Augmented Celebrate Lit Tour {book review and giveaway}

About the Book

Book: Augmented

Author: Candace Kade

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Release Date: September 16, 2025

Lee Urban must win to survive.

After being sentenced to the banned list, half of the Asian Federation believes Lee Urban is a ticking time bomb that could end the world as they know it. They’re willing to do anything to erase her existence and silence her voice before she can take a stand.

There’s only one way to fight back: enroll in the Race to the Clouds. Winning the competition would garner global media attention and give Urban the coverage she needs to dismantle the enhancement programs. Unfortunately, it also happens to be the deadliest event of the year.

With less time to train than her rivals, Urban and her team must find a way to best the competition. But as enemies close in, riots erupt, and her homeland teeters on the brink of civil war, one thing is certain— she’s running out of time. Not just for herself, but for every Natural she represents.

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About the Author

Candace Kade is a recovering over-achiever who spends her time dreaming up stories typically involving tech, psychology, culture, and/or swords. She’s a certified Krav Maga assistant instructor and loves writing action-packed martial art scenes. A third culture kid, she considers Chengdu and OKC to be her homes.

When she’s not exploring new countries, she enjoys hiking in national parks, moving (again!), teaching her husband Mandarin, and keeping two baby humans alive. She can be bribed with boba tea, fluffy puppies, and breakfast tacos.

My Thoughts

Augmented is the final book of the Hybrid trilogy. I haven't read the first two. It might be a good idea to do that, though, to start the series from the beginning.

I'll admit that science-fiction is not one of my preferred genres. Also, I am obviously not a young adult (but I do enjoy some young adult fiction). I guess combining the genre, and that it's book 3 of a series, would explain why it was a little hard for me to get into the story. Once I did, though, I found it action-packed and moved swiftly.

I like the faith-based aspect of the story, that God can take the broken pieces of our lives and weave them together into something beautiful. I can relate, since I have many broken pieces in my life, and I can see that God is putting them together again. I want all of my life to bring Him honor and glory.

This is a story that I am sure my grown kids would probably enjoy. If you enjoy Christian science fiction or YA fiction, you'll certainly want to add Augmented, and the rest of the series, to your TBR list.

I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own.

More from Candace

Have you ever broken a cherished possession?

I have. It was my porcelain mug that I bought while traveling through Ireland. The trip was so special and that cup always brought me happy memories as I sipped tea from it.

My husband tried to fix it for me, but the mug is not the same. It now sits tucked in the back of our cupboards too broken to be used but too precious to be throw away.

Being broken doesn’t mean something—or someone—loses purpose.

In kintsugi, the Japanese art form that involves intentionally breaking tea ware, the fragments left over are pieced back together with golden filling. The final result is more beautiful than the original unblemished version ever could be.

The brokenness enhances the tea ware’s beauty.

In my novel Augmented, I wanted to draw a comparison between brokenness and beauty. Just like kintsugi takes broken pottery and turns it into something beautiful, my protagonist Urban faces her own transformation. She is hopeless and feels like she can’t pick up the shattered pieces of her life. But as she tries out for the world’s most deadly race, she learns that being broken doesn’t mean what she thinks it does.

The things that happen to us have a purpose. If we let the Creator finish His masterpiece (us) He’ll use the fragmented pieces of our lives to make a beautiful finished work of art.

Urban feels the same way, believing her brokenness defines her. But through trial and grace, she discovers what it means to be made new.

No one is too broken to be saved or redeemed.

I wrote this book for anyone who’s ever felt lost, hopeless, or broken. We can do all things through Him who gives us strength.