*ARC kindly given by @netgalley for my honest opinion.*

"Awaken" by Tanya Schofield is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Schofield's skillful storytelling and well-crafted plot twists create a suspenseful and immersive reading experience. With its fast-paced narrative and compelling characters, "Awaken" is a must-read for anyone craving a thrilling ride into the unknown.

I really enjoyed reading this book even though there is a cliffhanger ending (so, of course, I must read Book 2 now) ! I would recommend this book for those who enjoy fantasy. Tanya Schofield brings a believable story and you are immersed into the world wanting to know what's next. Even with multiple POV, I still see Melody as the main character and it was her story that kept me wanting to know more.

2 and a half stars

I don't even know... The most fitting to say about this book is, that it didn't give anything for me.

It's not a bad book. The world is interesting (or could be, if developed a bit more), there is real suspense in the story and Schofield writes beautifully, her writing is very enjoyable to read. But the book falls flat in a factor that's most important to me: characters. The characters of this book just aren't interesting at all and they don't grow close to your heart. Melody is weak and boring without a hint of any personality, the more important one of the brothers the same. I liked Kaeliph because he was the most unique of the bunch and then... well.

There was also an unexpected (okay, this isn't quite true, because I've read the reviews so I was expecting, but if you didn't know beforehand, it would be sudden) rape scene and it's very disturbing (which isn't, in itself, a fault), it just felt so out of place for some reason. I'm sort of curious where the story is going, but so far I couldn't really grip the actual conflict of this to-be-series.

I really enjoyed this book!

Melody, is a shy girl with magical abilities who is taken from the woods by her protector as royals who wish to harm her approach her home in the woods. As this protector brings her into the city and finds himself in harm's way, she meets two brothers also on the run, who are both vastly loyal and different from each other. Throughout the book, they seek to protect each other and evade those who wish to capture them.

While I found Melody's character to be a bit lethargic and boring, I loved the brothers. Jovan is big and brooding and protective. The more the book went on the more one falls in love with the depth of his character. His brother, Kaeliph, is also impossible to love. Persistent, devoted and always joking or flirting, he is just a fun character to who really adds to the story.

The book is very well written and I really enjoyed the author's writing. I will note, however, that some mature/traumatic content is involved. It is not especially detailed, yet I do believe it is a bit graphic for a YA book.

The end made me all sorts of upset. I'm hoping somehow that the sequel undoes some of the damage that the last chapter induced. Since it did end in a cliffhanger, I choose to have faith in the author helping undo some of the trauma of the end of this book, in her next. Her storytelling skills are exquisite and her writing really brought this fantasy story to life!

I can't wait to read the next book!!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!!! So thrilling, and fast paced!! Verx sexy and romantic and I strongly recommend this book.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this was a quick and fun read. The author does not drone on nor does she fall into this YA-auhtor pit of describing every character, landscape, tree, dog, thing–the story has a good pace and I finished it in one night.

The character's are great–I loved the brothers and how different they are from one another.

I'm not sure if I like Melody–it took the entire book for to become stronger. She was literally sick and exhausted the entire time! I love seeing female characters who are tough and badass! I wanted to see her embracing her magic more and taking ownership of her actions but I imagine how the book ended, she will do so.

What kind of bugged me was the end. There is a very violent scene that I felt was kind of unnecessary. I did not feel like it had to be thrown into the story and I know there is such a big debate nowadays with books labeled YA when they have mature contents, so I feel like if the author wanted to include the violent scene, she did not have to describe it and could have just implied it? I'm not sure if that's the best bet but I can see someone getting mad about the mature content.

Overall, I liked it! I will read the next one!

This is a wonderdul book the magic is intriguing and makes you want to finish climbing into the world, wonder adventure!!

Nice flowing introduction of the characters, Melody a witch girl whose only crime is existing, Jovan the large serious arena fighter, Kaeliph the cocky jokey fisherman swordsman and Calder the protector. Light hearted but builds quickly educating a naive innocent that knows nothing of the world beyond her sanctuary. Good plot, I like how you can immediately separate good from evil and the way Melody uses her magic. The ending being a sudden cliffhanger was a little annoying but it was a really good story and I’m looking forward to the next one.

The first in a new series, "Awaken" feels somehow both fresh and familiar. The main character, Melody, is a young woman trying to figure out her true identity after living in an isolated community for her whole life. Melody knows little of the people and customs that have existed outside the boundaries of her community; however, after discovering that she is not safe, she is forced to leave and venture into an unfamiliar world. Two brothers, also in danger, meet Melody and decide to work together to find refuge.

I enjoyed the world building and the thought-out back stories for the characters. The pacing of the story was also quick in a way that kept me interested but not lost. There are some scenes that shift to more secondary characters. In most books, I dislike this because in all honesty, I only really care about the main plot line. The author, Tanya Schofield, wisely kept these scene shifts brief so that the reader is more aware of some of the less important (but building in importance) story lines without getting bored.

The main character's ignorance and sheltered upbringing often made her seem weak and incapable of taking care of herself. Since this is going to be a trilogy, I am hoping to see Melody's constant need of able-bodied men to decrease while her own self-worth and power increases.

Note:
While this book was put into the "Teen" genre, vague descriptions of rape and some more detailed sexual scenes make this more of a YA book in my opinion.