Outcast. Betrayer. Chosen. After five years being a Fianna, Aisling O’Malley still has to prove herself every day. The sins of the father weigh heavily on her shoulders, and no matter what she does, her fellow warriors regard her as the undeserving one. It doesn’t help that one of the four mythical treasures of Ireland has turned up under her nose, leaving her none the wiser. If by any chance the … none the wiser. If by any chance the touted Spear of Lugh up for auction is indeed the legendary Spear of Victory, she needs to get her hands on it before anyone else does—and be spectacular enough about it to make the rest of the Fianna forget she almost missed the artifact in the first place.
Exile. Betrayer. Forgotten.
After spending twice as long undercover as he ever lived at home, Ronan no longer knows where he belongs to or where he’s actually exiled from. He can’t return to his people, not unless he collects the four artifacts of power the Tuatha Dé lost when they were forced to leave Ireland, and three millennia after the fact, he’s pretty sure they’re going to remain lost. Except one of those ancient treasures has landed in his lap—or could land in his lap, if he brings himself to work with the spunky young woman who wants to hire him to consult on the Spear’s authenticity.
Can two broken people learn to trust one another?
And even if they can, will it be too late to save Ireland… or themselves?
more
The author really has done her homework on Irish mythology and folk lore. This is a great introduction in to the series where we see Aisling fully testing her Fianna abilities.
I really like how the author has written the female lead, tough, resilient and loyal.
Ronan really tests her limits. When you read about Ronan you understand what he is
up against and his quandry about whether to trust Aisling or not.
There is a major plot and it slowly unfolds. The way that the book ends is not really a
cliffhanger per say, but more of what is going to happen next.
Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Fianna’s Awakening by Ron C. Nieto is a wonderful story that I have read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series I really loved reading. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about fantasy.
I received a free copy of this book via Story Origin and am voluntarily leaving a review
Fianna’s Awakening is a relatively new series by one of my favorite author’s Ron C. Nieto. I would have bought and read it regardless of anything because I read all her books anyway, but it was still a fun and enjoyable read. The Fianna are humans with supernatural strength and speed, and their task is to protect Ireland from all manner of evil. It was lighter on the romance side than I personally prefer, but you could still feel the bond and chemistry growing between the two main characters. I also rather enjoyed the whole “girl power” dynamic where Aisling was the action-packed, kick butt and take names hero, instead of the role stereotypically being automatically assigned to a man. Ronan has skills of his own though and is also a warrior in his own right, but it’s nice to see a woman calling the shots in an action-adventure for once. Fianna’s Awakening is also the first book in a new series, “Warriors of Myth and Legend” which is based on some early Irish mythology, which I’ve been enjoying a healthy dose of from this author’s previous works, I love the spin she gives her ancient lore, and brings it to life.
This story was fast paced and full of Irish history. You cannot help but to cheer on Aisling and Ronan as they work to overcome their heritages. I really enjoyed this story and looking forward to the next book in the series
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Well I was ready for a good paranormal book and this one did not disappoint. We meet Aisley who is a Fianna which is essentially a guardian for Ireland. This comes with some perks as you would expect. She meets Ronan when she needs his help with something and things just go crazy from there. With little to no down time the two of them have to work together to figure out what is going on time to save everyone. The world building is great with lots of interesting tidbits and the characters are so well developed that I am attached already. I can’t wait to see where this goes next. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
This author does the Fae really really well and anyone who reads this really must be getting to he rest of Faebook’s!!! Especially the one on the Kelpie story.
However, this one is a little short but contains so much story, lots of information that immediately drags you in and compell you to read all night!! It’s absolutely great!!!!
Off to a great start this is fast paced and full of action and adventure! Well written this urban fantasy has a fantastic storyline with Irish mythology and some kick ass characters and I am looking forward to reading more!
A fresh urban fantasy take on Celtic Mythology
The “Warriors of Myth and Legend” urban fantasy series by Ron C. Nieto offers a very fresh new take on Irish Mythology. The first book “Fianna’s Awakening” follows Aisling as she comes to term with her own destiny as a Fianna, one of the legendary warriors tasked with protecting Ireland from the creatures of Evil. Aisling is just a young student going to the motions of breakup, when she comes into her powers and has a bit of hard time accepting her fate.
As Aisling come across the legendary Spear of Lugh (one of the four mythological relics of the Túatha Dé Danann), she seeks the help of a professor of Celtic studies to verify the authenticity of the artifact. The chemistry between Aisling and Roman is hard to ignore for the very beginning but the slow burning is fun and credible, both characters are equally lovable and the romance well enough dosed as to not distract from the action. The story develops nicely with the right amount of real Celtic mythology interwoven in the action plot of an urban fantasy tale with Dublin and Ireland becoming characters of their own, while Aisling slowly comes to terms with her heritage.
The book is well written, the characters multidimensional, the plot interesting and the story a welcomed fresh take on Celtic fantasy without all the usual Irish clichés.
“Fianna’s Awakening” is the first book in the “Warriors of Myth and Legend” series. As denoted by the series title, the book is full of myths and legends from the Celtic lore. Wonderful writing, excellent descriptions, action packed and with great characters, this is a wonderful way to start a new series. I’ll definitely read the rest of the books in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What fun adventures and trouble Aisling and Ronan find themselves getting in trying to obtain the Spear of Lugh. The professor happens to light her up in unexpected ways to boot! Great characters and an interesting story line!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Aisling is a modern-day fiann warrior. She protects a territory in Dublin, Ireland. An item has turned up that is to be auctioned off that may be the mythical Spear of Lugh. If it is, she needs to get her hands on it before anybody else does. Ronan is a professor of ancient history and is an expert in Celtic studies at Trinity College, and Aisling wants him to consult with her on this to determine the spear’s authenticity. Ronan, the professor, has his own desire and need for the spear if it is authentic.
Is the item the mythical Spear of Lugh? If it is, who will succeed in obtaining it, Aisling or Ronan? Why does Ronan need this spear?
What an incredibly action-packed, fun read! The book starts with a bang, where Aisling finds herself stalked and attacked on a dark Dublin street. The girl has got some mad fighting skills! It’s not easy to write a realistic and imaginable action scene, but this author pulled it off. While the book did slow down after the initial scene, at times it revved up again. Aisling is a fascinating protagonist. Even though she has strength, speed, and skill, she is not well regarded within her warrior group buy some. But still, she persists. She can be fearsome when she wants to be. I love the interaction between her and Ronan, first when they are trying to feel each other out and then as they work together.
I loved how this story was grounded deeply in the mythology of Ireland, bringing it into the present day. I also appreciated that this book was well edited. I’ve read some books lately that have had more than the usual amount of problems with grammar, punctuation, and usage. What a delight to read a book that correctly used commas and had no significant grammatical errors. It allowed me to simply enjoy the story.
If you like the fast-paced contemporary urban fantasy that’s based in mythology and heroic tales, you might enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book, but this did not affect my review.
A decent and entertaining novel
I haven’t read this author before but I definitely enjoyed her style of writing. I did struggle to get into the story at first as the author took the root of gradually explaining things to you rather than one huge information dump near the beginning. On reflection I agree that this was the better choice, though it does mean you have to persevere and put up with times of not quite understanding. At the end of the book I discovered that you can get a free prequel from the authors website, I haven’t read it but perhaps this would have made it easier to understand parts of this book.
The plot flowed really well and the story is easy to follow, though the pace was a touch slow on a couple of occasions. I found myself putting this down and picking it back up a few times during the first 50%. This is more than slow burn in terms of romance, other than a few ‘aware of him’ type mentions there isn’t really any romance at all – not even a kiss or a fade to black moment. However this is more than made up for with the wonderful plot line.
I did like both characters, and am hoping we will see more of them in future books. Aisling was strong, determined and feisty but also had her imperfections that allowed you to feel a connection to her. Ronan was very interesting, I did feel as though I knew him less well but he was still believable. We meet a few other characters, but don’t see enough of them to get a feel for them.
I would continue with the series.