Would anyone read this?
So I’ve had this book idea sitting in my head for months and I can’t tell if it’s actually interesting or if it just sounds cool in my own mind, so I figured I’d throw it here and see if anyone would actually read something like this.
Basically, it’s set in a modern day world(about our time frame) where people secretly have powers, but the public has no idea. Most people are born with the potential for abilities, but only a few ever unlock them through extreme life or death moments.
The main character is a 14–16 year old guy who seems pretty normal on the surface—kind of a nerd, into comics, awkward but not in a bad way. He doesn’t think he’s anything special at all.
That changes when his(MC) best friend gets caught in a fight with a mysterious attacker, and she’s about to die right in front of him. He(MC) can’t reach her in time, and in that moment something in him snaps. A massive invisible force erupts from him, knocking everything back and stopping the attacker long enough for him(MC) to save her. It’s the first time he’s(MC) ever shown any kind of power.
In this world, that kind of “awakening” usually happens under extreme emotional pressure or survival situations, so it’s not unheard of—but his case is different enough that people start paying attention to him(MC). But this whole situation would happen after what you are about to read next.
The big problem in this story is that a group called “The Fourth Seal” is actively hunting him(MC). No one really knows why, but they’re extremely dangerous. They’re made up of four individuals, each controlling a classical element: fire, water, air, and earth (plants, stone, sand, etc.).
The (MC) has two best friends who also have abilities but have been hiding them from him. One can manipulate color itself—like turning the spectrum into physical constructs, almost like hard-light rainbow-based creation on a molecular level, sorta similar to Atom Eve from "Invincible". The other has a more conceptual ability where he can basically manifest ideas into physical form.
They, along with a mentor who can control space/dimensions, help protect and train him while they try to figure out why he’s being targeted.
I’m aiming for something like Percy Jackson mixed with Avatar: The Last Airbender, but set in a more modern, slightly darker and more emotional urban world. Secret societies, cult-like groups, hidden history of powers going back generations, that kind of vibe.
One scene I keep imagining is the MC finding out his friends aren’t normal at all—like a calm conversation turns into a sudden attack near a lake, and both of them instantly switch into combat mode using abilities he didn’t even know existed, while he just stands there realizing his whole reality is completely wrong.
Anyway, I’m just wondering—does this actually sound like something people would read, or is it too “been done before”?