Zodiac Defenders: Virgo Rising: An Astrology Fantasy Trilogy Paperback – March 20, 2026

Astrology meets Naruto in this first installment of the thrilling new trilogy Zodiac Defenders. For adult readers who enjoy a anime-style fantasy story that’s fast paced and character driven.Zodiac Defenders: Virgo Rising is a New Adult Urban Fantasy novel with the soul of an anime. Think Children of Blood and Bone meets Naruto with astrology being the core.Serenity Rice a 28-year-old woman, has a terrifying, apocalyptic dream of a mysterious genocidal 13th zodiac sign. Afterwards her and 11 others are blessed with powers based on their zodiac sign. She is tasked to defeat the 13th. She is now stuck between not wanting to be a hero while forced to be the savior of Drokeo Bay.Zodiac signs are not horoscopes, they are living, breathing entities in Drokeo Bay with power. Serenity (28) desires nothing more but order without chaos. Typical Virgo. However…When a dream shows her the genocidal evil that is Argasis the 13th, she must kill him before he executes his one sign repopulation utopia comes to fruition. Failure is a road that leads to death and the loss of her loved ones, all because her and 11 others are vessels for the zodiac signs.Can she really slay Argasis and not lose herself in the zodiac war? Or was her fate already written at birth by the stars above?You'll love this book if you like these book tropesReluctant chosen oneFound familyZodiac-based magic systemSibling rivalryElemental battlesDivine training realmCorrupt kings13th forbidden zodiacWhat To ExpectA 28 year-old heroineNamed techniques, transformations, and battles you can see in your mindA magic system based completely on astrology, zodiac housesFound family banter, sibling drama, with a little romanceBlack main characters that are central to the storyHumor that balances the action. Even in dark moments characters laughWhat This Isn't: This isn't traditional fantasy. There are no elves, dragons, faes. Not slow burn where 300 pages of the book is the world explained before anything happens. If you want formal, Tolkien-style dialogue, this is not a fit.If you want anime-inspired energy, characters that joke like real friends and a female protagonist that has to face herself to save the world... welcome to Drokeo Bay.A note from Jermaine Bell Jr.If you're reading this, you're probably her because traditional fantasy wasn't doing it for you. Same here.Zodiac Defenders is my love letter to to my favorite anime growing up as a kid, my interest and fascination with astrology, growing up in the south as a young black kid, and stories where found families save each other through love, laughter even at the most random times.The dialogue: These characters joke around, tease and talk smack during battles. That appealed to me in my favorite shows and it's a key ingredient in my work. This series does not lean to the regular serious fantasy speech with an omnipresent narrator or characters that sound serious 24/7 (even though they're plenty of serious moments). If you're looking for characters that feel like people who you'd want to hang out with, pull up and enjoy.Thank you for giving Zodiac Defenders a chance. Drokeo Bay is waiting. So is Serenity. Read more