The Last Awakening- Rachel Firasek

Published: December 6th 2011 by Entangled Publishing

Genre: Romance/Adult/ Urban Fantasy

Format: Ebook

Date Finished: 12th February 2012

Synopsis:

For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris–god of the Underworld–gifts the phoenix her mortality and returns her voodoo magic. If she fails to harness her wayward magic and save a man worthy of a second chance, she’ll forfeit her power and her soul–forever.

Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him after the tragedy that brought him and Ari together. Confronted by the waif of a woman who forces him to face his worst fears, he resists, fighting the need to keep his personal demons hidden instead of setting them free.

When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder, it’s not just her life in danger, but now the one of the man she loves.

Review:

Is it possible to love the beginning more than the first book? Rachel has done it again with hooking me from the get go with this amazing second novella in the Curse Phoenix series. This time we meet Grayson an ex- Soldier who despite the horror living inside his head is a wonderful, compassionate person. For readers of The Last Rising you will know Grayson from Ice and Turners story as you will Arabella. This aspect alone kept me up early into the morning wanting to know their story.

I will admit that I would have liked to see more time pass and tension build before Ari and Grayson are rekindled in her new transformation, but to be honest it didn’t detract too much from the story. Grayson’s history along with Ari’s past blended together well, as both were seeking redemption and trying to overcome their haunting pasts. It is one of the many traits I have already grown to love about Rachel’s writing and I am a firm believer in strong story telling.

There seemed to be a lot going on in this story and while I did enjoy each aspect at times I felt it to be a little jumpy and too fast. There were some passages that I believe could have had more detail, especially when it came to Ari seeking help, while others confused me. I lost track of the story a little bit through the middle, but it quickly picked up.

I was excited to read about her powers as I haven’t read too many stories with voodoo magic, so it was interesting to discover what her powers are capable of and from experience with spirits I know the overwhelming and haunting sensations and consequences of dealing with them while living in the modern world.

The Last Awakening was a bittersweet novella that tugged on my heartstrings and also brought back a lot of memories with my own spiritual experiences. Again I loved the aspects of Egyptian mythology this time seeing Ari as the daughter of Anubis . I really appreciate that Rachel brings something fresh to each installment of this series as it makes it a joy to read.

★★★.5

Please if you have not heard me gush about it enough seek out the first book in the series. The Last Rising

You can find Rachel here : http://www.rachelfirasek.com/