The Awakened - Pick of The Month Review

The Awakened by Jason Tesar First book in series Genres:Fantasy, adventure,    paranormal, suspense

     The book starts off with a prologue that is obviously modern day as there are helicopters etc. mentioned. The first chapter introduces us to a powerful family living within the Orudan Empire. No date is given but from context it is somewhere within the olden times, they have no technology to speak of. The father, Adair, is a Colonel within the Empire's army and governor of the city of Bastul. While investigating the beating and subsequent murder of an acquaintance, Adair also mysteriously disappears. The Empire gives all of his worldly possessions to his successor, which not only includes his home but his wife and son as well. His wife, Maeryn, is obviously upset over this turns of events. Especially when her new "husband" decides to have her son executed.

     The story line is very intriguing and worthwhile to read. I do however have some reservations. As a first book there are just so many unknowns and unexplained events, that I'm not sure I would regard it as a stand alone book. I find it very disappointing that so many authors today would rather split a long story up unto several incomplete books and call it a series than publish one big book. I find this practice quite disheartening. When I spend the time to read a book I want to finish the book with a sense of having enjoyed a story. With some of the series that I have read lately, I have more questions at the end of the first book than had been answered within it's pages.

     The editing is refreshing as it is practically flawless, grammatically anyhow. There are some continuity issues though that just makes me scratch my head that the flaw managed to make it into the final version. I would probably read the rest of the series, if for nothing else because I am curious to see how the different threads of this book end up tying together because as it is there are a lot of holes in the story and several pieces given that almost look to belong to a completely different puzzle.