Introduction
Banished deep into the wilderness for a crime they didn’t commit, then desperate teenagers must discover their true potential to survive… and keep their blossoming supernatural abilities hidden from a cunning, deceptive enemy.
The Children of Inauron series of books combines the likes of Hunger Games, with Lord of the Flies, set in a medieval-era dark fantasy setting. It deals with mature themes, mirroring the typical emotional experience of a real-world group of immature teenagers skirting the poverty line. Cursing, arguments, fights, drugs and traumas make up the fertile soil within which our ten exiles grow.
There’s lots to love within our broken group of exiled teens. There’ll be moments within their stories that’ll have you punching the air in victory, crying into your pillows and screaming at the pages of the books, but you’ll come out of it with a deep love for these characters and all their flaws.
The Children of Inauron series starts with The Great Leap.
The Fire at the Sanctuary
None of the ten exiles from Penny Grove are admitting to starting the fire that turned the town’s Sanctuary of Inauron into a blackened husk, but it was only these ten who were present within the walls at the time it started.
The Sanctuary of Inauron was a beautiful domed stone building that housed the Tree of Inauron, a sacred tree to the Church of Inauron that the Sanctuary was built around. Decorated inside with bunting, tapestries and multi-coloured drapes, the Sanctuary was the focal point of the entire town of Penny Grove… Until it crumbled due to the overwhelming flames set by one of our ten exiles.
Meet the Exiles
Fleta Timber is a meek, quiet sixteen year old girl, dealing with a host of childhood traumas that have kept her silent and compliant… For her, this banishment from Penny Grove presents an opportunity unlike any other – it’s her chance at freedom, her chance to find herself and her chance to become who she always thought she should be. Fleta is the lead character in the Children of Inauron Book 1: The Great Leap, where her struggles and pains are laid bare as she comes to terms with this enormous change of circumstances.
Fleta’s twin brother Bronson Timber struggles with his inability to protect those around him, whilst at the same time falling prey to the disease of drug addiction that’s rife within Penny Grove. Gravel is Bronson’s drug of choice, and being banished from the town means he’ll have to find a way to go without…
Addison Ruthand is the eldest of the group at nineteen. Tall, red headed and laid-back, Addison struggles with the role of leader that’s been thrust upon him. All he wants is the chance to win back their place at Penny Grove, and put this all behind him.
Dawn Cavilier is a sixteen year old with a temper that doesn’t match her slight frame. From an early age, Dawn was betrothed to Addison as part of a business arrangement between their parents. Despite both throwing themselves wholeheartedly into their relationship, even outsiders can detect what a poor match they make. Dawn’s fiery spirit is not matched by Addison’s indifference.
Kenley Coyde is the fifteen year old son of a hunter. Emotionally abandoned by his father after the death of his mother, Kenley has coasted through life, being co-raised by a distant father and (when his father was away on long hunts), his best friend Addison’s family. Kenley would do anything to get his father to respond warmly to him, but is often left wanting.
Lawson Verand is the closest in age to Addison; the two have had a rivalry for most of their teenage years, with Lawson being the primary aggressor in their conflicts. Beneath Lawson’s stand-offish exterior lies a motivation born from his difficult upbringing caring for his mother, who suffers from a disease of the mind that nobody can seem to fix.
Wendy Pearce is the daughter of the town alderman, she is the product of the wealthiest family in Penny Grove, but that only taught Wendy the importance of caring for those around her. She spends her days looking after her adoptive sister Piper, and her evenings, sneaking off with her secret boyfriend, Lawson, against her father’s wishes.
Piper Pearce is Wendy’s adoptive sister, who came into the family after the untimely death of Piper’s family within the town. Piper isn’t like everyone else, her mind works on another wavelength, meaning that the town often struggles to understand how she operates. Despite this, Piper is well-read and intelligent, devouring any and all knowledge of animals and the natural world.
Stokely Nasbrint, the fifteen year old, wayward son of a revered family of town guards. Called a disappointment almost from birth by his father, Stokely grew up angry, delinquent but barely cowed by his father and older brother’s oppressive presence. He looks up to Lawson, and wants more than anything to be noticed by the elder boy. But, is his obsession with Lawson more than Stokely realises?
Corin Ostyne, a sixteen year old devotee in training, is devout to the Church of Inauron, and struggles the most with the pain of losing their home. She’s lost the future she’d been painfully working towards her entire life, leaving her bitter and angry at the other exiles – one of which she knows is responsible for their banishment… if she could just figure out who it was…