Airel: The Awakening is a young adult paranormal romance about the angel Kreios who falls so deeply in love with a woman that he chooses to fall from heaven to be with her. She gives birth to a daughter in Arabia, 1250 BC. The girl is pursued ferociously, relentlessly by an enemy in the deepest darkness.
In present day, Boise, Idaho is just a girl: Airel. She’s just your average high school student…who turns out to be anything but average. It’s because of who she is, because of her ancestry, because of her lineage. Past and present collide as what has been twisted comes dangerously unraveled.
I've actually had a paper copy of this book for a couple of years. When it was pretty new, I met one of the authors, Aaron Patterson, at a Costco signing and I purchased a copy which he signed. I kept meaning to get to it, but didn't, so I was excited to see a blog tour for it. For this tour, I read the Kindle version which I received because I was a little confused since it seems smaller than my paper copy. My paper copy is the first four parts of this story and the Kindle copy is the first part, so my review will cover part one. It also appears that the Kindle copy has quite a few revisions from the paper copy I have (including the very end--Kindle version is much better!).
Airel is just a regular teenager. One day, there's a new boy in school named Michael Alexander, the gorgeous guy that had recently witnessed an embarrassing moment for Airel. She feels instantly attracted to him, but fights it because that's not her style. Her best friend, Kim, is interested in Michael's friend, James, so the four of them start hanging out together and she gets to know Michael. Strange things start happening and Airel's trying to figure it out. She's also not sure about Michael but can't seem to stop herself from falling for him.
We also get a parallel story which takes place in 1250 BC. Krieos, an angel, fell in love with a human, and she died in childbirth. The decisions he makes after that affect him and his daughter and an innocent village. We meet his old friend, Yamanu, who he trusts to help him hide from the Seer. This part is interesting but the book ends before the two storylines intersect.
I enjoyed reading this story. I didn't feel like I got enough with this part to have strong feelings about any of it, though. Airel and Michael both seem likable, but they're still in the get to know each other stage and haven't had any kind of heart to heart yet. I like Airel's friend, Kim. It seems like she'll add a lot to the story. I'm always interested to see how male authors portray teenage girls and I think they're doing a great job so far! I'm also interested in learning more about Krieos. I feel like this is just the beginning and this part ends on a cliffhanger, so as soon as I can, I'm going to read more!
My Rating=4 Stars
Content: Mild swearing
*I received a copy from the tour host for review. My opinion is 100% my own.*
Excerpt:
“Nice shirt,” Kim said. She was my best friend, my shopping buddy. We were an unlikely story, the two of us, but that was what made it work. She glared at my shirt as she sat down next to me. “You took the tags off, didn’t you?”
“Called it,” I said.
She made a face to punish me for my insolence, but then took off on a whole different subject.
That’s my Kim.
“So,” she said, “you hear about the new guy yet?” She looked around and lowered her voice as if it was a crime to talk about a boy in class.
“Ah … no,” I said. “And what does it matter? It’s not like I care.” I rolled my eyes, assuming she was talking about the latest supposedly super-hot guy who had caught her momentary attention. Mostly it just gave her something new to talk about. Kim loved to talk—that much I could count on. I opened my history book and pretended to read, hoping she would drop the subject. I knew better.
“Come on, Airel. When he sees you, he’ll fall madly in love and beg you for your hand in marriage.” She giggled. She was always so energetic. Most people had their good days and bad days, their moods going from hot to cold, but not Kim. She was full speed ahead, no brakes. I had to admit, sometimes she was the only thing that kept me looking on the bright side of life.
“Speak for yourself,” I said. “You’re the boy-crazy one, not me. He is all yours. Just remember, they have cooties.”
She scoffed, but then quieted down as Mr. Brashear began the class. She propped her phone into her history book, pretending to read, and began texting whoever she was always texting. She had bazillions of friends, as far as I could tell. And though Kim even had friends at other schools and they texted back and forth non-stop, she and I had something special. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
I kicked her leg and she grunted, dropping her phone. It clattered loudly on her desk, and I grinned an evil smile. She shot me the stink eye, threatening me under her breath.
I rolled my eyes at her, ending the episode.
I wanted to zone out in history, which was what I normally did. After all, this class was only about what had already been done, and how boring was that? I had my head down and was trying to will my headache away, but not having much luck.
“Ah, there you are,” Mr. Brashear said loudly, snapping me out of my trance. “Good of you to join us, Mr. Alexander.”
I looked up, trying to bring my vision into focus, fighting that stupid pesky headache.
“Sorry,” a voice said.
It was familiar to me.
“I don’t really know my way around the halls yet.”
My eyes focused. It was him.
About the Authors
Aaron Patterson is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author of over a dozen novels. He writes hard-boiled thrillers and young adult fantasy. He was home-schooled and grew up in the west. Aaron loved to read as a small child and would often be found behind a book, reading one to three a day on average. This love drove him to want to write, but he never thought he had the talent. He wrote Sweet Dreams, the first book in the WJA series, in 2008. Airel is his first teen series, and plans for more are in the works. He lives in Boise, Idaho with his family.
Praise for the Book
“This is not your typical fallen angel story. It is one that has left me breathlessly waiting for the next one in the series.” –Sandra Stiles, Amazon review
“A beautifully written and crafted fiction about teenage innocence, faith, loss and love. A must read for teens and adults alike.” –Vincent Zandri, International Bestselling Author of The Remains, The Innocent, and Concrete Pearl
“This was such a unique twist to the common way angels are portrayed…. The struggle between good and evil is the forefront of this great story!” – Courtney, Amazon review
Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 6/16/14
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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1 comments:
Sounds fantastic :)
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