The Awakening (The Dragon Heart Legacy, #1) (2024)

OM freaking fascinating creative Gs! This is marvelous long prologue to a new series. The entire book impeccably introduces us the likable, falling in lovable characters and their past and present stories and preparing us like a calmness before the storm for the next exciting adventures of the characters!

I have to admit after reading this book I prayed the borders will open soon because this book gives you addictive craving to schedule an urgent trip to Ireland and get lost in its folkloric, ancient historical , magical places. Those tempting forests, the supernatural creatures and mystical elements perfectly summon your soul and you just die to be part of those incredibly breathtaking and life changing adventures. ( oh I forget to tell you how tempting to hear those sexy, ear tickling Irish accents!)

The book starts with a quick introduction of Breen Kelly, 26 years old, insecure, introverted , reluctant teacher who hates the guts of her job, barely making her ends meet, drowning into her debts, hard worker, shopping from thrift shops, wearing grey colors, laying low to be invisible because her own mother made her believe she was not capable to achieve something extraordinary: she is under average. But when she goes to her mother’s place as she’s directed to finish her chores: including watering her plants and organizing her correspondences when she was in spa treatment-having fun (bitchy monstrous, intimidating mother model) she coincidentally finds out( thanks to the cat’s sudden move) the financial statements about her own account she never knows its existence.

After her father and mother has been separated when she was a little girl, her father has left them and never contacted with her but now she sees each year he has sent her money and now it’s a huge amount may cover her all expenses and give her better life choices to chase her dreams.

So Breen tells her sweet pie, supportive, BFF Marco what she discovered and offers him to go to a journey with her to find her father and learn about her ancestors in Ireland. Marco the bestie, so much likable friend accepts her offer.
From her bus trip to her mother’s house throughout her airplane trip, Breen realizes a bearded man is following him but as soon as she realizes his existence, he disappears into thin air. She asks herself as if she’s been hallucinating. But she forgets that mysterious guy as soon as her plane land into the magical Leprechauns 🍀🍀🍀

And of course the magical atmosphere of Ireland awakens true potential of Breen, after Marco’s going back to the US, she starts work on her blog and two different novel concepts but when the storm blasts out and as she hears the voice summoning her, she discovers an opening portal to another world which her father has been born and raised and her grandmother has been waiting for her with open hands. A magical universe with werewolves, elves, Magicks, powerful talismans, dragons and the one of the most charismatic leader, warrior Keegan!

Breen discovers her abilities, supernatural powers and her extraordinary skills which frightened her own mother and she realizes that’s why she has lived in over protective cocoon her mother built for her during her old life in Philadelphia and as soon as she discovers her potential and her important role to protect both of the worlds from the danger of her own blood thirsty grandfather she realizes she has to make a decision. Will she fight or will she escape to the world where she came from?

The story is great introduction to give enough about the characters and their pasts, motives. And we witnessed the beginning of Keegan and Breen’s love story ( we also met with the bad woman who may create conflict about their love interest at the upcoming installments) and we learned more about upcoming war between evil and good! The story finishes with a cliffhanger as we expected! So am I in to read what’s gonna happen next! Abso-freaking-lutely! I’m hooked, I’m chanted, I’m all in!

Cannot wait to read more Breen, Keegan and Marco’s journeys!

So much special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this incredible Arc with me in exchange my honest review.

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Well I've reached that point where I'm trolling Goodreads looking for negative reviews to support my opinions, so it's time to give up. I made it 30%. I've never read Nora Roberts before and can confidently say I won't again. Not be blunt, but this was just...bad writing. Like weird turns of phrase and grammatically unpleasant sentences. Not to mention the incredibly slow pacing and weak character writing. The LGBTQ characters were so stereotypical that I felt embarrassed reading them. Breen didn't feel like a real person, and neither did anyone else for that matter, except perhaps the insanely kind Irish people. I really did love the Irish setting and travel part of the book but actually lost interest in the fantasy aspect. Another reviewer described it as "goofy," which I think is apt. It reminded me of something I would have written as a teen, which is not a compliment. The fact that it was not even actually Ireland, which is already a magical place teeming with incredible stories and folklore, but a weird parallel universe where my 12 year old self's collection of porcelain unicorns and fairies would have fit right in was just baffling to me. Rant over; I'm out.

Reread

This book made me so happy...and that’s all you need to know...

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

First one in a new series - and it's set in IRELAND - woohoo!!!!

Nora Roberts descriptions of Ireland will give you the biggest craving to visit immediately!! In The Awakening the scenery is so vibrant and authentic that I felt I was on the island myself. It’s proof how well the author has researched this place, visited herself and how much she loves Ireland. And it was palpable how much she put herself into this book.

If you haven’t been to Ireland yet, after reading this book you’ll put the island on the very top of your bucket list. The novel gives you the best kind of Wanderlust.

The Awakening is an introduction to what is to come. Similar to her last trilogy, Chronicles of The One, the author splits the trilogy into three parts. In the first book The Awakening, we are introduced to the characters, their connections, possible love interests, and the first glimpse of what is to come. The book has a slow build up, almost a bit too slow at times, but with a cast like this, and the world building the author put in place, there is a lot to cover.

As always the author loves to pitch Good agains Evil. And that’s exactly what she does with this new trilogy. I can only imagine what’s to come next! A big showdown, battles, wonderful relationships and friendships, and fantastic writing.

The Awakening was a massive start to a new fantastical trilogy, that will leave you wanting to book a flight to Ireland stat.

___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

I adore Nora Roberts, in a comforting and reliable kind of way. Having read everything she's written (as Nora Roberts), admittedly I tend to go into each new story with certain...expectations. THE AWAKENING being The Dragon Heart Legacy: Book 1, I'm sort of certain as to how it will end.

But, no. Ms. Roberts pulled a fast one and sucked me straight in, anxiously awaiting Book 2.

I am not going to write a big review on this lovely book by the talented Nora Robert’s, to be honest I had a hard time getting into the storyline & struggled for a bit but half way through it got me in, I loved the characters of BREEN & her BBF Marco their friendship will outlast the test of time.

Then there’s the fantasy world that BREEN & Marco explore in Ireland 🇮🇪 mystical creatures it will be the journey of a lifetime enjoyed in the end.

An author new to me, check. A fantasy read, which I rarely venture into, check. A book won via Shelf Awareness that is coming out in November, check. After all that, why not jump in and read it. So I did and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Breen is living with her best friend Marco. She's kinda frumpy, let's people push her around, doesn't think much of herself, and her mother just adds to that putting her down, telling her she will not amount to anything. Keep your job, which you hate Breen, as a school teacher. Her mother, while travelling, has her daughter check her apartment, pick up her mail, etc. While there, a wind blows some papers all around and Breen discovers that in her name is an account for 4 million dollars, which her mother has been hiding from her. She's also been hiding the fate of her father from her. So everything changes for Breen, and she flees to Ireland, the birth place of her father, to look for him, dragging along Marco. But odd things begin to happen to Breen. She begins to see a strange man, she has the most bizarre dreams, that seem real. And one day while out walking, she falls.....through a portal to another world. Her world, Talamh, the world of the Fey. And here, Breen has superpowers, where she must fight to protect herself and her world. There are spells, magic, dragons, evil...but dragons!

Sometimes it's great to step outside of a comfort zone and read something totally different. And this was one of those times. I really enjoyed this one and kept picking it up, not wanting to put it down. I wanted to know what happened. So yeah, it's quite long (something the dialog could have been trimmed down, just too much), it's a bit cheesy in places, a bit predictable (in the romance area) and it's part of a series of books to come. Hence, I had to knock it in my rating. I'm not big on series, I tend to loose interest and never finish them. But this one ended on SUCH a cliff hanger, I can't imagine NOT picking up the next in the series, when ever that may come. Overall, a good book for fans of fantasy, for fans of Nora Roberts, or for those who want to step outside of their comfort zone a bit. Also, thanks to Shelf Awareness and St. Martins Press for an early release copy of this book, it in no way influenced my review.

Quick thoughts: A shiny new series set in Ireland, this book is stunning and so unlike anything else I’ve read. I’m ready for book two and hope it won’t be a long wait! More thoughts to come.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

2.5 stars -- I am a huge fan of La Nora, but I had a very mixed experience with this first entry in a new paranormal series from her. The things I liked were the actual magic system and world the fantasy elements are based on. They are all coorelated to the Fey and set in an alternate fey realm in Ireland, which was really fun. But this book feels so messy in terms of structure. It is nearly 500 pages, and honestly, I think it would have been a far stronger book had it been cut down to half that. Better still, cut to 250 pages of this book & then have the next entry start at that point for the last 250 pages. That said, I am intrigued about where this story may go, so if you go into this knowing there's a lot of lag, you may find a new series to invest in.

VOY A ENTRAR A MATAR...

❤️Dragones, hadas, brujas y un malo malísimo; de esos que odias con sólo con oír su nombre. Y todo esto aderezado con un toque de atracción sexual.

❤️Vamos, no sé tú, pero si encima la autora es la Nora Roberts, yo me lanzo de cabeza.
Sólo que...
Bueno...
A ver cómo te lo explico.

❤️Queda claro que fue ver el libro e ir a por él, pero si tengo que ser sincera debo decir que los personajes me han parecido algo planos y que la historia se habría podido explicar con la mitad de las páginas actuales, porque, de pasar, no pasa nada especial hasta el final.

This was disappointing on several levels.

1) I don't get the feeling Roberts has read many modern fantasy books. She's thrown everything at the page in terms of worldbuilding a Fae world, but there's almost zero plot in the last 2/3rds of this book. The fantasy characters talk in a very stilted, stereotypical fantasy way. Most of the book is the main character, Breen, following a very strict daily routine (with fitness videos and two long walks a day, of course! Gotta stay thin and not lazy!) We read many, many descriptions of Breen's days, and this daily routine forms the backbone of novel. Unfortunately, we don't deviate much beyond this routine, and it gets old, fast.

Breen also happens to be perfect in every single way, her one flaw seems to be that she just doesn't believe in herself enough. I don't mind a bit of wish-fulfilment, but then there needs to be an exciting plot to make up for a bland character.

2) The diversity that Roberts' has tried to include unfortunately comes off feeling shallow and forced. She's added a Black, gay best friend, and local drag queen bar where Breen hangs out a lot, but we don't learn enough about any of these characters to really make them come alive. Even Marco, who we do actually spend some time with, seems to mostly exist to be Breen's cheerleader. While I think it's great to see more of the bigger names trying to diversify their casts, the actual execution here could have gone a lot better. The diversity also comes to an abrupt halt once we enter fantasy land.

3) Mild fatphobia. This isn't new for a Nora Roberts book -- she always makes sure to cast two thin, fitness obsessed main characters. In every book she makes sure to extensively list her characters eating and exercise habits, just to reinforce how hard they work at being hot, so underlying opinions of "worthy" bodies have always been there in Roberts' books, but it was easy enough to ignore in the past. However, in this latest book, Roberts tells us that magical children aren't allowed to do their chores with magic because it will make them "fat and lazy", and I can't help but feel that this, combined with her obsession of telling us how much her characters work out, tells us a lot about she feels about fat bodies. Because of course, one cannot be fat without also being lazy *eyeroll*

Overall, this feels very much like a first draft, and needed much heavier editing, and as well as a pass by sensitivity readers.

Breen Kelly is a middle school language arts teacher in Philadelphia not really living her best life. She’s insecure about herself, reinforced by her mother who constantly confirms she’s just average, and struggles to make ends meet. Despite her lack of confidence, Breen has managed to make some terrific friends, one who is her roommate. During one fortuitous afternoon where she was tending to her mother’s plants while she was away, Breen discovers documents that reveal not only had her father not abandoned her when she was eleven years old but had regularly sent money on her behalf. Hurt and furious at her mother’s duplicity, she decides to visit Ireland, her father’s home, and discovers family and the magical Otherworld of the Fey. She also meets the warrior Keegan O’Broin, the fearless and fierce leader of Talamh in that realm who changes her life.

The world created in this story is fantastical...mermaids, elves, demons, faeries, witches and more. It was a lot for me to absorb and it overwhelmed Breen. Her resistance was believable as she had to slowly evolve in understanding her own true identity as well as accept the weight of her ancestry. It wouldn’t have rung true to the character if she’d suddenly transformed and embraced this new world and all that it means.

While the world building was slow moving, the excitement certainly wasn’t. There are threats everywhere and Breen’s inexperience places her at even greater risk. Her relationship with Keegan brings even more tension as he doesn’t fully trust her but devotes himself to her training...to a fault. I loved everything about this story as it lays the foundation for what’s to come while creating an imaginative world with lots of interesting and intriguing characters. The narrator was absolutely wonderful, managing a host of roles, genders and accents effortlessly and believably. I hope she continues the series as I plan to listen to all of the books. The ending left my own imagination running amok. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

(Thanks to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

After school teacher Breen Kelly discovered her mother had been keeping things from her since she was twelve years old, demeaning and belittling her along the way, Breen and her best friend Marco flew to Ireland. Breen's father had been born there - she hoped she would be able to find him again, discover why he left, show him love again. Marco was only able to stay for two weeks, but Breen had rented the cottage for the full summer. She wanted to find herself, and now, as an adult, was determined she would.

After Marco returned to Philadelphia, Breen set out to explore her surroundings. The stray dog who found her seemed to be leading her, so she followed, to return him to his home. But falling through a portal into another world had certainly not been on her agenda. Fearful and concerned, it took Breen sometime to realise the truth. And for her powers of magick to arise, showing her what she really was. But could she embrace it? She'd lived a long time in Philadelphia as a human - was it possible to live in both worlds?

The Awakening is the 1st in the Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy by Nora Roberts and I loved it. The characters are exceptional and I feel I know them well now. It blows me away how talented this author is, with the many different genres she writes. I loved the Chronicles of the One trilogy and this one is proving to be just as well-crafted. I'm looking forward to getting into #2, The Becoming very soon. Highly recommended.

TITLE: THE AWAKENING
AUTHOR: Nora Roberts
SERIES: The Dragon Heart Legacy #1
RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2020
GENRE: UF/PNR
THEMES & TROPES: Celtic Myths, Ireland
RATING: 3.5 Stars
CLIFFHANGER: Yes!

READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOG

I'm gonna come out with it right away...thiswasmyfirstnorarobertsbook. Yeah I deserve those judgy eyes. One thing's for sure thought, it won't be my last book by her.

That she is an accomplished writer is crystal clear from the get-go. The world building, the landscape descriptions, the character development, it was all very well done. If you've never been to Ireland you'll want to go after reading THE AWAKENING. I saw every little detail in my mind, every beautiful place Breen visited. I loved to spend time in this world.

The inclusion of LGBT and non-binary characters in romance becomes more and more normal, as it should, and I couldn't be happier about it. Marco wasn't just Breen's best friend by name, he was amazing, a constant in her life. And Sally was a delight!

Two worlds, both somehow hers. How would she ever balance them?

“She’s beautiful. I’ve tried not to notice, but I’ve eyes in my head, after all. When that spirit flashes, she’s more beautiful than any I’ve known."

He’d wondered and wondered how she would feel under his hands, how her body would move under his, and now he knew and wanted hours of her, days of her, nights of her.

This was an interesting first book in a series that very much felt like a very extended introduction. The bulk of the middle of this book was the training sequence in any chosen one narrative. It wasn't entirely unenjoyable, it just went on for so long. The beginning bit was a really descriptive vacation story that also went on for too long.

And that my primary gripe here is that I wish an editor had reigned Roberts in a bit and helped her tightened this story up so that it felt like more than a 450 page introduction.

That said, I rather enjoyed the pieces of magic, folklore and world building. I love a good chosen one story and this hits all the tropes well, from she never knew she was special to one of a kind powers. In an attempt to balance her super specialness, it does go a little ham on the training sequences (as stated above) but I appreciated the effort to ground our chosen one's weaknesses and strengths.

I feel like I would've appreciated Breen's character more in a tighter version of this story. As it was, her characterization came through a bunch of repetition that made me kind of annoyed with some of her woe-is-me-ing. When I look past that, though, there were some positives: she was hardworking and loyal and rational in a magical story. On the flip side, I would've appreciated Keegan more had he been a bit more fleshed out. We spend so little time with him, in the grand scheme of things, and a lot of that time is him being all hard and broody.

The ending was probably my favorite part, for the way it brought the whole ramble together and finally felt like it was taking off. I think that, more than anything, is why I intend to read on in the series. I've invested so much in this intro already and I can see a second book being better.

A rather disappointing read coming from such a seasoned author. I agree with other reviewers that it's far longer than it needed to be given what's there.

Its biggest failing is that it's a mish-mash of tropes and cliches - You have your chosen one trope. You have the sassy gay best friend trope with matching "gayborhood." (One can only assume it was a misguided attempt to signal inclusiveness, though it instead comes off as pandering and shallow.) And then you have your overpowered-yet-bumbling heroine who's a little TSTL, and your emotionally unavailable hero who thinks brutishness is a love language. And just when you thought you had the whole salad, this book even manages to throw in the perfect setup for a beautiful scorned ex-lover who will no doubt morph into a vindictive beast in following books.

It's 2020. Haven't we already read this book a million times?

2.5 ⭐️

I happen to be a sucker of this type of general storyline - the normal girl who finds out she’s actually fae (or half, wtvr) and that there’s this whole other world that’s filled with magic ext… so I was able to make it through the book because that, but it wasn’t actually a very good version of one of those type of plots and I only liked it for the whimsicalness of it all.

I thought the story felt very middle school/YA, yet we were following an adult and therefore some moments felt really weird to me (like when she would be having sex) and super unrealistic (like her getting a crazy book deal two weeks after trying out writing for the first time in her life, or her best friend from before the age of three holding a grudge for leaving her 20+ years ago… there was just so many random things that would realistically never actually happen the way it did in this story…) —— also the romance side plot definitely was not built up that great and was heavily based on physical attraction… but that wasn’t the main point of the story… so wtvrr.

Thankfully I listened to this via audio and it had fun narrators that brought the story to life, and that’s probably why I made it through the whole thing - but I definitely won’t be continuing with the series since I couldn’t care less about what will happen next.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up.

I know of no medicine better than a Nora Roberts book. Whenever I’m feeling down or overwhelmed or just in need of something comforting, her books are always a welcoming escape. The Awakening, the first installment in her newest series, is no exception. If the rest of the Dragon Heart Legacy is as great as The Awakening, it promises to be one of her best.

“You have to look to find. You have to ask to have the answers. You have to awaken to become.”

“You have to work to have peace, and there are times you have to fight for it.”

“An instrument was a garden, needed love, needed tending.”

“If you fail, well, greatness rises from first failures.”

“If you rock no boat, you never end up in the water to see where the waves might take you.”

“I’ve learned that life, a good one, is about love, about standing up for yourself and others, about generosity, about giving back.”

You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.

I’m just going to be honest. This was the worst fantasy book I’ve read in a long time. As a first time Nora Roberts reader I was underwhelmed and utterly disappointed. This book suffers from a very thin plot line that is avoided at every turn for the sake of squeezing in a second book. The majority of the story forces the main characters mundane activities and tasks on you such as farming, cooking, horseback riding, book writing, sword training, walking, and even blog posting.

The main character Breen Kelly is a young Irish woman with abandonment and self-confidence issues. She was raised by her mother who is vilified in this book as being controlling and deceitful. While her father is praised for his otherworldly fae heritage and leadership skills. Dad disappeared out of Breen’s life early under mysterious circ*mstances and Breen has never understood why. After learning about a secret fortune hidden from her for years, she takes a trip to Ireland under the assumption that she can reconnect with her father. Discovering she is related to Gods she is taken to another world (where she basically vacations at) while trying to avoid her evil grandfather who wants to take her power for himself.

Breen makes for a boring and spineless main character. She constantly needs reassurance from strangers and best friends in order to do anything. There’s a whole side story of her writing a children’s book (while living in a fantasy world) for goodness grief! Everyone in this book thinks she is super special and as a result she can do no wrong. The evidence for her greatness is rooted in a story of Breen’s kidnapping at age three where she showed great magical potential in the struggle.

The story has very little romance in it as the current leader of the realm of Talamh, Keegan, is supposed to be the love interest. Yet he only comes across as a bully. He harasses and berates Breen into starting a physically demanding training regimen as soon as she arrives in town in order to trick her into showing some sort of her natural magical aptitude. In many ways he reminded me of her mother. He though he knew what was best for Breen without thinking that if she started training with a sword how would her magic powers increase? He’s basically there to mold her into this fierce warrior woman but he comes across as a jerk that wants her to submit to him. By the time they get together it’s nothing more than him pushing himself on her for sex.

This book needed to be shorter. It’s such a long book filled with all the wrong things and the main story is just barely touched on throughout the book. So much of the book is a waste of time until the end. I wish I could get both my time and money back.

Did Not Finish-10 percent

I don't even know what to say. I haven't read a Nora Roberts "magicks" book in about 10 years. The last one was the whole Sign of Seven trilogy, see Blood Brothers. It was really bad. Have I reviewed that series on Goodreads before? Cause believe me when I posted my reviews back in the day on the 'Zon I remember people were all screaming at me until we got to the third book and they went, okay you were right. I think the biggest reasons why I had to just DNF this book was that the names alone and the backstory just killed me. I made myself read to 10 percent at least to see if things got better, and no they did not. I get that romances are formulaic in some respects, but Roberts latest standalone, 'In Death' and now this book have focused on Ireland. So I am assuming she's going to be doing more and more on the "Green Isle" in her next couple of forays and I don't know if I have the energy for it.

Another reviewer said besides the 'In Death' books they really haven't enjoyed a Nora Roberts book in years. I have to say though in my case, the stand alones for the most part have been better. The latest one, Hideaway was painful, but I freaking loved Under Currents. I wonder if it's the backstories that are killing these books for me or what though. I think Under Currents worked better since you got to see the backstory of the male heroine and his family and then the story jumped forward. Hideaway didn't work for me since we were stuck in the female heroines backstory way too freaking long. So I am wondering if it's just a flow issue. Because I am seeing the same issue with "The Awakening" things moved way too slow. I just didn't care and I started feeling annoyed. This book was boring which to me is the biggest sin of a book I am reading. I just didn't care about Breen or Keegan. And the whole Talamh realm thing made me think of the Key of Light trilogy (also not my favorite) as well as The Circle trilogy. I just didn't have the energy to push on through on this one.

I would give this book 4&1/2 stars if I could. A slow start kept it from getting 5 stars. Once I got into the story and met all the characters the book moved quickly. It is the first book in NR's new trilogy. I'm looking forward to the second book as Nora left her readers with a big cliffhanger! Recommended for NR fans and fantasy fans.

#RetoRita5 #RitaNorita

4 Estrellitas para éste comienzo de trilogía que promete muy mucho. La anterior serie de Nora Roberts ya me dejó encantada con su faceta para la fantasía y ésta nueva serie ha terminado de convencerme.

Elegí "El Despertar" para el Reto Rita de éste mes de Octubre, porque tenía ganas de empezar su nueva serie, y ha sido todo un acierto. También es verdad que si lo que buscáis es a la Nora Roberts clásica de novela romántica, aquí no vais a encontrarla, así que abteneos. Ésta serie es puramente fantástica.

La novela empieza con la aburrida vida de Breen Kelly, una profesora de primaria de Filadelfia que piensa que está desperdiciando su vida. Breen está convencida de que no vale mucho y es mediocre gracias a su madre, que ha minado su autoestima para que no destaque en la vida. Pero Breen está deseosa de cambiar, y cuando descubre que su madre le ha estado ocultando una suma generosa de dinero, está dispuesta a descubrir lo que realmente quiere en la vida.

Los padres de Breen se divorciaron cuando tenía doce años, y ella nunca volvió a saber nada de él hasta que descubre que su padre le ha estado mandando dinero durante catorce años. La relación de Breen con su madre nunca fue buena, pero tiene todo el cariño y amor que necesita gracias a su mejor amigo y compañero de piso gay, Marco, y al personal gay y trans de la discoteca Sally's.

Pero Breen quiere cambiar y descubrirse así misma y gracias al dinero que le mandó su padre puede hacerlo. Cambia de look, deja su trabajo, y reserva billetes de avión para viajar a Irlanda, el país de donde era su padre y descubrir qué fue de él. Breen se da un período de tres meses en Irlanda para descubrirlo, pero Marco viajará con ella las dos primeras semanas para tener unas vacaciones inolvidables.

Durante el libro, Breen empezará a recibir algunas señales, pero hasta que Marco no se vaya, y Breen se quede sola en la casita que ha alquilado en el campo, no descubrirá la verdad. Un portal hacia un nuevo mundo y una familia que no sabía que tenía.

Breen descubrirá el mundo de Talamh, del que ella forma parte, un mundo fantástico poblado por faes, elfos, dragones, etc. Pero también es un mundo de leyenda azotado por el peligro de la Oscuridad y de un ser que quiere causarle daño a Breen y conquistar Talamh.

El mundo creado por Nora Roberts está basado en la mitología celta de Irlanda, pero no le falta detalle en cuanto a lo que debería ser un mundo de fantasía. Allí Breen descubrirá la magia, de la que forma parte, a amigos y familiares a los que no conocía, pero también a Keegan, taoiseach de Talamh, el señor protector de ése mundo, exasperante y sexy, que será quien entrene a Breen para lo que está por llegar.

El libro es un buen aperitivo para comenzar la trilogía, que realmente promete mucho. Quizás lo que he echado en falta es un final más épico, pero si ha dejado con las suficientes ganas de saber qué pasará en los siguientes libros.

Los personajes me han gustado mucho, sobre todo Marco, Marg y Morena. Sí, es verdad que se ha echado en falta algo más de romance, pero es que no estamos ante una novela romántica. Lo mismo pasó con las Crónicas de la Elegida, no era una serie romántica, si no distópica, fantasía. Aún así, estoy segura de que Nora Roberts obrará su magia en cuanto al romance entre Breen y Keegan en los siguientes libros.

Sí, me ha dejado con ganas de más y ha sido una estupenda lectura para pasar la semana. Espero que Nora Roberts no tarde mucho en escribir los siguientes.

DNF 66%

First things first, this is not a romance. So if that’s what you’re expecting (and why wouldn’t you be? It’s NR!) I suggest you check out her backlog of other, better works. If you liked the One (I did not and did not complete the trilogy), you may like this one.

I’ve read NR for close to 2 decades now, so she’s sort of a nostalgic read for me. But no one writes romantic suspense better and I’ve usually enjoyed her forays into the mildly fantastic as well. But in this book she clearly decided she was done writing romance and wanted to move on to fantasy - which fine, that’s her right but market it appropriately. And also, she’s not great at it. I love fantasy, it’s my favorite genre, and Nora doesn’t have the world building finesse. My biggest complaint and what made me eventually just give up on it entirely, was how overlong it was. I guess at this point in her career she doesn’t have an editor? Because this book could have done with some HEAVY editing. It’s so freaking drawn out. Like days of knowing every single thing the protagonist does, no matter how inconsequential. She doesn’t even meet the “hero” until like 50% of the way through. (And then he sleeps with someone else, which again, if you’re expecting a romance, this is typically Not. Done.)

Other, minor complaints: protagonist starts a blog. It immediately gets like 100 views and 25 comments. Laughable. It’s 2020. Blogs are barely a thing anymore.

Heroine’s gay best friend really perpetuates, well, the gay best friend stereotype. Oh, and drag queens. Same thing. I appreciate the attempt for some representation but this ain’t it.

The names! Dear god, the names! I think NR is trying not to reuse names but after like 200+ books, that’s a tough one. Like go ahead and just name her Brenna. I promise we won’t be confused.

This is officially my longest review ever. But as a longtime NR reader, I wanted to give others a heads up.

This one is hard to review; I spent a lot of time with it. There is a LOT to love but also a lot to be annoyed by.

I liked Breen, but sometimes I really just wanted to slap her and cut her from the story. She was pretty inconsistent, but man, is her mom a biotch! On the second interaction between them, I really hated her mom even more. Breen's refusal to accept things like they haven't been a part of so much entertainment and literature got to such an annoying point that it actually made me like her less.

I love Marg, Keegan, Maurina, and all of the Fae world. I love Marco, Sally, and Derek.

I love both Bollocks and Merlin a LOT! Merlin would be amazing!

That cottage is a dream home goal for me... How do I get to this in my own life? I want more of this cottage.

My biggest issue with this book is the entire book deal. SO MANY THINGS WRONG HERE that I was actually yelling at the book, yelling at Nora Roberts, and just all around in frustrated belief. I honestly would have given this book a 5 star if it wasn't so incredibly frustrating to read and then when it encompassed the book so much. Nora Roberts has been a successful author for so long that she has become so far out of touch with reality. Also, no damn kids book in America right now is EVER going to have the name of Bollocks. Was this a children's book or a young adult? Because the book itself seemed unsure.... I want to pull 3 stars for this whole subplot alone—definitely a FANTASY novel.

The book's final scene raised the rating back up to a 4 star because GIRL! I am here for what that will entail in the next book! I'm so excited; please run the hell out of this idea, Nora Roberts!

Overall... This did not possess me the same way as Year One, but I still love Ireland and the fae and this world. I will read on in this series.

4 Star.

Ah! Where do I even start with this review? I’ve been frustrated for days. So frustrated! This was supposed to be my fun and awesome St. Patty’s month read….but it failed.

So this was my first Nora Roberts read and if I somehow miraculously make it through the series, it will be my last. Never again. I thought she was supposedly a best seller and a top notch author!?

Anyway, my husband gifted me this book, so I felt obliged to hang in there and finish it out. But here is the issue… the BIG question….do I somehow continue on to finish books 2 and 3?? I made the dire mistake of breaking my cardinal rule (and learned my lesson this time) which is not to buy subsequent books in the series until I’m sure I love the first one. Forehead slap.

1)Do you like slow-paced, light, UN-epic (if that’s even a word) fantasy novels that have a really long introduction book to the series where not much happens?
2)Do you like little to no conflict and easily resolved conflicts in a story?
3)Are you satisfied with an underwhelming ending?

MAIN CHARACTER
Breen is just your average nobody that hates her job, feels confined in her life, and has a rough relationship with her mother when she discovers she is actually someone special and part of something much grander in life. She seemed too perfect to be justified, and things just seemed to fall into place way too easily for her. It wasn’t a character I was jumping up and down rooting for. There was hardly any struggle or fight for anything. She did have some mild character development, but it did not seem relatable or cheer worthy at all because it was all because she had a ton of money just fall into her hands. *eye roll* Of course anyone in such a prosperous situation could have the time and freedom to find themselves and build confidence.

PACE
Was very slow. When Breen finally enters the fantasy world Talamh, all we get is an unconvincing romance and endless days of her learning about her heritage and how to train for a battle that just doesn’t seem very well thought out in the first place.

ANTAGONIST
Is very weak and simple. Poorly done if you ask me. _______ needs to get her because of _______ to do what and why?? I am just not convinced it even seems to really matter in the context of the whole book. I am convinced otherwise though that Odran (the villain) is an interesting character that could be further explored in a dark romance. Haha I know I’m tainted.

THE ROMANCE
Though not the main storyline, it was inevitable that it happened. But it was definitely based solely on physical attraction and very immature. The male love interest, Keegan is made out to be this strong and sexy warrior with a great accent, but he is not very kind at all (again not even in a good way). He’s really quite annoying.

MORE ANNOYING COMPLAINTS
▪︎ Dragons have very little page time. This is very disappointing.
▪︎ The Game of Thrones references. How dare such an epic series be mentioned in this low quality book??? Ahhhhhh!! This was especially infuriating for me as I just finished binge watching Game of Thrones!
▪︎ How Breen was treated when she made her decision about the two worlds…it was extremely immature and made me roll my eyes way too many times.
▪︎ The writing style – for a best selling author, I was shocked to see such jumbled sentences. It most definitely pulled me out of the story on numerous occasions having to go back and reread sentences to make sense of it.
▪︎ The length – 435 pages was entirely too long for this quality of a story. About 150 pages could have easily been shaved off and made it more tolerable to get through. Did anyone actually edit this book at all?
▪︎ I appreciated the attempt of diversity inclusion. Breen's best friend Marco is a gay man and her positive motherly influence is another gay man named Sally. But it just felt so forced, false, and stereotypical.
▪︎ Where it actually seems to matter, the book was rushed. Not even 2 pages in to being introduced to the main character and a strange incident pops up and feels so out of place and rushed. I was like WHAT??

MY CONCLUSION/FINAL RATING
2.5 ☆
I suppose after experiencing my first epic fantasy series, The Witcher, this is like dirt compared. Understandably. So, I won’t say it was entirely bad.

~Beautiful Ireland was in some parts, and oh how my soul longs to go there someday.
~I did have an “oh wow” moment learning that there are no snakes in Ireland. How I’ve lived this many years not knowing this I have no idea….don’t even get me started.
~I also enjoyed the message: courage misneach that was carried throughout the story.
~And I loved Sally when he said to Breen, “Girl, take it from an old queen: be who you are and the hell with the rest.”
~Special shout out to Bollocks the dog! One of the best characters in the book.

Therefore, I will attempt to continue the series and see what happens. I’ve decided to accompany my read with the audiobook and see if that helps me through the next one.

I must say that the storytelling was fantastic. This author really brought to life not only Ireland, but this alternate universe she created. Just the scenery alone was worth the read.

This first book is more about the heroine, Breen learning who she really is, and shedding the old Breen her mother tried to mold her into. We also get introduced to many characters in this alternate universe that will have a lot to do with the overall storyline. The imagery of each of these characters were just as fascinating as their surroundings.

I loved seeing Breen shine as she learns where she truly comes from. I really liked her character and could relate to her struggles with confidence. I also like how she handles many conflicts that dealt with this confidence issue she has that was bred by her mother.

Keegan was a harder character for me to like. He's an honorable man who has this fierce need to protect everyone, but that need got in his way of his compassion towards Breen in this book. It will be interesting to see how he changes in the next book now that he sees what he's asked of her.

As I mentioned before, there are many side characters that add to the overall story and I am looking forward to seeing where they all will fit in as things escalate. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

я б назвала це комфортним фентезі. ну майже. бо тут тепла дружба, така неймовірна ірландія, і половину книги відчуття літа у бабусі на дачі, коли вона вчить готувати смаколики, а її кіт-охоронець ходить туди-сюди і періодично пече лимонні кексики. але є і більш жорстока сторона, де темний бог будує плани і жадає загарбати собі всі світи, де вбивають безневинних і забирають батьків у дітей.

але все починається з доволі нікчемної дівчини, яка ненавидить роботу, себе, кредити, обожнює свого ліпшого друга (я його теж обожнюю...), їх клуб і одного дня має шанс змінити все. і на щастя цим шансом користується, кидає все, б'є тату (іконік момент), бере друга у валізу і летить в ірландію. починається одна з улюблених частин книги: природа ірландії, неймовірні краєвиди, паби, усміхнені люди і пошуки власного минулого. нудна реальність і таємничий магічний світ, а посередині головна героїня, яка має обрати щось одне. за завісою реальності купа цікавого, дуже гарного, дуже моторошного моментами.

в розповідь було доволі складно втягнутись, адже вона доволі некваплива, персонажка потроху досліджує себе нову, відкриває улюблену справу - письменництво - вчиться магії і приймає спадок батька. тут дуже різноманітні персонажі, і вони тільки починають розкриватися ближче до кінця. мені дуже сподобалось різноманіття рас, і конфлікт який зароджується, неймовірна дружба, такі гарні і поетичні описи буквально всього навколо. а ще дракони. о таак, тут вони є, поки що їх не багато, але один з головних героїв - вершник, і думаю в наступних частинах їх буде більше.

словом: комфорт. в кінці я була в шоці від вчинку одного з персонажів. моя улюблена булочка марко вкотре довів, що він найкращий чоловік усієї книги. раджу.

Can’t wait for book 2!

This is a book for anyone who wants to dabble in the fantasy world, but still keep a foot in the real world. There is beautiful Irish fork lore that is so much fun. I loved how atmospheric it was and how descriptive Nora wrote about Ireland. Was it the best book I’ve ever read? No, but for a new genre for me, I was able to connect with the writing style, story development, and fantasy aspect!

This was awful. Like SO bad. It's been a hot minute since I've read anything by Nora Roberts. But I don't remember her books being so terrible. The female protagonist was insufferable and whiney, and I couldn't stand her. The overall story and relationships were so cringe-y and I just couldn't.

I am actually surprised I finished this.

The Awakening is the first instalment in The Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy, where parallel worlds clash over the struggle between good and evil. Breen Kelly, a high school English teacher from Philadelphia, has been studying hard for a title and a career she's not even sure she wanted. She never made a choice herself for many things in her life; they were the wish of her cold and dominant mother, who seemingly wanted to live vicariously through her. The warmest childhood memories are of her Irish father, even though he left them a long time ago never to be heard from again. Breen is lucky to have Marco in her life, her best friend since kindergarten and a constant source of love and support. But even Marco can't make Breen make the change in her life that she so desperately longs for. One day Breen is alone in her mother's house when a sudden gust of wind blows apart the papers on her mother's desk. As Breen picks them up, she discovers that all the documents are about her - they are bank statements showing that her father has sent her money over the years. Now she knows for sure: her father never really left her. She and Marco take the first plane to Ireland to find her family and origins. Here a secret awaits Breen she could never have dreamed...

This is an enchanting, emotive and richly-imagined fantasy epic and a story I got lost in from the very beginning. It's refreshingly original and moving with a liberal dose of the wonderful tenderness and humanity Roberts's characters overflow with; Breen is a superb protagonist who is relatable and flawed and all too human because of it. She's been through a lot in life and Roberts captures both her gentle and anxious sides perfectly in this captivating character-driven coming of age tale. Her awakening was as stirring and profound as I could've wished as she ventures on a journey of self-discovery taking her across continents after some surprising revelations. The mix of both the real-world setting and that of fantasy blended much better than I'd imagined making for a story that has a whole lot of heart, soul and powerful omens alongside the authors rich and intricate building of both worlds. The characterisation is so exceptional that the characters come alive on the page and jump out of the book and into your heart with ease; Breen's friendship with Marco was so touching and even accompanies her on her adventure to Ireland. This is a story of identity, of belonging and of never settling or accepting you're simply not good enough, and I think that's a strong and courageous message we could all learn to live by. Highly recommended.