Reawakened

Reawakened
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

"Please don't let hot foreign-model guy turn in to Hannibal Lecter."

Like I'm sure I've mentioned many, many times....I'm completely history obsessed, but mostly with Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Did you ever doubt that I would request this as soon as I spotted it on Bookbridgr? I honestly don't think I've ever moved so fast. I haven't actually read any of Houcks other books but after reading this one I think I'm going to have to! I couldn't have loved this book any more, it was perfect and was everything I was expecting. 

Right from the very first page it draws you in to the world and you're completely engrossed from that first page. It jumps straight in with the action and grabs you with the setting and the intrigue and you're in the books grasp until the end. I found the book to be incredibly cinematic. As soon as I started reading I was struck by how cinematic it was, how vivid. I could picture it like a movie playing in my head, and it also helped that the world and the settings where so well created and described. I got completely lost in the world of the book and it's one of those books that allows you to completely escape. 

Like I was saying, the first few pages really transport you in to the world of the book. I was instantly in Ancient Egypt, with a clear image of what the setting looked like. The atmosphere seeped off the page the entire book, but when you start reading it really hits you at how consuming it is, it made me shiver a bit as I started reading. Then you're jolted to busy, bustling New York, again, a vivid setting with an entirely different atmosphere to it. It was such an intense contrast and I could see it all playing out in my head, like camera low on the street, panning up as a Taxi zooms past, then on to show the museum, kinda picturing. The switch in settings and atmospheres was done so well and created the kind of jolt that I'm sure that Amon felt when he found himself in New York. Then of course modern Egypt and the pyramids and so on, the other setting, is another change in setting and atmosphere that's different to the others. I was just revelling in the different settings and atmospheres and insanely jealous because I want to go to Egypt! I've never been to Egypt or New York but I feel like I got a taste of both places thanks to the book, and what Ancient Egypt may have been like.

I instantly liked Lily, she has money, but she's not entirely happy. She's being pushed in certain directions by her parents, and I found her to be easy to connect to and incredibly realistic. I connected to her because she had a lot of depth to her, with how she was dealing with life and her parents and how they treated her and so on. Her reactions to things where believable and I loved her snark. A lot of her comments made me chuckle. She was such an enjoyable and lively character and she ended up changing over the course of the book and it was such a great change and fun to watch, I don't want to give too much away but it really was a great change to watch take place with her character. 

"Yes, museum. As in, collection house of antiquities, displayer of old documents and art of great value" 

Amon was interesting. He was another source of humour, because he was like a little martian who just landed on Earth. His comments and observations where hilarious "golden chariots" and so on. He too changed over the course of the book and it was an interesting journey for him. He seemed to be quite serious in the beginning but over the course of the book he kind of loosens up a bit as his feelings for Lily start to grow. Like Lily, he was very fleshed out, he had a lot of depth. Amon had an interesting crisis at one point after watching some Mummy films and is distressed about how Mummy's are seen. They're seen as something to be scared of, as villains and it was an interesting scene with Amon dealing with that. He had a lot of emotion and depth to him that really brought him to life. 

There where some other characters, I liked Dr Hassan, I really didn't think he was going to be who he turned out to be, I was pleasantly surprised and he was another intriguing character but I'd be giving too much away if I went in to it all! 

Amon has two brothers, and we get to see them in the book, but I'm really sad that we actually didn't get to see more of them! I really, really want to see more of them! I loved them! Asten cracked me up when we first met him, you can't help but chuckle at his antics. He was a great addition, he was more light hearted and jokey and flirty the majority of the time but there was more going on. Ahmose was kind of quieter, he was more calm and open and a contrast to the other two. The dynamic between the three brothers was fascinating, each was different to the other, but it was fascinating watching all three of them interact together. 

I particularly enjoyed reading about the brothers powers, each has a different "patron" God as it where, Sun, Stars and Moon, and each brother thus has different powers to the other and all of them work well together alongside the others so they can complete their task. 

As I said, I connected to Lily, but I also connected with the other characters as well, some more deeply than others. Each character is really brought to life from the page and you can picture them clearly. I actually loved how whenever one of the brothers chanted, they each had a different font to identify them with. Anyway, I really felt what the characters where feeling. I was right there with Lily, completely in the moment with her and feeling what she felt every time I picked up the book and started to read. 

Being that it's a book with Mummies in, I just want to put it straight out there that it's not cheesy or generic. They can change in to a bird, a different one for each brother. Amon can kind of do the sand travel thing that Imhotep can do in The Mummy, but he can also do other cool things with the sand. It was a really original take on Mummies and breathed fresh life in to a topic? Can't think what word I'm looking for! Anyway, a topic/subject/creature that I personally, haven't come across in YA before. I've seen movies and stuff but I've never actually read a book with a Mummy in it until now. But this book takes Mummies and adds original spins to them from what we're used to from pop culture. I loved it. In the world of the book they also have a really cool mythology/legend behind them and it was so fascinating to read about. 

However, there was a The Mummy reference and I squealed and fangirled way too much. The Mummy is like one of if not my complete favourite film and I always rewatch it loads and I can practically quote the movie like it's my job, as well as the sequel. So for there to be a The Mummy reference I literally freaked and was like "OH MY GOD SHE SAID IT."

"Oh, I don't know. The ten plagues of Egypt, raising an undead army, resurrecting your long-lost love, something like that."

Seeing as the book has an Egyptian Mummy in it, well three actually, and is partially set in Egypt, you would of course expect some Egyptian history of some sort. I didn't expect as much as there was in the book, some serious research has gone in to this. I'm not an actual expert on Ancient Egypt so I know some of it's correct but there's other bits mentioned in the book that I haven't heard of before so I might have to have a cheeky Google to check! 

The book is completely steeped in the rich history and mythology of Ancient Egypt and it was done just right. You where fascinated and wanted to learn more, rather than bored because of reams of information being spouted at you. The history/mythology was sprinkled through the book perfectly. There was a particular chapter that was incredibly fascinating all about the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Now some of it I knew...but not all and I was fascinated. It was all written in to the dialogue and it was like a story within a story. There was so much in the book and I loved all of it, not gonna lie! 

I already mentioned Amon's feelings about mummy movies, but I also wanted to mention a point that was raised at one point in the book. When Lily is explaining Mummys and people visiting the tombs and everything, Amon kind of doesn't really say much but he clearly has an opinion on it, and Lily actually realises something and it's something that I don't think many people have thought too deeply about. It is quite disrespectful that we essentially dig bodies up and display them to look at and I'd not really given it too much thought before. It's just an example of how rich and meaty the book is it, it's not some fluffy read, there's some serious parts to it that where all very interesting. 

There's some flashbacks to Ancient Egypt at the beginning of each part of the book, and each was more intriguing than the last, you're latching on to clues that Amon gives about what happened all those years ago, and each time you get a flashback you have another piece until you have the whole picture. It was another mini story within a story and I loved the bits set in Ancient Egypt even though they where only small, because the author has created them as fantastically as the rest of the world of the book. 

Finally, the part some of you have probably been waiting for. The romance. I found it to be incredibly well done. I mean for the most part it's subtle, there's these little moments, and then eventually it's obvious there's feelings there and it's really, really cute. It's also really complex because it's not that simple. There's this bond issue and the fact he's a Mummy who's not supposed to hang about and all of this and Amon trying to fight it and so on, so while it's cute it's also quite angsty and not a simple romance, it has it's twists which were surprising, for the most part. Y'all aren't gonna like how it ends either! 

The book is quite an emotional book, but the ending was downright heart breaking. I couldn't believe it ended like that, and at the time of finishing the book I wasn't entirely sure whether it was a one off or the first in the series. I can confirm there is a sequel slated for next year, but you still won't like the ending because it's going to make the wait so awful. I mean. I can't even. I desperately need the next book right now, how am I supposed to wait?! 

Reawakened is a fun, colourful, vivid and emotional read. It will transport you to every setting so completely that you feel like you're really there, the atmosphere will blanket you and you'll be completely engrossed in the book and unable to put it down. Leaving the book at the end is gutting because you just want to keep reading about the characters forever. The cast of characters are lively and full of depth and so easy to connect to that you feel everything they feel. Reawakened has a snappy pace, and a real quest vibe. There's action, history, romance and humour and characters you'll never forget. Reawakened is a very rich and meaty read and will hook you with it's plot, characters and settings, and the rich mythology and history is just the cherry on top!