Book Tour & Giveaway ~ The Virago Trilogy by Carol B. Allen: YA SciFi Fantasy Adventure -

One If

The Virago Trilogy Book 1

by Carol B. Allen

Genre: YA SciFi Fantasy Adventure

GOLD MEDAL WINNER – GLOBAL BOOK AWARDS, Teen & Young Adult Sci-Fi Fantasy

In this race against time, three teens with powers that defy science take on a warring planet destroyed by climate change. But will they return home? Trapped in an epic time/space confrontation, the trio battle destiny. Alliances are betrayed. Unlikely friendships are forged. And young love flourishes in a race against impossible odds in this thrilling young adult sci-fi fantasy adventure.

When Parker Kittredge, a quirky science student from New York City, is lured to her terrace by a frisky hummingbird, she slips and plunges 18 stories to the street. She awakens in Spyridon, a planet destroyed by climate change and locked in a civil war. Parker quickly discovers she is not alone. Two other teens have also been kidnapped and they must join forces to save the planet if they have any chance to return to Earth.

The teens’ struggle for survival is fierce: murders, deceptions, power plays, love triangles, and magical fantasy elements make this a high-stakes, coming-of-age adventure pitted against a race with time.

Reviews for One If:

“An epic fantasy adventure that will thrill anyone who reads it.”
-Online Book Club

“The world-building was compelling and the environmental themes are timely.”
-Bianca Marais, best-selling author of Hum If You Don’t Know the Words

“I was so wrapped up in it and invested in all the characters. I love how each character is so strong but also has a vulnerable aspect to them. I need to know, do they save the planet?”
-Dr. G. Liu

“A breathtaking ending, just sprouting a sequel!”
-Hills Book Club

“A well-written, fast-paced YA Fantasy with a relevant message. One If will inspire girls to embrace STEM–science, technology, engineering, and math . . [and] widens the lens on the impact of climate change, something we all need to know more about.”
-Ilene Slutsky, Librarian

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“PARKER PRESSED HER NOSE to the frosty glass. Her eyes stared down the frisky hummingbird darting about her terrace, then drifted back to her laptop and the experiment she was scheduled to present at school in the morning. It was the magic hour, just before dusk. The lampposts glowed as Central Park readied to settle into the hush of a quiet snowy evening ahead.

Outside, the daring bird torpedoed toward her face, rammed into the glass, then dashed away. Over the past several weeks, the same bird had been performing drop-ins, incessantly rapping at her window and disrupting her studies after school. Of all the windows in all the buildings across the city, how had the hummingbird found hers over and over again? And in the dead of winter! What did it want from her anyway?

Today, she’d had enough. Her inquisitive nature won. She grinned at the bird, crinkled her nose, knit her brows, and sent the corners of her mouth into their quizzical pattern. Could she get the bird to come to her? Parker grabbed a jacket, opened the terrace door, and stepped outside. A light wind tousled her long, wavy brown hair and billowed the hem of her pleated skirt. Despite the cold, the fresh air felt good. So pretty tonight, she thought.

Tiptoeing through the icy snowflakes, she approached the bird slowly, opened her arms and motioned to the hummingbird to come toward her. The bird’s white-tipped tailfeathers fluttered away and its dainty twig-like feet, frail as matchsticks, grazed the top of the wrought-iron terrace balustrade. Parker edged closer. Her fingertips whitened as she clung to the metal. Her mind galloped forward, and her eyes swept downward along the rows of bay windows and their respective cornices, all eighteen stories of them, to the traffic plodding along Central Park West.

Parker lightened her hold and faced the hummingbird’s distinctive black triangular marking centered above its beak—right smack in the middle of its head. She leaned over the handrail, her tummy balancing on the slippery metal. The bird dangled before her in the air. She extended her hand to the bird.

Just as her heart skipped a beat, Parker lost her footing, stumbled, and toppled over the rail. She plunged downward. Consumed by panic, she grabbed for something, anything, but she plummeted headfirst, out of control toward the pavement, and the terrifying thought of hitting it…

Blackness devoured her. Pulled by an odd magnetic force, Parker was drawn into a dark, jelly-like tube. She fell faster, accelerating, bouncing along the curving path of gel, waves of nausea and dizziness surging inside her belly. The unending, sloshing movement slowed.

The impact she expected never came. She was alive.”

If Then

The Virago Trilogy Book 2

The action-packed sequel to Amazon Best-Seller and Gold Medal Winner of NYC Book Awards, Teen and Young Adult Sci-Fi Fantasy, One If

The planet is about to end. Only three teens can prevent it.

The price may be their lives.

In the page-turning sequel to the Amazon best-seller, One If, 17-year-old Parker Kittredge bears the mantle of the Sky Queen of Spyridon’s Upperworld. Now she must face her rival, the terrifying Empress of the Underworld. Parker is charged with fulfilling her honor-bound duty—stop the devastation of climate change and end the civil war.

Parker, along with her friends, Edison and Henley, embark on a treacherous adventure to uncover the hidden secrets buried by Spyridon’s ancient scientists. Danger threatens their journey as they trek to the heights and very core of the planet where they are surrounded by enemies on all fronts. They quickly discover the quest for power keeps company with deception.

Through the loss of innocence, the heartbreak of first love, alliance, and betrayal, the teens claim their powers—but will they be able to return home?

The Virago Fantasy series are for everyone interested in the thrill of an adventure and our planet’s sustainability. The books are especially for teens and young adults interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the Virago Fantasies will be donated to causes that support climate change and the STEM initiatives.

Rich in vivid imagery, intrigue, and suspense, you’ll find yourself laughing, crying, and cheering on Parker, Edison, and Henley in this fast-paced YA fantasy. Fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, or Stranger Things who want to delve into a thrilling adventure will love this book!

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“In a breathy voice she whispered, “How can I be their leader? I’m not one of them. They know it. And I know it.

“But…” she said with her eyes cast down, “you belong on this planet. You are familiar with the ways of these worlds. Everything here is foreign and strange to me. My real life is on Earth. In New York. The meeting with the Great Ones proved that to me. Even more than I was prepared for or could have imagined.”

She summoned her courage to open the door to talk about the two of them. She searched his expression and finally said, “We haven’t even spoken about what happened between us.” She avoided the sparkle in his eyes and continued. “I keep thinking about you, but I don’t know what to do with my feelings. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I don’t even trust my head, how am I supposed to trust my heart?”

Parker, though seventeen, felt like a young girl. Immature and inexperienced, and completely unprepared for the conversation with Cole she wanted to have. She had never experienced real friendship before. Worse than that, she was unseen. Invisible to her classmates. Not until she developed a bond and relationship with Edison and Henley. Now, she was pushed into a role she was unequipped to fulfill, a leader, with all eyes on her. She was uncomfortable in her own skin, which didn’t even resemble hers anymore.

The attraction to Cole was uncharted territory. Was it circumstantial? Was she seeking safety and protection? Did he represent her life raft? Her emotions were taking over. “I don’t even know anything about you. Who are you? And why am I here? Why me? My heart is pulled to you, but my brain says stay away!” She searched his face for answers and found encouragement in the warmth of his twinkling blue eyes.

“Parker, this feeling between us, is just as new for me. Something came over me the very first time I saw you with Stefanos. I wanted to know everything about you—what goes on in your head and in your soul,” Cole said. “Now that you’re beside me, I don’t want to ever let go. I want you with me. I need to keep you safe.”

He cupped her face in his hands and took in her eyes. “Many have come and gone, Parker. They have returned to Earth after helping Stefanos. But none have been you. None have been treated as you have by Stefanos. And when the time is right,” he paused and added, “you, too, will return home. There will be another Sky King or Queen. It will be your choice how long you serve.” He leaned in to kiss her again. Their lips met and dwelled in the innocence of the kiss.”

If Only

The Virago Trilogy Book 3

The page-turning thrill ride continues in the epic conclusion to the best-selling Virago Fantasy series

Gold Medal Winner of the Global Book Awards

Across space and time, 17-year-old Parker Kittredge is drawn into the plot of a lethal assassin. To escape peril, Parker and her friends are transported from New York City to return to Spyridon where they find the once peaceful alien planet is now a world without honor where nothing is sacred.

Parker must reclaim her powers and face her enemies including a professed lover whom she no longer trusts.

But will she ever go home again?

Rich in vivid imagery and nail-biting intrigue, readers will laugh, cry, and cheer on Parker, Edison, and Henley in this fast-paced coming of age tale. Fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Stranger Things will want to delve into this spine-chilling adventure and will love this book!

What Readers Are Saying—

The plot is amazing and as it progresses it becomes quite charismatic with the characters well developed and superb interaction of them. The characters display courage in face of adversity and challenges which makes it very endearing to experience. I highly recommend it to anyone to enjoy and learn together.
–Goodreads reviewer

I don’t want to spoil anything! All I can say is that I enjoyed every page of this book and will certainly continue to follow Allen’s work.
–Goodreads reviewer

This story is fast-paced and a fun read that will keep you on edge from the first chapter.
-Goodreads reviewer

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“Now was Parker’s chance to start over…For the first time, she found herself wondering who she could be. What could her life look like? Oddly, none of these thoughts brought on her usual insecurities. Instead, she was excited. Her mind played seek and destroy. Seek experiences that strengthen. Destroy the ones that held her back.

Truth and trust. The truth was, she’d always been most comfortable by herself any way because she was the only person she could trust.

She thought back to the conversation with her parents the night before as they had sat around the kitchen table. It had been time to tell them that she had made the decision to go on the MIT tour without them.

The unprecedented words escaped her lips as she had blurted out, “I’ve decided to go to Cambridge on my own.” She hadn’t waited for a reply before adding, “You don’t need to come with me. I’ll take the train back and forth—I’ll walk to Cambridge and then back to South Station. It’s easy.”

Her parents had exchanged looks of astonishment and served up quizzical stares of disbelief. There would be no further debate. Parker was firm.

“Are you giving me that eye, Dad? I know exactly where I’m going, and how to get there.” Her mother had winked—her delight centered on the notion that just maybe college would strengthen Parker’s confidence to step out of her comfort zone.

Parker did have one big quirk. Really, an array of quirks. She could pick people’s brains, and always seemed to know exactly what was on their minds. She tried not to poke around other people’s heads. Mostly because she didn’t like what she found. With her parents though, she was fairly safe. They weren’t thinking she was a weirdo nerd. They were just shocked that she had decided to declare her independence the night before they were due to leave.

Her father had indulged Parker, extending his hand to give hers a squeeze. “Good idea, Parker. Just text us when you’re on your way back. That way, we can be ready to celebrate when you get home.” Parker had picked up his flicker of well-disguised disappointment.”

Carol B. Allen is an author and international, award- winning creative professional. She has held leadership positions in firms that believe in strengthening community across the New York Tri State Area. She plays an active role in supporting opportunities to enhance young women’s interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine (STEM) fields as well as advancing causes that protect the environment.

She serves on the Advisory Board for Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM), part of Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Additionally, she has participated on the Advisory Committee for the Girl Scouts STEM program.

A University of Michigan graduate, Carol received high honors and the prestigious Student of Distinction recognition.

Carol resides in Westchester County and is an active member of the Pound Ridge Authors Society. When she isn’t writing, Carol enjoys the city life and the country life, balancing her time with her family, exploring the cultural offerings of Manhattan as well as the great outdoors of the bucolic Northeast woodlands.

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