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Written on May 15, 2017
*I was sent a copy of this through netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
The shortest possible way to sum up this review is simply, I liked it. Prophecy Awakened is a nice, quick read involving werewolves and a love story.
Eden St. James is a girl who's always been the outcast at all the schools she's transferred to because of her abilities with animals. She's also one of those girls who doesn't find herself to be anything special or attractive. Her home life isn't the best, and when she's moved to Jacksonville, Wyoming, all of that changes. Honestly, I feel like I've read this character a million times over, but Sloan made me not mind it quite as much as I normally would have.
Noah Phleorn is (or was) meant to become the Alpha of his pack once his father retired. However, at the age of sixteen, when his twin brother and him were meant to change... he never did. The Alpha training is then transferred to his brother, and Noah has felt a bit "incomplete" ever since. At least, until Eden St. James comes to town and they meet for the first time. Again, he's more or less a character I've read a bunch of times in a scenario that I've read a million times more.
There is a major case of "insta-love" directed in this book. Eden and Noah no doubtfully are meant to be together by whatever strange universe beings exist in Sloan's world. But you know what? This is one of those stories where I didn't mind it half as much as I had thought I would. I've read quite a few books recently were there's talk of "mates" and "bond" with those who either need an instalove situation, or some lame excuse to get a pairing together that probably wouldn't have had a way to get together in the first place. In this story, though, Eden felt that connection, but tried with all her might to ignore it and Noah, in fear of getting hurt after having heard and seen her mother behave and act after the disappearance of her father when she was born. I've read a few reviews prior to finishing that talked about how there was little romance or only hints of it. I"m not sure if my definition of romance is different, but there was more than I had been excepting. Thankfully,though, it was kept innocent enough for the "young adult"genre.
The characters in Prophecy are fun, and likable. There are a few of them that are a bit one dimensional. A few of them are just there for the sake of being there. Everyone is instantly willing to befriend and like Eden with very few questions asked. (After having been a new girl twice in two different schools, I wished I had this problem. Sadly, I was ignored and forever left to be a hermit with my books. But I digress.) Only two people really seem to have a problem with Eden within the whole story: her mother, and Kurt Channon.
I mentioned before about a "mate" or "bond" connection, and while this story doesn't actually go into it or call it by those names for Eden and Noah, it is heavily implied. They are occasionally able to feel the emotions of the other even while miles apart.. I might have normally felt an annoyance with this, but I was more impressed with Sloan not going down the route of having Noah being so overbearingly protective and obsessive over Eden, that I can let it slide. And while Noah does think an awful lot about Eden, it feels more natural in the way she writes it, especially considering that it seems like she's the first girl that he's ever really been interested int. (C'mon, you know you've had those crushes where all you did was think about them always and doodle their names with little hearts on your assignments.)
There are a few things that I disliked. One of them being that there is a slight bit of predictability in the plots. I found myself unsurprising at a few things that came up, involving "twists'. This can be the lowest offense as it didn't distract me from enjoying the story as a whole. Another thing was that some of the slang used in the dialogue made it feel a bit dated. (I don't think I've actually heard anything seriously say "totes" since, maybe 2006.) It made of some it feel outdated and out of place. Kind of like that PTA mother trying to be hip wit hthe kids, you know? Also , some of the dialogue felt very unrealistic. I can't take too much off of that because I know that dialogue is one of the worst things to ever right, and I absolutely suck at it. But it did pull me out of the story a little bit. I also wasn't a fan of some of the descriptions used for some of the scenes. I felt like I was better off not having to know the layout of the cafeteria as it didn't make too much of a difference whether I did or not.
Another thing I had found a bit irksome as some of the pacing. While overall, it wasn't too much of a problem, I felt like there were something things that happened at the 3/4 mark that could have happened a lot earlier. Even things with only 10% left in the story could have been moved forward. Or having even saved it for another book entirely. Also, I'm still unsure of what this prophecy that awakened is. As none of it was really mentioned and both the title and the summary I believe had mentioned something ab out it. Perhaps it will be a concept in the next book, but it would have been nice to introduce it in the first book.
At the end of the day, even with the things i didn't like about it, it was a fun story. I was so excited when I found out it was actually about werewolves. (I love werewolves.) I really enjoyed the way Sloan wrote them and brought together the world for them. Odds are that I will pick up the next book to find out more about this mysterious Eden and her father, and see what happens with Noah and everyone.