Killa: A Mixtape Novella (Best Indie Book Award(R) Winner) - Hardcover

by Mario Moreno (Author)

Ayo, Muse, here's one for you:

BEST INDIE BOOK AWARD(R) WINNER - "A colorful and chaotic tale of success and betrayal... that will likely have readers nodding their heads as they read" -Kirkus Reviews (featured review) - "...features Moreno's signature style of crafting powerful and engaging stories" -Script Magazine

A fierce, genre-bending survival guide for creatives chasing the dream-and the demons that come with it.

Killa is a suspense-filled, hip-hop remix of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, told in the style of an epic rap.

For 23-year-old Melody Méndez, life is a verse trapped in a loop. Between mourning her abuelita and supporting her ailing mom, she's grinding through double shifts at a dead-end hotel in Central Florida. Her hopes, woven with rhythm and rhyme, are fading-until word of a rap battle hosted by her idol, King Heavy, ripple through her socials.

Seizing the chance, Mel races to Miami, where the contest unfolds at the infamous nightclub Valdemar-a condemned Art Deco theater with a haunted rep. As she steps onto the stage, Mel doesn't just face her rivals-she confronts a spectral presence.

And the spotlight she craves pulls her deeper into the shadows.

Will Mel find her voice without losing herself-or will her neon-lit odyssey become a cautionary tale whispered in the dark?

"It's as if John Carpenter wrote The Odyssey while blasting hip-hop.

A genre-bending descent into fear and flow." ★★★★★

"Moreno's use of vivid imagery and descriptive language makes it feel like a movie (with the best soundtrack)..." ★★★★★

"...a masterpiece with a Miami streets hip-hop poetic twist on a classic..." ★★★★★

"It doesn't take long for your eyes to begin dancing along to the words." ★★★★★

"...echoes of classics... ...a wizened heft that belies its modern references."-Kirkus Reviews