Review by Ivy Thuo -- Awakening by Tayma Tameem
Posted: 13 Dec 2020, 01:21
[Following is a volunteer review of "Awakening" by Tayma Tameem.]
Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Hale there lived two sisters; Katya and Amara. Growing up they were united by a bond of love like no other. Whenever Amara did wrong or could not control her magical powers, her elder sister was always there to help her calm down and see a better version of herself. They each pledged to never leave each other and Katya goes so far as to keep delaying her marriage until one day, this promise was broken by circumstances beyond their control.
Amara struggles with controlling herself as quite often she tends to hurt the people around her so much so, that they live in fear. Luckily she has her family, the fox and The Mage to guide her as she comes to the realization that - "She had always been told that she was destined for greatness, and she never realized that greatness was for the benefit of nature and the future of humanity rather than her own best interests."
Tayma Tameem has written a fantastic book that is professionally edited. I only saw three typos that do not detract from the beauty of this amazing fantasy adventure. The story flows effortlessly between the past and the present thus giving the reader a better understanding of what is going on in the book. There was only one instance of mild profanity and that is why I recommend the book to teenage readers as well as adults. In page 209 at The Summit, there needs to be a note that it's in the past.
Awakening takes us through the family dynamics of a royal family and the love it takes to cover up a multitude of sins committed by Amara. Never giving up on her even when sometimes she makes you want to throttle her. There is also a journey of self-mastery of her powers and herself and, later in the book there is an eye-opening moment when she discovers who she really is and what she gets to do with her life. We also see broken alliances and treachery come into play. Also the different ways that strangers react to royalty and how they can put their personally hurts aside in order to help someone.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars as it is not only well written but it is interesting from the beginning to the end. Actually the more you read, the better the book gets. I liked most the last chapters because everything you thought you knew is turned upside down. I disliked being left hanging although this does make one look for the sequel as Awakening is the first book in the series.
******
Awakening
View: on Bookshelves
Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Hale there lived two sisters; Katya and Amara. Growing up they were united by a bond of love like no other. Whenever Amara did wrong or could not control her magical powers, her elder sister was always there to help her calm down and see a better version of herself. They each pledged to never leave each other and Katya goes so far as to keep delaying her marriage until one day, this promise was broken by circumstances beyond their control.
Amara struggles with controlling herself as quite often she tends to hurt the people around her so much so, that they live in fear. Luckily she has her family, the fox and The Mage to guide her as she comes to the realization that - "She had always been told that she was destined for greatness, and she never realized that greatness was for the benefit of nature and the future of humanity rather than her own best interests."
Tayma Tameem has written a fantastic book that is professionally edited. I only saw three typos that do not detract from the beauty of this amazing fantasy adventure. The story flows effortlessly between the past and the present thus giving the reader a better understanding of what is going on in the book. There was only one instance of mild profanity and that is why I recommend the book to teenage readers as well as adults. In page 209 at The Summit, there needs to be a note that it's in the past.
Awakening takes us through the family dynamics of a royal family and the love it takes to cover up a multitude of sins committed by Amara. Never giving up on her even when sometimes she makes you want to throttle her. There is also a journey of self-mastery of her powers and herself and, later in the book there is an eye-opening moment when she discovers who she really is and what she gets to do with her life. We also see broken alliances and treachery come into play. Also the different ways that strangers react to royalty and how they can put their personally hurts aside in order to help someone.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars as it is not only well written but it is interesting from the beginning to the end. Actually the more you read, the better the book gets. I liked most the last chapters because everything you thought you knew is turned upside down. I disliked being left hanging although this does make one look for the sequel as Awakening is the first book in the series.
******
Awakening
View: on Bookshelves