Consumed: Audio Book

Initial Thoughts:

I approached this book with little expectation; at first, I hesitated as the narrator’s voice took a moment to settle. Once the story hit its stride, however, it instantly captured my attention with its fast-paced narrative and unexpected twists, making me eager to see where the plot would lead.

Nahia emerges as a fascinating character whose carefully laid expectations are swiftly upended. Cast aside and forced to forge her own path, her journey adds emotional depth and a refreshing unpredictability to the narrative.

I admit I initially worried the story might follow a familiar, predictable pattern. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the bursts of action and unforeseen developments that kept me thoroughly engaged.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book as the perfect stand-alone fantasy for anyone looking to break out of a reading slump. Its unpredictable plot and immersive world-building offer a captivating escape into an entirely unique adventure.

Deeper thoughts

One of the main aspects that I loved about this book was its exploration of social structure. It opens with a portrayal of a complex, matriarchal tribe where Nahia is initially destined to become the lead woman—until circumstances change when she is cast aside because her mother's frustration with her challenging, assertive voice. Even though the society is ruled by women, which might suggest a liberation from patriarchal influence, it’s revealed that underlying patriarchal ideologies are still very much in play. This creates a nuanced and layered image of the tribe, defined by rigid gender norms where women lead and men are designated as hunters, constantly fuelling tension as Nahia finds herself torn between tradition and her own moral beliefs.

For example, while the women serve as the decision-makers and head figures, there’s a persistent, unspoken threat from the men; the tribe’s success hinges on the hunters' loyalty and the head woman's ability to keep them content. The stakes are raised further by the outsiders—depicted solely as men—who intrude upon the tribe’s land and are repeatedly shown to have to steal the tribe’s women, as they lack any of their own. This stark contrast between a seemingly matriarchal society and encroaching patriarchal forces adds an intriguing dynamic that challenges the established social order.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the palpable tension between the sisters. Nahia’s fiery rebellion against tradition, as she fights for her tribe’s survival, stands in direct contrast with her sister’s more conventional alignment with their mother’s views. Their conflict feels deeply real, especially when Nahia comes to understand that while her sister isn’t entirely wrong, she doesn’t have to follow in her footsteps. This respectful, non-confrontational divergence—where neither sister fully compromises—brings a refreshing sense of realism and complexity to their relationship.

On the flip side, the love interest’s relationship felt underdeveloped; there wasn’t enough buildup or tension before they got together, making it seem as though they came together out of sheer convenience rather than genuine connection. I also felt that the mother’s character, initially presented as a strong, imposing presence, faded too quickly, missing an opportunity for deeper exploration as the story progressed. That said, the world-building more than made up for these shortcomings. The rich interplay of spirits, spirituality, and Nahia’s growth into a proficient shaman creates an ever-engaging and realistic fantasy world without succumbing to heavy information dumps.

Thank you netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC, this has been an anticipated read for me.

I enjoyed the story and was engaged in the plot. The characters had depth and really carried the story. I love the lyrical way the author writes and the audiobook narrator captured that.

I’d like thank NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a audio and ECopy of this book. Forever thankful.
So, as you can see I gave this book a 2 star review based on what I read before dnfing. If this book interests you, please go read it. You could have a different opinion than me.
I just think this book wasn’t for me. It was pretty flat in terms of character development and story. I try not to waste time on books that don’t have me interested by the 10% mark but I gave this book a little grace. The narrator wasn’t the best in my opinion. It didn’t really lift this book out of its blandness.
Not a book for me but could be a book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, the narrator, and Emily Jones for the ALC.

As a longtime fantasy and thriller fan, I’ve dabbled in historical fiction, but this is my first foray into the prehistoric era — and what a refreshing change of pace it was. I highly recommend listening to or reading through the author's notes; Emily Jones is an archaeologist, and she grounded as much of the novel in fact as possible, which added a fascinating layer of authenticity.

I could easily see this being a hit with younger readers — middle school me would have absolutely devoured it. Comparisons to Adrienne Young (<i>Fable, Namesake, etc.</i>) feel very fitting, and this book also reminded me of Alice Hoffman’s YA works like <i>Green Angel</i> and The Foretelling</i> as far as novels that feature a young female MC finding their place in a rapidly changing world.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story set during a historically significant cultural shift known as the Neolithic Revolution; shifting to agriculture from hunting and gathering. My only critique is that the story lacked major conflict or high stakes; while the setting and premise were compelling, I never felt that "on the edge of my seat" tension. It read almost more like a comfort story — engaging, but low in suspense.

The audiobook narrator delivered a strong performance overall, although I did notice some occasional mic feedback that briefly pulled me out of the experience.

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

I've never read a book set this far back in the past... but now I kind of want to read more. This was set during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, so when Europeans were making the transition from being hunter-gatherer societies to settles agricultural ones.

Most of the book was dedicated to Nahia's spiritual journey as she becomes a Shaman. I didn't find this journey to be particularly riveting, but it was enough to keep me interested until the end. The last 25% was really about Nahia's resistance to her band becoming an agricultural society which I did find more interesting.

I wouldn't say that Nahia gives off main character energy, in fact none of the characters really stood out all that to me, but she was probably the most interesting character out of the cast.

I really appreciated the extras that Emily Jones added at the end of the book to explain the archeological context behind her story, and that small informative chapter alone makes me want to learn more about Mesolithic and Neolithic humans. Emily Jones is an actual archeologist, so I trust that her representation of these societies are accurate to our current understanding of them.

Would I recommend this? Maybe. You have to like slower-paced books and be able to tolerate more primitive thinking. These characters are thousands of years away from understanding the world the way we do in the common era, but it's an interesting perspective non the less.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

An imaginative and immersive prehistoric setting sits at the heart of this debut novel. At its core, Nahia is a story about setting—being grounded in a specific moment in both time and space— more so even than it is about any character or plot actions.

While I enjoyed being transported into a wholly different place than the one I inhabit, this focus also left me wanting a bit more from the arc of the book and the character development. I would’ve loved to read a longer story if it meant more happened with the shamanism and settlement storylines, particularly since the blurb markets it as an epic.

Separate from my reader view, the archaeologist in me, while thrilled to be immersed in this relatively unseen fiction setting, had to work hard to suspend disbelief at things like the sharp dichotomy of hunters and gatherers (which the author almost always uses in lieu of saying women and men). The recent studies I’ve read
/that have come up in my archaeology courses have shown division of prehistoric “hunter-gatherer” labor to be not so black and white. In addition, I also had trouble with what often felt like a guys vs. girls narrative in the non-shamanic/non-fringe parts of society. Men are depicted as competitive hunters who steal women and sexually assault them as an unquestioned standard. While this happened historically sometimes, I would’ve found it more interesting to bring to life prehistoric characters that had a bit more nuance, and I feel it would’ve helped readers feel closer to the ancestral past, and, in turn, the characters that the novel depicts. After all, there’s also plenty of archaeological and ethnographic evidence for tight-knit kin groups and cooperation between sexes amongst hunter-gatherer societies, which allowed them to succeed in sometimes incredibly harsh conditions.

In general, I appreciate the author’s ability to depict a place in time and space that might seem unfamiliar to most readers with acute detail and imagination. While I wanted a bit more action and character development this time around, I’ll certainly be tuning into the author’s future works.

Thank you to Holiday House and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is a story about a young womans journey of self discovery. Its beautifully written and we really get a sense of Nahia's life and culture in the first part of the book. We then get a sense of who Nahia truely is once she is sent away from the path she believed would always be hers.

I'm only giving the book a three star rating as I didn't feel like I connected to the characters on a deep level, even Nahia herself, felt distant somehow. I do also wish the story had focused more on her shaman training a bit more as it felt quite rushed.

The biggest disappointment for me however was how the story finnishes. Everyone else seems to get an ending that they're happy with, many of the characters fates are changed by the actions of Nahia, however we dont get told if Nahia herself finds happiness, whether she finds Eneko again or anything. It just ends with her going off to find him. After sticking with her and all she goes through throughout the story I just felt this was a really sad way to end it. I wanted her to find the life she so desperately craved and felt the abrupt ending without definate answers was a bit gutting.

A YA book 8000 years in the making.

I LOVED this book. It is the first time I’ve ever read a book that takes place in a prehistoric time period but dare I say, it won’t be the last. While this book is a work of fiction, I was fascinated by the world Emily Jones created. From the mysticism to the culture shift to the dynamic characters, every beat of this book has something special.

This audiobook had my lost in a long lost time and I LOVED IT!!!

It has been a while since I have loved a Historical Fantasy. This one right here needs all the love!!

This book is about a woman and her self doubts and lack of confidence. Everyone around her is telling her she is who she is and she can't see what everyone else sees. (Sorry I'm trying not to give away any spoilers.) This book was giving off so many different vibes it was so entertaining.

Magic
Old Spirits
Historical Fiction
Vikings Vibes
LOVE THE COVER!!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was super interesting to hear about the transition from hunting & gathering to agriculture from this perspective. I also enjoyed the family dynamics

Thank you so much to the publishers for granting me an audiobook ARC!

Nahia follows its titular character, a young woman in hunter-gatherer society during the rise of agriculture. After speaking out against her mother, the leader of her band, Nahia is exiled to become a shaman's apprentice, where she further learns medicine and about the native lands. When granted a vision of her mother and twin sister in danger, Nahia returns to her homeland to help them.

This book, as pointed out in the lengthy author's notes, was heavily researched. The author is an archaeologist! Living in Nahia's world in ancient northern Spain was very atmospheric.

In my opinion, the book struggled with being so character-driven. The story was about Nahia's internal journey and her relationships with her shaman lover and twin sister, without a lot of active plot. My preference to sustain this is some good prose, but the writing often felt choppy and clunky.

Overall, it was a fun read with a setting unique to all YA books I have read so far.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

Nahia is a fascinating YA debut filled with danger, love, history, and a captivating cast of characters.

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the setting in prehistoric Europe. I loved how Emily Jones incorporated her work and research as an archaeologist to create an immersive novel filled with interesting history and a believable, propelling plot. Nahia was a wonderful main character, and I enjoyed her character development and journey. The characters were well-developed and vivid, and I enjoyed the exploration of gender roles and female power. The sibling bond was beautifully written, and the romance was tender and sweet. Emily’s prose was lovely and fit the story well, presenting an atmospheric tale. The adventure that Nahia embarked on was intriguing and entertaining, although I felt a few parts were not cohesive. I also occasionally found it difficult to connect to Nahia and the story. Overall, this was a great YA debut that I would absolutely recommend!

Although I enjoyed the audiobook, the narrator for this one felt a bit off. I had hoped for more accents and emotion, and the narrator’s voice for Nahia occasionally felt bland.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

I was not a fan of the narrator of this book. I felt she read it too flat and was very boring. The book didn’t hold my interest because of this. I would probably enjoy actually reading it better.

This was a self discovery journey 🫶🏽 More so character driven than plot heavy, I just wish I could’ve connected w/ everything more!!
Overall, this was a beautifully written story & even more beautifully narrated!!

Quotes living in my head rent free-

“How did you bear it?
It is not who I am, it is only what happened to me.”

“Things happen, sometimes good things, sometimes bad things, unfair things, the sun rises and then it sets. Life goes on.”

“If you expect too much from others, you will be hurt. No one is responsible for any choices, but their own.”
Oh, howww I felt this one though 🤍