Terri M. LeBlanc
Written on Nov 17, 2016
Read other books I've reviewed at Second Run Reviews.com
Confronted by a reawakened Egyptian prince during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 17-year-old Lilliana is chosen to help him raise his brothers and stop Seth, the shape-shifting god, from conquering the world.
- ISBN10 038537657X
- ISBN13 9780385376570
- Publish Date 11 August 2015
- Publish Status Remaindered
- Imprint Delacorte Press
- Format Hardcover (Library Binding)
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Read other books I've reviewed at Second Run Reviews.com
Artemis
Written on Sep 15, 2016
I really can't tell you what possessed me to pick this book up again. Back in 2015 I attempted to read this and quickly (about 6 chapters in) gave it up. Colleen Houck provides the world with another culturally insensitive series about a rich white girl who stumbles upon an ancient quest to save the world from a ancient nasty.
There were a whole slew of problems for me, some that overlapped with the issues I had taken with Tiger's Curse series, which I painfully read all of. Lilliana Young is a terrible heroine. Instead of creating a deeper more expansive character, Houck relies on Lily to tell you that just because she's rich she isn't narcissistic or snobby or entitled because of her wealth but rest assured her actions will prove that she is some spoiled rich girl who stumbles upon an unlikely situation. Houck wastes all chances to redeem Lily (and just about every other character).
I've bullet pointed the remaining things I've had issues with.
-Amon conveniently whisks Lily away to Egypt, but don't worry Amon can bend time to send her back before this whole incident and her parents won't be mad!
-Culturally insensitive, cultural misappropriation - Houck whitewashed every character in this series, much like she did in Tiger's Curse series.
-The mythology was a mix of different interpretations and translations of myths -- advice is to pick one and stay with it. Also Seth?? It's Set. She used the Greek version of EVERYTHING. If Amon was born before the dynasties then they wouldn't have had these Greek versions or even recognized them! Do you research, and vet the sources you are choosing.
-The dialogue was atrocious. Amon and his brothers would lack common understanding of just about everything. What pissed me off the most was the inclusion of "gravity" in the Nut-Geb story retelling.
If you enjoy needless and un-complex "insta-Romance" that butchers Egyptian mythology and history - congrats you've found the book for you! If you don't stay far away from this series and probably any other series Houck writes in the future.
abigailjohnson
Written on Sep 29, 2015
Read 20%
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Aug 20, 2015
- The entire concept of Reawakened was fascinating, original and fully developed. Lilliana Young discovers Amon an Egyptian prince who has reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. Yep, our love interest is a mummy! Lily must aid him in his quest to raise his brothers and battle the evil god Seth. Ancient curses, danger, and travel to the Valley of the Kings delivered an epic tale of good vs evil.
- Lilliana Young (Lily) our young protagonist is seventeen and struggling with the high expectations of her successful, career driven parents. She is trying to choose the college she will attend as well as her major. In her heart, she knows what she wants to do, but fears defying her parents. Meeting Amon and embarking on their quest allows for tremendous growth in Lily.
- Amon and his brothers were fascinating and Houck did a wonderful job of sharing their story. When the brothers joined the story, the intensity increased and the author managed to share the bond these brothers share. I really enjoyed their storyline and their battle with Seth.
- The forbidden aspect intensified the romance that develops between Amon and Lily. The romance delivered swoon-worthy moments, delicious banter and a touch of humor. I imagine that many readers will declare Amon their next book boyfriend particularly after their first kiss!
- Despite some issues, (see below) the world was rich in detail, and the overall arc with its Egyptian mythology, Gods and quests kept me listening. Houck created complex, likeable characters even allowing secondary characters moments to shine. The tale ended at a good place, with only a little cliffhanger to build excitement.
- Phoebe Strole and Mark Deakins did a wonderful job of narrating, although there were times when the voices of Lily and Amon sounded too similar. Deakins shared the Egyptian mythology and his voice was pleasant.
Decaffeinated Aspects:
- The first section of the audio dragged in part because of information dumps. While in the end, I appreciated the details I wish the flow allowed me to slip in sooner. I found the last one-third of the story riveting. It took a full week of listening to complete Reawakened. When an audio holds me spellbound I can devour in just a few sessions. Problems with the pacing, wordiness and info dumps attributed to my issues.
- While the romance was adorable and had swoon-worthy moments, Amon is a mummy! Details about his mummification and lack of organs kept entering my mind. LOL.
- I really felt the tale could have withstood additional editing allowing for better pacing. The conversations dragged in areas and I felt other parts were an unnecessary rehashing of information or character opinions.
Audio provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
meowstina
Written on Aug 19, 2015
I was pretty interested in the premise of this book, and the writing and narrative voice in the beginning were promising. Lilliana is very privileged and sheltered, which creates a lot of character development, but it also makes things very convenient along the way. This is an adventure that leads from New York City to Egypt, where her companion must search for his brothers to essentially save the world. A lot of Amon’s powers are also very convenient, which is always unsettling to me. For every question Lily has, there is a reasonable and conclusive explanation, and for every obstacle a solution. It all almost reads like a question and answer, or a textbook on Egyptian history. I don’t know how much of it is true or fabricated, but I’m assuming mostly the latter purely because of the convenience factor.
There is a lot of yearning and romance in this book, which I am never a fan of. I understand Lily and Amon have a special bond, but I don’t know what she sees in him. Even though he has a way with words, he’s stoic and cold, and that’s about it for personality. But Lily is obsessed with him and reads all of his actions the opposite of what he actually feels, which can get a little old. It all happened so fast, too. This is a long, long book, and a lot happens, but in a rather short amount of time. I just didn’t understand the romance.
As a character Lily starts off pretty well, but gets a little annoying towards the end. Amon’s brothers are probably my favourite, because they’re funny and charming. Thinking about it now, though, the characters all seemed to be one-note.
This is not a horrible book by any means, even after all I’ve said. It started off strong, but evidently faltered for me. It’s an okay story, but there are a lot of factors of which I’m not a fan.
cornerfolds
Written on Aug 15, 2015
I LOVE Ancient Egyptian mythology. In fact, I love all mythology. I'm a classics minor. But Egyptian mythology was my first love. I started studying it on my own in middle school and still enjoy reading Egyptian myths today. So when I found out about Reawakened I was ecstatic! I'd never read anything by Colleen Houck, but I've heard a lot of praise for her Tiger's Curse series. I knew I'd have to read this one as soon as I could get my hands on a copy, and that's what I did. Unfortunately...
Welcome to my first one star review of the year! I'm going to be honest. I was totally shocked I didn't like this book. I went into it expecting to completely love it because everyone I know has loved it! In reality it was painful to read. It took me five days to get 263 pages in. Five agonizingly slow days in which I had to literally force myself to read this while gazing longingly at Harry Potter. After that I admitted defeat and skimmed the rest.
I like action. I like adventure. I like romance. I like mythology. So what did I not like about this book? Well, for starters I didn't like the characters. Lily is a privileged rich girl from New York City who complains about the box she's confined to. She complains about how she got into every college and now has to pick one (the horror!), complains about her big fancy house (the agony!), and basically just complains about everything. I can't stand it, guys. I can't handle filthy rich characters who complain about their privilege. Then we have Amon. I get it, he's old and has godlike powers and he's really, REALLY gorgeous.
The romance between these two is Stockholme Syndrome at its finest and made zero sense to me. They knew each other for all of five minutes before Lily was whining to herself about how Amon wouldn't kiss her (while also reminding us that she does not suffer from lack of confidence). All of this while she laments the way he uses his god powers to control her will. Um... yeah, so there's that. Literally the entire book is them darting from location to location while Lily whines about how Amon won't kiss her. Never mind that he's trying to save the world and all.
Which brings me to the "action." I think the problem is I can't stand the writing style. It's basically, "We went to this place and there was lots of sand and then a bad guy came and then we beat it and then I felt sick and then Amon wouldn't kiss me and then we went to another place and..." You get the idea. The best way I can think to describe it is that the author inserted YA plot points in a middle grade book. The world building also left a lot to be desired because it is basically what I've just laid out. I didn't feel like I was actually in any of the locations described. There was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, if that makes sense.
Not only that, but my god, the info dumps. I really love mythology retellings. I do. But this one was like a mythology textbook (in serious need of fact checking) and a YA romance met and had a baby. The stories about the gods and goddesses could have been fun, but it they way it was done ripped me out of the story every single time.
I could really go on and on about the issues I had with this book. The cover was gorgeous and the premise was fantastic and I would love to read this idea written in a better way. A lot of the mythology was off and the Big Bad was predictable and ridiculous. The romance was unbelievable and the ending made me roll my eyes so hard I got a headache. I've read that the writing in this book is actually a step up from The Tiger's Curse Saga (although the story is apparently a near-carbon copy), which is really sad because I have that one on my shelf, but now I doubt I'll read it. I really couldn't recommend this to anyone, but I know that I'm in the minority on this one!
jeannamichel
Written on Aug 7, 2015
Egyptian princes, Amon and his two brothers, awake every thousand years to complete the ceremony which prevents the world being shrouded in darkness. This time around, however, something is amiss. Amon wakes, not in Egypt like usual, but in New York. Taking the energy of a young lady, Lily, he needs to get to Egypt to find his brothers and finish the ritual. Will he make it there in time?
When I first learned this book was releasing, I didn’t think much of it. I’d never read anything by Colleen Houck and decided to read the book mainly because I was intrigued. It sounded like Night at the Museum meets romance. I was incredibly wrong. It really can’t be described as anything other than Thor meets Egypt.
Colleen Houck is a fantastic writer. From the very first page, I was hooked and couldn’t let go. The story follow Lily’s perspective as she journeys with the prince. There was a bit of confusion as to how rightly to identify Amon and his brothers. They were Egyptian princes, demi-gods, mummies… really, I’m not sure how to characterize them. I just took it all in stride.
I know a lot of the reviews I have read about Reawakened bash it upon its instalove but I didn’t perceive it like that. Lily does fall for the guy but it is in a completely natural order. She is traveling alone with him, cast under a spell, and he is incredibly handsome (the spell casting is definitely part of the natural order of things). All things considered, the romance in the book was realistic and breathtaking.
Reawakened was fantastic in every single aspect possible. The only thing that truly troubled me was Amon, when compared to his brothers. His brothers were awake in a shorter period of time than he was, yet where Amon still sounded like he was from ancient times, the brothers adapted quickly. The brothers were gorgeous and made for some hilarious comic relief. However, Amon’s actions and words were incredibly old-fashioned, when compared to that of his brothers who picked up on Lily’s slang too quickly.
Despite that one flaw, Reawakened will surprise you in so many ways. In a cast filled with male characters, Lily shines the brightest. She will surely be among the ranks of characters like Katniss and Tris.
Colleen Houck has created something truly original and breathtaking. Reawakened will have you on your toes, impatient to find what happens next. There will be a sequel, the release date is not yet announced. The ending sets the next book up gracefully, but I am definitely going to have trouble waiting for the next book. Reawakened will blow you away in a sandstorm of magical creatures, gorgeous princes, and one brave New Yorker.
nightingalereads
Written on Aug 5, 2015
I really enjoyed Colleen Houck's Tiger's Curse series, so I was excited when I received an ARC of Reawakened. Even after finishing this book, I'm still unsure exactly how I feel about it. Certainly not blown-away, but not disappointed either. I guess the word that sums up my feelings most is...entertained. While I didn't love these characters as much as I did the characters in her other series, I still felt invested enough in the story and enjoyed all of the twists and turns. Plus, I loved getting to immerse myself back into Colleen Houck's familiar writing style (think: sarcastic quips and hilarious banter).
Overall, this book is worth a read - especially if you like stories of mythology mixed into the modern world.
Ashley
Written on Jun 2, 2015
But still an awesome story! Just missing a bit of extra oomph.