Awakening Dusk

by R. Weidner

Twenty-year-old Raden Wade is a human carpenter living in the elven kingdom of Enicia. In the wake of a forest fire, he rescues an elderly elf raving about dead birds, a lost sister, and an attack on her House. With his livelihood burned and destitution threatening his grandparents, the mad crone may be his only hope.

Leoni, sister of the House of Time, tries to prove herself in her studies and weapons’ training. Raised in solitude with her mentor and raven, Leoni must master her arts if she is to protect the secrets forming the bedrock of the Enician monarchy. Some secrets hurt those who serve them, and an orphaned apprentice is no exception.

When their paths cross, unlikely alliances form. A quest begins to save the Houses. Fraught with ancient politics, giants, face stealing shape-shifters, and betrayal, their search for truth leads them to reevaluate everything they know. If the Houses fall, the kingdom falls. Will two millennia of peace end in blood, or can Raden and Leoni change the wings of fate?

552 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2022

About the author

R. Weidner is the author of Awakening Dusk, the first book in the Wings of Change series. She began writing at 9-years-old and studied professional writing at Auburn University. After a 3 year stint in Germany with her husband, she developed a deep love of travel and ancient architecture. Their visits to ruinous castles and Gothic cathedrals helped inspire her entry into the realm of fantasy writing. Now that she and her husband are back in the United States, R. Weidner can be found drinking coffee, snuggling her children, and thanking God for the beautiful blurring of fiction and reality that is her life.

Reviews

[Katrina Goforth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Awakening Dusk" is a heavy-hitter. Seriously, there is not enough hype about this book and there absolutely should be. I don't give 5-stars to many books, but this is easily in the top five books I've read this year.

What I liked: It's a page-turner. Weidner knows how to build momentum and keep it rolling through a long action scene. In fact, the plot is highly action-driven, which keeps it interesting and justifies the 600+ pages. Unlike other long books that have chapters that seem unnecessary, Weidner makes good use of each page and nothing seems as if it could have been cut.
The world she created is layered with a caste system where elves rule and humans are servants with other races populating the country with their own cultures and beliefs. Weidner crafts religious systems and governments that fill out the world. Weidner uses the social hierarchy to explore themes of prejudice, justice, and empathy. The Nashtuum and Shapethians races are my favorites. The main characters are well-developed, and I look forward to seeing how their development progresses in the next book.

What I disliked: Because it has an action-driven plot, I found myself hoping the characters would get a break so that I would also get a break. I am a slow reader, so I had to find places to stop for the night where I could pick it back up the next day. That's a personal preference. I enjoy an action-driven story, but I also enjoy scenes where the author lets the characters breath and talk.
The second book isn't released yet!

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give it 4 stars, but I just couldn't. I loved the characters and the world that Weidner created, but the writing just wasn't always there. Specifically, I don't think that the lead-ins to the action scenes weren't very well written (and there were a lot of action scenes!) The characters/story will just be going along and then you get hit with a line like "so-and-so was looking at the artifact, her chest suddenly heaved and she couldn't breath. Her ears were ringing and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. A shock of panic and fear hit her all at once." Obviously, this isn't an actual line from the book, but it's an example of how out of nowhere something happens and you don't know if it's the characters emotional reaction to something, or if they fell from their horse, or if they're under attack. It takes a few lines, and sometimes more, to figure out whats going on. I guess that could be a writing technique, like the reader is as oblivious as the character, but it really didn't work for me because it just left me confused for chunks of narrative.
I'm enjoying the story overall, and I really am attached to the characters, so I definitely plan on reading the next in book in the series once it comes out. I just couldn't give the first book as many stars as I would have wanted to because of the choppiness of the writing sometimes.

[Jen Woodrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪶Book summary!

Raden Wade, a human carpenter in an elven kingdom, just survived a forest fire that left his livelihood in ruins. Leoni, a student at the House of Time, has spent her life training to protect the secrets of her people

When Raden rescues an elderly elf and begins a journey with her across the kingdom, his paths cross with Leoni. As a new threat arises, they unite to save the Houses, protect the kingdom, and search for truth about the dangers they face.

🪶Review!

What an adventure! I loved the feel of this fantasy- Rachel Weidner did an incredible job of building a vivid and detailed world. I was impressed by how many different characters were introduced on the journey, as all of them felt well-developed and distinct.

There were tons of high-stakes fights and moments of growth But I especially loved the magic and bonding with animals. The finder rodent was my favorite!

Leoni and Raden were such likeable leads. The book felt a bit slow getting into it, but once it picked up I was all in! If you are a fan of epic fantasies and adventure stories, check out this one!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you to the author for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Katherine Kempf · Rating 5 out of 5]

More to come later - but just a stunning command of language and amazing to think this was a debut!
I particularly liked how usually in books, birds are sort of mysterious creatures who represent things like fate and whatnot and in this one I really was able to connect with the birds and it didn’t feel so forced. A weird detail, but one that stands out.

[Gabby Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters and the world building! This is one of those great stories that make you think and you read over and over and discover something new each time. Excited for what comes next!