I knew that, with our collaboration, the Moroccan beauty secrets will take their rightful place in the world. Follow and connect with us on Twitter , Facebook , Linkedin. Recommended by Colombia Sponsored Stories. Editor's Pick. She's also been hiding the fate of her father from her. So everything changes for Breen, and she flees to Ireland, the birth place of her father, to look for him, dragging along Marco. But odd things begin to happen to Breen. She begins to see a strange man, she has the most bizarre dreams, that seem real.
And one day while out walking, she falls Her world, Talamh, the world of the Fey. And here, Breen has superpowers, where she must fight to protect herself and her world. There are spells, magic, dragons, evil Sometimes it's great to step outside of a comfort zone and read something totally different.
And this was one of those times. I really enjoyed this one and kept picking it up, not wanting to put it down. I wanted to know what happened. So yeah, it's quite long something the dialog could have been trimmed down, just too much , it's a bit cheesy in places, a bit predictable in the romance area and it's part of a series of books to come. Hence, I had to knock it in my rating.
I'm not big on series, I tend to loose interest and never finish them. Overall, a good book for fans of fantasy, for fans of Nora Roberts, or for those who want to step outside of their comfort zone a bit. Also, thanks to Shelf Awareness and St. Martins Press for an early release copy of this book, it in no way influenced my review. View all 6 comments. More thoughts to come. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www. Yeah I deserve those judgy eyes. One thing's for sure thought, it won't be my last book by her. That she is an accomplished writer is crystal clear from the get-go. The world building, the landscape descriptions, the character development, it was all very well done. I saw every little detail in my mind, every beautiful place Breen visited.
I loved to spend time in this world. The inclusion of LGBT and non-binary characters in romance becomes more and more normal, as it should, and I couldn't be happier about it. Marco wasn't just Breen's best friend by name, he was amazing, a constant in her life. And Sally was a delight! Two worlds, both somehow hers. How would she ever balance them? Breen's journey from an insecure, meek teacher who hated her profession into a self confident, strong-willed witch was slow but rewarding.
Her mom did a number on her and Breen always thought of herself as never being enough. Until she has to step up in a big way. Helping her along the way are well-meaning people - one of them Keegan, who becomes her teacher in all things warfare. Here is where I'll admit that I thought he wasn't very likable. We know the brooding type but they usually have a sweet and funny side about them too. I think the author failed for a majority of the book to let me see another side of him except the rude hardass and judgmental, impatient jerk he was.
From this point forward though I got to see a softer side of him. His connection with Breen though was a bit of a stretch. I hope that this will become more natural in the next book. In parts it dragged and made it slower than it should have been. But niggles aside, I had fun with this first installment of this new series and enjoyed this world and its people. The cliffhanger will have you craving the next book. If you're a fan of Ireland and the magic this country is famous for, pixies, fairies, dragons, were, witches, any fantasy creature you can imagine, then this is definitely a recommendation for you.
Breen Kelly is a middle school language arts teacher in Philadelphia not really living her best life. Despite her lack of confidence, Breen has managed to make some terrific friends, one who is her roommate. The world created in this story is fantastical It was a lot for me to absorb and it overwhelmed Breen.
Her resistance was believable as she had to slowly evolve in understanding her own true identity as well as accept the weight of her ancestry.
The narrator was absolutely wonderful, managing a host of roles, genders and accents effortlessly and believably. I hope she continues the series as I plan to listen to all of the books. The ending left my own imagination running amok. All opinions are my own. Oct 11, Mara rated it it was ok Shelves: arc , ebook-owned.
The things I liked were the actual magic system and world the fantasy elements are based on. They are all coorelated to the Fey and set in an alternate fey realm in Ireland, which was really fun. But this book feels so messy in terms of structure. It is nearly pages, and honestly, I think it would have been a far stronger book had it been cut down to half that 2.
It is nearly pages, and honestly, I think it would have been a far stronger book had it been cut down to half that. That said, I am intrigued about where this story may go, so if you go into this knowing there's a lot of lag, you may find a new series to invest in. Feb 17, Sara rated it did not like it. Well I've reached that point where I'm trolling Goodreads looking for negative reviews to support my opinions, so it's time to give up. I've never read Nora Roberts before and can confidently say I won't again.
Not be blunt, but this was just Like weird turns of phrase and grammatically unpleasant sentences. Not to mention the incredibly slow pacing, and weak character writing. Breen di Well I've reached that point where I'm trolling Goodreads looking for negative reviews to support my opinions, so it's time to give up.
Breen didn't feel like a real person, and neither did anyone else for that matter, except perhaps the insanely kind Irish people. I really did love the Irish setting and travel part of the book, but actually lost interest in the fantasy aspect. Another reviewer described it as "goofy", which I think is apt. It reminded me of something I would have written as a teen, which is not a compliment. The fact that it was not even actually Ireland, which is already a magical place teeming with incredible stories and folklore, but a weird, parallel universe where my 12 year old self's collection of porcelain unicorns and fairies would have fit right in was just baffling to me.
Rant over, I'm out. View all 4 comments. Dec 24, Mary rated it really liked it. A slow start kept it from getting 5 stars. Once I got into the story and met all the characters the book moved quickly. It is the first book in NR's new trilogy. I'm looking forward to the second book as Nora left her readers with a big cliffhanger! Recommended for NR fans and fantasy fans. Nov 28, Mari rated it liked it Shelves: , fantasy , unfinished-series. This was an interesting first book in a series that very much felt like a very extended introduction.
The bulk of the middle of this book was the training sequence in any chosen one narrative. It wasn't entirely unenjoyable, it just went on for so long. The beginning bit was a really descriptive vacation story that also went on for too long. And that my primary gripe here is that I wish an editor had reigned Roberts in a bit and helped her tightened this story up so that it felt like more than a This was an interesting first book in a series that very much felt like a very extended introduction.
And that my primary gripe here is that I wish an editor had reigned Roberts in a bit and helped her tightened this story up so that it felt like more than a page introduction. That said, I rather enjoyed the pieces of magic, folklore and world building. I love a good chosen one story and this hits all the tropes well, from she never knew she was special to one of a kind powers. In an attempt to balance her super specialness, it does go a little ham on the training sequences as stated above but I appreciated the effort to ground our chosen one's weaknesses and strengths.
I feel like I would've appreciated Breen's character more in a tighter version of this story. As it was, her characterization came through a bunch of repetition that made me kind of annoyed with some of her woe-is-me-ing.
When I look past that, though, there were some positives: she was hardworking and loyal and rational in a magical story. On the flip side, I would've appreciated Keegan more had he been a bit more fleshed out. We spend so little time with him, in the grand scheme of things, and a lot of that time is him being all hard and broody. The ending was probably my favorite part, for the way it brought the whole ramble together and finally felt like it was taking off.
I think that, more than anything, is why I intend to read on in the series. I've invested so much in this intro already and I can see a second book being better. I must say that the storytelling was fantastic. This author really brought to life not only Ireland, but this alternate universe she created. Just the scenery alone was worth the read. This first book is more about the heroine, Breen learning who she really is, and shedding the old Breen her mother tried to mold her into.
We also get introduced to many characters in this alternate universe that will have a lot to do with the overall storyline. The imagery of each of these characters were just as I must say that the storytelling was fantastic. The imagery of each of these characters were just as fascinating as their surroundings. I loved seeing Breen shine as she learns where she truly comes from. I really liked her character and could relate to her struggles with confidence.
I also like how she handles many conflicts that dealt with this confidence issue she has that was bred by her mother. Keegan was a harder character for me to like. He's an honorable man who has this fierce need to protect everyone, but that need got in his way of his compassion towards Breen in this book. It will be interesting to see how he changes in the next book now that he sees what he's asked of her. As I mentioned before, there are many side characters that add to the overall story and I am looking forward to seeing where they all will fit in as things escalate.
I'm looking forward to the next in the series. Did Not Finish percent I don't even know what to say. I haven't read a Nora Roberts "magicks" book in about 10 years. The last one was the whole Sign of Seven trilogy, see Blood Brothers. It was really bad. Have I reviewed that series on Goodreads before? Cause believe me when I posted my reviews back in the day on the 'Zon I remember people were all screaming at me until we got to the third book and they went, okay you were right.
I think the biggest reasons why I had to just DNF this book was that the names alone and the backstory just killed me.
I made myself read to 10 percent at least to see if things got better, and no they did not. I get that romances are formulaic in some respects, but Roberts latest standalone, 'In Death' and now this book have focused on Ireland.
So I am assuming she's going to be doing more and more on the "Green Isle" in her next couple of forays and I don't know if I have the energy for it. Another reviewer said besides the 'In Death' books they really haven't enjoyed a Nora Roberts book in years. I have to say though in my case, the stand alones for the most part have been better. The latest one, Hideaway was painful, but I freaking loved Under Currents. I wonder if it's the backstories that are killing these books for me or what though.
I think Under Currents worked better since you got to see the backstory of the male heroine and his family and then the story jumped forward. Hideaway didn't work for me since we were stuck in the female heroines backstory way too freaking long. So I am wondering if it's just a flow issue. Because I am seeing the same issue with "The Awakening" things moved way too slow.
I just didn't care and I started feeling annoyed. This book was boring which to me is the biggest sin of a book I am reading. I just didn't care about Breen or Keegan. And the whole Talamh realm thing made me think of the Key of Light trilogy also not my favorite as well as The Circle trilogy. I just didn't have the energy to push on through on this one. Dec 02, Celeste rated it it was amazing Shelves: comfort-reads , fantasy , portal-fantasy. Actual rating: 4. I know of no medicine better than a Nora Roberts book.
The Awakening , the first installment in her newest series, is no exception. If the rest of the Dragon Heart Legacy is as great as The Awakening , it promises to be one of her best. You have to ask to have the answers.
You have to awaken to become. All of these changes absolutely delight me. Breen, our main character, grows tremendously over the course of the book. And her supporting cast is simply delightful.
There are a lot of musicians in this novel, and the way Nora portrays music was, as it always is, moving and true. We actually have three main settings here: Philadelphia, Ireland, and the fictional Talamh. You can tell that Ireland holds an incredible appeal for her, and her love for it comes through brilliantly in each of those aforementioned books. Reading one of her stories set on the Emerald Isle is my favorite way to travel when traveling is impossible.
Because of Nora, Ireland is the top bucket list destination for every woman in my family. The way she paints the setting with her words is nothing short of stunning. For the most part, they are elements she has utilized in past novels, but the parallel worlds motif is a new one for her, and it adds some resonance to the rest.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions. View all 3 comments. The Awakening is the first instalment in The Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy, where parallel worlds clash over the struggle between good and evil. Breen Kelly, a high school English teacher from Philadelphia, has been studying hard for a title and a career she's not even sure she wanted. She never made a choice herself for many things in her life; they were the wish of her cold and dominant mother, who seemingly wanted to live vicariously through her.
The warmest childhood memories are of her Irish The Awakening is the first instalment in The Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy, where parallel worlds clash over the struggle between good and evil.
The warmest childhood memories are of her Irish father, even though he left them a long time ago never to be heard from again. New Zealand. Costa Rica. Dominican Republic. El Salvador. Saudi Arabia. United Arab Emirates. Fact checking A well-rounded affair: the pastilles are turning 50!
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