Awen Rising

What a wonderful example of urban fantasy! This is a futuristic world after we have run Earth even further into the ground that we have already, with catastrophic results. In this novel, we see a little bit of our own potential fates, combined with a wonderfully rich mythological culture. The druid lore lends itself to the most creative and detailed kind of 'secret society' on earth. I found myself hoping this could be a reality and the druids could help pull us out of the mess we have made! At first, the reptilian demons in the UnderEarth that use technology set me back a bit, but I found them a very sinister adversary (in a good way!). The complex relationships and development of the characters will keep you intrigued and the revelations of the lore as Emily discovers more about her true self are delightful. I am looking out for the next one in the series!

It took me some time to come up with this review. One of the reasons is the complexity of the story. It has so many layers that I was confused from time to time.

Description
The year is 2042 and Earth is in serious trouble. There are earthquakes, tsunamis all over the world. Darkness is coming. An ancient reptilian race wants to conquer the world. Only one person can stop them: Awen.
Emily moved to California after she’d lost her fiancé and her job. On top of that someone is after her. So she is in serious need of a new identity and a new place to hide. When she gets a phone call from a lawyer out of the blue, she finds out her father is alive and wants to meet her. But she finds out other things too: she is Awen, the grand druid who must save the world. Will she succeed?

Main character
Emily goes through some serious changes as the story goes. At first she is a depressed, scared woman who has nothing left to lose. She just lost her job and her fiancé and to top that she is alone and lonely. But after a phone call, her life changes and she changes with it. As she start to discover her past and her new life, she starts to become strong, confident and powerful. I wasn’t sure I liked her at first but my opinion started to change as well.

Supporting characters
Lugh MacBrayer is a kind and sweet guy, Emily and him has a connection instantly.
Shalene the witch gave me the creeps. She is a horrible, selfish, crazy woman who always gets what her wants.
Nergal is one of the reptilians. He is also a negative character but a truly intriguing one. He looks horrifying, acts like it too.
Hope and Cu are a cat and dog respectively. They are cool and loyal.

World-building
The story is set in the near future but the planet is being devastated by disasters. Big parts of the United States is gone completely or under water. What makes this even more terrible is the fact that this is something that could happen in our lifetime.
What was really great was the UnderEarth, where the reptilian race lives. They have their own society, even technology which is pretty awesome.

Writing style
Apart from some parts and some conversations which were a little confusing, this is a well-written book. When I got the hang of it, the story became easier to follow, easier to understand. There are lots of characters, too many I think. The pacing was a little off and took some getting to but O. J. Barré sure knows how to spin a tale because despite of these issues I enjoyed this book.

Ending
Okay, I know this is the first book in a trilogy but end it like this? I loved it and hated it at the same time.

I received an ARC from BooksGoSocial and O. J. Barré through NetGalley, thank you for my copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, the usage of druid lore and magic was very appealing to me. I found myself wanting more out of the story though. Even though this story was long it included a ton of parallel character point of views. Some of the dialogue was confusing but I felt that it was justified in the story.

I have recieved a free electronic copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, the usage of druid lore and magic was very appealing to me. I found myself wanting more out of the story though. Even though this story was long it included a ton of parallel character point of views. Some of the dialogue was confusing but I felt that it was justified in the story.

Awen Rising is the first book in a trilogy by O.J. Barré. Released 26th July 2019, it's 353 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a well written and engaging near-future urban fantasy written in parallel timelines and third person pov. The author draws very heavily on druidic lore and archetypes and good vs. evil in the form of protagonist Emily who is heir to the heritage of Awen and an unwitting force in a coming war for the survival of humanity.

The book doesn't read like a debut effort, it's quite a long book full of grand conflict and well drawn characters both human, animal, dragon, etc. The world building is detailed and complex and immersive. That being said there are some issues with the dialogue and I found myself yanked out of the story by continuity problems occasionally as well as unnecessary inter-character drama. For readers who are offended by sexual content or language, the book contains both. I didn't find it egregious in either case, but it's something of which to be aware if that's an issue.

This is a diverting read and would be a good choice for lovers of the genre. Four stars.

I was unable to download my books from Netgalley for approximately two weeks. As far as I know this was some kind of technical failure on they're part, which they were able to correct shortly (within four to five days) after they received my help request, and I am now able to obtain my downloads. So I'm sincerely hoping you will be able to give me access to download them now. Thank You.

This is the kind of book that hooks you right from the start and holds on the whole time. The world building is fantastic. I really liked how the main character evolved throughout the story. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Magic, romance, intrigue. What more could you want?

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I enjoyed the start of the series. i hope there is more in the series.