Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway - Ignited (Reawakened #0.5) by Colleen Houck

Book Info:
Title:  Reignited  
Author:  Colleen Houck
Series:  Reawakened #0.5  
Genre:  Retold Egyptian Mythology
Published:  February 21st, 2017
Source:  Copy from publisher
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis

A sibling rivalry.
A forbidden romance.
A spell that changes everything.

In Heliopolis secrets abound and passions ignite as chaos rises.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Tiger’s Curse series and Reawakened comes a novella full of celestial marvel, passion, betrayal, and evil that will grow to reign over humanity forever.

Before Lily and Amon met, before the cosmos was in chaos and needed three brave brothers to fight off evil, there were four siblings who helped rule the earth.

Each sibling had a special gift. Osiris, the god of agriculture, helped mortals to grow and thrive in their natural environment. Isis, the goddess of creation, fostered health and wellness. Nephthys, the seer, was able to keep the balance between all living beings and the universe. But Seth, the youngest sibling, was left without any special powers. The Waters of Chaos, which granted each god’s talent, were running dry, and Seth was paying the price.

As time passed, however, Seth’s determination and willfulness resulted in a very special gift, one that should have granted him the ability to enact wondrous change. But Seth’s competitive childhood gave him a heart so cold and vacant that instead, his gift brought about great evil.

Seth was now the god of unmaking, the creator of disorder and destruction. And he was ready to seek his revenge, dominating all who got in his way.

AMAZON | BARNES and NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY 

"[A] must-read for thrill-seekers and fans of alternate worlds."—RT Book Reviews

"Rick Riordan fans who are looking for another series will delight in this fantasy."—SLJ

"Littered with Egyptian mythology and snappy dialogue, this romantic adventure is a good choice for graduates of Rick Riordan or fans of Houck’s Tiger’s Curse series."—Booklist

"Fans of paranormal romance will love the Egyptian spin on this story of devotion and sacrifice, and Lily’s humor, combined with plentiful dangerous escapades, will keep readers engaged."—VOYA

"The author weaves her story out of Egyptian lore, cinematic magic, selfless love, and . . . is clever enough to remain surprising even to the last sentence."—Kirkus Reviews

“Houck’s moving depiction of the love between Lily and Amon is memorable."—Publishers Weekly

"Wonderfully written and…the heart-pounding adventures are topped only by the heart-melting romance."—The Deseret News

"A sparkling new novel with a fully imagined world and mythos, and crackling romance! Egyptian mythology has never been this riveting!"—Aprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wings series, on Reawakened, book one in the series 

My Review:

I have always been fascinated with Egyptian mythology and culture.  Probably one of the reasons I loved the first book in this series, Reawakened.  This book is a prequel novella, and really it is a kind of retelling or redefining of an Egyptian myth.  The way the author told this, the way she made the characters/gods her own, is one of the reasons that I love her writing and am so glad that I've found her books.   I look forward to finishing this series as the third book comes out this year.  

Colleen Houck's Ten Things She Would Change About Her High School Years if She Could Go Back:   

1. I'd ask one of my crushes on a date.
2. I'd read more.
3. I'd spend more time doing homework.
4. I'd go to prom.
5. I'd make more friends.
6. I would have stayed in drama.
7. I would have joined choir.
8. I'd have taken advantage of eating lunch off campus.
9. I'd have invested in a better backpack.
10. I would have gone to support the football team.

About the Author:

New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

WEBSITE: http://colleenhouck.com/
TWITTER: @ColleenHouck
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3097905.Colleen_Houck
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenRayHouck
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/colleenrayhouck/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/colleen.houck/ 

Book Trailer:
  

Giveaway:

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

- 12 Winners will Receive a Copy of Reignited, Scarab Necklace + Exclusive Bonus by Colleen Houck
- 15 Winners will Receive an E-Copy of Reignited by Colleen Houck 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can check out the rest of the tour schedule HERE.

Waiting on Wednesday: Recreated (Reawakened #2) by Colleen Houck

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  Another sequel this week.  One to a book I really loved all the Egyptian parts of.  A book that introduced me to a new author, that I now need to try more books by.  Without further ado, here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From Colleen Houck, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Curse, comes Recreated, the second book in the epic Egyptian-inspired Reawakened series, in which a seventeen-year-old must literally go to hell to save the love of her life.

Lily Young thought traveling across the globe with a reawakened sun prince was a grand adventure. Now she’s about to embark on the journey of a lifetime.

When Amon and Lily part tragically, he transports himself to the Netherworld—what mortals call hell. Tormented by the loss of his one true love, he’d rather suffer in agony during Lily’s mortal years than fulfill his duty to protect humanity.

Heartbroken, Lily seeks refuge on her grandmother’s farm. Yet she can feel Amon’s pain, and she has been having dreams—dreams of Amon continually suffering.

For before he departed, Amon gave Lily something very special, an item that connects them even though they are worlds apart. Now Lily must use this object to free him, and to free their realms from darkness and utter chaos. She will do whatever it takes. 

Doesn't it just sound so good!  I can't wait to read on.  So, what book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Review: Reawakened by Colleen Houck

First, thanks to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an egalley of this.  It is my first experience with this author, and I'm pretty sure I've found another favorite author.  I've seen people just gush over her Tiger saga, but I've just not ever really thought I'd want to pick it up and read.  However, after loving this book, I'll be checking into that other series as soon as I get a chance.  What drew me about this book, besides the beautiful cover, was the Egyptian storyline.  As many people are, I've been fascinated by ancient Egypt and the pyramids, etc.  This story has so much great Egyptian history and mythology mixed with wonderfully written characters all rolled together in a can't-put-it-down story. 

The main character is Lilliana, who goes by Lily.  She lives in New York City, with her wealthy parents in a fancy hotel, not too far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The story starts one day during spring break when Lily plans to spend her day figuring out what college she is going to attend next year.  The museum is a place she likes to go and sit, and it helps her to think.  It helps that her parents are big donors, because the guards know her, and even let her go into a section that is under construction and off limits, when she asks for a more private place to sit and think.  That's how she ends up in the Egyptian art area.  While she's sitting and thinking, she hears a noise in the area that is partitioned off with plastic curtains.  And out of the area comes a young man dressed like an ancient Egyptian, he's naked except for the pleated white skirt you see in the drawings, and bald, and speaks in a language that she can't understand at first.  He chants some words, and all of a sudden she can understand him and he is speaking in English.  She learns from him that he is an Egyptian prince that has just woken up after 1000 years of being a mummy, and he has risen to fight an evil ancient god, Seth. 

He doesn't know how he was found and brought to NYC, as his tomb was hidden. And the worst part is that his canopic jars that contain his organs from when he was mummified were not brought with him.  He needs those to regain his full power, and without them, he ends up having to cast another spell, so that he can share energy with someone living, and that someone who is close enough at the right time for him is Lily.  So now she must stay with him to help him get back to his tomb and raise his two brothers, so that together they can get rid of the ancient, evil god. 

So soon they are taking off for Egypt.  And it turns out there is another plot to help the evil god, which will make the ceremony a little harder, as well as finding and raising his brothers.  The more that this sun prince, Amon, must take power from Lily, the harder it will be to keep her alive and healthy.  And she will develop feelings for him, and he does seem to feel the same for her, but he takes his sacrifice for the people seriously, and won't give in.  At least not in this life.

I don't think I can gush about how much I loved this story.  I loved all the Egyptian stories and bits that were such a big part of the story.  And for the most part I loved the characters and all the different locations it took place in.  I did have a few minor gripes.  First, we all know about the big "absentee" parents in YA stories.  In this case I feel like it was almost ignored.  How did Lily not have any calls from her parents during the whole time she was in Egypt?  I understand how it was fixed to solve that at the end, but I feel like there should have been more about that in the story. Also, I don't like reading about teen girls that "don't like to eat".  I don't relate to that in any way, shape, or form.  I wasn't an overweight teen at all.  Very skinny until college, and even then, it was barely a freshman 15 that I gained the whole time I was there.  But I always liked to eat, even if I wasn't eating all the time like I am now. 

I see this might be the first in a two book series, and while I'm not sure where it would go next, as it pretty much seemed to wrap up the story, I will definitely be excited to return to this world. 

Speaking of sequels, sign-ups for both the September Sequels Giveaway Hop and September is for Sequels Challenge are open now!

The Morning Star (Katerina #3) by Robin Bridges

First I have to say thanks to Random House and Delacorte Press for allowing me to get an e-galley of this to review from Edelweiss.  I loved the first book in this series, The Gathering Storm,  that I got as an e-galley from Netgalley.  And then I never saw a chance to get the 2nd book, The Unfailing Light, so I just got behind on the series.  Then back in the spring I saw book 3, The Morning Star, available on Edelweiss, and so I had to request it.  And then in order to be ready to read it, I checked the 2nd book out from the library to read.  You'll see in my review of the 2nd one, that it wasn't hard to catch back up to remember what had happened.  It definitely reminded you without having to have a little summary at the beginning.  But I was very excited to be able to read on to the 3rd book right away.
In the 3rd and final book, Katerina, or Katiya as she is called by her family and friends, is working with Dr. Bamaev, as she is still not really being allowed to go to medical school because she is female.  Prince Danilo is in prison after what happened at the end of book 2.  Her mother had become the striga at the end of book 2, and Katiya found out that she did know of the fact that her daughter was a necromancer, and all about the Dark and Light Court supernatural things that she had seemed so oblivious to before.  There is a new ballerina who seems to bewitch all who come to watch, including the tsarevitch, who Katiya's friend Alix is in love with.  Fortunately she does not seem to be able to catch Katiya's love George's fancy.  And George has finally told his father that he wishes to marry Katiya.  When she goes to talk to his father, he tells her he would approve, IF she will give up her dream of going to medical school.  It is not proper for a woman, especially a royal wife to do that.  Katiya doesn't want to give up her dream, especially when she sees that George is still sick from the battle with Danilo in the last book.  And so, she decides to turn down her chance to marry George, in order to save his life.  George won't have that though, and when it gets so dangerous that they require her to leave and go to a safe place with the tsar, he takes her on a side trip so that they can get married, and then George promises he will let her study whatever she wants.  But while they are at the church, and George is saying his confession to the reverend, Katiya is kidnapped.  Turns out Danilo is no longer in prison, but he is also no longer Danilo, he has been possessed by Konstantin.  And they are after the Morning Star, which is the sword that Lucifer used when he tried to defeat God.  As it is a sword made in heaven, it will be impossible to destroy, and also comes with an army of Grigori, the fallen angels who now serve the sword. Konstantin knows he can defeat the tsar becoming the bogatyr as he did in the first book if he has the sword.  And they must go to Egypt to find it.  Along the way they discover other groups are also looking for it.  Danilo/Konstatin says that he will be marrying Katiya on the trip, but he needs her to be "innocent" for the ritual.  He tells her that she will be ruined now, everyone will know that she has been alone with him, even if they do have the bewitching ballerina as her chaperone.  There will be a war, no matter what happens.  Katiya knows she must get the Morning Star away from Konstantin in order to help the true tsar keep his throne.  And in the end, you know it must turn out the way you would think, but I won't give away just how.
Again, I loved this story.  And there was Egyptian mythology used in this story as well, which is really cool.  I like how not all the "bad" stuff was tied up with the final battle.  And how the story went on for a bit to solve this afterwards.  But not in a boring way, in a way that I always seem to want to know what happens next.  The final part of the book tells of the actual "true" history of these people, and shows just how well this author told and added to the story with her plot.  A great series, one I will continue to recommend!