J. S. Torres
Epic fantasy · written for the kids who say they hate reading
Book One
A boy, his friends, and a darkness older than the mountains — and the one fear he can’t outrun.
Laik never set out to save the world. He set out to help his grandparents.
But an ancient evil is waking, and the darkness it spreads is already reaching the edges of everything he knows. To stop it, Laik and his friends must survive deadly creatures, impossible choices, and the fear that they may not be strong enough to save the world — or each other.
Along the way they uncover forgotten kingdoms, ancient legends, and the mystery of the Bloodstone.
A classic epic fantasy in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia — as much about growing up, and about facing what waits at the end of everything, as it is about saving the world.
“Death comes to us all.” Those were words his Grandmother had once told him, and a phrase that had haunted him since he was a child.
The first lines of The Bloodstone
Why this book exists
I wrote this for the kids who say they hate reading.
I’m a teacher. Every year I meet students who’ve already decided books aren’t for them — because most of what gets handed to them is dry, dense, and slow.
So I wrote the kind of book I wanted to put in their hands. Fast. Clear. Always moving. I cut the long descriptions that lose them and left the story.
Then I gave it to my students.
It worked. They finished it. They asked what happens next.
— Jack
Ages 10+
Recommended range
Grade 5–6
Reading level
219 pages
Paperback · 5 × 8 in
What readers are saying
“Just received it yesterday and already a book I can’t seem to put down for too long. My 12 year old is intrigued with just reading the back cover and seeing what adventure this book seems to bring. He’s excited to read it as well.”
“Bloodstone is not only a great fantasy read, but also a great coming of age story. Amazing adventure and emotions in this book — a great read for many age ranges.”
The boy, the leaf, and the tree
A grandson who only wanted to help. A stone with a history no one living remembers. A tree that was old before the kingdoms were.
More about the world of the Bloodstone soon.
About the leaf
There’s a single leaf on the cover of this book, falling between the branches of the Tree of Old.
Two weeks before she passed, my grandmother gave me a flower. She was joking when she asked me to keep it as long as I could.
I still have it. Twenty-eight years later.
That’s where this story started.
What’s next
The Sandlot meets professional wrestling.
A coming-of-age story about a group of kids who build their own backyard wrestling federation — and find family, purpose, and courage in it.
It’s the closest thing to a true story I’ve written.
In progress
Be first to read it →For schools & libraries
Bring the book into the classroom.
Jack is a working teacher, and this book was written and tested with real students. He’s available for classroom visits, library events, and reading assemblies — in person in Florida, or by video anywhere.
Request a visit
Tell us your school, grade level, and rough dates. Jack replies to these himself.
Notes from Jack
All notes →Teaching
The kids who said they hated reading finished my book
Nobody told them books weren’t for them. They worked it out on their own.
May 2026
Craft
What I cut, and why
There is a version of this book with three more pages of mountains in it.
April 2026
Publishing
This book exists because the people who love me decided it should
Money almost stopped me. Not the writing, not doubt — money.
March 2026
Be there when Book Two lands.
No spam, no schedule, no noise. Just a note from Jack when there’s something worth reading.
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