Awakening

Valkyrie Diaries #1

by K.A. Young

*14+ Young Adult*

You know those times when you've just had a fight with your mom and behind closed doors you say horrible things like I hate you or I wish you were dead? Well, it really happened. Mom is dead, gone forever they all are; every single person in our entire town disappeared overnight, like some freaking nightmare. I'm Kylie Daniels and my brother and I are the only ones left and now we have to figure out how to survive…

When sixteen-year-old Kylie Daniels wakes one morning to the sound of her kid brother hysterically screaming, she soon discovers that life as she knew it, had changed forever…

Follow Kylie and her brother Mason as they discover that the veil that separated the human realm from that of the supernatural was compromised exposing them to shifters, slashers, demons and Valkyrie.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2013

Reviews

[TheOneAndOnlySam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmmm. Very short and annoying. Everything was accepted with no question.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young adult. The story was rather simplistic, with facts accepted without question, and without much reference to the real world. Many times, the word was used incorrectly, or misspelled. (“Rearing to go”, rather than “raring to go”) I think the author should have it gone over by a competent editor, and then flesh it out further with more character development and deeper description.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Fantasy Full of Twists

A fun fantasy read with lots of twists and turns. Just when you think you've figured things out a new twist is introduced.. A great read that will keep you wondering. This first book in the series will make you want to read on.

[Donna Fadeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book but the writer just abruptly stops writing. The abrupt stop feels as if she was stopped mid sentence.

[Carol Castor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant

This book is very well written it kept going at a fast pace. I would recommend Awakening to the over 14s both males and females. Can't wait to read the next book.

[Gypsy Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the beginning of this story. It has a post-apocalyptic Walking Dead sort of feel to it, but without the zombies everywhere, which while not as suspenseful, does double in eeriness. It had me wondering would they get their parents back? Would they try to fix whatever had happened or go after whatever had done it? Would they find other living human beings still out there? But all those questions never got answered since once Kylie discovered her Valkyrie heritage that became the only thing important to her. Even her brother took a backseat to training and meeting new people and socializing with the other Valkyrie. She didn’t seem even slightly upset with the revelation that everyone in the neighborhood had technically gotten vaporized. Not to mention that she didn’t feel even slightly regretful about the growing loss of her humanity and what made her kindred to her brother. And the Valkyrie portion of the story just seemed like your basic origin story with a million background facts thrown at the reading audience, the usual gaining of odd powers, gaining new surrounding people (which all blended since they all seemed to have the same loud personality), the usual introduction of a hot dark mysterious guy, the usual introduction of a new world, and the usual revelation that she’s especially special within that world. And then the story devolved even further into a teen drama where several teenage boys squabbled over the heroine after she spent several pages trying on clothes. Granted, I was less than impressed by them since I’ve gotten beyond bored with shifters and packs.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different but good

I started reading and got really into.the book. The way all humans disappearance occurred at the same time leaving only Kylie and mase was odd until you learn that Kylie isn't really Human at all she's a Valkerie. the books pretty well written only came across a few missed words no misspellings. It's exciting, mysterious and just full of creatures you never heard of, so imaginative as well.
I however did not like how it ended abruptly. I had to look to make sure I didn't hit the wrong button when I was sliding the page to advance.
I liked the character, they were we'll written in. the choice Kylie had to make to save her brothers life. but it left so much open. what was going on before she left Valhalla? is her father really who he says he is? if that's true then why are they starting a war with the Valerie? too much left unfinished to end where it did.
otherwise I like the book. so it got a 4 star for all the things I mentioned above but it lost a star for the ending.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH Boy!!!
This is a great young adult novel. Its actually hard to remember that it is even a young adult book when you are reading it. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let up until the ending.
Kylie and her brother Mason have woken up to find that their world is no long the same. Everyone is gone, their parents, their neighbors, everyone has just disappeared.
As time passes Kylie being the oldest decides its time to move on, thats when they discover that there are other realms aside from just their own.
Its an adventure that doesn't let up, as the story continued I found that I wanted more and more, and next thing you know its over, and you really want more!!!
so one question…. when does book 2 come out?


*arc copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love K.A. Young's other books, so I was really excited to read this one. The story is about Kylie, who is a 16 year old who is living through an apocalypse of sorts with her brother Mason. I like that the story doesn't take long to get started. It kicks into high gear from the very beginning! I only wish that it was a bit longer. I think the story could have benefited from a few more pages in certain areas. Some revelations were fairly abrupt, so a little bit of easing into it might have helped. With that being said, even with the short length of the book there are enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes! I think this is a great story and I can't wait to see where it goes from here, especially with Axel :)

[Jaimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great novel. It's actually hard to remember that it is even a young adult book when you are reading it. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let up until the ending.

Kylie and her brother Mason have woken up to find that their world is no long the same. Everyone is gone, their parents, their neighbors, everyone has just disappeared.
As time passes Kylie being the oldest decides its time to move on, that's when they discover that there are other realms aside from just their own.

Its an adventure that doesn't let up, as the story continued I found that I wanted more and more, and next thing you know its over, and you really want more!!!
so one question…. when does book 2 come out?

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever have a nightmare but it's not it's real well meet Kylie
An amazing book about how a young girl wakes up one morning to discover that everybody has disappeared except her brother
. Then when she makes plans and moves to make sure her brother and herself survive she comes across other people and then learns that she is not who she believed she was or what she is .
The truth can be scary and life throws things at us we either swim or sink and Kylie is a girl after my own heart will fight till the end for what she believes in .
Great book
Greet a writing

[Kristin Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally loved this book! It was so different from Young's Adult novels, but still has her kickass female warriors. These female warriors are awesome! All badass fighting like testosterone-filled guys too. Say one wrong word, BAM, butt kicked! It was great.

There is Norse mythology with everything you want from an action paranormal book; tension-filled scenes, the hot guy, secrets, reveals and an ending that will make you scream, "NOOOO! I want more!"

[Melissa Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read plenty of YA books, this one just blows it out the water. For being sixteen, I completely underestimated Kylie. What sixteen year old would survive an end of the world scenario and while looking out for her little brother at the same time. She showed strength of character and didn't let her fears overcome her. It must be all the Valkyrie blood running through her veins and boy what and ending! Didn't really see that coming. Can't wait for the next book!

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about how a young girl wakes up one morning to discover that everybody has disappeared except her brother. Then when she makes plans and moves to make sure her brother and herself survive she comes across other people and then learns that she is not who she believed she was. It's a great opener to what will be an amazing series, I fully recommend this book.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Awakening. My only complaint is that I felt some things were never explained enough to the reader, such as the nature of rage demons. While I'm sure it will be explained in the next book considering the ending, I feel it would've been beneficial to understand them at least a little bit better in this book.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it ♥. I don't put up big reviews so this wil be short 2. I love the story I love the way kate put each charracter in the story . it's perfect and I cannot wait for the next one xxx well done sweets

[Connie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books by K.A. Young and this is no exception to her writing skills! Awakening is awesome. The characters are full and well rounded, the action is bad-ass, and the world creation is very believable. This may be the first of the series, but won't be the last I read!!!

[Crystal Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was not just a great cover it was an interesting story with intriguing characters. I felt for Kylie and mason, their situation, and the whirlwind that they had been thrown in. The story has a good plot and is a good starter book for an interesting series.

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the one that got me hooked on this amazing author. This was the first one that I read, It moved along at a fantastic pace, I fell in love with the characters instantly and the story would not let me go. This is an amazing book that needs to be experienced.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining YA read

It's been along time since I was in the YA category, but I'm sure that I would have loved this book when I was. I don't recall any books available this genre when I was a young adult. It was my loss.

[Julie Bromley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book released by K.A. I'm looking forward to reading Book #2!

[Alizon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic start to a new series. I really can't wait to read more of this one because it's an interesting idea that I haven't read a lot on.

[Jinny Sutter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Santa Clause? Really, Clause?

Ugh. At least it was a really short book and I don't have to read the other ones in the series.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ends in a huge cliff hanger. Not the type to want to be mad at the author but the type to eat the next book like yesterday. Otherwise great book. It was easy to understand while having a great plot.

[Lagerthaskye · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy the first book, this bears a strong resemblance to Awakening, House of Night series by the Cast women. Even the title is the same.

[Fermentum · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young adult book. Short....not a full novel.