Also by this author: Midnight
Series: The Books of Marvella #1
Published by NavPress on May 6, 2014
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Suspense, Young Adult
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Brandon Jeffery’s summer started out with a bang—as in, a friend crashed his car and now he has to work two jobs to pay it off. It’s at Fascination Street Records that he’s introduced to a beautiful but quiet girl named Marvel. She’s new to Hidden Cove and looking for a summer job, so Brandon secretly strikes a deal with their boss to work for free so she can be hired.
When a classmate is found murdered, however, their summer takes a turn for the mysterious. Brandon’s friend Devon is sure he knows just who’s to blame: the creepy recluse of the town quarry. But the police have few leads, and Brandon has the sneaking suspicion he’s being watched.
That’s not what’s in the forefront of on his mind, though. More than trying to pay off his car to his unemployed, alcoholic father and protecting Seth Belcher from the school bullies, he’s determined to date Marvel. He doesn’t understand why they seem so close and she refuses to date him, but as the mystery behind her tragic past begins to unravel, Marvel finally confesses her reason: God has revealed she’s destined to die saving others—and it’s going to be soon.
Marvelous | Travis Thrasher
Things are about to change in Brandon’s life. If not for the better, than for the weirder. He has two younger brothers; a mom who works all the time to support the family; and an alcoholic, abusive, unemployed father. Life could be better.
Oh, and he recently let a friend borrow his car and that friend totaled it, leaving him carless, needing two summer jobs to pay for the totaled car, and under the wrath of his father. Life could definitely get better.
Then Marvella walks into his life: an enigmatic teenage girl (but aren’t they all?) that silently and unknowingly steals his heart. She needs a job; he just filled the position. So he works out a deal with the owner of Fascination Records to let him work for free so she can be hired and he can get to know her. Maybe life just got better and weirder.
Of course, with a Travis Thrasher novel, nothing is quite that simple. And when the book is finished and the dust is settled, he’ll have you begging for book two. Brandon is a deep and complex character defined by his relationships with others. While he’s the target of his father’s drunken bullying, that makes him a staunch defender of everyone else. He’s a trusting giver (that’s why his car got totaled and he’s working for free) but isn’t resentful about what he’s given up (most of the time). He’s a star-struck lover with a girl who is more than hesitant to let him in on her past. Far from being one-dimensional, Brandon is the type of character whose shoes you can readily jump into. In Marvelous, Travis Thrasher excels in making you feel what his characters are going though, whether or not you can personally relate. Only the best fiction can do that, and Thrasher does so easily you barely notice until you start feeling along with the character.
The Books of Marvella are inevitably going to draw a lot of comparison to his previous YA series, The Solitary Tales. Both involve weird little towns with problems. Both involve a somewhat-normal kid with family problems falling in love with an mysterious teenage girl. Both involve a certain aura of mystery. But, trust me, this is not Solitary all over again. The parallels are there, and, I think, for a reason, but this is a wholly different story.
Thrasher is a writer unlike any other. He’s written love stories, adventure, mystery, horror, Christian movie novelizations, and even a few extrapolations of country music songs. And he’s good at them all. But creepy-YA-life-is-beyond-weird-coming-of-age stories? That’s definitely what he’s best at. I don’t know where book two will take me. I’m scared, really. I’m afraid that what I think will happen will happen, or that what I completely don’t know will happen, or whatever iterations of that are left. But I do know that I’m along for the ride. Marvelous is…well, it’s in the title…It’s absolutely marvelous. But the story is only beginning.
About Travis Thrasher
Bestselling author Travis Thrasher has written over 50 books, spanning genres in fiction, nonfiction and children’s literature. His inspirational stories have included collaborations with filmmakers, musicians, athletes, celebrities and pastors.
With the childhood goal of pursuing a writing career starting in third grade, Thrasher worked for 13 years at Tyndale House Publishers after graduating college. His experience working with as Author Relations Manager allowed him to understand the writing life as well as training him to work with a variety of personalities. This experience has proven to be invaluable with varied writing projects in the decade he’s been a full-time writer.
His novels are as diverse as the people he’s worked with, ranging from love stories to supernatural thrillers. Publishers Weekly said “Sara and Ethan are two of the most real and sensitive lovers to grace the genre” when reviewing his first novel, The Promise Remains. They also stated “Thrasher demonstrates a considerable talent for the horror genre” in a review for Isolation years later. His readers have enjoyed the unpredictability of his novels, whether it’s due to a unique style such as second person or a twist they never saw coming.
Thrasher’s storytelling ability has also allowed him to work with others on their books, from musicians like country musician Scotty McCreery and Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain to the Robertsons of Duck Dynasty. He has also penned novels based on songs such as Paper Angels with Jimmy Wayne and novelizations for films including Do You Believe? and God’s Not Dead 2. Upcoming projects continue to expand his talents, with projects including The Black Auxiliary about the lives of the 17 American black athletes who competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, and Baby Don’t Hurt Me about comedian Chris Kattan’s life and time on Saturday Night Live.
Travis lives with his wife and three young daughters in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.
Be the first to comment