Book Review :: Awakened by Ciara Duggan

Awakened by Ciara Duggan
ISBN: 1956136908
Published by Parliament House
on 2021-09-07
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 288
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads

After losing her parents in an accident only she survived, Hannah is desperate for answers. Haunted by the events of that tragic night, she struggles to move on, yearning for some deeper truth about her loss.

But when it comes time to turn a new page and move cross country for college, she vows to leave the past behind. After all, Bellcliff University is a thousand miles away from the ghosts nipping at her heels.

Yet when Hannah accidentally awakens a handsome witch from a hidden cave near campus, she realizes he isn’t the only thing stirring out of slumber. Hannah has roused all magic…including the devil herself.

As if spells, curses, and college jitters weren’t enough, this witch claims to know Hannah from four centuries prior—and their connection is more than casual.

Thrust into a world of sorcery and monsters, Hannah must fight to keep the magic she’d unleashed from claiming a price far too steep for her to pay.

Last updated on 13 February 2023

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My thoughts on Awakened by Ciara Duggan

Awakened by Ciara Duggan is a new 2021 release for Young Adults, merging fantasy with magic, romance with paranormal. It’s full of secrets and memories, past lives and present loves. And it definitely drew me in with the first few chapters.

But then somewhere in the middle, it lost me.

Hannah is suddenly thrown into a magical world that she knew nothing about. All she knows is that a voice in the hidden rooms of the University library is calling her, drawing her to books under floorboards, taking her to beach-side caves, awakening magical boys from the past.

And it really was as magical sounding as that! At least at the beginning. I could see Awakened by Ciara Duggan having great potential, and the parts that I did enjoy, I really enjoyed. But unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

The magic throughout the book was interesting but left me with a lot of questions. It could have done with a little more care when it came to world-building, I thought, but the concept was one I could definitely get on board with. I could see where Duggan was going with a lot of it, but it didn’t give me as much depth as I would have liked.

The plot was pretty classic, but I did really like the college aspect of it, and finding a hidden book in a dusty library room is right up my alley! I would have liked to read more about Hannah’s classes perhaps, and they’re felt to me like a bit of a hole in a few plots points.

The romance and other relationships throughout the story were okay, and while Hannah was an okay main character, I would have liked to learn more about Callan and also the other characters like Hannah’s roommate and other students. The connections with the ‘normal’ or non-magical world were there but they didn’t play a big part. And I do think it would have made me like Hannah as a character more if we got the chance to see what she was like with the people she was meeting as she gets to Uni for her first year.

So as you can see, a real mixed bag for me!

I’ve given it three stars because while I did like it overall, it had a lot more potential than was given. Also, shout out to the cover designer; it’s truly a stunning cover!

Have you read Awakened yet? What did you think?

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Thank you to Independent Publishers Group, The Parliament House and NetGalley for this free review copy. This does not affect my review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.