Review: Journey of Awakening

Journey of Awakening by Shawna Thomas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Journey of Awakening is the story of a young woman who has been sheltered her whole life on an island as her grandfather prepared her for a quest that she knows almost nothing about. She is skilled in healing with herbs and in meditation and sword-fighting. And completely ignorant about the wider world and what she must somehow accomplish, a task related to the mysterious pendant her father left her.

It's pretty typical fantasy - the quest, good vs. evil, a mysterious race long disappeared that needs to be discovered, talismans of magic and power, etc. Exactly the kind of fare I go for, basically. I don't really mind repetition of these types of themes at all. It's in the characters and the details of the world, magic, and peoples that I search for uniqueness - the same things I look for in non-fantasy are important, especially the depth and reality of the characters.

I do believe this book has potential. Although the world so far is fairly basic, I did like the take on magic, and the awareness of nature through meditation. I liked the combination of healer and fighter, and I think the quest is going to get more interesting in the next book - now that Sara has a clue what's going on.
But it took me a while to get into this first book enough to come to that conclusion.

One holdup for me, I think, was the main character. In spite of the difficulties Sara goes through from the beginning, for some reason I didn't really feel with her or connect with her until later in the book. There is some romance, but I didn't feel that it developed naturally, making what should be a big character development feel choppy and sudden. Maybe part of that is my fault, since I wasn't rooting for the love interest to work out (I'm not a big fan of polygamy). But it was too instant, regardless. I was hoping it was just a crush and would pass. But basically, a lot happened to Sara emotionally and I felt more like an observer.

Still, about halfway through, the story began to hit its stride, and I began to feel more involved. I believe the turning point came when it became about more than just Sara and her experiences and the focus turned to conflicts and challenges larger than one person.

It's not terribly unique or polished, and it doesn't meet my requirements for a great reading experience on all levels (hence the 3/5 stars), but I'm interested enough that I think I would pick up the second book.

**Received free arc for review.

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