Riyati Rivals by Kai Zeal

What happens when the past seeks vengeance, the present is lonely, and the future looks uncertain? While Kylie survived the kidnapping incident of June, it’s left her life in shambles, constantly confined under her mother’s supervision or locked in her bedroom. Worse, Kylie soon learns that while Asuza may be dead, his supporters are very much alive — including a certain familiar woman from the kidnapping who knows Kylie’s at fault for Asuza’s demise and wants nothing more than to repay the favor. All Kylie can do is trust Siani, even knowing Siani allowed her to be kidnapped in the first place and that Siani openly hides yet more secrets — dark secrets that could threaten Kylie’s own existence. But if she can’t count on her own future-self, who can Kylie trust? She’ll have to decide who her allies are— and fast — if she wants to survive in this new life or else she won’t make it to the end of the year. Riyati Rivals is the second book in a new adult/adult contemporary, low dark fantasy series that seeks to explore themes of identity, legacy, generational trauma, and finding your own path in life. The series is set in the modern day fictional Southern US town of Opal Pines and includes multiple first person perspectives with characters across a range of queer, neurodiverse, and socioeconomic statuses.

Adult • Contemporary Fiction • Fantasy/Dark • Diversity Representation/Neurodiversity/Own Voices • Fantasy/Contemporary • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices

Content Warning: Abandonment, alcoholism, attempted suicide, blood, bullying, child abuse, classism, confinement, death, emotional abuse, emotional manipulation, extreme violence, gore, homelessness, human experimentation, kidnapping, misogyny, murder, parental neglect, physical abuse, poverty, self-harm, stalking, strong adult language, substance abuse, suicide, suicidal ideation, torture, toxic friendship, and trauma-based responses.