How much is one life worth?

Danielle Matheson faces a difficult decision: helplessly watch Christy's mother die of cancer, or ask Jillian and her genetically Gifted siblings to risk their freedom to save her.

Once committed to the cause, Jillian, Malia, and Michio turn their full attention to fighting the cancer, but more danger awaits them. Defeating the disease and dodging government agents soon become the least of their worries when measured against the race against time to rescue one girl from certain death.

This is Book 3 in the YA scifi Devya's Children series. It's highly recommended you experience this series in order: Ashlynn's Dreams, Nadia's Tears, Malia's Miracles, and Varick's Quest. There's also a prequel called The Dark Side of Science and a series of short stories called Ashlynn's Dreams Shorts. They're also available as audiobooks. Ashlynn's Dreams Shorts, Ashlynn's Dreams, and Nadia's Tears are performed by Kristin Condon. Malia's Miracles and Varick's Quest are performed by Julie Hinton. The prequel, The Dark Side of Science, is performed by Brian Troxell.

Interview with the Author:
Q: What makes the Devya’s Children series special?
A: At the heart, this series is about family and friendship as well as the ethical questions surrounding genetic engineering. It’s been likened to the Orphan Black TV show. I like to think of it as a more family-friendly take on those themes. The premise is that a brilliant scientist and his team created several genetically altered children who have special Gifts, such as telepathy, healing, and dream shaping.

The journal/letters style is not unique to this series, but I believe ultimately it suits my need to get in these people’s heads. I’ve worked very hard to fill the books with relatable characters. Some of them happen to have superpowers, but as Jillian points out, everybody has gifts, if not Gifts. It’s just a matter of finding out what those gifts are and how they can be applied for the good of the world.

Q: What order should I read them in?
A: I suggest the traditional order of:
Ashlynn’s Dreams
Nadia’s Tears
Malia’s Miracles
Varick’s Quest
...before jumping into the prequel - The Dark Side of Science - or the Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts.

The prequel and the short stories can certainly be listened to as stand-alones, but they may be more enjoyable once the listener's already familiar with some of the characters.

Q: Where does this book fit in the series? What theme(s) make it special?
A: Malia’s Miracles follows up with Jillian’s sister, the empath. She can fill and tweak people’s emotions. This is the first time we get to see the children working together as a team to tackle a problem. That problem is cancer.

In the real world, science and technology are making great headway against the disease. I’m pretty sure I’ve even read articles about nanotechnology being employed on small scales. Here, I got to explore another near-future what-if as well as some of the ethical debates that would arise from even attempting a miracle like curing end-stage breast cancer."