Star Collapsed: Meet the Characters
One month until Star Collapsed! What better way to count down the final weeks with some sneak peeks and introductions to some of my favorite superpowered characters.
If you like X-Men, The Gifted, and a smidge of The Magicians, you’ll love this new Star series I have. Meet our four (newest and) biggest players below!
Kiya Beckett
Parents: Nate and Finnley (Soul Series)
Siblings: Madeline (adopted)
Superpower: None, being an asshole
From the start, I knew Kiya was going to be my favorite character through her complexity. At first I thought she would be the most difficult character to write, but I soon discovered how easily I could slip into her head. She’s all the fiery parts of Finnley with just enough Nate to keep her from going absolutely nuts.
Kiya has grown up around the power community because her parents are the famous Supernova and Black Hole… but she wasn’t born with powers like them. It makes her bitter, angry, and extremely closed-off. Only her best friends Isobel and Declan know the girl underneath, but by the time we meet Kiya, there isn’t much of that revealed.
She’s interesting from the moment she steps on the page (prequel story here) — she’s being tested at The Trials where, if she passes, she’ll be able to get her powers from a power source. And it backfires… literally. Kiya is left without powers and a whole lot of trauma (not to mention actual paralysis).
Kiya becomes a bit of a hardened shell, which we see almost immediately, so when Ryder shows up and doesn’t want the powers she’s wanted her entire life, it really only pisses her off.
She isn’t afraid to tell him that, either.
Ryder Driscoll
Parent: Brenna
Superpower: Astronomical Manipulation
Ryder probably has the most unique power I’ve created so far. The fancy term astronomical manipulation basically means he can control lights that look like the Aurora Borealis, create meteor showers, and form a flaming rock in his hand.
Even better - he has absolutely no control over it, especially when there’s a full moon involved.
No, he’s not a werewolf.
Ryder has grown up not knowing that there are others with powers, so he’s had no training and absolutely despises the energy running through him. But he also has the biggest heart - he would do anything to keep his mom safe from his secret, and he thinks that means he needs to get rid of his powers somehow.
After nearly bringing down a meteor storm in the middle of a football game, Ryder is faced with a tough decision… one that puts him on a path with Kiya who wants to murder him.
No, she really does want to murder him… and he’d like to do the same. Whatever has been triggered between them is fueling a lot of anger, and it looks like destruction is the only direction their relationship can go.
Isobel Hood
Parents: Glitch and Luci (Soul Series)
Siblings: Declan (twin brother)
Superpower: portal creation (read an excerpt here)
Okay, in writing the new Blue Star spin-off trilogy, I've become obsessed with Isobel and her role throughout the story. She's the kind of person that will build you up and show you so much love and kindness, but if you cross her, you're on her shit-list... She's protective, beautiful inside and out, and knows how to pack a punch.
Iz might be one of my favorite non-main characters to write because she's so incredible and her confidence bleeds through the text. She’s not afraid to speak the truth, even if it’s not really what you want to hear… because it’s what you need to hear. Iz has a great dynamic with her twin Declan (twintuition) and it’s really fun to write them together. They obviously get on each other’s nerves, but they very clearly love each other and would do anything to protect the other.
The best part about writing Isobel was using her past relationship with Kiya to fuel some of her more sassy personality. She’s the rational head of the group, unless Kiya is involved. That makes for some interesting interactions with Ryder, the first person Kiya’s been ‘interested’ in since she and Iz broke up. As you can imagine, Isobel does not take it well. Her scenes were definitely fueled by Fletcher’s recent album the s(ex) tapes, which you can listen to at the end of this post.
At the end of the day, I wanted to show some really incredible friendships, both romantic and platonic, and the three best friends are a great extension from the original series with Nate, Finnley, and Glitch. You’ll get some more teasers about this new book soon!
You can check out Isobel’s Pinterest inspiration page.
Declan Hood
Parents: Glitch and Luci
Siblings: Isobel (twin sister)
Superpower: Invisibility
Declan has the tried and true power of invisibility, and while most teens would use this for spying, his sole purpose in life is to sneak up on Kiya just once. He will never succeed.
It was fun working with Declan and Isobel’s dynamic. Sibling relationships are always interesting, but based on how they’ve grown up in the power community and with Kiya, their bond runs deep. While they still tease, there’s a deep-rooted loving, playful, and protective nature that makes their relationship special. Even better was giving them superpowers that mirror their parents (light manipulation and teleportation).
Declan is the smart twin, and while we get a good grasp of that intelligence in the first book, he’s due for some groundbreaking moments. His personality is definitely pulled from his parents — humor from Glitch, steadiness and composure from Luci.
His true power comes with his ability to work as a team with his twin sister Isobel and best friend Kiya. Declan has a deep understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and though many believe Kiya is the ring leader, it’s Declan who has the magic touch — and it makes them an unstoppable force together.
Don’t forget to grab that preorder discount (only $2.99, will return to $4.99 on May 26). Star Collapsed comes at you May 25th! Stay tuned for information about an Instagram Live chat on release day!
