readers with a passion for social change will not only thrill at seeing themselves in the teenage characters tasked with upending society, but will also connect with current realities.” —Kirkus Reviews
“In the vein of Divergent and Endgame, I felt snapped up! [It has] the same feeling as when you arrive in the unique universe of Harry Potter. [Root] is a real world apart!”
—Aurore Ouaki, literary journalist on Tandem TV
“I loved each of the seven characters; I found myself in each of them. A beautiful message.” —Leona Reading, author