Summary
In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…
When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.
This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…
Thoughts
This is a contemporary fantasy. Things get interesting almost immediately as our main character, Breen, finds her mother has been hiding something very important from her. The father she thought had left them long ago, had left her an account with now a few million dollars for her. Her life to that point was full of stress as she had large school loans, and was pinching pennies trying to keep up with her bills. And things only get more and more interesting as the story goes on.
I love pretty much everything by Nora Roberts and this was not a disappointment. The ending was fantastic. The whole time, the scene is building to something you can predict will happen with the characters, but may not be sure it goes that way. I know I found myself through the build, jumping around a bit hoping for a certain outcome. While the ending was predictable, it ended at the perfect point so you find a great need for the second book. Lucky for us, the second book of this series is already out. So after finishing The Awakening, I was able to immediately, go find the second book, The Becoming.
Breen and Keegan have their differences, but I absolutely ship them. There isn’t a lot of sauciness between them in this book, but I believe there is hope. The Awakening is only the first book of the trilogy, so it does do it’s job in setting them up as a relationship we could get behind.
If you are looking for a book with representation, gay romance is represented. Breen’s best friend, Marco, and drag queen mother figure, goes by Sally, are both gay. Also, a small spoiler for The Becoming, Marco gets a boyfriend.
