The Awakening By Andi O'Connor

Awakening by Andi O'Connor is the second novel in the Dragonath series.  It picks up where the previous novel leaves off as the fellowship enter into war with their enemies, and possibly themselves.

Darrak and his companions face more challenges in their fight against those who wish use Halla magic to destroy not only Dragonath, but also Earth.  An ancient enemy from the past has been resurrected from the death without a passing thought to the consequences.  Mionee faces a consequences of her decision to join forces with Niemel as well as the things she has set in motion.  The companions are joined with new allies in the wolf who helped them in the past as well as a dragon who could help turn the tide of the war.  The fellowship faces challenges they never imagined facing such as betrayal, and treason.  Darrak slowly learns what it means to accept his destiny as the heir to the throne, but can he handle the responsibility that comes a long with it?  Will the kingdom be able to fight of the enemy advances with little resources they have?  Will dragons come to the aid of the heir or will the remain hidden?

Andi has done it again!  In her second novel, she continues with the action, suspense and twists she creates in the first novel.  The themes of betrayal, trust and relationship continue to be important in Awakening as they were in The Lost Heir.  In this novel the betrayl seemed to hit harder than in the previous novel, probably because as the characters didn't expect the betrayal, neither does the reader.  It was something that takes readers completely off guard.  I gasped when I read certain parts of the book, and may have audibly uttered "NO."  Andi O'Connor has the talent to bring her characters to life and create a world that feels beyond realistic.

I was happy to see the characters continue to grow stronger, but also continue to recognize their faults and short-comings.  It is refreshing to see characters display faults and learning how to turn those faults into strengths within a group such as this.  Darrak is one of the characters I think who grew the most in this novel.  He comes to accept his role and the heir, but struggles with the responsibility.  At this point we see him learning to lean on someone other than himself for strength and guidance.  While relationships with one another whether romantic or not are an important part of the story, it was nice to see the story did not rely soley on that aspect of the plot.  It was simply a supporting element to develop the characters in a different way.

Something I would have liked to seen more use out of though was the dragon as well as the wolf.  I expected more from Wistera.  The aid of dragons appear to be a important element to the story, but we didn't have too much of a background for them other than the short history lesson Andrillian gives us in the beginning, maybe we will see more dragon action in another installment.  While the story is largely about Darrak and him taking his rightful place, this installment was also largely about Mionee.  We see the torment and horrors she endures from her husband and soon Niemel.  We see her become even more remorseful and regretful of her previous greed.  There is still the question of what caused her desire for power?

As with Lost Heir it was difficult to put this novel down in order to sleep or actual be productive.  The world Andi creates in Dragonath is so easy to get lost in.  I don't say this often about books...but I would love to see this made into a movie, I would love to see her characters come to life.  She has the talent to contend with some of the fantasy "best-sellers."   Without a doubt I give this novel a 5 out of 5.  Andi has swiftly become one of my favorite authors, and believe me that is not an easy task!  If you haven't read my review of Lost Heir, do so and then read both novels.