For Kaiya, student life had become an endless pattern of career fairs and decision-making. Teachers (and even her friends) are drilling her for her post-college plans and lessons were a minefield of exam preparation and interview techniques. After a tiring morning at the job fair with her friends, Kaiya goes to Tynewood Forest to hide from the world for a while. There she meets Benji and the two of them experience a strange occurrence neither can explain. Later, they write it off as nothing more than wild weather, an out-of-season thunderstorm, but was it really? Read the first book of S.E. Palmer’s Power Wielders Series: Drifting in a Dream and find out!

Reading S.E. Palmer’s Drifting in a Dream, one thing stuck out to me and that is how lucky Kaiya is to have such great friends and family. Her friends urge her to find a career because they have her best interests at heart. I also love her mom, Lucie! I love the fact that Kaiya can easily talk to her mom about the strange occurrence in the forest and that her mom can read from her expression what she really thinks about career fairs. This novel has taken me through an unexpected ride. With the mysterious occurrence in the forest and the strangely vivid dreams, I could hardly wait to uncover the reason for everything. The plot is deep and engaging; it constantly kept me on the edge of my seat. Kaiya and her friends try to uncover the origin of their powers and who their enemies are and I happily joined in their adventure with every chapter. Overall, a fascinating, fantastical, mysterious tale. I can’t wait for book two.

Power Wielders Series by S.E. Palmer presents its initial offering, Drifting in a Dream, about a young heroine’s saga in battling dark powers that threaten to disturb humanity’s peace. Welcome to the world of Kaiya Parks as she and her friends are about to enter a new threshold by picking their future careers. While attending a career fair situated in a college surrounded by forest, she meets Benji as she ventures into the serenity of the forest to consider her choices for the future carefully. Her meeting with Benji and the onslaught they experience is about to reveal to Kaiya that she is one of the chosen to wield a power that she will use to battle the shadows, who are born from misery, pain, and broken dreams. Kaiya’s hydrokinetic power is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her—but the idea of battling formidable supernatural forces makes her feel reluctant. But time is short and there seems to be no one else capable.

Drifting in a Dream is the type of young adult fantasy fiction that strikes the right balance between fantasy and realism. I have read a number of YA fantasies where the main protagonist is either overpowered or too self-absorbed in doubt that supporting characters take center stage. Hats off to S.E. Palmer for creating Kaiya as a character who understands her purpose. Readers of all ages will find her relatable, as she is well-grounded and has all the typical concerns that teenagers have. Its twenty-seven chapters give strong reader engagement as Palmer wastes no time getting into the heart of the storyline without making it feel rushed. I like the way how Kaiya's power is triggered as it runs on an emotional spectrum. This is a new series to watch out for.