Riders (Series) by Veronica Rossi - 9/10

What will happen when four 18-year-olds suddenly develop supernatural powers that call them to guard the world against the forces of evil?

Gideon's whole world turns upside-down after a bizarre accident during a military training routine. Suddenly, he begins manifesting supernatural powers and meets a strange girl who explains that he has become one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in order to protect an artefact that has the power to reshape all of reality. They must travel to collect the other horsemen, avoiding the demonic forces out to get them, and attempt to master their newfound powers before it's too late.

The first book is narrated by Gideon as he tries to explain the gravity of the situation to military officials who swooped in and took him and his friends into custody after a destructive international incident. The story develops with an entertaining mix of suspense and humorous candor that will keep readers engaged throughout. There are also a wide variety of depictions of genuine friendships on display here, which is something that not all books capture well (though I thought the romantic subplot was less successful).

I was particularly struck by way Rossi wove together her creative fantasy with Biblical themes and a Christian worldview; her characters pray about their struggles and for their friends, reference the bible, and think about what God's existence means for their life and choices. I don't want to give anything away, but spiritual maturity portrayed in the resolution of the second book was masterful.

*The first book has a strong masculine feel - most of the characters are male, and the military and battle-focused dynamic contribute to that impression - but I found it to be more of a selling point to try to attract male readers than something alienating to female readers (as I fall into the latter category). The second book flips between two narrators, Gideon and a female character, and the setting of that book is very different from the first, both of which change how it comes across.