Review by Petalss -- Awakening by Tayma Tameem

[Petalss]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Awakening" by Tayma Tameem.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The spirit of Brikkir finds a host in the body of Princess Amara, the second daughter of King Frenar of the kingdom of Hale. This revelation seems to be a thing of both joy and despair. On the one hand, the parents and the sister of this wee little child are happy that the Spirit of Winter chose to honor them with this gift. On the other hand, they can't help but be concerned for their little girl. What if she loses control? What if she realizes the power she has and goes rogue? Will this blessing turn out to be a curse to not just her parents but also to the Kingdom of Hale?

Awakening by Tayma Tameem is a magical fiction novel that follows the life of Princess Katja of Hale and her little sister, Princess Amara, the girl in whose body the spirit of winter lives. The author uses third-person narration to narrate the story. She also alternates between the past and the present in each chapter. This writing style is a first for me. This style let me predict from what time the story in the next chapter will be told without giving away spoilers as to the events that will take place.

The chapters about the past lives of the princesses and their families are my favorite parts of the book. This helped me understand more why people hated the Snow Lady so much in the present time. It also achieved its purpose of giving a backstory of some of the characters and why they are what they are today.

What I didn't like about the book is the suspense. I understand that suspense is what keeps one reading a book in most cases, but it was too much in this. There were times that I felt like I was going to have a heart attack if I didn't find out what a character was hiding or why a character is a certain way immediately. Because of this, I couldn't stop reading just to find out that there is a major cliffhanger at the end of the book. This broke my heart. However, I understand that I will get all my questions answered in its sequel.

Despite my dislike which isn't a bad thing for many readers, I can't help but award Awakening a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. This is because it was perfectly edited – I didn't see a single typo in it – the story told is captivating, and the ending left me wanting more.

I recommend this novel to lovers of magic and fantasy of all ages. I am sure that you will love this piece, especially the scenes where the power of magic is displayed beautifully by Princess Amara and Cortel, the royal mage.

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Awakening
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