Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
It's set in Transylvania in 1331 and the characters use phrases like "exit strategy", "define the variables", "clue you in", and "doesn't do random". Those are all direct quotes. The whole book is like this. Cover to cover anachronisms, really really blatantly obvious anachronisms. You expect the characters to pull out smart phones and order pizza or Chinese food after a hard day. The way they speak and the way they think and act is so relentlessly modern I wondered why she bothered setting it in the 1300s if she wasn't going to make any effort to actually set it in the 1300s. Definitely an author who's style doesn't work for me, not going to try any more of her books.
This might be my favorite series from this author IF the rest of the books are going to be like this first one. The storyline was pretty exciting and had me hating when I had to take a break for whatever thing in life demanded my attention at that time. That alone is what I always look for in a book. I want the story to grab me and not let go.
The other big thing that made me love this was the hero. He has this dark intensity about him that I just loooove in my heroes. He's also very deadly, and yes that is just as appealing to me. The only thing I wish there was less of about him was that he did feel like he wasn't good enough for the heroine. That always leads to resistance and I just prefer little resistance. The fact that they were so drawn to each other kept that resistance from bothering me.
I also really liked the heroine. That's not always a requirement for me but it is definitely a bonus when that happens. She's very powerful on her own but she was just learning those powers. She's very compassionate and was a natural mother to those who needed that from her.
Overall, great start to the series. I'm looking forward to the next book.
The other big thing that made me love this was the hero. He has this dark intensity about him that I just loooove in my heroes. He's also very deadly, and yes that is just as appealing to me. The only thing I wish there was less of about him was that he did feel like he wasn't good enough for the heroine. That always leads to resistance and I just prefer little resistance. The fact that they were so drawn to each other kept that resistance from bothering me.
I also really liked the heroine. That's not always a requirement for me but it is definitely a bonus when that happens. She's very powerful on her own but she was just learning those powers. She's very compassionate and was a natural mother to those who needed that from her.
Overall, great start to the series. I'm looking forward to the next book.
I am a big fan of Coreene’s Dragonfury series, so when Coreene contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing Knight Awakened I jumped at the chance. I do not read a lot of historical romance, but there is enough paranormal in this book to keep me satisfied. And I actually found myself really loving the language of this time and the historical elements that were woven into the story. Since this is the first book in the series Corenne did have a lot of information to give us to develop this world, but she gave it to us in small doses and avoided the info dump that can often come with a new series. I appreciated getting just bits and pieces of the puzzle as the journey unfolded before us.
In Knight Awakened, we follow Xavian and Afina. Xavian is a trained assassin who has escaped his maker in an attempt to start a new life. He no longer wants to bend to someone else’s will, but desires freedom. Some have followed him and he has become their unintentional leader. While he still has killer instinct he tries to go about every situation fairly and does not punish those who do not deserve it. He is a complete alpha male, but is broken inside and needs someone to help him realize that he too deserves to be happy. Enter Afina, she has also been dealt a bad hand in life and has no family to speak of, except her sister’s daughter who she now cares for. She is on the run from Vladimir Barbu who wishes to use her for political gain. She starts off a little skittish and is unsure of her own strength, but she quickly develops into a head strong woman who is brave, caring and fights for what she knows she deserves. While both characters go through physical obstacles, Knight Awakened is really a novel about self-discovery. Xavian and Afina are just now learning what they are truly made of and how to heal a lifetime of hurt so they can let someone else in.
The romance in this book was a slow build since the two characters do not trust each other right away, but the tension was extraordinary to watch! Xavian and Afina both need someone to help heal their pasts and together they form a fragile bond that is tender and very sweet to watch as it slowly grows stronger. They are both inexperienced when it comes to divulging their feelings and I enjoyed watching them learn how to love together.
The action in this book was non-stop and really exciting. There were multiple people coming after both characters and danger lurked around every corner. We do get to see inside the enemies heads which was very intriguing. They are after Xavian and Afina for different reasons, but they are both evil to their core. They were villains that were easy to hate and I am sure we have not seen the last of at least one of them.
The world itself was so alluring. I soaked in all the vibrant details that Coreene gave us. We travel alongside Afina and Xavian as they journey cross country and I could picture it all as a map unfurling in my head. Since the characters do not remain stagnant and the scenery kept changing, it kept my mind fully engaged in the world and even when there was a lull in the action I was still fully immersed in the world.
Overall, Knight Awakened is a stellar start to a new series. Coreene has blended together a magical world filled with fierce warriors, an intriguing prophecy, malicious villains, mythical creatures and scorching hot romance that will burn up the pages. Even though this book was four hundred and fifty pages, I devoured it in one sitting, it was just that amazing! I loved every second I spent in this world and can only hope Corenne will continue the journey and let the other warriors have their own books as well. I am personally hoping to see more from Henrik.
In Knight Awakened, we follow Xavian and Afina. Xavian is a trained assassin who has escaped his maker in an attempt to start a new life. He no longer wants to bend to someone else’s will, but desires freedom. Some have followed him and he has become their unintentional leader. While he still has killer instinct he tries to go about every situation fairly and does not punish those who do not deserve it. He is a complete alpha male, but is broken inside and needs someone to help him realize that he too deserves to be happy. Enter Afina, she has also been dealt a bad hand in life and has no family to speak of, except her sister’s daughter who she now cares for. She is on the run from Vladimir Barbu who wishes to use her for political gain. She starts off a little skittish and is unsure of her own strength, but she quickly develops into a head strong woman who is brave, caring and fights for what she knows she deserves. While both characters go through physical obstacles, Knight Awakened is really a novel about self-discovery. Xavian and Afina are just now learning what they are truly made of and how to heal a lifetime of hurt so they can let someone else in.
The romance in this book was a slow build since the two characters do not trust each other right away, but the tension was extraordinary to watch! Xavian and Afina both need someone to help heal their pasts and together they form a fragile bond that is tender and very sweet to watch as it slowly grows stronger. They are both inexperienced when it comes to divulging their feelings and I enjoyed watching them learn how to love together.
The action in this book was non-stop and really exciting. There were multiple people coming after both characters and danger lurked around every corner. We do get to see inside the enemies heads which was very intriguing. They are after Xavian and Afina for different reasons, but they are both evil to their core. They were villains that were easy to hate and I am sure we have not seen the last of at least one of them.
The world itself was so alluring. I soaked in all the vibrant details that Coreene gave us. We travel alongside Afina and Xavian as they journey cross country and I could picture it all as a map unfurling in my head. Since the characters do not remain stagnant and the scenery kept changing, it kept my mind fully engaged in the world and even when there was a lull in the action I was still fully immersed in the world.
Overall, Knight Awakened is a stellar start to a new series. Coreene has blended together a magical world filled with fierce warriors, an intriguing prophecy, malicious villains, mythical creatures and scorching hot romance that will burn up the pages. Even though this book was four hundred and fifty pages, I devoured it in one sitting, it was just that amazing! I loved every second I spent in this world and can only hope Corenne will continue the journey and let the other warriors have their own books as well. I am personally hoping to see more from Henrik.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a good blend of reality and fantasy, without getting too fantastical. It had some weird anachronistic speech, which, of course, is found in all historical romance - but I specifically noticed it here. The dialogue is a bit inconsistent. Perhaps I am not knowledgeable enough about (Transylvanian? not sure) culture, but there was a weird meld of religions and languages. At least, I think there was. Aside from that, though, it was interesting and entertaining, and for the most part, solid. One thing that was weird was
Spoiler
the main character was really attached to her "child" (her sister's child) at the beginning, and then the child and thoughts of her vanished. Then all of a sudden, the main character was really interested/concerned for this other kid she adopted, who really came out of nowhere. It would have been better for the author to just use the kid from the beginning, which would really have had the same, if not more potent, dramatic effect.
I loved the characters! So easy to become attached to all of them.
Great book
I picked this up by accident and wow. What a great storyline. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. The author has a great talent for writing and storytelling.
I picked this up by accident and wow. What a great storyline. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. The author has a great talent for writing and storytelling.
2-2.5 stars
I don't know. It started out pretty good, but then it just got too ...something. Too long, Too weird. The MCs were okay, I missed Sabine when she was taken out of the scenes. I like Henrik a lot, I found him to be the most interesting, but I also felt like there was stuff in there that was unnecessary and it became too long and the longer it was, the less I was invested.
I don't know. It started out pretty good, but then it just got too ...something. Too long, Too weird. The MCs were okay, I missed Sabine when she was taken out of the scenes. I like Henrik a lot, I found him to be the most interesting, but I also felt like there was stuff in there that was unnecessary and it became too long and the longer it was, the less I was invested.
adventurous
This was pretty interesting in terms of complex world and plot development. However, I found the ending rather rushed, and I really wanted to know more about the heroine's mother and her motivations. Maybe those will come up in the next book.
Best. Fucking. Book. Ever. This book has everything I adore: an epic story, two awesome main characters (a brooding and merciless killer as a hero and a soft but kickass heroine), a beautiful love story, an amazing and unique universe and freaking dragons! Read it.
