There's no formular for writing a captivating story. What interests one person might bore somebody else. But I can at least tell you what I think is needed to keep people invested in your story.

1) Emotions

The last book I read was called Saving Noah. Not a lot happened in that book but it kept me invested because of the emotions of the main character.

The book centers around a mother who is horrified and upset because she just found out that her son molested these young girls that he was supposed to be teaching/helping and because of his actions her entire life is thrown upside down.

The book is an amazing page turner; not because of the action but because of the way her son's actions have affected her. We care about peoples struggles and want to see them be dealt with.

Your characters have to go through struggles in the middle of the book and emote.

2) Learning new information

If you want to get readers exited teach them something new. Tell them more about your world and characters. This could be through dialogue or careful exposition.

I love it when the book tells me more about the world because it makes it feel more real. Give us history, backstory and secrets. It makes the reader ask questions and if they have questions, they'll keep reading. 

3) She did what?

When something bad happens to the characters; or when a character does something bad; this will keep the reader on their toes. If everything seems to be going smoothly for them in every chapter, we won't want to turn the page. If the characters never make a wrong move or mess up,  the book is kinda boring. 

I'm not saying you should make your characters stupid or evil. They just have to have flaws and make mistakes sometimes. That way we know things wont always go right for them and we'll want to find out how they'll make their bad situations better or perhaps worse.

TO BE CONTINUED...