The Awakening

The Crystian Chronicles - Book 1

By Rene Lyons

Tease Publishing - November 2007

Fantasy Romance


After a deadly siege, Lady Riana of Huntington was one of three survivors. They were now captives of Warrick of Dragonhurst, and she had no illusions as to her fate. Warrick fought with the Outremers. They were not human, or at least no longer human. They were Unblessed. She was Artanian, human, and certain that those already dead were the lucky ones.

But death was not what Warrick had planned for Riana. He was to turn her over to Queen Agrave and try to escape to his home, the sanctuary he had carved out for himself. While traveling with Riana, Warrick finds himself longing to be the man he once was, instead of the demon he had become. However, it is Queen Agrave's unexpected surprise purpose for Riana that ultimately tests both of their resolve.

The Awakening is a captor/captive romance with a dark fantasy twist. It would be difficult for a woman of our culture to accept Warrick for the devastation he wrought at Huntington. However, Rene Lyons admirably explained Riana's acceptance of the cost of war, and the fact that Warrick ultimately was saving them from a worse fate. Warrick had not asked for his own fate, and he was tied to the evil queen. Yet the Artanian king was not much better. In fact, there were rumors that King Daffyd might be in league with Agrave. The Awakening, the first of the Crystian Chronicles, does not get bogged down with political intrigue. Rather it sets a tone for adventure in the future stories. I eagerly await those books.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com