Odrodzeni

Reawakened #2

by Colleen Houck, Andrzej Goździkowski (Translator)

Poznaj bestsellerową serię Strażnicy gwiazd jednej z najpopularniejszych autorek powieści young adult! Wkrocz do świata niezwykłej egipskiej mitologii!

Lily Young myślała, że podróż na drugą stronę świata z ponownie przebudzonym księciem słońca była wielką przygodą. Ale dopiero teraz stanęła przed prawdziwym wyzwaniem.

Gdy Amon zostaje w dramatycznych okolicznościach rozdzielony z Lily, przenosi się do krainy umarłych – miejsca, które śmiertelnicy nazwaliby piekłem. Udręczony stratą jedynej prawdziwej miłości, gotów jest raczej cierpieć katusze niż wypełniać swoje zadanie chronienia ludzkości.

Załamana Lily szuka schronienia na farmie swojej babci. Ale wciąż współodczuwa ból Amona. Ma sny, w których jej ukochany nieustannie cierpi.

Dzieje się tak, bo tuż przed rozstaniem chłopak wręczył jej niezwykły dar – skarabeusza sercowego, który ma moc łączyć ich, nawet gdy dzielą ich całe światy. Lily musi go użyć, by uwolnić ukochanego, a także ocalić wszechświat przed mrokiem i totalnym chaosem. I zrobi to za wszelką cenę.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Romance, Paranormal, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy

582 pages, ebook

First published August 2, 2016

About the author

New York Times Bestselling Author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, science fiction, and romance. Formerly a student at the University of Arizona, she worked as a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter for seventeen years before switching careers to become an author. Colleen lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers. Follow her by signing up for her e-newsletter!

Reviews

[Brittany Piazza · Rating 1 out of 5]

*update*
Literally dropping my rating because the more I reflect on this book, the more I hate it. Everytime I see it in my read shelf I get angry all over again.



It's been a really long time since I have sat down and actually wrote a review. I think the last one was written months ago when I tried to start up my blog again. But there was just so much that needed to be said about this.

A few things:
1. This review is filled with much rage and quite a few spoilers.
2. As someone who absolutely adores the Tiger's Series, this is very very hard for me to write.
3. Just because you love a series from an author does NOT mean you have to love everything they write. Although Tiger's Curse is my favorite series of all time. This book was terrible.

I think the reason I am raging so hard from this book is because I had such high expectations of having a completely new series surrounding Egyptian mythology, which I love. There was some mythology in this that did peak my interest and was some of my favorite parts.

Reawakened was okay, but kind of fell flat. This one absolutely face planted. I'll start with the things I liked:
1. The mythology: Awesome stories as usual.
2. She clearly researched as much as she could, which was nice.
3. The grandmother, Nebu, The tree, and Ashleigh's attitude.
4. Some of the fights at the end were kind of cool.

Things I hated:
1. Lily/Tia/Ashleigh : This is just creepy as all hell. I really wish that this Sphinx thing would of happened the way it was supposed to 'cause having three consciousness' in the same person is just weird and doesn't make any sense at all. You could sometimes figure out which personality was in control at that time, but it just made the whole book awkward. Also, Tia is a lioness. Do you really think they speak poetically?
2. If people hated the love triangle in Tiger's Curse, prepare yourself for a rectangle. Oh but wait, there's more: Lily is in love with Amon, Tia is in love with Asten and Ashleigh is in love with Ahmose. But they're all in the same body... wut?
And I'm pretty sure in the end, they're all going to be magically separated from each other and get to live HEA
3. This is essentially the Tiger's series but only written slightly different. For example:
Dr. Hassan = Mr. Kadam
Lily = Kelsey
Amon = Ren
Asten = Kishan
Ahmose = .. Kishan?
Then you trade Indian mythology for Egyptian, Tigers for Lions and voila.
Rather than writing an entire 'new' series by basically rewriting your first one, continue the first one. Then you don't end up with crap like this.
If I seem angry, it's because I'm seriously disappointed. I really thought I was going to get another series that I adored.

A few other things that angered me.
-Ever hear of a monogamous relationship? As an fyi, it usually it doesn't include making out with your boyfriends brother.
-Who ever edited this first edition needs to go back through it. Some parts were seriously hard to read because there was 3-4 people talking with 3-4 fonts to distinguish who it was and it failed terribly.
-All the gods/creatures falling in love with Lily. Okay, so it's explained off as being Amon's Heart Scarab? But come on. Does she really have to have all gods and men falling at her feet?

All in all. This sucked. It pains me terribly to rate it so low. But a two is the highest I'll go.

If you loved this. Awesome, I'm glad you got enjoyment out of this. This is just some things that really peeved me off.

Tiger's curse is still and will probably always be one of my most love series.

[Amy]

I so don't even know how to live right now! 2016!!!!
I CANT WAIT THAT LONG!

I NEED IT!!!!!!!!!


THAT ENDING!!


I NEED TO KNOW WHAT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!!


I'M HONESTLY NOT GOING TO LAST TILL THIS TIME NEXT YEAR - JUST KILL ME NOW AND PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERY!

**EDIT: 21/12/15**
I JUST SAW THE COVER!!! HOW LONG HAS THE COVER BEEN UP WITHOUT ME KNOWING??????????? OMG!! IT'S SO PRETTY!! GOTTA ADMIT I LIKE THE BLUE OF REAWAKENED BETTER BUT THAT EYE IS SO GORGEOUS AND I WONDER WHAT THE TRIANGLES LEADING UP TO IT AND THE WINGS REPRESENT!!!! AHHHH I JUST CANT WAIT!!!

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the first book in this series was such a letdown I was a bit reluctant to read this one and even considered donating it without reading it. I’m glad I finally convinced myself to read it because it was a vast improvement from the first and I actually enjoyed it. It was by no means perfect but there were much less cringe worthy moments and that made it a much more pleasant read! The Egyptian theme is interesting but I still don’t think it’s the series for me though and since I don’t own book three I won’t continue on with this series.

[Suzzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad at all. I liked the first one better. This story offered a change in plot and characters you that became endearing in the first book, while introducing some new ones into the mix. Should be for an interesting finale August 8th!

[Nikita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated August 18, 2016:
Recreated is gripping, exciting, and amazing. Lily Young has traveled across the globe with a reawakened Egyptian prince and had an adventure like no other and now she’s about to have the adventure of her life. When she and Amon tragically departed, Amon transported himself to the Netherworld where he is tormented by the loss of Lily and suffers in agony than fulfill his ancient duty to protect humanity from Seth. Still heartbroken, Lily seeks refuge at her grandmother’s farm where she dreams of Amon and feels his pain. Before Amon left, he gave something special to Lily that connects their worlds that will help her find Amon before he is lost to her forever. As Lily journeys through the Netherworld to find Amon she encounters danger after danger in her quest to rescue Amon. Recreated is full of emotion, magic, romance, adventure, confessions, danger, truths, and twists.

After her adventure in Egypt, Lily Young tries to return to a normal life, however she continues to dream about Amon as he fights for his life in the Netherworld. Heartbroken, Lily goes to her grandmother’s farm where she is able to communicate with Amon and feel his pain. After learning from Anubis that Amon is in mortal danger, Lily with the help of Dr. Hassan must journey to the Netherworld to find Amon and convince him to return before it’s too late but first must gain the power of the Sphinx. However, during the merging, Lily and the mind of the lioness, Tia was incomplete and now must adapt to live in one body and work together and discover their abilities. After convincing the Sun God to help Lily and Tia, they are allowed to enter the Netherworld where they are joined by Amon’s brothers, Asten and Ahmose to help in the search and rescue of Amon.

In the Netherworld, Lily and her friends face danger and Lily continues to dream of Amon as they search for him before the Devourer does. To protect Lily from the Devourer finding her while she dreams, Asten uses his powers to shield her and a part of her grows closer to him. Upon learning Amon’s capture by the Devourer, Lily and her friends fight the Devourer’s minions in order to save him and discover who she serves and more. Lily also learns how she fits in the fight against Seth regarding an ancient prophecy. In the fight against evil, Lily must become a beacon of hope as she struggles with all the many changes happening within her.

Lily is understandably struggling with losing Amon. She is willing to enter danger and become a Sphinx in order to rescue him from death. That’s love. Amon, I have to admire him and feel that he was being a little selfish for his decision. Tia is interesting. She’s direct and fierce but is learning the ways of human life. Amon’s brothers are back and are as awesome as I remember them, though we get more of their backgrounds here. Asten, OMG, I wanted to hug him. We get to meet more of the gods and some were funny and cool while others were strict in the mud.

The romance in the book was very much the same with confessions of love and heated kisses between Amon and Lily. The devotion between them is what fans like me love to read about and dream to one day have. However, Lily has found a second love interest that sent me in a raging mood. Though the romantic moments between the two were admitting hot but I was screaming at her “What are you doing?!” Then there’s a twist to the romance that is almost confusing. For me, at least.

Overall, Recreated was great. It is a great sequel to a captivating series. I loved it. It was well-written, has a great story with amazing characters and held my attention from start to finish. I love how Colleen’s books draws me into her worlds and wish I was in them. Her attention to detail is incredible and I love the mythology. I want the next book now!

Updated December 15, 2015:
It has a cover!!!






Updated July 16, 2015:
I want it! I want it! I want it!!

[Saiokuo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book Quality: 1 star
Book Enjoyability: 3 stars

Well folks, it’s that time again. Time to get on my tiny soapbox and yell into the void about how terrible this woman’s content is while thousands of people enthusiastically read her books and get warped ideas about what other countries are like. Wheee.

If I seem a bit bitter this time around it’s because I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as her previous fair. That’s probably my own fault since I read a really good series with actual characters, world building, epic quests and consequences immediately before this. What was I thinking? Anywho, let’s focus on Recreated. I can sum it up pretty simple as follows:

The Host + New Moon + Colleen Houck formula = Recreated

The New Moon aspect is simply the fact that our main breeding pair wait can mummies breed? …forget I asked. Our main couple are separated for the duration of the book and the main plot point is them being reunited and in Amon’s absence we are introduced to our love…. Triangle? Hexagon? Dodecahedron? I can’t even keep track to be honest.

The ridiculous love geometry comes about from The Host elements of the book. Let me start by saying I hate The Host. The book did its best to stomp all over any creative science fiction notions while spreading a message that the protagonist’s autonomy wasn’t as important as that of an unwelcomed parasite. But I digress… sort of. Recreated introduces a similar parasitic mind timeshare plan when Anubis tells Lily she must go become a Sphinx by merging with a lion. If that line made no sense to you, good, do not adjust your set you have a thinking mind. So this action introduces Tia, the lioness who happens to have a name and speak English and quickly grasp human ideas and basically wants to fuck every male character. Ok so whatever, Lily is slowing losing her individual ‘soul’ as she merges with a fucking lion who can take total control over her body at any time but whatever, lions are the spice of life. Well near the end of the book we get introduced to another mind parasite in the form of an Irish fairy (yes, spelled like that) who decides to join the mind slumber party without invitation.

So now Lily has three separate “souls” inside her body and I want you to make a note of something. All the souls in Lily are female and there just haaaappens to be three brothers that Lily’s person is bonded with. I wonder how this could play out….

So basically, Amon gets the spoiled white princess, Asten gets to fuck a lion, and Ahmose gets a fairy the size of his hand. Between this and the epilogue story about a woman marrying a lion and unicorn I think Houck might really have a bestial fixation.

So The Host style soul merging bullshit is out of left field and seems to exist only to give everyone a perfect straight partner for the finale. Let’s move on to the Houck formula.

The Houck formula is best described as taking an “exotic” locale with deep mythology that is just familiar enough to have been heard of but alien enough that you can warp the hell out of it without most people knowing. Requirements for this include limited to no consequences for actions, the protagonist whining a bunch about how much she’s suffered while having magic items that produce food or clothes, and a general lack of understanding even the remotest things about the people who live in these countries. I bring up the latter because something in Recreated really, really bothered me. So let’s talk about race.

Egypt, as you may be aware, is in Africa. Africa is a continent by the way, not a country so when a character asks where they are and you say “Africa” it means nothing (Ahem, Isis). Being in Africa but on the edge of the continent’s connection to the Middle East means that many Egyptian people are not lighter skinned, though historically the population wasn’t entire black either. I bring this up because in this book that takes place almost entirely in Egypt or Egyptian mythology lands there is only one character who is actively described as having dark skin. At first I thought Houck just wasn’t going to describe skin tone at all which is a way to avoid that entirely but she went out of her way to mention that this one character (Ma’at) was dark skinned while at the same time describing a goddess next to to Ma’at who was described as being blonde haired, which usually doesn’t come naturally with darker skin. So we have two goddess who balance one another out and one is described racially black and the other white… kay…. Oh, and the black one is judgmental, mean, and an obstacle to overcome while the blonde one is kind and merciful. Nope. Stop. Time out.

Flag on the play.

Un. Fucking. Acceptable.

Houck is the epitome of cultural appropriation; using another country and culture as a backdrop for her English speaking, Western acting characters to get to be ‘heroes’ that save the world all while shitting on the actual culture and people that live there. It’s just not normally so in your face, aggressively racist. Fuck. That. Shit. Houck clearly hasn’t done any more research about Egypt as she’s still dumb enough to reference “Egyptian” as a spoken language and think that there is savannah near Egypt and at this point her ignorance is really getting old.

And so I can’t even much recommend this book for the lulz. If you’re super interested in the story for some reason it’s not even worth reading as the ending seems to put us back where we were at the end of the last book.

….
Boo.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why.

Why did I do this to myself? How could I put myself through reading this book? Yes, I did like the first book, Reawakened, but then after some reflection, I realized how much I didn't like it. A year later, when I thought I had forgotten about what bothered me in Reawakened, I picked up this sequel. And well, I was wrong. For me, it was much worse.

I'm going to say there will be spoilers in this review, but that is to be on the safe side. Sure this is the second book in the series, but honestly I'm not going to talk much about what happens. Because that's how much I do not care. (My reviews have been incredibly salty as of late, haven't they? Sorry bout that)

First off, to describe this books as a whole, I would say it's info dumping at it's worst. Dialogue upon dialogue of info, lectures, whatever about Egyptian mythology. And I love Egyptian mythology. But honestly at that moment I would have picked up a nonfiction book on the topic. That is how bored I was with Recreated.

Here is one book that revolves around Egyptian culture, and is overall just better in general. Presenting Mara, Daughter of the Nile. You're welcome.

Not only is there barely any action in this (just more of the talking, going places, something happens, more info dumping), but about every single guy falls for Lily. And you know why that is the case? Well let's say our heroine has in her possession this "heart scarab" that makes it so any male attracted to her, unless they are in love with someone else. Why. What is the point of this. Please explain. We barely get any scenes with both her and Amon, the actual love interest. Instead we spend a good time seeing Horus head over heels in "love" with Lily, trying to kiss her or seduce her or whatever. I skimmed as best as I could.

Really, the only thing I actually liked about this book is the addition of Tia, the lioness. With her merging with Lily to become a sphinx, it made the character interactions much more interesting. How would you like it if you were inhabiting another person's body, trying not to take it over?

But other than that. Meh. MEH. Why did I even bother?

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Редкий случай когда мне абсолютно ВСЕ не понравилось.

Совершенно проходная книга ни о чем. Шли за Амоном, но нифига не спасли бедолагу.

Из обычной и милой девушки , Лили превращается в недалекую терминаторшу.

Дурацкая линия с Лили в которую вселяются еще две девы, каждая из которых пытается взять контроль над ее телом и по обниматься с каким-нибудь из героев мужского пола. Вроде и все без пошлостей, но все равно это мерзко. Это же была история о девушке и парнишке из Египта, а превратилась в историю о женщине-терминаторе, которая хочет спариваться с каждым встречным.

Финальная, ЭПИЧЕСКАЯ сцена вообще АБЗАЦ полный. Мысль одна - не умеешь, не берись. Вышла какая-та каша а-ля люди Икс.

Разочарована. Почему-то ощущение что и третья книга будет полнейшей чухней.

[Kirstie Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Initial Thoughts Upon Finishing
RIGHT NOW I AM SO INCREDIBLY NOT OKAY. I need the next book, I cannot function without it. That was the cruelest cliff hanger of ever. But omg, this book, this story, THESE CHARACTERS. Give me more now, please. I loved this so much that I just have not been able to put it down. I can't wait for the next book to clear up the mess that everyone ends up in in this book because GOOD LORD, Lily needs some help right now, that's for sure *nods*.



Straight Into the Action
There is so much to talk about for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this as a sequel to Reawakened and it is definitely teasing for what is to come in book three. I love how everything is this massive play up on a forbidden love. This book literally picks up straight after the events of book one. We’re back in the character’s head space and it really doesn’t take long to get stuck into the classic Houck-style adventure. This is what I love about Houkc’s writing. Her stories are so addictive and you can be guaranteed a unique and amazing read.



If you haven’t read Reawakened then stop reading here.

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I was really curious to see what would happen to Lily’s character after the finish for book one. For starters, I was traumatised and concerned by Amon’s little runaway, and I just couldn’t work out how Lily was going to take it. Being back in her family situation (those parents, sheesh) definitely had me nervous - and I was worried that we’d waved goodbye to some amazing characters. But I really shouldn’t have ever doubt Houck.



This was absolutely a fantastic sequel and everything I ever wanted from Houck. This series is certainly shaping up to be unique and amazing - and packed to the bring full of drool-worthy men.

Many apologies, but if you haven’t read THIS book then skip to the Summary or be spoiled.

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I was a big fan of the events that went down in this book. I loved that Lily made the decision to leave her parents and go to her grandma to become her own person. I loved that it didn’t take long for her to get sucked back into the Egyptian world, and I loved the whole Tia business that went down and all the other complications on the way. This truly was an addictive read.

"Why had I ever thought hair had no purpose? Obviously the purpose of leaving hair loose and long was for this - to have a man run his hands through it and cradle your head as his kissed you."
~ Tia

Character Development: Level Ten
Lily is fast becoming one of my favourite characters. I just really like her. I feel like I relate with her well and I think she handles all the situations well. I mean, let’s not even get me started on the Sphinx thing. SO COOL. I was so surprised and pleased with how she turns out in this story - I’m not going to lie, for a little while I thought her cushy up-bringing would spoil her. Thank goodness it didn’t!



I thought Houck’s playing with the Tia/Lily thing was awesome. I’ve seen a few people say they didn’t like this but oh my god, I loved it. I loved how it completely complicated things within the book but most of all I loved how the different perspectives within the same mind allowed us more clearly to see some of the mental side-effects on the characters. In particular, I’m talking about the final scenes and the unique angle that we get to see Lily’s depression (if you would call it that?) over the whole Amon situation.



I was really sad at the lack of presence and action that Amon’s character had. I think he brings so much to the story - so I was infinitely pleased when his brothers showed up. Speaking of . . .



The Three Brothers
This book would have been nothing if Ahmose and Astin hadn’t showed up. I literally whooped for joy when they did. I think the story was doing okay but had great potential to start flagging without them.



My favourite thing about this series is the way that they dynamics between Lily and those two is so interesting. And I adored (I don’t think I can express this enough) how complicated things got with Tia falling for Astin. Whilst I wanted to slap Lily for entertaining these thoughts, I also thought it was quite funny how the lines between Tia and Lily blurred and this happened. So I’m totally all for this confusion and loved the extra element this brought.



The connection that they all shared, however, broke my heart. When they’re trying to retrieve Amon and they’re all suffering, oh, I just wanted to cry. They’re just the most perfect brothers EVER.



I wanted to spare a quick word about Ashleigh. I can’t actually decide if I like her character or not. I think I *do* but I don’t think she brought that much more to the story. It also started to feel just slightly cliche when clearly a thing between her and Ahmose was struck up. I did feel like at this point we’re just trying to create a match-making service for the brothers. I wish Ashleigh could have been her bright self but not in Lily’s mind. That being said - the added complication of Lily really starting to lose control with the three of them in her head was awesome and I did get a little excited when I sussed out what was going on. So yes, mixed feelings there.



The Gods
I loved the role the gods had to play in this book. Considering this was essentially one big quest to get to Amon (let along bring him back) they had quite the big role to play. I really enjoyed the settings for the gods dwellings that Houck conjured up for us AND I’m super excited for the release of the novella, Reignited, which is the story of Osiris and Isis. I am so excited I may collapse.



I thought it was quite funny how Amon’s heart that he’d given to Lily caused her so many problems with it attracting men. It was definitely testing times when the gods were tricking her into loving them. I did like this aspect and I thought it served its purpose well for showing the exact strength of Lily’s power to remain faithful to Amon (and I think she did quite well).



I also really loved the scene when Astin has his heart weighed. And by loved, I mean I was a mess of emotions. It was the saddest thing ever and I just wanted to hold him and say everything was going to be okay. That poor, poor man. A clever and well-done scene - I’d really like to see more of the crossing over area where Ahmose and Astin guard, that’s for sure!


Does anyone else totally picture Astin as chill as Simba?

The After World
This place was spooky. I’ve no idea how much of this (if any) comes from Houck’s research into the Egyptians’ ideas about hell, but wow, this was thorough and terrifying. I loved all the different places and aspects to it - and I thought it was clever to make people enter to try and claim their hearts back. It had a very divinely dystopian feel to it (you don’t get to say that sentence very often). If anyone could make it through here, it's Astin and his sass.



I’d love to see someone take this and make it into a movie because I think there are seriously some clever things to be done. However, there are some things I do not want to see done - such as when some soul are forced to eat their own hearts, etc. Yuk! Such cruelty.



And that ending. Shall we talk about it? I had to admit, I had to read it a couple of times because I was a little confused by the whole thing (and I still sort of am, but am expecting things to be cleared up a little by book three). I was SO happy when we got just that little one kiss between Amon and Lily at the very, very end. I also really loved that it took the support of both Tia and Ashleigh to help Lily out; at this point I was very happy with Ashleigh’s characters and I think the girls work really well together.



Just to spin off on a tangent here: I love the trilogy of the girls. I adore their friendship and think it’s marvellous. Aside from Sarah J. Maas, Houck is now the only other author for me who has created this epic troupe of super girl power. Plus Tia is hilarious with her lack of understanding about politeness and need for people to just be straight forward. Oh, I laughed many a time.



But yes, the ending. I’m so confused and such a mess and I just need Lily and Amon to be okay. I’m desperate to see what happens next and I don’t think I can deal with an Amon-ness world for much longer! Let’s hope those pesky gods can sort something out!



Actually, as a delightfully spoiler-y blast, I wrote down a stream of thoughts at the end of the book which went a little something like this:

OH DEAR GOD MY HEART.
Okay, that was crazy. 
Like really crazy.
Lily is back at home (I assume)
Amon, Ahmose and Astin are back in the underworld being glorious as per usual (I assume)
Amon is now . . . okay? I DON’T KNOW, I’M ASSUMING.
Let’s take a step back.
So Lily escaped her parents because who even cares about those heartless robots - she went to her Nanna’s
WHO I WANT TO SEE MORE OF. 
Seriously, this woman needs to be in the next book, she was fabulous.
But then Anubis is like guuurrrrl, your BF has messed up everything.
And thus an adventure into Hell (basically) to retrieve a dying Amon.
Much heartbreak.
Because Amon.
But Lily has to become a sphinx (which is UBER cool)  and thus Lily because Lily 2.0
In other words she now has Tia too (omg that name, I’m in love)
I LOVED TIA SO MUCH. She’s so funny and straight forward about everything.
The whole one person but two minds was mind blowing. 
Why haven’t more authors done this.
It was brilliant. 
But the mind struggles, my god. 
AND THEN ASTIN AND AHMOSE RETURN
And I celebrated because DAMN those boys are pretty.
I mean, good additions to the plot.
Ahem.
Then there’s that scene when Astin weighs his heart.
AND ADKGIUHGIORG THE FEELS.
Like damn. Houck is cruel.
It was so heart breaking I can’t even.
AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN TIA AND ASTIN ARE BECOMING A THING
Which was both awesome but confusing because PLOT EFFING TWIST.
Coz you think it’s Lily betraying Amon (although I didn’t believe this for a second, pssht). 
But really it’s Tia and it’s sad coz she’s lonely. Somebody give that girl some loving.
But bloody hell give ME Astin.
My poor ovaries can’t deal with this level of sexy.
Houck sure knows how to write them.
*fans self*
ANYWAY
Then in comes Ashleigh (there are not enough characters in the world called Ashleigh)
And I love her, she’s wonderful. Feisty little Merida.
I was both glad and sad that she and Ahmose clearly hit it off
Felt a bit cliche? 
BUT AHMOSE NEEDS LOVIN’ TOO.
And then the ending. AFDSAGIRGIOGRENJ.
The final battle where everyone’s just dying like OMG.
And THEN - Lily goes into herself and her sisters have to help her out.
AND THEN THE EFFING KISS. LILY. AND. AMON. SMOOCH. FINALLY. OH MY LORD PASS ME MY INHALER.
Everything is confusing but clearly Lily is special and amazing and awesome so the Gods are trying to sort her out.
But they can’t because HEART. BREAK. OUCH.
I’m hoping Tia and Ashleigh get their own bodies and it can be a happy family.
JUST GET ME BOOK THREE ALREADY.



So with any luck, that sums things up for you. And you are welcome, I did have to edit many swear words out of that rant.



Summary
I LOVED THIS. I highly, highly recommend reading the series and embracing its amazingness. I can never believe how glorious Houck’s stories are with her extensive research into certain areas. I enjoyed the character development in this book and just about everything else that happened. Due to previous, aforementioned reasons, I’ve given this one a 4.5/5 stars, lower than my 5/5 star rating for book one as I don’t think it was *quite* as good, but sheesh, I still loved it. ALSO - check out the cover reveals for the novella, Reignited, and book 3, Reunited *faints with excitement*.



Happy reading!

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!

If you knew the end of the journey would have a great reward, but it would be difficult along the way, would you embark on that adventure?

It's an easy decisions for Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, but for the rest of you out there, the risk probably doesn't outweigh the reward.

Lily in Recreated is definitely a Gryffindor, she shows her courage time and time again and isn't afraid to thrust every part of her human self into saving her love Amon. But over time, her affections for him changes and she starts finding herself attracted to other men! By the end of the book, I felt really let down by everything that she had been through, and the end result. Not only because of where her heart lay, but also because of the ambiguous, open ending that was incredibly dissatisfying.

There were some parts that kept me reading, such as the Egyptian mythology with many more gods, goddesses and creatures being covered here, and the journey into the afterlife. The descriptions of the Netherworld and beyond were magical and vivid, with a great reimagining of Egyptian lore. It was fascinating putting together what I knew about Egyptian mythology and seeing them come to life in the world of Recreated.

I also enjoyed Lily's merging with the lioness Tia, when they share the same body but were of two minds. Sometimes Lily would have control and other times Tia, and the narration was rather unreliable it wouldn't outline who was in charge. Tia was a feisty lioness who made them more assertive and powerful as a whole. Lily becomes more bearable in this installment, less spoiled and entitled and more courageous and compassionate. However, she did act quite disloyal towards Amon and I found she didn't act/speak like a believable teenager at times.

As a result, their behaviour would be rather questionable at times, especially when it came to other men. This is the part of the novel which I had contention with.

So Lily has Amon's heart scarab, which makes her completely irresistible to all immortals, including creatures and gods (why this never really applied to goddesses kind of beats me). This kind of makes her all mighty and powerful, being able to draw them towards her but also made it incredibly cheesy when all the men would find her completely alluring and delectable.

I raised my eyebrow at the cheesy god Horus, who despite being surrounded by the elite beauty of the Egyptian world, would swoon over Lily and stalk her. He would put his hands all over her, bend her over backwards and passionately kiss her - even walk in on her bathing so he could take advantage of her! That behaviour almost had me putting the book down in disgust, especially due to the fact that Lily would hardly discourage him.

I was glad to see the back of Horus - but for almost every male she encounters, she would find herself "becoming closely aware of their bodies being close to each other", "basking in the warmth of their broad shoulders" or finding their faces "inches close to hers". This happens to not one, but four males in the story which was incredibly frustrating. While it could be explained that Tia's influence could be behind this, even Lily herself begins questioning her love for Amon, and by the end of the book, I'm left wondering about the fate of their romance.

While I enjoyed the Egyptian mythology and the re-imaginings of the Egyptian netherworld and the gods and goddesses, Lily's character still annoyed me with her resulting indecisiveness over Amon. I found her behaviour disloyal to him, especially when she started kissing other men (or when they started kissing her, and she would let them) and when she'd get emotionally attached for them. This isn't a love story that I was happy with, which resulted in my feelings for the book.

I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Thibaut Nicodème · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chapter-by-chapter review/recap on my blog, the Snark Theater.

I mean…wow is this a new low. There are probably books I've read that I hate more than this, but I've rarely seen a book this consistently incompetently written.

Recreated continues on the "derivative from Twilight" trend that is Colleen Houck's bread and butter. This is our New Moon, with the primary love interest being away most of the book and our protagonist angsting about it.

Now, you may be fooled into thinking that, since Lily does go on a quest to rescue him, that makes her a more active character than Bella. And you would be right to assume that, because there's no way someone could write this story and write a less active character than Bella motherfucking Swan.

This is where Colleen Houck's genius comes in. And by that I mean this book also takes from another Meyer story. Since there's only one other Meyer story out there, you guessed it, I'm talking about The Host.

So whenever it's time for Lily to…do stuff, really…she now has the spirit of a lioness in her mind to take over for her! Isn't that convenient! Oh, but don't worry, Tiaret is still female, she still needs a man to give her instructions most of the time. But still, as far as divorcing the protagonist and narrator from any kind of agency, this is pretty much the ultimate version.

It gets worse later on, where a third spirit (of an…Irish fairy, because that belongs in an Egyptian-themed book) joins in. You may recall there are three pretty boys in this series. Well, each of Lily's new personalities is in love with one of them. Instantaneous, world-shattering love with no development of why they like them beyond stuff like "he has good arms" (actual thing that Ashleigh the fairy says about her pretty boy).

But if that wasn't enough misogyny, let's talk about this book's main villain. Do you know Ammit, the Devourer, a faithful if monstrous servant of Ma'at who eats the hearts of those judged unworthy of entering the paradise that is Aaru? That's boring, let's make her an evil slutty temptress whose power seems to revolve entirely about making men do stuff for her! Now that's what I'm talking about!

Yeah, there isn't much to salvage about this book. The one good idea in there is the backstory/world building infodump we get about halfway through, which is an admittedly original take on the Egyptian cosmogony while not being too far from the source material as to make me cringe. Unfortunately, it has yet to come into play…anywhere, and also, that very same infodump goes on to state that Seth wants to destroy the universe, which kind of ruins the whole chapter to me.

Just…somebody please stop Colleen Houck from writing. I'm begging you.

[D Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
This book starts out slowly but picks up and maintains pace once it has. And while I think Lily, at least in this edition, lacks a bit of personality she has potential and the inclusion of an increasingly complex matrix of other characters, most of whom are intriguing in one way or another, makes up a bit for the protagonist‘s deficiencies. I also appreciated the inclusion of Egyptian mythology, not just as a veneer on top of the story but obviously well-researched and woven thoroughly into the world-building. And the author deals with the oft-mishandled love triangle trope in a new and intriguing way. I would encourage even people who are reluctant to read books that feature love triangles to check out this one, it’s definitely not a traditional take.

[Nazanin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my god, I'm so glad this book is finally over!
I really enjoyed Reawakened and I was so excited for this but It was utterly disappointing.
I mean come on 3 souls in one body? And each on them in love with one of the brothers!
I liked few things about this book but mostly I was bored and annoyed.

[(;Missy.Lala;)]

NEEEEEEEEED NOOOOOOOOOOW!

[These Violent Delights (Robin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this adventure. I love Egypt. I love mummies. I love the author. I love the cover. Just so many things I love about this book and the trilogy as a whole.

My full review to come.

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a long time to get into, but about half way through when we finally met Amon's brother again things started to get good. I am really excited to see what happens. I know a lot of people hate love-triangles but I don't. They can keep you guessing and add a lot more suspense and feelings and romance to a book. The only bad thing is that in Tigers Curse I was definitely Team Kishan, and now I think I might be Team Asten. I'll have to read a bit more to be sure, but the scene of them together in the dream had me swooning all over the place. Also with the addition of Ashleigh things could get really interesting.

[Hannah (The Curiouser & Curiouser) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2 Stars

I don't even know what just happened. It’s been a while since a book creeped me out like this, and it didn't even have to do with the romance (that's a whole other story). Backstory and themes and the mythology were top notch and are why I gave this book two stars, but . . . man, I'm disappointed. And slightly creeped out. Lily was waaayyyy too calm about what was happening to her body. I would have been contacting a priest.

[Cassie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come!

Update 10/29/16:

See more reviews on my blog Novels and Necklaces

Actual rating: 3.5 stars



It kills me to be giving a Colleen Houck book this low of a rating, but I have to for Recreated. I don't know what happened with the plot, but this is already not going in the greatest of directions. Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot to love about this book, but this was nowhere near what I was expecting from the sequel to Reawakened (a book that I loved a ton). Even though the previous book had some downs for me...mainly that it seemed exactly like the Tiger's Curse series just swapping Indian mythology for Egyptian mythology, it was still an excellent book. But this one, I honestly was left questioning whether or not I just read a Colleen Houck book. I had some major WTH?! moments and had to suppress some major eye rolls while reading. Even though I plan on reading the next in the series because I do want to find out what happens, I'm not super excited for the third book either.




Let me start with saying that I originally had given this book 4 stars (but I always had the intention of giving it 3.5 stars). However, I needed to wait to write my review because 1) life got in the way and 2) I needed to truly think about how I wanted to write the review and what I wanted to say. I After a bit, I realized that I needed to give this one 3 stars because it was not anything like what I expected from an author like Colleen Houck. She has such an amazing way of writing and a style that showcases her true creativity and imagination. But this one went a little overboard in that department, and while this might work in some cases, it did not work for this book. I think my ultimate problem is that everything is a bit too much.



Let me first start with what I liked about the book. The adventure and the trials were fun to read. Lily's character definitely grows a lot, especially during these trials. She's becoming stronger and has less of a "poor me" attitude. Lily realizes that she needs to do what needs to be done to save the man she loves, and nothing will stand in her way. And as always, Colleen Houck does a phenomenal job at depicting the scene for the reader. You easily get swept away in the lush landscapes of Egypt and the other worlds they visit. Every single scene is incredibly vivid and makes you long to be where the characters are (even if it's not in the most desirable of locations). You feel 100% immersed in the world, and this is something that has not changed about Colleen Houck's writing.

Now what I didn't like: first was the romance. Let me make one thing very clear...I adored Amon in the first book. And even though I hated how the 1st book ended because it broke my heart into a million tiny pieces, there was that little twist at the end that made me fall in love even more with Amon. So what's the problem you ask? He's barely in this novel. This whole book is about getting Amon back, saving him, and making sure Lily reunites with her one true love (let me repeat...ONE. TRUE. LOVE.), and he's in the book for a hot second. Sure, Lily dreams about him and so he's featured in that way, but these don't count. I want actual physical interaction with Amon. In all actuality, he was present only at the end of the book and he wasn't exactly with it (you'll understand what I mean if you do decide to read this book). Add onto this the matter of not a love triangle, but a love rectangle...well this was me:



Even though Lily matures a great deal in this novel, she still has quite a way to go in the relationship department (and just as a hint, it doesn't mean going around a kissing/flirting with your one true love's brother...just saying). Plus, because of Amon's actions, Lily's "necklace" brings all the immortal beings to her yard (aka EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON/GOD she comes in contact with is falling at her feet). Because that's not annoying at all...



Now this is the part where I have to put major spoilers in. So skip this next part if you don't want to spoil anything for yourself. Finally, there was the matter of not 1, not 2, but 3 different personalities residing in Lily's body by the end of the story. This would have been fine, but it got very messy to say the least. There were times where I had no clue who was actually talking, and it just made things in the story awkward. The story would have been perfectly find without this aspect and I'm not entirely sure why Colleen Houck decided to go down this route. Oh and the best part of all? Every person is in love with 1 of the brothers...hence where the love rectangle comes in. There's one obvious destination for this road, and that is everyone ends up in their own body and is free to love the brother of their choosing freely. But the problem is, until this happens, it makes the book kind of creepy considering it's Lily's body that had the brother's tripping all over themselves.

Overall, there is a lot to love and dislike about this book. As I said, this did not live up to my expectations in any way and I'm slightly disappointed that a story that had so much potential, fell to a trap of incorporating too much into the story. It's fine to incorporate little elements here and there, but this one was overwhelming with new developments and crazy times. I think if things would have been simplified a bit (and obviously there would be no love rectangle), this would have been an excellent follow up to Reawakened. Do I recommend this book...I'm honestly not sure. If you liked the first one, give it a shot, because you might like it more than I did. But it also wouldn't be a devastating loss if you didn't pick this one up. And you have no idea how much that hurts for me to say that :(

Happy reading :)

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The only reason it isn't a three is because I really enjoyed the last hundred pages or so. The beginning was just so boring and I didn't put any effort in reading it; hence the large time gap of my start and finish dates.
I really didn't like Lily in this book and I'm hoping she figures out her shit in the next book. I know that it was Tia wanting Asten but there still should have been more of a fight for Amon. There was just so many time that I just wanted to slap her. Ugh.

[BriaKnits & Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I was disappointed to discover that I could not purchase the audio version of this book as I had the first book. iTunes (where I usually purchase most of my ebooks as well as audio books) did not have the audio version AT ALL so I was forced to purchase the ebook. And I was too impatient to wait for a hardcopy to reach me in the mail. So I did finish this book with the ebook version.

This second installment in this series was very well written and there are a lot of character growth for all the characters in this book compared to the first book which is always a plus no matter what genre you read.
The only thing (and the reason why I gave this book a four star rating instead of a full five) I found that I don't think I necessarily liked is that there was TOO much going on all at once which sort of overwhelmed me. I don't know if the author meant for the readers to feel that way while reading this book and I get that the storyline/plot calls for it for this second book, but I just felt that it was too much and took away from the main story, which is a love story between Lily and Amon. I hope that makes sense because I get it! Lily is on her way to save Amon and goes on this epic adventure to do so, but there were so many distractions going on that it was easy to lose that core of it all. I don't know. I may not be making sense, but that's definitely how I felt reading through all the chaos.

While this book was a cacophony of events and distractions, the first book was a lot more focused and coherent. In the first book there was a lot going on, but there was a clear purpose and goal as to what the main characters had to accomplish. This second installment had pretty much a set goal, just a ton of nonsense in between that didn't, in my opinion, lend any relevance to that main goal.

Does this deter me from reading the third and final book? No. But I will be going into the third book with a little more wariness and hoping that the author will not let me down.

It does sound as if I didn't like this book, but trust me, there were a LOT of good things about it. Like I mentioned earlier: Character growth was great, all characters came back from the first book, this book will take you on another epic journey (despite the many distractions) and there are a whole bunch of new characters that are introduced which lends for an interesting read.

All in all, great read. Sort of anti-climactic from the first book but well worth the read so yes, I do recommend it.

Happy Reading!!!

[mylibraryofdreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persönliche Meinung

Mögliche Spoiler!!!

Ich war ja seeeehr skeptisch nach Band eins (der mir ja sehr gefallen hat) ich konnte mir nicht wirklich eine Fortsetzung vorstellen, aber da war sie. Es geht auch recht unglaubwürdig los, Lilly muss zur Sphinx werden um Amon zu retten, denn durch den Herskarabäus ist sie als Einzige in der Lage, ihn in der Zwischenwelt zu finden. Okay, hört sich meiner Meinung nach recht billig an und das Lilly zu einer Sphinx wird, ahnte ich schon seit Band eins aber nun gut.

Sehr, sehr schlecht fand ich, dass einfach JEDER Mann, ob Irdisch, Gott oder Tier, auf sie stand. Okay, die Ausrede dafür ist dieser Herzskarabäus aber ehrlich? Musste das sein? Ich kann es einfach nicht ernst nehmen wenn jedes Wesen mit einem Dödel zwischen den Beinen auf die gleiche Frau steht. Aber nun gut…. Lilly wird also zur Sphinx. Blöd nur, dass dieses Ritual nicht richtig läuft und die Seele einer Löwin nun in Lilly drin ist und die Beiden denselben Körper teilen. Das hat für reichlich Unterhaltung gesorgt den Tia ist impulsiv und weiss was sie will und ist aber doch nur eine Katze. Das war echt köstlich zu lesen und auch das Band das zwischen ihr und Asten entsteht hab ich beinah lieber verfolgt als die Liebesgeschichte zwischen Amon und Lilly.

Und wenn wir schon bei der Liebe sind, natürlich darf auch Ahmose nicht leer ausgehen und gerade als ich das dachte, bekommt Lilly eine dritte Persönlichkeit, eine Fee mit irischem Akzent die natürlich die passende Partnerin für ihn ist. Unglaubwürdig? Vorhersehbar? Ja, aber sehr sehr witzig und unterhaltend und auch sehr schön zu lesen!



Ach ja! Natürlich gibt es neben der Liebesgeschichte auch noch DIE Geschichte! Auch wenn die für mich nun Nebensache war und der Cliffhanger am Schluss einfach nur ärgerlich ist. Ich finde es wirklich sehr, sehr toll, dass ich eine Geschichte entdeckt habe, in der es um die Ägyptischen Götter geht und freue mich wie ein kleines Kind auf den dritten Band, weil ich zwar ahne wie es ausgehen könnte, aber es gerne noch von der Autorin bestätigt bekomme!



Oh und ach ja, ich will nun auch meinen eigenen persönlichen ägyptischen Prinzen UND eine Löwin in mir haben!



Fazit: Gelungene Fortsetzung mit individuellen Charakteren!

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read about 100 pages in this book, then set it down. There was nothing compelling in it for me. Lily was once again pulled into things, but this time her love may be alive. It's been a week since I've set aside the book, each day it's been my intention to pick it back up, but each day I pick a different book. I think that is very telling, today I decided that enough is enough and I need to quit fooling myelf, I'm not going to finish this one, it just isn't for me.

[Tatiana]

Тот редкий случай, когда сразу после прочтения первой книги, хочется заполучить в свои коварные ручки вторую книгу и продолжить путешествие по серии. Эх... а опять фигушки.

[Talkincloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Znacznie lepsze, niż tom pierwszy! Tia tutaj gra pierwsze skrzypce, a akcja z każdym rozdziałem przyspiesza.

[Crimelpoint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zaczęło się dobrze, ale potem było po prostu nudno. Książka mi się dłużyła i zdecydowanie mogła być krótsza.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a physical copy. This does not affect my review in any way.***

Find more of my reviews at Books and Stars

Oh, where to start? So many good things!

This book pick off a few months after the last book. Amon has returned to the afterlife after performing a ceremony to keep the chaos god Seth at bay for another thousand years--or so Lily assumes. In reality, instead of returning to the afterlife to continuing serving the gods with his brothers as the Sons of Egypt, Amon jumps into the Netherworld in hopes to wait for Lily to live out her mortal years rather than do his duty. Too soon, Lily finds herself back into the world of the mythical, only this time, she's set on a mission to save Amon...

Lily's character for sure went through a lot more evolution than I ever imagined she would. She began the book off rather helpless and inactive--trying to live through the pain of being separated from Amon, and being unable do anything but watch as Amon suffers through her dreams. So of course she would jump at any chance she could get to save him. Not once did she ever show any weakness or second guess herself; she was confident at all times, even during confrontations with gods and other terrifying monsters. She really stepped up her game!

Whereas we got to know Amon in depth in the last book, this book we were introduced to Asten's backstory. I liked Asten the moment he appeared on page in the last book, just because his personality was so great. But after reading this book, I've come to love Asten. His charming and self-assured exterior is only that--an exterior. In an act of selflessness--which was what really got to me--we got to delve deeper into his past, and watch as he came face to face with his own darkness. Asten hands down had the best character development in this book, and I can no longer say I like Amon better than Asten!

Tia and Ashleigh were two big surprises to the novel. I did not see the story going in the direction it did, and the introduction of these two threw me off at first. At the beginning, I was irritated by Tia's actions, and became fearful of affect Lily in the long run. Right after I made my peace with Tia, Ashleigh came along, complicating everything and starting the same process I went through with Tia, except this time for Ashleigh. I haven't quite latched onto Ashleigh yet, but then again, she was introduced rather late in the book. I am a bit hesitant on the apparent pairing of love interests with Lily, Tia, and Ashleigh, just because it seems to be rather...convenient. And I have no idea how their three relationships are going to work out, or what it means for Lily...

We got such a range of new characters in this novel, adding a bunch of personality to the book. The concept of gods was introduced, as well as the restrictions put on these powerful beings, which brought a headache of problems for Lily. Additional mythology and lore was brought in, which I enjoyed greatly, and really gave the entire story context. Egyptian mythology is so complex and fascinating!

The climax was definitely my favourite part. Action-packed, with Lily in the centre, the odds completely stacked against her. And the ending. We're not quite back to square one, but we're pretty darn close, with the exception that everything has changed and the situation is a million times more dire.

I definitely enjoyed this book, though not as much as the first book, just because it took me a bit longer to latch onto some characters. Regardless, I'm definitely looking forward to the next book, because I'm dying for more Lily and Amon and can't wait to see them fighting together, and Asten <3

[Marguerite · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars.

Reawakened was a book that I liked, but thought I didn't love... until I found myself thinking about it for months after finishing and I realized that I adored it more than I thought - I was excited to find out what was going to happen next! Recreated was a fascinating and completely intriguing sequel which unfolded in a manner I had not anticipated at all! I felt that this book was a combination of amazing components and crazy weird that I hope makes sense in the final book (which if it does then...wow). So, this is going to be one of my what I liked/what I didn't like reviews.

What I liked:

The Adventures of the Plot: The adventures, journeys and trials were amazing and really fun to read. Lily grows a lot in this book and it was fantastic to read the gradual development towards her goal throughout the novel.

The Lush Descriptions: Colleen Houck does an absolutely fantastic job of setting the scene and sending the reader deeply into the world of the Egyptian gods. In Recreated, the reader is taken on a fantastic series of adventures and it all felt even more real and vivid through the wonderful descriptions. I felt like I was there and completely immersed within the world.

Character Growth: I have to say that I feel that Lily grows more into herself and comprehends her love for Amon on a deeper level. I respected her development, which was one of my complaints in the first book, and she faced all of her challenges head-on with tenacity and courage. I actually liked Lily a lot more than in Reawakened. The other characters made me laugh and smile - they were fun to read and I enjoyed it!

What I didn't like:

The Romance: Okay, so this sounds confusing - yes, Lily matures her love for Amon, making it feel more genuine, but then some stuff happens during Lily's adventures (I can't explain the how or why, because spoilers!) which changes the dynamics of everything and suddenly the romance comes in and heads south quickly. So, Lily+Amon, thumbs up. The complication to this love left me confused - on one level I think I know where the author is going, and whilst I'm not 100% sure what that means, on another level, if she can make it work, then all the better! If it doesn't go the way I think it does then... I'm so confused????? If this romance aspect becomes even weirder in the last book, this may sour my opinion of the series overall, but for now, I'm confident that everything will work out *fingers cross*


Overall, I really loved Recreated - I enjoyed the adventure of the entire book and Lily's purpose and love shone through beautifully. Yes, I'm not so sure about how the romance is going to work out, and I hope it does, because then bravo to the author, but otherwise I might find myself disappointed... at the moment I'm confident that everything will work out well and I'm enjoying the ride! Recreated is a fun, interesting sequel loaded with adventures, fight scenes, drama, a race against time, a little romance and yes, cool powers all thrown in to create a riveting tale. If you enjoyed Reawakened, then Recreated won't disappoint!!

*Thank-you to Hachette Australia and Net Galley for this ARC. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

[Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Hachette Australia and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Recreated is the second novel in Colleen Houck’s Reawakened series that will entrance readers with its luscious Egyptian mythology, fast paced storyline and romance.

After the events of the previous book, Lilliana “Lily” Young has tried to move on with her life, but try as she might, she can’t forget Amon, the ancient Egyptian prince turned Guardian she loved and lost. It doesn’t help that Lily dreams of Amon, seeing his suffering and continued love for her. When Lily realises Amon is in trouble, trapped in the Netherworld and suffering endlessly she decides to travel there herself, hoping to rescue him from a future of endless pain and torture; even if doing so mean’s Lily will need to fundamentally change herself if she hopes to survive in the Netherworld. Alongside an unexpected new ally, Lily ventures across great lands and through battles in the hope of reaching her true love.

The first novel in this series, Reawakened, started out slow for me before capturing my attention, and Recreated seemed to follow the same cord with me. Vividly written with lyrical writing that paints a fantastic picture, Recreated explores even more Egyptian mythology than its predecessor and weaves ancient magic, friendship, romance and action with plenty of Egyptian gods, creatures and lore.

Lily continues to be a decent heroine to follow, if not someone who irked me on occasion. I like her tenacity and enjoy when she seems to take control of herself. There’s nothing better than a heroine who can kick butt and Lily has all the potential; especially with all her recent changes. When I think about it, my issues with Lily in this novel stemmed from the fact that Colleen Houck has me slightly concerned about the possibility of a love triangle—make that a love-hexagon! Some of Lily’s actions in Recreated seemed to be in contradiction of her love for Amon and I disliked that. I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but that being said, if the idea I have in my mind as to what Houck really has planned with triangle/hexagon pans out then she’s really quite brilliant and I will forgive her.

Recreated doesn’t feature Amon as much as Reawakened did, but we have the pleasure of getting to know Asten and Ahmose a little bit more in this instalment. Colleen Houck introduces readers to some new characters including Tia, who I really loved. This is one lioness who makes me smile both with her view on things and the way in which she’s attempting to understand Lily’s world.

Featuring a fast paced ending that sees a lot happen and new layers to the story come about, I’m intrigued to see what Colleen Houck has planned for Lily and the rest of the series. It’s clear from certain comments and situations that Houck has big plans for Lily and her role in protecting and saving the world and I look forward to seeing exactly what that is in the next book!

[Jacquelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uh...

First of all, I'm pretty sure there's no way this book would end like that with Houck not intending to write another installment. But I guess it hasn't been accepted by a publisher yet or something because it's not showing up anywhere. THERE BETTER BE ANOTHER ONE. I have way too many questions.

Anyway, this book was just as fast-paced and adventurous as the last one. Really, there were only a couple of differences between this book and the last, not including the plot, obviously. This book, though, was a lot more confusing. Not like "What's going on??" confusing, but more like "Why did that just happen" confusing. I'm gonna be a little harsh on this book, only because it wasn't a good follow up to Reawakened.

My biggest problem — and pretty much my only problem, really — with this book was the romance. Romance is a key factor in books to me; if the romance isn't good, the book isn't good in my eyes. Main downfall of the romance plot in this book: Amon wasn't present for pretty much the entire book. Save for a couple of shared dreams here and there — which, for the record, don't count — Amon and Lily only saw each other at the end of the book, and he wasn't even self-aware. So that in itself was a problem. Add to that the fact that, for some reason (*cough cough* Houck needed something that could be an excuse for romance-y-ish scenes to just be thrown in whenever *cough cough*) Lily's possession of Amon's figurative physical heart make all immortal beings attracted to her. Great. Now we'll have literally everyone falling all over Lily to the point of annoyance. Including Amon's brothers, Asten and Ahmose. And don't even get me started on the fact that LiLY HAS OTHER PEOPLE LIVING IN HER MIND. So not only does every immortal being want to get with Lily, Lily also wants to get with them because she has extreme schizophrenia. In conclusion, the entire romance plot went to total sh*t.

Other than that, and the fact that this book was slightly less engaging than its predecessor, this book was pretty good. My main concern is that I don't know whether there's going to be a next book, but I'm pretty sure there is. Hopefully that one clears everything up.

[Yuli Atta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited about this book but with these multiple personalities and the development of love drama it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
Tia and Lilly's relationship was almost very well developed when it was ruined by the love drama and this was just bad, I didn't like it though I still enjoyed the book very much. I loved Asten and his loyalty to Amon, his confessions and I suppose that the next book will focus more on Ahmose.