I Shall Awaken

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher Spotlight for the digital ARC of 'I Shall Awaken' by Kateřina Šardická.

I stumbled across this book while looking for a new book to read that tied in tales of the gods. I loved that this brought in the Slavic gods - I haven't found a lot of stories that do.

It also was YA horror, which was a huge bonus! The disappearances of children, and reappearance hinted to something more sinister lurking out there.

I can't wait to be able to share this book with my students that love horror, and the old tales! I don't have enough in my classroom library that crossover.

But first, my priority is adding this book to my personal library.
A fantastic book with equally gorgeous art. 5/5.

From “the Czech Stephen King”, Kateřina Šardická’s YA horror novel I Shall Awaken is firmly rooted in folklore, and fear of the old gods. Following their mysterious disappearance as children, Astrid, Tom, and Sonya return 12 years later, with no memory of the incident. However, Astrid’s brother Max did not return with them, and Astrid desperately tries to figure out his rescue, while dealing with the abusive family to whom she has returned.

The unnamed village in which the novel is set is full of secrets, from weird witch-like characters, to forbidden forests, and a myriad of ghosts. I love the world Šardická has created; it just drips with dread from the first page.

The central female characters in this book are particularly strong. Astrid’s defiance in the face of authority, and the literal unknown, is incredible. This girl faces potential death in order to rescue her brother.

The story takes a while to build; Šardická builds a sense of foreboding that really pays off when things speed into the break-neck final chapters. The horror is incredibly disturbing, and I experienced the rare phenomenon of a “jump scare” in a book.

I love that this is a YA book, and if young readers embrace this level of terror, I think there is an incredible amount of hope for the future.

There are so few YA horror novels out there and I am so happy that I stumbled upon this one. The author used such a unique storyline and included Slavic gods which I was completely new to, didn’t have any previous knowledge of, but absolutely loved it. I definitely will be adding this to my physical bookshelf on release day.

I loved this novel. It's a twisted tale of loss, friendship and guilt but the narrative and story will keep you hooked.

Four children disappear from their kindergarten class while taking a nap. Twelve years later they reappear out of the blue with no memory of what took place.

This story is set in an unknown location in an unknown time period and that keeps us on our toes. This town believes strongly in curses, magic, and gods, and the sudden reappearance of these children (now adults) causes some to believe the town is cursed .

If these young people can't figure out what's happened to them, the consequences could be dire.

This is a mystery of sorts, wrapped in the supernatural and sucks you right in from the beginning. I highly recommend it! My review will be coming soon to my Horror Reads YouTube channel.