ARC Review: Reawakened (Reawakened #1)

Reawakened (Reawakened #1) by Colleen Houck
Publication Date: August 11, 2015

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

This is yet another winner from one of my favorite authors, Colleen Houck. I was so excited to read this because Colleen Houck + Egypt+ hot Egyptian price = guaranteed amazing adventure and just plain awesome-ness. When I found out Jocelyn got this book for me at Book Con, I was beyond ecstatic!! To get a chance to read this novel early was the win of the century. This definitely did not disappoint, and is not to be missed.



Everything about this book is fantastic, from the characters to the world building to Ms. Houck's fantastic writing. Ms. Houck has an amazing gift, and she crafted a world that I certainly never wanted to leave. The one thing that I always love about Ms. Houck's writing is that it has many intricate details that require much research. She wants her readers to have an accurate reflection of whatever culture she is writing about, and she achieves this yet again. I'm in love with Egyptian culture, so obviously this book was right up my alley. However, what I loved is that the Egyptian aspect of this novel wasn't just there, it played a role in the plot. You could almost say that it was a character itself! While I am certainly no expert, and I only have dreams of going to Egypt, I felt instantly immersed in the Egyptian culture, and Ms. Houck did an excellent job at capturing the fascinating and extremely interesting ancient (and present) Egyptian culture.

“Eternity is a long time to exist without something to remember.”

While this book starts in New York, the reader is taken to Egypt rather quickly, and this is where the story really picks up. The plot moves at a fast pace, but never feels rushed. It is quite the adventure, and you will feel like you are right there standing next to Amon and Lily in the pyramids, tombs, and the hot, arid desert. There are many scenes and moments to love in this novel, and many scenes will both warm your heart and leave you begging for more. And similar to her Tiger's Curse Saga, there are plenty laugh out loud moments that will leave a smile on your face for many pages.

Finally, one of my favorite aspects of this novel was the characters. There are many loveable characters in this novel: Lily, Amon, Asten, Ahmose, and Dr. Hassen. Lily is an extremely likeable character that is longing to break free from the restricting chains of her parents and their lifestyle. She longs for adventure and something more than having her life pre-determined for her. One of my favorite aspects of her character was her growth throughout the story. She starts off as someone who doesn't really have a backbone, but quickly grows into a young woman that will fight to the very end, sacrificing everything and anything for the person she cares about. When Lily is finally able to be herself, she is quite hilarious. I loved her sarcasm and witty responses, but most importantly, I loved her large heart. She truly cares about helping Amon and his brothers, and you could see that from the get go.

Amon is just plain wonderful and you will easily fall in love with him (and as such be wanting an Egyptian mummy prince as a boyfriend). He is such a sweetheart, and I loved his naivety throughout the novel. Amon had me cracking up so many times, and I could never get enough of his character. However, I loved the care he showed for Lily. He hated the situation they were placed in, and he too, fought with everything in him to make the situation right. Amon was determined to get Lily back to the life she had before, while also serving his duty to protect the world from the evil that was looming. Asten and Ahomse, Amon's two "brothers," we're a riot and I loved them so much. I truly hope we see more from them in future books because they added such a great element to the story. They served as a reminder that although they are princes of Egypt burdened with protecting the world from the evil god Seth, the 3 of them are still brothers that joke with each other, banter back and forth, and at the end of the day, will stand with each other.

The romance in this novel is very sweet and never overwhelms the story. While it does have its own role, it is not the main focus. However, that being said, I would have been very upset if this was a standalone because I would not have been satisfied with the ending. The ending is certainly not bad by any means (in fact it serves as a very nice conclusion to the story), but I still need more!

I don't think it has quite the same magic as her Tiger's Curse Saga, but Reawakened is still an excellent story and is not to be missed. If you are a fan of Egyptian culture, adventure, and romance this book is for you! This novel is another surefire hit for Ms. Houck, and is not to be missed by her fans! I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Happy reading :) 

~Cassie