Awakening Shadows (The Navarre Chronicles #1)

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Awakening Shadows (The Navarre Chronicles #1)

Sydney Hawthorn

A Princess. A Warrior. A Slave. A kingdom falling to ruin. And a Queen meant to save them all.

Navarre has been at peace for three hundred years, the prophecies of the promised princess no more than a whispered memory of the past. Sheltered from the world around her, naïve Princess Joseline is no stranger to the responsibility and isolation of being heir. But when an attack on her eighteenth birthday reveals the looming return of the legendary demon king, shattering every protective boundary around her, Joseline is thrown full force into the long-forgotten prophecy and the role she plays in his demise.

Saved from Aeron’s clutches by a secret organization of warriors trained to protect her, Joseline is forced to choose between her curiosity to understand their motives and her duty to her people’s safety. Swept into the impending war threatening her country, Joseline must learn at all costs not only to fight, but to control the ancient magical power awakening within her.

Her life and the lives of her people depend on it.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3.5 / 5) This is a great start to the series! “A princess. A warrior. A slave.” It hooks you immediately, right? There are multiple plot lines intermingling and I found myself intrigued by it all. Sometimes I even preferred the side stories to the main one. I loved the story of Evalyn. It grabbed me quicker than the main story line and I wanted more!

At the beginning I felt I missed info that was needed. It felt rushed and not defined enough. I was very confused as to alliances and wasn’t sure if a kidnapping was a rescue or had sinister motives. It shadowed my views on the characters and plot for quite a few chapters. I also felt the main POV was too trusting, trusting to the point of fault so once again, my views were shadowed by doubts as to what was truly happening. It ends with a bang and you’ll want to know more, I definitely did not see that one coming!

If you love stories with adventure, kidnappings, royalty and more, then you’ll love this one. Check it out on Kindle Unlimited or purchase a copy from the links below.

Content Summary: The violence had a few details with blood and beheading but I believe everything stayed within YA range. Language and intimacy were minimal. I believe most will be able to read this one.

Thank you to Sydney Hawthorn for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***-

H***- 

S***- 1

A**- 2

B****- 2

D***- 19

Bas****- 3

Religious Cursing

J****-

Chr***-

G**- 22

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Gods 

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A young man drinks ale.

Ale is served at an inn. 

A young man sips ale. 

A young woman and man drink wine. 

A young woman sips wine. 

A man and young woman drink wine. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*No LGBTQ+ aspects included* 

Women strip a young woman and wash her in a tub. She is prepped for a supposed night with a man. They only sleep in the same bed. 

There is talk about a young man’s reputation with sleeping around. “If I were you, which I never would be, I’d be ashamed for my inability to keep it in my pants.”

A young woman alludes to previous physical or possible sexual abuse from her mothers boyfriends. 

A man suggests a young woman is tied up naked. 

A young woman exercises naked. Once, a young woman walks in. 

A young woman undressed in front of a man. 

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A man hits a young woman in the head, knocking her out. A young man knocks him out. The young woman is taken.

Shadows are taking over a city. One shadow holds a large slab of rocks and drops it on a man with a crunch. Many are killed. 

A being with talon-like claws grabs a man by the throat, blood dripping. He is thrown, hitting his head. He is slapped, his skin cut and bleeding. The being cuts a man’s throat, the blood bubbling and pouring out. He does this slowly to many men. 

A large creature with liquid dripping from teeth threatens a group. His companions attack. The people fight with swords and knives. Blood sprays as they fight. They stab and slice and blood drips from weapons. A young woman stabs a creature and it throws her, she lies unconscious. A young man slices the creatures head off. A young man convulses from poison on the blades that cut him. 

A young woman is whipped for looking at another prisoner. The man whips her and grabs her hair. 

Many fight. They use swords and cut each other, blood falling. One young man is stabbed in the shoulder. He stabs a man in the gut and his mouth fills with blood. He falls, unconscious. Many are injured. Heads are cut off the demon bodies.  A demon grabs a woman and throws her, knocking her out. A young man and demon fight, one cutting the others head off. 

A young woman sees a young boy bloody and shaking from being whipped. 

**SPOILER** A man and young woman shove a knife into an abdomen. 

Potentially Intense Themes

None.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.