Review: The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake

The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake (The Kahl'Nar Saga, #1)
by Mary Parker

I'm a normal teenager. I have a normal teenage life with normal teenage problems. The summer is my heaven. I live with my mom during the summer months. We stay in her tiny condo in Jacksonville, Florida. My parents split up when I was little. I'm not sure why. My mom never talks about it. Whatever it was, it was bad enough to make my mom pack me up in the middle of the night when I was four years old and run to my Gran's condo. My mom got the condo after Gran died. From that time on all I had known my entire life was beach life. Until four years ago. Until my uncle found me.

Synopsis from Goodreads

This ended up being a pretty good read, with promise for a great series. I just wish it had started off as strongly as it ended. The first quarter of the book has an entirely different feel to it, full of unrealistic dialogue and bizarre stereotypes (like homeschoolers being dressed in denim jumpers and owning goats?)

Please don't let the first few chapters set the mood, however, since it very quickly turns into an intriguing paranormal tale. Despite all the details that I'm picking up along the way, I still feel that there is so much to learn about the world Parker has built. Or should I say worlds? Seven, to be exact, and we haven't even had the pleasure of traveling to any of them yet. It really piques my interest to everything the sequels have in store.

Same goes for the characters. The plot is simply too huge, and there are too many of them, for me to have had a chance to get to know them all. Leeowyn, aka Lee, is our heroine, though at this point she hasn't yet done anything heroic. I admit that I'm not a huge fan of hers, but towards the end of the book she begins to show some potential. I love a girl with a backbone, and it was nice to see her growing one.
Alex is a potential love interest, though not a lot of heat to be found here. I don't feel any chemistry between Alex and Lee, but I have high hopes.
Peach (Perennial) is a mystery. She has been Lee's best friend for four years, but it seems she has been keeping secrets. They've been keeping Lee in the dark about who, or what, she is.
Throw in Lee's uncle Cyle (the spelling of which got under my nerves, because my eyes kept seeing it as Clyde), her tutor who refuses to teach, her grandmother whom we rarely see, plus a handful of emissaries from other realms, and you've got a very full cast. Simply not enough time to flush them all out.

The entire time reading this I kept feeling like my heart was being clenched, because I knew there was no possible way that everything would get wrapped up. There is no conclusion, and the climax feels more like a pretense for all that is to come. I'm left wondering how long until the next book comes out.

A quick, fun read, safe for child consumption.

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.