ISBN-13 : 978-0987846037
Released Aug 26, 2024
A queer psychic suspense by the author of SCARS.
Kate sees visions that could save others—but doing so could kill her.
Queer teen Kate sees psychic visions of the future and the past—but only when she’s having an asthma attack. Kate’s crushing on Desi, who takes her breath away—in a good way. When Kate “sees” her sister being beaten and Desi’s sister attempt suicide, she needs more visions to save them—but triggering her asthma could kill her. Kate’s tried to warn others before, and no one’s ever believed her. But this time might be different, because Desi and their family believe her. Can the two teens work together to save their sisters—and keep Kate alive?
Visions is a fast-paced, gripping tale of courage, love, and healing.
Find out why School Library Journal said about Cheryl Rainfield’s work “[readers] will be on the edge of their seats” VOYA said they write with “great empathy and compassion,” and CM Magazine said their work “can, perhaps, save a life.”
“With an unapologetically queer narrative, Rainfield’s Visions is a fast-paced adventure that will keep readers turning pages.”
-Paul Coccia, author of Cub, I Got You Babe, and The Player.
Why I Wrote Visions
In a world where there is increasing queerphobia and transphobia, I think it is so important to be visible, to have positive queer representation. My main characters in Visions are lesbian and nonbinary lesbian; I don’t think there are enough queer books out there, and especially not enough with lesbian and nonbinary lesbian characters. We all need to know that we’re not alone, and to have our experiences reflected back to us. As a nonbinary lesbian, this is especially important to me.
I also wrote from a place of understanding trauma and the effects of trauma, including mental health issues. I’m an abuse and trauma survivor with resulting mental health issues.
There’s also a thread of loving books in Visions, and banned books, which I especially care about; my book SCARS has been banned so many times by extremists, even though it has saved lives. Books can make such a healing difference, and we should all have the freedom to read.
There are strong girl and nonbinary characters in Visions, trauma and healing, and, as with every book I write, hope.
VISIONS Is Written The Way I Wanted It To Be - Finally
When I first wrote VISIONS it was called PARALLEL VISIONS -and it was a different book. A trusted publishing professional told me after I got SCARS published that I wouldn’t get more books published if my main character was queer. And then when I published STAINED, my publisher told me I couldn’t write a full-length paranormal YA because it would compete with them. So Parallel Visions wasn’t what I wanted it to be.
That was years ago. I decided to rewrite Parallel Visions to be queer main characters, and full length, the way I wanted it to be–and that’s VISIONS. Kate, the main character, is a teen lesbian who sees visions of people in trouble, but only when she has an asthma attack, and her love interest, Desi, is a nonbinary lesbian who fiercely loves their family.
Both Kate and Desi love books, and there’s a discussion of banned books in VISIONS, since my book SCARS has frequently been banned in the US, and since book banning has dramatically increased since the pandemic, with mass book banning silencing queer, Black, brown, Indigenous, mental health, and survivor voices.
Where To Buy Visions
Praise
“With an unapologetically queer narrative, Rainfield’s Visions is a fast-paced adventure that will keep readers turning pages.”
–Paul Coccia, author of Cub, I Got You Babe, and The Player.
Reader Reviews:
Cheryl Rainfield has done it again! Visions is a beautifully written, compelling, and suspenseful novel that left me desperate for the next chapter. I already loved the world creation in the original version of this text but Rainfield’s rewrite draws the reader into the world in a deeper way – in part because the author so clearly brought more of who they are into the book. I did not want to put this book down, I was invested in the different threads of protagonist Kate’s life: her budding love with one character, her desperation to save two others, and the advocacy for survivors of abuse throughout.
This YA book delves into complicated topics with care and kindness which allows readers of all ages to learn about the complicated nature of trauma in a clear way while maintaining the suspense and energy of the storylines. I highly recommend this book to others who enjoy YA, suspense, paranormal, and stories of budding queer love. 10/10 would recommend. –Casey Anne Brimmer
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Kate, a teenager, has debilitating asthma which threatens her life but also elicits second sight. She has a contentious relationship with her older sister, Jenna, who feels ignored, unloved and jealous of their mother’s chronic attention to Kate and her asthma. Besides being chronically ill, Kate is queer, bullied at school, but she has a joyfriend, Desi.
Kate’s visions warn her of people in danger. She sees Jenna, being beaten to death by her husband, Mason, and Desi’s sister, Inez, considering suicide by overdose after being viciously raped and shamed on social media.
But Kate can’t change the outcome of her visions; she tries warning people, but they don’t believe her. She must find a way to control her visions without jeopardizing her life, save Jenna from her abusive husband and save Inez from herself. If that wasn’t hard enough, she has to save herself from Mason, who wants to kill her.
VISIONS by Cheryl Rainfield is a vivid, emotional, suspenseful story and also one of family, love, compassion and forgiveness.
* * *
I adored this book so much! It was written well, and the plot was excellent. The characters were top-notch. You can see the heart and soul that went into writing this. The flow and pacing were perfect. I love the suspense and visions. You can feel the emotions from the characters. This book touches on tough topics but was done perfectly and tastefully. I can gush but there would be spoilers. I can not wait for the next book.
* * *
I really enjoyed this book! I think the author brought in a lot of hard topics that aren’t easy to discuss and may be shocking for some readers to read. However the author branched into these topics very thoughtfully. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Author Note
This novel has strong queer and nonbinary teen characters with paranormal powers who fight to save others, heal, and love. They also face various forms of trauma—domestic abuse, rape, queerphobia, and generational trauma—the way many teens do today, and the way I did myself; our society is white supremist, misogynist, and queerphobic. But I believe there is hope and strength in our healing and working together, the way my characters do.
My books are my voice, and my way to encourage healing. I believe when we talk about trauma and abuse, and our healing from it, it can help others heal and find their voices, and encourage greater empathy for both themselves and for others. I’m a nonbinary lesbian and cult torture and rape survivor who’s had asthma but not as badly as the main character. I’ve drawn on some of these experiences as well as my healing, inner strength, and hope for a better world. If you need to put the book down, you can always come back to it when you’re ready. If you need support, please check out the resources on my website.
I hope you feel seen in this book, and that you see your own strength and healing. Take good, gentle care of yourself.
Content Note
I know how important it can be to know potentially triggering content before you read a book.
Please be aware: This book contains content that some people may find triggering, including: partner abuse; mention of rape; attempted murder; attempted suicide; queerphobia; cyber bullying; and asthma.
Book Goodies
Want to create your own mini Visions ornament? You can use it for a dollhouse, jewelry, or just because you like miniature things. Right click to download the printable template, and you can also read more detailed instructions and download other mini books of mine in both Word and PDF.
A PDF list of the banned books mentioned in VISIONS. Right click to download PDF or MS Word document.
Banned books is a discussion in VISIONS, since my book SCARS has frequently been banned, and extremists continue to mass ban books by queer, Black, brown, Indigenous, mental health, and survivor voices.
If you want to help fight against book banning and censorship, I hope you’ll vote at school board elections for candidates that believe in the freedom to read, write your politicians, sign petitions, and report when a book has been banned in your local school or library. You can find resources to help you here.
This banned book sticker includes books that were mentioned in VISIONS that have frequently been banned, including my own book SCARS.
You may print this image for classroom or personal use, but not for sale or mass distribution. Right click to save as.
