The Cast of Shadows

It’s 2032, and the world has new gladiators. The fighters in the United Federation of Mixed Fighting keep audiences entertained with brutal bouts of uninhibited violence. Each year at the annual culmination of the tournament, competitors fight to the death in the DOME.

Chicago teen Kirin Rise didn’t begin martial arts for the power or the glory. She fights for her family, her friends, and her city.

In this new young adult adventure, author and experienced martial artist Ed Cruz gives you a new heroine to root for. Under the tutelage of her teacher, Sifu, Kirin learns the rigorous mind-set and practice of Wing Chun Gung Fu, the only martial art style invented by a woman.

Kirin knows that she can serve as an inspiration to the people of Chicago, but powerful enemies will do anything to stop her from winning her next big fight.

The Shadows Unleashed

It is now 2033, and Kirin’s victory has given her global celebrity status. She can’t go anywhere without being mobbed by adoring fans. Kirin is happy that she has connected with the public but also wary of her newfound fame. It can turn on her in an instant.

People are looking for anything to distract them from the deteriorating conditions in America. Through their disillusions, the UFMF has become the largest corporation in the world. The head of the UFMF is busy perfecting a super-soldier serum that goes beyond ignoring pain.

At the same time, Kirin struggles with her family’s opinions about her fighting career and unanswered questions about her biological parents and their deaths in North Korea. Her mentor, Sifu, is dealing with trouble and trauma of his own. Fighting comes easy to Kirin, but matters of the heart are a different story!

The Shadows Within

Two years after shocking the world and becoming the UFMF champion, little has changed for the better. Kirin’s actions have placed her and her loved ones right in the crosshairs of those at the very top. However, little does she know the UFMF is not her only opponent, but only a piece of a shadow government that oversees all. Watanabe, the owner of the UFMF, and Thorne, the UFMF president, are both entrenched in their own plans leading into a head on collision with Kirin.Kirin has decided that the fight must be brought to them, but she can’t do it alone. A ragtag team made up of her closest friends is assembled to deal with an impossible task without the aide of her mentor, Sifu. The question is—will the battle between Kirin and UFMF find resolution in the ring?