Ayla is a villain. With a gift that allows her to see when anyone will die, she’s remorseless in her profession as the perfect assassin. When she wakes up in a cryo-tank three thousand years in the future, and no idea how she came to be there, all that matters is survival.Rescued by Leith and the crew of the Nuria, Ayla discovers a far evolved world of space ships and galactic colonization. But … colonization. But everything comes with a price, and though Ayla is no princess locked in an icy tower, she still has to pay for the rescue she didn’t know she needed.
Given over to Leith, a darkly handsome man who reads Ayla far easier than she’d like, they must work together if Ayla is to repay her debt. As the pair come to learn how dangerous one another are, so too grows a lustful bond that comes with rules of its own. Fighting to learn why she was frozen, Ayla’s dragged into Leith’s past with a criminal organization seeking to take over this sector of the galaxy. In order to survive, Leith will need Ayla’s help, but Ayla doesn’t know if she’s willing to pay what it will cost her…
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Before I begin my review for Awakening: Queen of Shades book 1 by E.J Dawson, I would personally like to thank the author and Netgalley the opportunity to read this ARC and I have reviewed it honestly.
Meet Ayla, a kick-ass assassin, and join her in a futuristic, science fiction space saga as she awakens from a 3000 year cryosleep. With no idea how she came to be put asleep, Ayla must come to terms with her new reality whilst navigating her unquenchable blood-lust and unsettling ability to read a person’s death day. Enjoy a fast paced, magnetic and lustful tale with attractive characters and lots of bad-ass-ary.
Awakening features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
New adult
Science fiction
Cryosleep
Space travel
Assassin
Kick-ass female herione
Mental ability
Slow burn romance
My overall rating for Awakening is…
5 stars!
I’m not a huge sci fi fan but the word assassin got my attention. I’m so glad it did. This story was incredible! The world building, characters, futuristic technology and mix of themes were utterly unique, exciting and tantalising. Add an assassin and a slow burn romance you’ve got an impressive book. There was also one steamy scene that got the blood boiling, and what’s more satisfying then that?
The morally grey are beautiful
To say that I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. I fell in love with the world E.J. created and I’m now pretty desperate to read the next one!
I absolutely adored reading a story where the seemingly ‘villainous’ character takes centre stage as our heroine. Ayla is one of those morally grey characters who somehow manages to make you fall in love with her anyway. It took me a while to warm up to her as a person, but I completely understood her struggle having woken up thousands of years after she’s been frozen in time and not knowing the world around her. One of the most interesting aspects of this story was her gift, the ability to not only see a person’s death date, but rip out the pages of their life. I really felt like the primary theme of this was death and how fleeting life can be, which is a topic I’m well versed in so to see it in this instance was particularly rewarding for me.
One of the most beautiful parts of this story was the world E.J. created. It’s subtly weaved throughout the story, giving you just enough to understand the setting which I thoroughly appreciated. I never felt lost or confused even with all technological aspects.
Now, I have to talk about the romance because let’s face it, this is me and I love a bit of romance. The slow build of Ayla and Leith’s relationship was beautifully executed. I felt the connection between them building and well, Leith’s openness and willingness to try to give Ayla a home, that was pretty swoon worthy! The anticipation and the build up made the first kiss and subsequent steamy times so much more rewarding.
And a special extra mention goes out to her supporting characters, Casey and Kabe. Our lovable android made me smile with her smart comments. I loved the development of her and Kabe across the book. Also, this romance lover is totally shipping Casey and our resident doctor, Kabe.
I really can’t wait to read the next book and see where Ayla, Leith, Casey and Kabe go next!
*I received an ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion given freely.*
If you ever watched Firefly or even the much older Blake 7 then you will be aware of the joy that a ragtag crew aboard a spaceship can bring. This book about an unusual woman woken from cryogenic sleep three thousand years after her last memory has just that sort of feel to it with outlaws, villains, political unrest, vengeance and betrayal all thrown in.
This is no insipid, feeble heroine though as Ayla is a trained assassin who right from the start proves she can protect herself. Rescued by Leith and his fellow crewmembers Ayla quickly adapts to this new world but she’s no passive miss to be underestimated. Capable of what to me was a wholly unique concept of knowing someone’s ‘ death day ‘ Ayla struggles to remember what happened to her but quickly begins to form relationships with her fellow crewmembers. Leith is her love interest but I particularly enjoyed reading about Casey ( a true revelation ) and Kabe who was an absolute sweetheart.
I really enjoyed reading this book by a new to me author and although it’s sci fi it wasn’t full of gobbledygook and instead concentrated on the characters and the dangerous situations they faced. This book has definitely got me interested in reading the follow-up as secrets about Ayla are clearly about to be revealed.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair