Awaken by Lucy Auburn – A Book Review

Posted April 11, 2019 by Booksandblurbs in Reverse Harem, Reviews, Urban Fantasy / 0 Comments

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Awaken

(Phoenix Academy – Book 1)

by Lucy Auburn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Slow Burn, Urban Fantasy Academy RH

Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down and Dirty

A Fun read and great start to a new series!

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

I’m just a girl trying to survive. Dying? Unexpected. Coming back to life? Even more so. Now these four snarky demons are haunting me. Shirtless.

It turns out you can die and live again. At least I can.

When a night out goes murderously wrong, I chose leaping to my death over getting tortured. Except it turns out I don’t die like everyone else.

I’m a phoenix — or so they tell me. Apparently I need training at the Phoenix Academy.

What I really need is to get rid of the four demons haunting me wherever I go, showing up when my heart is beating fast — whether I’m nervous, afraid, or well… other things.

But I also wouldn’t mind learning how to light things on fire with my mind or take out a man twice my size with my bare hands. All things the instructors at the academy want to teach me… if I can survive long enough.

Because there’s something deadly lurking in these halls, and it’s coming for me next.

Welcome to the first year at Phoenix Academy, a place where the paranormal lives — and dies — and lives again.

This paranormal reverse harem contains mature themes, a few violent scenes, and no choosing. Reader discretion advised.

Thoughts

This is a fun and unique book that revamps the Phoenix mythos and dances with demon tales. Young but street smart, Dani is a newly born Phoenix blessed, or cursed, to be bound to a quartet of demons determined to get home – and none of them know why.

Dani has a snark that I can appreciate and a self-protection instinct that pushes the plot as steadily as the action that surrounds her does. She’s tough, and as this story progresses, it becomes apparent that her toughness may be more important than the quirks of her birth.

All in all, this debut series novel is a wonderful introduction to this world and intriguing enough to insure that Book 2 will quickly be added to my Kindle Queue.

Perspective

First Person, Single POV

Ending Type

Cliffhanger

Steam Level

MMMMF. Slow burn, but the tension is rising. Mostly PG-17 but a fantasy scene ups the ante to R rated, or X depending on your tolerance. 😉

Pros:

Action pulls you in and keeps the pages moving.
Funny.
Love the demons.
Interesting world building.

Cons:

Slightly tropey.

Favorite Lines

What a way to meet a drop dead gorgeous bunch of murdering psychos. (7%)

…shines more than a drunk girl who fell in a vat of body glitter. (53%)

Verdict

4 out of 5 Stars

Wonderful introduction to a new world – I would recommend this to any lovers of Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romances.

Published March 22nd, 2019

283 Pages

Please note, this is a Reverse Harem Series that will eventually feature sexual scenes and themes more suited to an adult audience. 18+

If you enjoyed this review, please consider checking out a few of my other articles.

Your Turn

What are you reading today? Have you read this book yet? Do you have a book or series suggestion you are just dying to share? Leave a comment, drop a line! I would love to talk!!