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Hello Everyone!

I have a YA soft sci-fi novel of about 82,000 words that I am requesting beta readers for.

In the near future, in a nation connected to the United States, a recently orphaned teenager is thrust into a world of manipulation and deception, playing cat and mouse with his father’s ambitious rival to complete a riddle his father was killed trying to complete.

Eli’s sixteenth birthday is the same day as the first day of the eleventh grade. He wakes up wanting nothing more than to finish out the last two years of high school with friends from his old neighborhood, who he hadn’t seen in months, play the virtual game FlimFlam as much as possible, and make sure his precocious nine-year-old sister Esha is okay. Most importantly, he doesn’t want any more deaths.

Eli receives a present and cryptic message in the mail appearing to be sent from Pops, his father. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about it, except Pops was murdered three months prior, leaving Eli and Esha orphaned. Their mother had gone missing seven years prior, presumed dead.

Eli arrives at Main High School later the same morning to find out he’s being sent to The Preparatory to train in the secrets of manipulation and deception. Laz, the rebel, likes the shock of bluntness. Will is the self-proclaimed lady’s man. Maxamillion is his old friend and computer geek. Iris, the last to join, is a new crush, he doesn’t trust. These dysfunctional friends hang together and train together, forming a bond. They have a knack for making fun of one another and calling each other out.

In the midst of training with new classmates, Eli is thrust into the real world of manipulation and deception, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with Pop’s ambitious rival to complete a series of riddles Pops was killed trying to complete. Eli races against time to complete the riddles. The stakes get higher when Esha is kidnapped and The Articles holding national secrets get stolen. The only hope of returning either is Eli’s ability to solve this last riddle in time. The Family, rulers of Concordia, a nation spanning what used to be the western seaboard of the United States, would be forever grateful, at least for a little while.


Things I am interested in knowing:
� At what point did you think, ‘Okay, now the story has started!�
� At which points did you put down the manuscript?
� What confused you?
� What annoyed you
� Which characters did you like
� Which scene did you remember the most?
� If you had to choose, which character would be your best friend in real life?
� Which character should get more screen time?
� What struck you as troubling/problematic?
� When did you find yourself skimming?
� Why did you keep reading?
� Which of your predictions came true?
� What is your most suspenseful moment?
� If you had to choose, which character would you kill off?
� When did your emotions hurt the most?
� What was your immediate thought upon finishing?
� Which books did this manuscript remind you of?
� If you had to choose three adjectives to describe this book (funny, scary, sad, etc.) what would they be?
� Was there a character or situation that reminded you of your life?


Please let me know if you are interested.

Thanks,
Craig Johnson

If you are still on the lookout, please message me Craig and I would love to help you out as I don't have the option to send you any :)