They want her dead, but she may be the only one strong enough to save them. Melody has always lived a peaceful life, sheltered and protected by the few who know the truth about her past— and about the danger that exists because of her growing magical abilities. Everything changes when an old friend arrives, and she is forced to flee a deadly attack. All she has ever known is thrown into turmoil, and she finds herself alone in a world she does not understand. Two brothers, Jovan and Kaeliph, are in the wrong place at the wrong time. They’re framed for a crime they did not commit, and they only seal their fate as they make their escape. Believing the brothers murdered his son, a powerful Lord tasks his soldiers with hunting them. They are one step ahead of a death sentence when they meet Melody. The three young adults realize they are running from the same man, and only by sticking together do they have a chance. As they struggle to evade the Lord’s minions, they learn of an ancient evil that is a threat to more than just them. It is a threat to the entire world. The Lord’s hold over the land grows. There is no horror he and his men are unwilling to commit to achieve power. The long dead Lich King’s shadow looms. The world teeters on the verge of terrible darkness, and the only thing that can save it is Melody’s Song. Melody’s Song is a young adult novel that contains adult themes. If you are bothered by violence, including sexual assault, then please be warned. If you enjoy books with realistic portrayals of evil people willing to do evil things, or are a fan of Kelly St Clare, Sara C Roethle, or Rachel E Carter, then you’ll love Melody’s Song.
Hi. I'm Tanya. I write stuff. You should read it. . I like to think of myself as a genre-fluid author of {occasionally} epic fiction. My first trilogy is a character-driven fantasy adventure romance that is very loosely based on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. My newest book, /OOC, is a LitRPG that dabbles in magical realism - it's been picked up by Insomnia Publishing, and will be out on March 16, 2022. As for me personally, I am currently a basement goblin dreaming of a tiny life in a tiny house (by the ocean) with a tiny cat. I have a car named Abby and a rabbit named Beef, I love Tarot and TT/MMO.RPGs, and I apparently collect cool journals in which I never write.
I am the editor and publisher of this book. I'm biased, of course, but I choose this project because of the quality of the story. It's YA Fantasy with mature themes. There is magic, romance, adventure, and looming darkness, but the core of the story rests of its fast paced action. Every chapter has change, motion. The characters grow, their relationships grow, and our knowledge of this world and the danger that exists grows as well. It's exciting seeing what these characters go through, and by the end I couldn't wait for Book 2. Recommended to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy with mature themes, female coming of age, and adventure.
This book was given to me by Netgalley for and exchange of honest review. Thank you! I can't explain how surprised I was and pleased with this book. It's been a while I read a book in one go. I stayed up till early in the morning to finish it. Love every minute of it. Imagine you grow up in closed society and you think your powers are something normal but onr day everything is taken from you and the outside world is not the same place as where you lived. From now on Melody has to face her fate and slowly to find out about the outer world-cruel, unfriendly to magic even deadly. Her ability to sing magic is nothing seen for thousands years. But can she be the one destined to change this world or destroy it. Every minute in this book is pleasure. Fast paced, refreshing new magic and more. Definitely read it
Tanya Schofield's YA fantasy novel, Awaken: Melody's Song, Book 1, is a very enjoyable book which I believe a broad range of readers will appreciate. I received an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Melody, a young lady with powers she doesn't understand, is pursued by those who fear her and those who would use her. As she struggles to come to grips with who and what she is, she receives help from a number of people, some of whom develop close relationships with her. As readers, we learn as Melody learns, and we wonder, as she does, where the revelations of magic will carry her. The story starts off quickly and draws the reader in. From there it keeps up a good pace, flowing nicely from one scene to the next. As the story nears the end (of this first book of the series!), the pace picks up and the reader is treated to a heart-rending cliffhanger.
The author did a great job at worldbuilding. It is not easy to set up a new world, especially in a book of this length. Many fantasy novels are much longer. I found the length of the book just right - I wasn't discouraged by the prospect of working my way through a long book (and risking the discovery that, at the end of it, I wouldn't like it and was sorry for the time I invested in it).
While the novel may be classified as YA - and I am long past being in that target audience - I never felt that the story was exclusively a YA story. There is both sex and violence in the story, but not gratuitous sex and violence. They occur in the story in a natural sort of way; sexuality is handled deftly, and details of wounds and death do not go too far. I also appreciated that the author was able to develop characters of both sexes in a natural sort of way.
As a writer myself, I have to admit feeling jealous of this writer's talent.
I enjoyed Awaken quite a bit, and I'm anxious to read the next book in the series. I just hope it's not long before Book 2 comes out ... I hate when I can't remember the story from the previous book in a series!
Recieved from Netgalley. Nice flowing introduction of the characters, Melody a witch girl whose only crime is existing, Jovan the large serious arena fighter, Kaeliph the cocky jokey fisherman swordsman and Calder the protector. Light hearted but builds quickly educating a naive innocent that knows nothing of the world beyond her sanctuary. Good plot, I like how you can immediately separate good from evil and the way Melody uses her magic. The ending being a sudden cliffhanger was a little annoying but it was a really good story and I’m looking forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed reading this book even though there is a cliffhanger ending (so, of course, I must read Book 2 now) ! I would recommend this book for those who enjoy fantasy. Tanya Schofield brings a believable story and you are immersed into the world wanting to know what's next. Even with multiple POV, I still see Melody as the main character and it was her story that kept me wanting to know more.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, just the opportunity to read a new book before most people.
“Awaken: Melody’s Song” by Tanya Schofield is an entertaining story. While not what I would consider a strong book, needing more character development and another read through by proof-readers, it demonstrated some creativity and was an easy, enjoyable read.
The book started off a little slow, (but in all fairness, I tend to be impatient when it comes to books). However, when the links between the different characters’ lives became clear, I found myself enjoying my time with the three main characters – Melody, Jovan, and Kaeliph – and looking forward to continuing reading the story.
In short: if you are looking for a story that is entertaining, but not one that prevents you from stopping when the responsibilities of reality beckon, this would be a book to read.
While I found the book lacking in character development, I do believe Ms. Schofield demonstrates potential as a writer, and with a little bit more character development, could have a “solid” series.
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In terms of content, I would give this book a PG-15 rating. There are three sexual encounters, in two of which a woman is raped, and while these instances are not explicit or graphic, they are enough to make some more sensitive readers uncomfortable. If it weren’t for those three instances, I would have said the book could be rated PG-13 because, other than those three instances, the book is relatively clean as far as the young adult genre goes, with just a few innuendoes and “damns” dispersed here and there.
NOTE: I usually do a “sensitive reader alert” for books with sex content, but because those three instances were all within the same chapter/scene and did not permeate the entire story, you can easily skip over it and enjoy the rest of the story. For that reason, I do not feel that “Awaken: Melody’s Song” warrants a sensitive reader alert.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, this was a quick and fun read. The author does not drone on nor does she fall into this YA-auhtor pit of describing every character, landscape, tree, dog, thing–the story has a good pace and I finished it in one night.
The character's are great–I loved the brothers and how different they are from one another.
I'm not sure if I like Melody–it took the entire book for to become stronger. She was literally sick and exhausted the entire time! I love seeing female characters who are tough and badass! I wanted to see her embracing her magic more and taking ownership of her actions but I imagine how the book ended, she will do so.
What kind of bugged me was the end. There is a very violent scene that I felt was kind of unnecessary. I did not feel like it had to be thrown into the story and I know there is such a big debate nowadays with books labeled YA when they have mature contents, so I feel like if the author wanted to include the violent scene, she did not have to describe it and could have just implied it? I'm not sure if that's the best bet but I can see someone getting mad about the mature content.
The story: Melody is on the run after almost everyone she knows has been killed for their illegal magic. She can't speak because her very voice is the source of her power and to reveal it would mean death. When the only person she has left disappears, she has to rely on two unknown brothers to protect her. They're in hiding after being accused of killing the Duke's son. Together, they'll have to navigate the treacherous world with betrayal at every turn.
What I liked: Jovan is a great character. He has this mix of sweetness and hard edges that is very appealing. The story has a lot of originality and the second half of it moves along quickly. It becomes quite hard to put down.
What was just okay: The writing style threw me off a bit. Multiple points of view were squashed together in each chapter and I just wasn't used to it. I also didn't love the romance too much because Melody seems like such a young character. Her weakness adds to that. When the love story began, it shocked me that they were near the same age.
Final Verdict: An enjoyable read that is hard to put down with an ending that will leave you needing more.
This copy was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don't even know... The most fitting to say about this book is, that it didn't give anything for me.
It's not a bad book. The world is interesting (or could be, if developed a bit more), there is real suspense in the story and Schofield writes beautifully, her writing is very enjoyable to read. But the book falls flat in a factor that's most important to me: characters. The characters of this book just aren't interesting at all and they don't grow close to your heart. Melody is weak and boring without a hint of any personality, the more important one of the brothers the same. I liked Kaeliph because he was the most unique of the bunch and then... well.
There was also an unexpected (okay, this isn't quite true, because I've read the reviews so I was expecting, but if you didn't know beforehand, it would be sudden) rape scene and it's very disturbing (which isn't, in itself, a fault), it just felt so out of place for some reason. I'm sort of curious where the story is going, but so far I couldn't really grip the actual conflict of this to-be-series.
This book is certainly has a unique story-line than you'd find in most fantasy books around these days. Certainly the characters are well placed and they also feel lively enough. It took me a while to get into the book but later on it turned out to be good. It's quite a long read, my kindle was showing 6+hrs considering I am a fast paced reader.
The was a whole new world buildup and everything seemed to be placed nicely. Considering it as a 1st book in the series, it can surely be read as a stand alone as it has its own buildup, story, drama and other happenings.
I have always believed in Magic, and this novel is rich with it, not just as a theme, but in the way it transports you to another universe, one much darker than our own. Melody is a fine heroine to lead us on this journey, which is startling in its pain, moving in its depth, and rewarding in its final act (which sets the stage for the next book, promised to be soon soon soon on the way). An excellent coming-of-age and coming-into-power story.
Ms. Schofield has a magical way with words. She doesn't just describe something...she somehow makes it all come to life and jump off the page. I'm so glad that this story is a trilogy and that I get to draw out my time with these characters. I am SO looking forward to the next book in the series. This may be touted as "young adult fiction", but it's a fantastic read for anyone who loves fantasy and adventure and magic.
A friend taught me that word, and it totally applies to your writing! What a wonderful way to spin a story. I absolutely loved it, and I am anxious to continue reading the following 📕 books. I hope to see many more adventures of Melody and Jovan (if he ever comes back from his temporary madness)!
All in all this was a good read. It was missing something I can't quite put my finger on. I was slow in places but picks back up a few pages later. The story is compelling, so it makes up for the faults. Good Reading Everyone!
Parts of it were great, parts of it were very much not. I'll probably read the rest, because I did enjoy the characters, but I could have done without the attack by the villian and the hero rejecting Melody over her powers not being unlimited.
Wow, what a story, a father dies protecting his child and she in turn is rescued. This story grabbed me from the start and I can’t wait for more, you got a fan. Catha Watkins Reese
A friend gave me all three books of this series. I was hooked from the beginning. Tanya does a great job of developing the characters. I was invested in seeing what happens to all of them. I can’t wait to see what her next series will be!
Melody, is a shy girl with magical abilities who is taken from the woods by her protector as royals who wish to harm her approach her home in the woods. As this protector brings her into the city and finds himself in harm's way, she meets two brothers also on the run, who are both vastly loyal and different from each other. Throughout the book, they seek to protect each other and evade those who wish to capture them.
While I found Melody's character to be a bit lethargic and boring, I loved the brothers. Jovan is big and brooding and protective. The more the book went on the more one falls in love with the depth of his character. His brother, Kaeliph, is also impossible to love. Persistent, devoted and always joking or flirting, he is just a fun character to who really adds to the story.
The book is very well written and I really enjoyed the author's writing. I will note, however, that some mature/traumatic content is involved. It is not especially detailed, yet I do believe it is a bit graphic for a YA book.
The end made me all sorts of upset. I'm hoping somehow that the sequel undoes some of the damage that the last chapter induced. Since it did end in a cliffhanger, I choose to have faith in the author helping undo some of the trauma of the end of this book, in her next. Her storytelling skills are exquisite and her writing really brought this fantasy story to life!
I can't wait to read the next book!!!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Actual rate: 3.5
I received Awaken as one of the first books for me to review, however, I was not in the mood for fantasy books until recently. Awaken's synopsis was very straightforward but since it was in my TBR pile for a long time, I did not read it before diving in. It is set in a world where magical users are executed and power comes in the form of money and influence.
There are two main characters, Melody, the chosen one, Jovan and Kaliph, the brothers that are on the run. The first few chapters were alternated between each of the characters' pov right until to the part they met with each other. I didn't quite agree with the romance in the story -as I feel like it is not needed and the plot will not be affected in any way without any romance involved.
I also dislike Kaliph, the younger brother, he seems a bit desperate for attention and love. He is also annoying, I really dislike people like him. He causes problems for Jovan and is the cause for them to be on the run.
The chancellor/advisor to the bad guy, he is doing things behind his master's back. He is literally going against everything the duke is ordering him to do. Melody is supposed to be captured by the duke's people, however, the duke people are actually loyal to the chancellor. He wants Melody all to himself for the power Melody possessed.
There's one scene that I could not comprehend was how the duke executed healers. They were killed because they can heal wounds. Even the smallest of wounds. I had to put down my kindle and breathe it in. The reason why the rating is quite low is that of the romance. I really think that the romance is not needed at all.
I absolutely love awakening is a must read I was glued to the book I cannot put it down I love the characters I love the plot of the story It won’t disappoint you