The Dark Awakening by D.L. Blade

Title: The Dark Awakening

Author: D.L. Blade

Series: The Chosen Coven (#1)

Page Length: 252

Publisher: Fifth Element Publishing

Synopsis: Get ready for a new kind of witch—she’s about to save humanity.

Haunting secrets, witches, vampires, werewolves, love, betrayal, & twists you won’t see coming.

Mercy’s life has devolved into a string of bad events. A brutal beating that nearly stole her life, a dangerous stalker lurking in the shadows, and a car accident, where the man who rescued her disappears right before her eyes.

But this man who she thought was a hallucination, tracks her down at a nearby cove, and claims they were once in love from another time. Another century. But Mercy has no memory of this world he shares, and instinctively doesn’t trust him. He also reveals to her a life-changing secret—she’s an ancient witch, vampires are real, and she’s destined to destroy them.

There’s also the troubling discovery that her blood is lusted after by the undead, and a sadistic vampire leader sets his eyes on her, and will stop at nothing until he takes Mercy as his own.

Mercy needs to fight. Fight for her life, fight to discover the truth, fight to remember who—or what—she really is before it’s too late.

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LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

My Review:

This is the first book in The Chose Coven series, and I was excited to win it in a Goodreads Giveaway! This is a fast-paced and suspenseful supernatural story. The story takes place in a town called East Greenwich, which happens to be in my state. Coincidental?

The characters in this story are dynamic and well-developed. Mercy is a multi-dimensional protagonist that is relatable. You see her good qualities and her flaws, and you see the complex range of emotions she experiences in her complicated life.

Mercy isn’t the most likable character at the start of the book. She is a bit immature and completely clueless about the supernatural world around her. She is the typical high school student who is focused on typical high school problems. She hangs out with her friends, including her best friend Riley who likes her.

As the story progresses, and some horrible and weird things start to happen to her, she quickly matures and becomes more confident and strong. She feels a sense of purpose and shows determination and selflessness, much more so than she did at the start of the book. As she learns more about herself, her family, her destiny, and her feelings for others, she is exposed more and more to the supernatural world. She learns that she is a special type of witch, which causes complications in her already complicated life.

Mercy also develops feelings for a mysterious man (I don’t want to give too much away here) that she’s been dreaming about, much to Riley’s disappointment. Can you say love triangle?

When she finds out that her ties to this mysterious man in her dreams extend into her past, she determines to find out all she can no matter the consequences.

This is a well-paced and well-written book with a few twists and turns that I didn’t expect. I like the plot, as it is not the stereotypical witch story that we see in many books. It is original, interesting, and so unique and layered that I easily found myself engrossed in this multi-faceted book. Witches, werewolves, demons, vampires and more fill this book with mystery and suspense.

Rating:

Favorite Parts:

The characters are well-developed and interesting.
The paranormal world – It is creative, unique, and filled with a plethora of multi-faceted characters and history.
The cliff-hanger ending is perfection!

Recommendations:

Readers who enjoy paranormal stories with strong protagonists and creative worlds will love this book. People who like love triangles amidst a suspenseful supernatural setting will also like the story.