*Oracle - Sunken Earth by C.W. Trisef

Fall, current day, Atlantic Ocean. Another hurricane tears through the Bahamas, headed for Florida. Among the wreckage: a U.S. Coast Guard rescue boat, one survivor (Ret Cooper), and a spherical object of curious design (the Oracle)

Ret Cooper is a simple young man with mysterious origins, unique physical features, and no memory of his past. His new family and friends discover he is truly extraordinary, with supernatural powers and strange scars on the palms of his hands. But what is his destiny?

The Oracle is the key to Earth's unity and full potential, too perfect to be man-made. Legend claims it can unleash limitless power when filled with Mother Nature's six, pure, original elements. But where are these elements? And which of our planet's ancient secrets will be explained in the process of locating them?


I found this story highly enjoyable. I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want to put it down. The main character Ret is unusual to say the least. He was adopted by the Cooper family 10 months ago, he has no memory of his past and he does not look like most humans do. It was hard to visualize him looking more albino than anything. He is described as having skin so light that he almost glows, his eyes are vibrant and when sleeping can be seen through his eyelids. He also has unexplained scars on this hands and very fine blond hair.
Ret does not want to attend high school because of his differences, he does not feel comfortable when other people keep staring at him, and he feels more of a nature person and the thought of being stuck in school for unending hours a day is torture for him as well. I thought the family dynamics in the story was very comforting. Pauline is a very comforting and openly caring mother figure. Ana is a protective and also a very caring sister. I loved how supportive of each other they were and accepting, loving people.
The story was very well put together, each character and piece of information given all leads and has connections to the bigger plot-line. Here is a story that has no unnecessary info dumps, characters or pages of dialogue that seem to go nowhere. It was all another piece in the puzzle and placement that made the story a wonderful adventure from the beginning.
It's a clean read, no romance great for readers of all ages. The story is very engaging and has a constant build up of action and adventure and danger growing in each chapter.
Highly recommended to those that like adventure stories with magic.