Shepherds: Awakening

by Damian Connolly

Aisling Shepherd's life is permanently changed when she's thrust into a fantastical world that seems to parallel our own. One where the rules aren't quite the same and reality is what you make it. Hundreds and thousands of people live there - most of them blissfully unaware that they're already dead. And being fed on. Nevertheless, Aisling can see those dark parasites, and they can see her. She soon finds herself fleeing from a swarm of the creatures intent on draining her very existence. But will she succeed? Will her father, a man that disappeared from her life when he abandoned her years ago, save her? Can she come to terms with why he did what he felt he had to do? Blood is speaking and she now has to see if she has what it takes to live up to her name. If she accepts, it'll break her, and she'll have to sacrifice everything. But she's a Shepherd, and countless people are depending on her. All she has to do is open a door...

Genres: Fantasy

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2016

Reviews

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary book. I was expecting the usual coming into her newly discovered powers formulaic story and instead I found this to be an amazingly emotional and captivating tale.
A delightful story, beautifully written and full of warmth.
Strong characters, together with a unique setting made for a compelling read.
Highly recommended.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

This is the amazing story of an amazing girl. In awakening to her destiny as a shepherd, Aisling also awakens to what is true and necessary in her life. It's a great story for any young adult trying to find her way through loss and bullying to a sense of self - with some fantasy thrown in for good measure.

[Chandra Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb!

This was a great story! Creative and exciting! At times it really hit you in the feels. I highly recommend this book!

[J.L. Rallios · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damian Connolly penned an original fantasy that I found well written and engaging. The descriptions were great, the action exciting, and the story full of heart. On the negative side, I didn't find much to like in Aisling (the main character). Her attitude and decisions annoyed me, but I have to give credit to the fact that it is a coming-of-age story, after all. However, by the end I like her even less! She's become arrogant and over confident. I also didn't like the profanity, even though it is sparse. I think that what annoyed me about the profanity is that the book is listed under the Christian genre. Now I've read great Christian books that have some profanity but are very Christ-centered, so if I "wink" at those books, I can certainly do so in this one. The problem is (and this is my biggest problem with the story) is that it is definitely not Christian or Christ-centered in the least. The theme is main stream humanism through and through that says that we don't really need God, that we are masters of ourselves, and all we need is to have confidence in ourselves and love for others.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, so I could give an honest review.

[Linda C. Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attention getter

Was unsure if this novel was too juvenile for me when I began reading, but it captured my attention and held it until the end. Interesting storyline and action.