The Sparks

By: Kyle Prue

Narrated by: Jon Eric Preston

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Honor does not bend. A will of iron does not break. Victory lies within the ashes.

The Vapros, the Taurlum, and the Celerius: three dynasties bound by an ancient promise, and given superhuman abilities to protect the city of Altryon from the dangerous world beyond its walls. The Vapros have the ability to teleport and turn their enemies to ash, the Celerius have super speed and the ability to heal from any wound, the Taurlum have skin like steel and godlike strength. Centuries of petty infighting have turned the families against each other, resulting in a secret war. A powerful emperor now rules over all, as the families have been weakened by massive casualties.

Sixteen-year-old Neil Vapros desperately wants to become an assassin to please his hypercritical father. After failing his first mission, Neil learns that a sinister new force has awakened. This mysterious new power threatens to shatter the established order and threaten the lives of everyone in Altryon - regardless of their family name or allegiance.

About the Author

Kyle Prue is an award-winning author, actor, and comedian. Prue wrote The Sparks when he was just 16 years old. He will complete the series with The Flames and The Ashes.

©2015 Kyle Prue (P)2022 Kyle Prue

Critic reviews

IndieFab Award

Best Book in Florida and Best Fiction for Young Adults

Honorable Mention at the New England Book Festival

Honorable Mention at the Midwest Book Festival

Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Festival

Honorable Mention at the International London Book Festival

International Moonbeam Award for Best Young Author

"A crackling read. The Sparks builds a vivid world that is at once otherworldly and relatable. Characters spring from the page in a deft twist on mythology that belies Kyle Prue's young age. He's a voice to be heard." (Scott Bowles, USA Today)

Wow! Exciting, thrilling and many turns!

Wow! I’m honestly impressed with the detailed and descriptive writing that Kyle Prue offers. With each scene, I could see the colors of the character’s armor or cloaks, the size and shape of their weapons and the look on their faces.
I became so enthralled with this audiobook that I even added an extra walk to my nightly routine just so I could listen a little more, a little more.

A feud between three families escalates as they discover a common enemy, a ruthless common enemy who appears to stop at nothing to end them.
A young group of extraordinary teenagers blossom into territory unknown as they find heightened powers and perfect their skills of working their surroundings and the people around them to get what they want, sometimes simply to gather the information they need.

I was beginning to feel a sadness as this book ended because I wanted to hear more about the characters and what would ultimately become of them . . . And then the end gave us an excerpt of the next book in this trilogy!
Now I’m doing a happy dance as I realize I DO get to hear more and more about this journey and the developing characters.

Murder, Magical and Betrayal all in one place.

The first book of a series lays the most information on its’ characters. In The Sparks , author Kyle Prue not only gives great backstories he also tells plots inside of plots. To start off there are three feuding families. The Vapros who can teleport, the Celerius who heal quickly and have super speed and then the Taurlum family with incredible strength. These feuding families must join forces to upset the Emperor and his masked man with the army of assassins. The kids from the three families, Neil, Darius and Lilly must put aside their differences and work together to defeat the Emperor and defend the city of Altryon. In each chapter you are gifted with a different point of view. You get to see the different angles through the eyes of different characters. The kids are conditioned from birth to learn to kill the other families but now they have to learn to trust each other which in itself is very difficult. But as the story unfolds you see personalities develop and deeper relationships grow.
Kyle Prue is an exceptional storyteller. He builds this magical world right before your eyes. The characters are interesting and layered. He sucks you into this fantasy world. I appreciated the presence of strong women like Bianca, Jennifer and Victoria who were Neil’s sisters and friends. I look forward to the next book in the series. I don’t think you could have got a better narrator then Jon Eric Preston. He was amazing at interpreting several emotions. You could hear the anguish, the surprise, the anger and the triumph in his voice. He could produce the difference in the characters. Even the female voices. Between both Prue and Preston you are giving a magical experience that you won’t forget. I recommend you listen to this story to get the full effect on how amazing of a story it is. If not able to listen to it I recommend at least reading it. You will not be disappointed. An excellent book. Well Done!

Excellent action packed fantasy

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The Sparks really took me by surprise. I wasn't sure I was going to really get into the story, but I really did. The story is very intriguing. There is tons of action and I loved the way the plot unfolded into this super awesome story. I don't really want to go too much into it, but man this one was good.

Jon Eric Preston was excellent. There are quite a few characters in this book and Jon did a great job voicing all of them. His voice does a great job keeping me on the edge of my seat as crazy things are happening to these characters in their fight for their life. Usually I like books like this to have multiple narrators to really give voice to each character, but the narrator did a great job. It was really fun to listen to this book.

The Sparks was a fun story about families gifted with powers who have a long history of warring with one another. They must learn to set aside a long lasting feud in order to stay alive as they go from the protectors of their city to the enemy. The world was a fun one and I loved the different superpowers each character had and how they used them. The action was really fun and enjoyable. I really can't wait to see what happens next for these characters.

well crafted story

Three families were given superhuman powers to protect the city of Altryon from the dangers beyond its walls.  Over the years, a blood feud ensues forcing the families to fight and become sworn enemies of one another.  Like all families, the children have different ideas, wants and desires; it is this that ensures the families might survive the evil emperor and his friend who is a new superhuman.

Joining forces, the surviving Vapros (assassins that teleport and turn people into ash), The Taurlum (steel like skin and godlike strength) and the Celerius (super speed and self-healing powers), they hope to free their families from the dungeons and expel the evil emperor.   For some that is not enough, they want to end the blood feud forever but freeing their families may prevent this for each family holds true to their version of honor, will, and what constitutes victory.

I enjoyed this book very much.  It was easy to see how an entire town could be fooled into believing they were the only ones on the planet; anything outside their walls were savages and deadly based on a highly and effectively promoted idea.

Isolating people is the number one way a leader can step into position and abuse their power.  The emperor did this effectively.  The manner in which the remaining families came together was well done and realistic.  I am looking forward to books 2 and 3.

The author, Kyle Prue did an excellent job of crafting the story line and developing the characters.  I enjoyed the bantering back and forth and the final scene of the remaining survivors coming together.  The character’s behaviors as each hurdle was discovered and faced was realistic demonstrating clearly how difficult egos can be and what it takes to get past them.

The narrator, Jon Eric Preston performed the book very well.  His does not do female voices well but they were different enough that they were acceptable.  I thought he spoke clearly and inferred excitement, loss, sorrow, love, hate, and other emotions very well through the tone inflections.  His voice was calming and soft which was pleasant.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, adventure and action packed stories.

There were no issues around the audible production or quality of this book.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Fun Read

The Sparks by Kyle Prue is a fascinating first entry in a trilogy that shows a great deal of promise. Read on for my thoughts on this novel, and whether or not you should dive into this world of feuding and fantasy.

It’s hard to believe that Kyle Prue wrote The Sparks when he was 16 because of the mature, complex, and adult nature of this book. I’d argue that calling it Young Adult isn’t the wisest idea because if I were a parent, I wouldn’t want my child reading such a mature book that deals with multiple murders, sex, and other realities of life that can shatter an individual’s innocence. Nevertheless, The Sparks is an excellent novel that is well written, masterfully narrated, and beautifully produced.

Focused on three feuding families, with the threat of savages outside the city walls, The Sparks borrows elements of The Pillars Of The Earth and The Maze Runner. Those two books are far superior to The Sparks, but at least the author drew inspiration from high-quality stories that are beloved.

It was hard for me to keep all of the characters straight because there are so many. Because of this, Neil is the only one who I could keep track of at all times and the one I related to the most.

As a result of my inability to invest in the characters because of there being so many, I never felt moved or upset when one of them died. The Hunger Games, on the other hand, did a beautiful job with character development, causing me to be sorrowful over the demise of a key character.

The Sparks also features a supernatural element, where characters have superpowers. This makes for an interesting twist on this familiar story, and the author does a fine job of describing this otherworldly behavior.

John Eric Preston narrates The Sparks, and he does an exceptional job. His voice is silky smooth, with an accent perfectly suited for this tale. Not only does he speak the words on the page, he inhabits each character, providing fantastical voices and a distinct separation between them, effortlessly weaving back and forth in what can only be described as vocal gymnastics. It’s one hell of a performance, and John Eric Preston’s narration takes this work of fiction from good to great.

This audiobook sounds crystal clear. The audio levels always seemed stable, and I didn’t detect any mistakes or pick up on the narrator turning pages or anything like that. It is a top-tier audio production, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the story.

The Sparks is a great first entry in a trilogy of books that I look forward to continuing to read. I’m delighted that I chose to listen to the audiobook because the superb narration elevated the already intriguing material to a higher level. For adults, this is a book worth listening to at least once, if not multiple times. For children . . . well, I’ll leave that up to the parents to decide. Either way, fire up this audiobook, throw on your favorite headphones, and enjoy!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Kyle Prue. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

OMG! Best Book of the Year!

Oh my god! Let me say that again, OH MY GOD! I love trilogies and young adult novels. I love fantasy. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS SERIES! This is by far the best beginning to a set of novels I have listened too, since Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. I haven't wanted to run to the bookstore to pick up the next book in a series this much in years! Kyle Prue paints such a vivid world, full of rich detail without making you drown in the words. I know this series is a rather new addition to the publishing world, but if any series is deserving of a movie or tv deal, then this one should be at the top. Filled with fantasy, magic, strength, family, personal growth and loss, The Sparks makes you care about the journey that each character is facing. You can almost relate on some small scale with each trouble they face.

Jon Eric Preston was an outstanding fit for this audio book. I only hope that he continues to narrate the other two books as well. He does an amazing job at making each character unique and full of emotion that you want to feel the same ways. I'm not going to lie, there were moments in this audio book that Preston did such an amazing job at expressing grief that I couldn't help but to cry. When at work and having to explain that your audio book is making you go from angry to crying like a child, you know the narrator has done their job successfully.

Everything about The Sparks makes me want to listen to it over again already. It's the perfect mix of several series over the last few years. From The Kingkiller Chronicles to Game of Thrones. From The Mortal Instruments to Divergent. From The Hunger Games to Harry Potter. There is something from each in this first novel. If you need something new to listen too, please consider Kyle Prue's The Sparks! You can easily listen to this in one day, but the story won't leave you for many after!

Hooked

Kyle Prue has done a great job making Altryon come alive in "The Sparks." I was hesitant when other characters were introduced, with different powers and points of view in this mystical world. I don't typically follow these kinds of stories as well in audiobook form.

I so related to Neil. Wanting to prove yourself to your parents, your community, and not quite knowing how you fit in. I loved Lilly's dedication to her brothers and family. I loved how Darius wanted to believe in the goodness of his family.

I think my favorite character was Bianca. She was a tough chick who always knew what she wanted, and wasn't distracted by short-term conflicts.

Soon I was enveloped into Prue's world and hooked for the rest of the day. I think this was in large part due to the narrator's different voices. I could clearly identify who the different main characters were, and loved how different they were.

I loved the themes of this story -- putting differences aside to work together, family, growing up and finding your place in the world. I was surprised after finishing at how young Prue is, and loved his maturity in these words.

Great YA fantasy that can be enjoyed by anyone.

I enjoyed The Sparks much more than I thought I would at first. The book follows quite a few different characters and from their point of view at times but the main protagonist would probably be Neil Vapros who is a teen who is training to be an assassin of the Vapros Family which is one of the 3 main families in the novel that have special powers in the novel. The three families are the Vapros, Taurlum and Celerius. The families all have different main powers and each individual can learn/acquire different advanced powers generally through a traumatic experience.

The Vapros main power is that they dematerialize and re-materialize in another location in the general vicinity, they do this by turning to ash and then reforming from ash. They can also turn dead bodies into ash or if they are really powerful live people into ash.

The Taurlum - are big brutish people who's main power is incredible strength and with skin that is as tough as steel whose only weaknesses are their pressure points which if punctured make the rest of their bodies vulnerable.

The Celerius - main power is speed and extremely fast healing.

The 3 families have been feuding with each other for centuries and because of this lost much of their power in their city that they were tasked to protect as their was an uprising an now their is an emperor who rules the city even though the families still have much power and economic clout.

The families feud is very ingrained in the lives of the families and the city itself but can a common enemy and a need to survive bring them together?

The narration by Jon Eric Preston is great and a perfect fit for the story. The book is filled with interesting characters and there is much intrigue and death as well. I recommend the story and am quite interested in reading further books in the series to see how things turn out.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

A mystical adventure that you won’t soon forget

I am so honored to have listened to this book! Wow! I personally love mythical and the supernatural mixed with action and adventure. This book has it all! It is fast paced, highly intriguing, and never without excitement. I purposely wait to read about the author until I’m done with a book; it’s just a quirk of my own. Much to my surprise, this author wrote this book when he was merely a teenager! I was wowed by this discovery! The language used and characters are so well developed that it was amazing to know that the author was young. This young author surely has a knack for bringing other worlds to life and to draw the reader in to his world. Though the book is long, don’t let that intimidate you. You’ll be done too soon and yearning to continue with the saga. The concept of specific families reminded me slightly of a Harry Potter feel with the division of houses. I personally loved this and the fact that the setting was always dictated so that there was zero confusion. I’d love to see how well Hollywood could depict this book on the big screen. This could be the next big blockbuster!
I have to give credit to the narrator of this book. Not only did I listen to this book, but I followed along. This narrator, I would give 5 stars! The inflection, dictation, various voices for each character, and the add lib of sound effects was beyond amazing! Mr. Preston, you really brought these characters to life for me! Thank you! I wasn’t bored for even a moment and hated to pause the book to return to my real life responsibilities.
Thank you both Mr. Prue and Mr. Preston for this amazing escape from reality! I can’t wait to read and listen to more!

A fantastic start for this trilogy!

I’ve been dying for a good new series and I am so glad to say that I have found it! It’s sci-fi enough to keep my interest and spark my imagination, but so sci-fi that it’s too deep and I am turned off. It’s a very Capulet-Montague type of familial rivalry, but in includes three families. I am very impressed with this author and quite enjoyed the narrator as well. The narrator really makes the book for me and this performance was spectacular. Already have the next book, The Flames, on my ‘to listen’ list.