Victoria Saveron knows two things for certain. Dark forces want to kill her, and her friends have cooler powers than she does. Katrina can shapeshift and Tellen can tap into destructive magic currents.Everything else is uncertain and rumors abound.Victoria might be the Chosen One, whatever that means. Her father might be able to help them, but only if they can find him. Coldhaven’s villagers might find him. Coldhaven’s villagers might be able to offer them food and shelter. Some fool might be running around unlocking Darkland portals to raise an undead army.
The further Victoria and her companions get on their journey, the more dangers and betrayals they face. The must awaken Vic’s true powers or forfeit the world.
Interview with the Author:
Q: What makes Redeemer Chronicles 1: Awakening special?
A: This is a fun story told from several perspectives. You have Vic who’s the Chosen Redeemer and has zero clues as to what that means. You have her two friends, Katrina and Tellen, a Shapeshifter and a huntsman respectively. Mix in some bad guys bent on world domination, a mysterious immortal figure, and you have a light-hearted fantasy with some subtly serious themes thrown in.
The world presents the readers with two magic-bearing people, the Saroth and the Arkonai, as well as the magicless Bereft. Why the Bereft are the way they are is something Vic puzzles over a bit. It’s a world filled with the magic of Shapeshifters and Conjurers, which can be fun or terrifying depending on your perspective. There are very strong themes of good vs. evil, as this is a world that struggles because the forces of evil are seeping in through magic portals.
Q: Why did you write this book?
A: The book started out as a dare. My friend said something like, “Hey, you should write a paranormal teen romance with a love triangle between a zombie, a hunter, and a girl.” I scratched my head over that one for a while and then just started writing. The resulting story included zombies, huntsmen, a special girl, and a few other elements we discussed. I did sort of miss the mark on making it paranormal teen romance though. There are hints of romance but that’s not the focus.
Q: Is this book available as an audiobook?
A: Yes, it’s been voiced by Caitlin Jacques, a highly talented actress and sound engineer. She did some amazing things with the Denkari, rogue spirit warriors.
Q: Will this be a series?
A: Yes, Book 1 is the only one currently available, but the sequel is in beta testing right now. Hop on over to my website or my author page to get in on the fun.
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Definitely an interesting world with magic and horrors that can be conjured from a dark world. This book is right in. For me, as the first book in a series, there was a bit too much action and not enough world-building. I would have loved some backstory to get to know the characters, the magic schools, some history which makes Vic being the Chosen Redeemer very important. Because Vic was sheltered from the world she is very naive and doesn’t understand what is going on around her.
Despite that, this was still a good read. It was well written and enjoyable. Vic’s friends seem to have interesting abilities and personalities that serve Vic well. I hope in the next book to see Vic come into her power and a stronger personality.
I received this book from story origin and am leaving a review voluntarily.
This was my first book by Julie C. Gilbert. So I was unsure what to expect fro her writing style. I was pleasantly surprised though. I Liked her writing style quite a bit. I liked how she gave you just enough background at any given time to keep the story flowing and not leave you scratching your head. Her characters were well defined and each had their own personality that came through very nicely. The book was written with alternating chapters featuring the point of view of the different main characters. This did get me confused a couple of times and I had to go back and see which character was speaking. I do not usually choose books featuring vampires and zombies, but when I read the blurb on the book it still sounded like a decent story. I am glad I chose the book, even with my aversion to vampires and zombies. The vampires and zombies did not really play a large roll in the book, yes they are the bad guys but they did not have large speaking parts.
Awakening is the first book in the Redeemer Chronicles series. The series is aimed toward Young Adult and is Fantasy. There was no colorful language or sexual situations in the book, so would be appropriate for even younger teens.
Victoria Saveron Vic to her friends, is the main character in the book. She is or at least everyone but herself believed to be the Chosen One. Vic doesn’t believe she is the Chosen One considering all of her friends have more and better powers then she does.
Katrina and Tellen are her friends. They take off on a journey to find Vic’s Father to help her recognize her true powers. If they survive the journey. Someone is unlocking Darkland portals to raise an undead army to take over the word, and Vic and her friends need to find out her true powers or loose the world as they know it.
This is a short book. If it were not part of a series I would not be happy with the ending at all, guess I will just have to wait for book 2. hopefully it won’t be a long wait.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Julie C. Gilbert. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.