Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>Prophecy Awakened</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>Prophecy Awakened</i> by Tamar Sloan is a spellbinding young adult fantasy novel that introduces readers to a world of magic, intrigue, and romance. The novel follows protagonist Eden as she discovers her hidden powers and grapples with the weight of destiny.

<h4>The Details</h4>

Sloan's world-building is rich and immersive, drawing readers into a realm filled with ancient prophecies, powerful sorcery, and warring factions. The novel is brimming with vividly rendered settings and captivating imagery.

At the heart of the story is Eden, a relatable and compelling protagonist at a journey of self-discovery. As Eden learns to harness her newfound abilities and navigate the treacherous politics of her world, she must also confront the secrets of her past and the role she is destined to play in shaping the future.

One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its complex and multifaceted characters. Sloan populates her world with a diverse cast of characters who leap off the page with depth and nuance.

But perhaps the most compelling aspect of <i>Prophecy Awakened</i> is its exploration of themes such as power, duty, and sacrifice. As Eden grapples with the responsibilities of her heritage and the expectations placed upon her by others, she must confront the difficult choices that lie ahead and decide where her loyalties truly lie.

The novel also delivers plenty of action and suspense, with thrilling battle scenes and heart-pounding confrontations that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Sloan's prose is dynamic and engaging, with brisk pacing and plenty of plot twists to keep readers guessing until the very end.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>Prophecy Awakened</i> is a captivating story. With its richly imagined world, compelling characters, and epic storytelling, this is a novel that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series. Fans of fantasy and romance alike will find much to love in this thrilling and emotionally resonant tale.

By the time I was approved for this request, I had lost interest in reading it. I might pick it up one day, but for know I don't intend to.

I got to 78% and decided to DNF. I got this book from NetGalley for my honest review so here it is.

*1.5

Points:
Writing: 2/4
Characters: 1/4
Story: 1/4
Pacing: 1/4
Personal: 1/4
Total: 6/20

I really enjoyed this book in the beginning. It wasn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever read but it kept my attention and I was thoroughly enjoying it. It was a 3-3.5 star read at that point. But then it just kept going. It seemed to greatly focus on the fact that the boy was saving the girl from herself. I personally don’t like those stories very much anymore. I probably would have loved this was I was younger, though. But right now, it’s a DNF with a 1.5 star/6 point rating for me.

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a entertaining Teen Fantasy which just seemed to fly past.
The only reason it does not get 5 stars is I felt the ending was weak.
Still I will certainly be reading the next in the series.

I love fantasy and romance stories, but usually shy away from anything mentioning vampires or werewolves. This story sucked me in and I wasn't even bothered that werewolves were a major part of the story. Eden is the heroine of this story and probably my favorite character. She is befriended by a group of werewolves and what an unlikely match! Meat eaters and a vegetarian, who wants nothing more than to protect animals. This story is full of romance and mystery. A great read for fans of fantasy and werewolves!

I usually stay away from shapeshifters. They are one of few paranormal creatures I just don't like, especially after reading Shiver...

This book may sway that opinion.

It is story of Eden, wounded girl, that can't wait to escape to college away from her cold mother and Noah, who spent two years felling like a failure. Narrative switches between two of them. That kind of writing usually gives me whiplashes, but it worked with the story. Both have secrets to keep and both fell attraction to one another. They just work together, they help each other in more ways than one, all through the book. I really like secondary characters too.

There is just something about this book, that is quite magical. It is not story, or the characters itself, it just all worked together. It was gripping from the start, you just can't wait to discover all of their secrets.

I really liked it and read it in one sitting.

Highly recommend it!

The full official review will be posted on my blog, The Bookshelf Corner (https://thebookshelfcorner.wordpress.com), and on my Goodreads page (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/42437689-christina) on Friday, June 2.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clean Reads, and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with a e-copy to read and review. Prophecy Awakened is a new book recently released April 25, 2017 and is now available for purchase in e-book format. I received an e-copy after its initial publication.

This book was everything and then some - perfect for a paranormal romance-loving, wolf-obsessed, hopeless romantic like myself! One of my new favorite books ever and of 2017.

Tamar Sloan is a talented writer. Her writing is so wonderful, modern, lyrical, flowing and youthful. She puts together interesting and engaging details and descriptions that I can only hope to achieve with my own writings.

Prophecy Awakened has likable characters readers will love getting to know and just the right amount of romance. This story earned extra brownie points before it even began as it involves wolves (my spirit animal). Not to mention the cover is so pretty.

Eden was my favorite character as I could see much of myself in her. She's brave and smart and quick-witted. But overall, she is a perfect protagonist to help tell this story. I loved the two dogs, Stash and Caesar. They're so cute and playful and loyal; they're everything I love about dogs in general. I also liked that though you only get Eden's and Noah's POV, Mitch (Noah's younger twin brother) and Tara (Mitch's girlfriend) aren't pushed to the background. You get to know and love them just as much as Eden and Noah.

As much as I loved this story there were still a few things that rankled me a little. There were one too many repeated phrases or similar descriptions of the same thing, most notably the word "heat" and its variant tense-spellings. Also, two things happened in the story that would warrant an immediate investigation due to the significance but it seemed like none of the immediate characters seemed to want to try to find the truth of the matter. It's almost like they forgot about it or wanted to forget about it entirely. Why, I have no idea.

I like the things the author has done to differentiate her wolves from other books with wolves - for example, the shifting process, the size of the wolves. But it felt like there was some lack of strength of presence, something missing I can't quite pinpoint. Perhaps it's just apart of them blending in with the human populace. Perhaps I'm just used to this wild strength that I've seen in other books involving wolves. But what is undeniable is the lovely sense of community and family you get from them.

Whatever issues I had with the story were far outweighed by my overall enjoyment of it. I was so engrossed in the story that I was reluctant and sad each time I had to put it down to go do something else. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Prophecy Awakened was awesome to read and is a great YA novel to have on your bookshelf and TBR list

Blog Tags: book reviews, characters, Clean Reads, fiction, NetGalley, new book releases, paranormal romance, reading, writing, Xpresso Book Tours, young adult

Actual Rating: 3.5

The shortest possible way to sum up this review is simply, I liked it. Prophecy Awakened is a nice, quick read involving werewolves and a love story.

Eden St. James is a girl who's always been the outcast at all the schools she's transferred to because of her abilities with animals. She's also one of those girls who doesn't find herself to be anything special or attractive. Her home life isn't the best, and when she's moved to Jacksonville, Wyoming, all of that changes. Honestly, I feel like I've read this character a million times over, but Sloan made me not mind it quite as much as I normally would have.

Noah Phleorn is (or was) meant to become the Alpha of his pack once his father retired. However, at the age of sixteen, when his twin brother and him were meant to change... he never did. The Alpha training is then transferred to his brother, and Noah has felt a bit "incomplete" ever since. At least, until Eden St. James comes to town and they meet for the first time. Again, he's more or less a character I've read a bunch of times in a scenario that I've read a million times more.

There is a major case of "insta-love" directed in this book. Eden and Noah no doubtly are meant to be together by whatever strange universe beings exist in Sloan's world. But you know what? This is one of those stories where I didn't mind it half as much as I had thought I would. I've read quite a few books recently were there's talk of "mates" and "bond" with those who either need an instalove situation, or some lame excuse to get a pairing together that probably wouldn't have had a way to get together in the first place. In this story, though, Eden felt that connection, but tried with all her might to ignore it and Noah, in fear of getting hurt after having heard and seen her mother behave and act after the disappearance of her father when she was born. I've read a few reviews prior to finishing that talked about how there was little romance or only hints of it. I"m not sure if my definition of romance is different, but there was more than I had been excepting. Thankfully,though, it was kept innocent enough for the "young adult"genre.

The characters in Prophecy are fun, and likable. There are a few of them that are a bit one dimensional. A few of them are just there for the sake of being there. Everyone is instantly willing to befriend and like Eden with very few questions asked. (After having been a new girl twice in two different schools, I wished I had this problem. Sadly, I was ignored and forever left to be a hermit with my books. But I digress.) Only two people really seem to have a problem with Eden within the whole story: her mother, and Kurt Channon.

I mentioned before about a "mate" or "bond" connection, and while this story doesn't actually go into it or call it by those names for Eden and Noah, it is heavily implied. They are occasionally able to feel the emotions of the other even while miles apart.. I might have normally felt an annoyance with this, but I was more impressed with Sloan not going down the route of having Noah being so overbearingly protective and obsessive over Eden, that I can let it slide. And while Noah does think an awful lot about Eden, it feels more natural in the way she writes it, especially considering that it seems like she's the first girl that he's ever really been interested int. (C'mon, you know you've had those crushes where all you did was think about them always and doodle their names with little hearts on your assignments.)

There are a few things that I disliked. One of them being that there is a slight bit of predictability in the plots. I found myself unsurprising at a few things that came up, involving "twists'. This can be the lowest offense as it didn't distract me from enjoying the story as a whole. Another thing was that some of the slang used in the dialogue made it feel a bit dated. (I don't think I've actually heard anything seriously say "totes" since, maybe 2006.) It made of some it feel outdated and out of place. Kind of like that PTA mother trying to be hip wit hthe kids, you know? Also , some of the dialogue felt very unrealistic. I can't take too much off of that because I know that dialogue is one of the worst things to ever right, and I absolutely suck at it. But it did pull me out of the story a little bit. I also wasn't a fan of some of the descriptions used for some of the scenes. I felt like I was better off not having to know the layout of the cafeteria as it didn't make too much of a difference whether I did or not.

Another thing I had found a bit irksome as some of the pacing. While overall, it wasn't too much of a problem, I felt like there were something things that happened at the 3/4 mark that could have happened a lot earlier. Even things with only 10% left in the story could have been moved forward. Or having even saved it for another book entirely. Also, I'm still unsure of what this prophecy that awakened is. As none of it was really mentioned and both the title and the summary I believe had mentioned something ab out it. Perhaps it will be a concept in the next book, but it would have been nice to introduce it in the first book.

At the end of the day, even with the things i didn't like about it, it was a fun story. I was so excited when I found out it was actually about werewolves. (I love werewolves.) I really enjoyed the way Sloan wrote them and brought together the world for them. Odds are that I will pick up the next book to find out more about this mysterious Eden and her father, and see what happens with Noah and everyone.

For anyone who doesn’t like or needs a break from highly detailed sex scenes then you’ll want to check this out; a YA novel where romance is implied but there aren’t any scenes with ‘graphic’ or heavily described sex scenes.

Tamar Sloan wrote a brilliantly impassioned story that flowed movingly from the first chapter. She grabs you in with great writing and characters that no reviewer can do justice in describing and she fervently proves that you don’t need an ‘R’ rating set up to create a splendid story.

Allowing the story to unfold from different perspectives gave the reader a wider understanding of where Sloan wants to take you on this journey through family dynamics and young love. It all culminates in a great cliffhanger that will leave you looking forward to the next in this series.

Thank you for my opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, I couldn't get on very well with it and won't be able to finish it. Thank you again!

4.5/5

An eARC of this book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The genre of this book is one of my favorites, so I’m not surprised to see that I really enjoyed it. It’s really nice the way the story is woven by switching the point of view of each chapter – one with Eden and the next with Noah – in a way that only made the story more interesting.

By doing this, you can see their bond shaping and becoming stronger. It’s visible how they feel each other and for each other. (Confusing? The bond is interesting, to say the least) But that is not all. This story isn’t only about a werewolf bond. It’s also about the strange powers that Eden has.

She can do some interesting and perplexing things.

Synopsis: “On the first day of her new school all that shy, wounded Eden wants is to finish her senior year and escape to college. It can’t be too much to ask for, can it?
Noah has spent two years not knowing why he failed to come of age as every one of his ancestors has. Two years drifting aimlessly, searching for direction…
When the two meet the connection is instantaneous and undeniable. A connection that has Eden running and Noah burning to know more.
A connection destined to be the catalyst for a prophecy that neither knew existed. A prophecy others are willing to kill for.
As families rupture and struggle to realign, as their hearts connect and ignite, Eden learns to trust. But with their love and life on the line, Eden must find the power to believe.
Prophecy Awakened is the first book in Tamar Sloan’s Prime Prophecy Series. If you enjoyed Stephanie Meyer, Lauren Kate or Maggie Stiefvater, then you’ll love a series that captures their best traits in an epic, captivating story of a love that defies boundaries.”

It is captivating, isn’t it? I didn’t know what kind of supernatural beings were in this book until a few chapters in. And honestly, it was the not knowing, and the boredom caused by the first couple chapters that made me apprehensive as well as elated. apprehensive because I wasn’t sure what I was reading, exactly. Elated because it was something that I always enjoyed reading, and it didn’t disappoint.

It was magnificently written, and the story was really well planned. There are some “what is this?” moments that I believe will be answered in the next book, and if not, It will only cause a huge mess. Well, it was a good book, and I will read the sequel when it is published, but there is a chance that it won’t be that good. Why? I’m not sure, I just have a feeling. Ridiculous, right? But I hope that I’m wrong.

I requested to review this book from NetGalley as I was intrigued by the synopsis and cover. The story follows a reclusive teenager named Eden who feels a strong deep connection to a boy named Noah who also feels the same strong mutual attraction. Judging by the first 15 chapters, I thought this was going to be a story about soul-mates and fate, but it turned on me when it became yet another teen werewolf romance novel. I felt the title and synopsis were deceiving because they did not even hint at a supernatural creature romance, which is clever marketing on the publisher’s behalf, as the market is saturated with this genre. To be honest, if I had known this was going to be a werewolf romance, I would not have asked to review it as I do not like or have any interest in reading those types of novels. I do appreciate how descriptive the author was in describing the attraction between the two main characters, it pulls you in, reminding the reader of their first love, when you can't stop thinking about your crush. With that being said, I do think that it was slow paced, and the first person perspectives seemed a little outrageous at times, but for a teen romance novel, I can respect this style of writing. Considering it was a predictable storyline, I do think the author had a missed opportunity to perhaps go in a different direction. There was no indication in the first 15 chapters that this was going to be about werewolves, so I think she could have introduced some other supernatural concepts that might have surprised the reader in a more delightful and creative way. I do have to say that the story picked up towards the end and had an interesting way of drawing the reader in.

If you are a reader who enjoys the supernatural teen YA genre, than I do recommend The Prophecy, but if you’re like me, looking for something a little deeper and thought provoking, then I would pass on this book.

This novel was a good read and better than I anticipated it to be. The story alternates in first person between the two main characters. I enjoyed seeing the perspective from each, since sometimes it is difficult to understand what the characters are thinking. The plot started off slow, but then picked up. There is romance, action, and werewolves!!
Eden St. James has moved around due to her mother's job. She avoids people and has a difficult relationship with her mother. Eden has an ability that seems to calm animals. She has volunteered at the vet and wants to become a veterinarian. At the high school she begins to attend, people welcome her, but she is afraid to get close to anyone.
Noah Phelan is a werewolf who has not had his transformation. He has a twin, Mitch, who had his transformation and is training to be the Alpha, even though Noah is supposed to be the next Alpha. Mitch does not want this responsibility but since Noah has not transformed yet, he is in this position. When Noah meets Eden, he wants to be near her, but she won't let anyone close. He tries several different things to get her to open up. The first part of this novel is Eden and Noah getting to know each other and Eden trying to come out of her shell.
Noah transforms when he feels that Eden is in trouble. He has a special connection with her that he cannot explain. Eden sees Noah transform from a white wolf to his human form. She is not scared and accepts him. This event changes things between them.
However, there is someone who wants to keep them apart and will do anything the is necessary. When Noah is shot at and then a short time later, his father, they realize trouble has been brewing. When the Alpha of another pack wants his daughter to bond with Noah, it has dangerous repercussions. Noah does not want to end his budding relationship with Eden to bond with his brother's girlfriend. Eden knows that the pack comes first and cannot be around Noah. Noah realizes he needs to make a decision. This decision has consequences for everyone involved. For someone wants to rule over both packs and will set things into motion that cannot be stopped. The ending has an interesting cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the next book to see where the author is heading with this discovery!!