Hey there, everyone! Welcome to another installment of Reading with Robin! As a librarian who loves to read, I also love to talk about books and connect other readers with books they can fall in love with. In these posts, I’m going to talk about what I’ve been reading, what I liked about the book, and who I’d recommend the book to next.
This entry’s book is: The Awakening by Nora Roberts!
Nora Roberts may be the most prolific and successful romance author of the modern era. She has published over two hundred and twenty five books, writes under a handful of pseudonyms, and was the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. When I was a young adult, I discovered her (accidentally) by reading her In Death series, published under the name J.D. Robb.
Until this spring, however, I had never read a book published under her proper name.
The Awakening, the first book in Roberts’ new Dragon Heart Legacy Series, is everything a magic-loving girl like me could want. Dragons, pixies, evil gods, and good dogs – the world Roberts weaves into existence in the form of the realm of Talamh has it all. It is a joy to watch protagonist Breen Kelly transform from an anxious, self-doubting young woman into a witch of unfathomable power. Readers who don’t mind a little romance in their fiction will, unsurprisingly, find a lot to like here as well, as Breen and Keegan, ruler of Talamh, circle around and towards each other, with nothing less than the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
I think what I liked best about this book is the exploration of the idea of balance, not just of good and evil, but of life in general. Breen is a woman of two worlds, and rather than choose between them, she seeks to balance a life that consists of both. We all have duties and responsibilities that pull us in different directions, but it’s important to remember that as long as we stay true to ourselves, we can never really lose our way.
Fans of any of Nora Roberts’ extensive writing catalog will definitely want to pick up this book and give it a read, but it’s appeal is far wider. If you enjoy reading work by writers like Debbie Macomber, Julia Quinn, or Julie Garwood, this might be the perfect book for you. If you enjoy watching television or films like Outlander, Poldark, or The Time Traveler’s Wife, give this book a spin – it could be right up your alley!
Robin Jeffrey 