Reawakened Review

Book: Reawakened
Author: Colleen Houck
Series:  Reawakened #1
Genre: YA mythology
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 400
Release: August 11th, 2015

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.

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I did not expect this book to be so good!

In what was supposed to be an innocent trip to the museum to help clear her mind and choose a university, Lilliana Young instead finds Amon, a reawakened Egyptian prince, and the living embodiment of the sun god. To stop the looming darkness of the chaos god Seth that appears every thousand years, Amon chooses Lily to help him reawaken his two brothers so that they can perform a ceremony to save everyone.

Lily's character was one of fortitude, where she took chances and did what she needed to do without complain, regardless of how dangerous it was. In the beginning, we're introduced to Lily's controlled life, where the pressure her parents force on her to be the proper, respectable and admirable daughter of two extremely wealthy and successful business people weighs down hard on Lily. What frustrated me at first, but made her extremely human and relatable, was her reluctance to leave her suffocating box--the only life she's known--and go off with Amon to save the world. But when she did, did she ever change. Lily never once complained about anything. She never complained about their situation, her injuries, or her exhaustion. Rather, she took it upon herself to be the Amon's guide and supporter, doing her best to help him. She really became a difference girl from the one at the beginning!

"I no longer felt like the person called Miss Young, or Lilliana. With him, I was just Lily, or Young Lily. I like being Lily much better."

Amon was a bit hard to like at the beginning, since he kind of forced Lily to help him and followed her. But his dutiful and selfless personality really shone through, along with the regret for having dragged Lily along because he needed her help to physically survive. He was every bit an honourable and noble prince should be, ready to sacrifice himself in any way to keep Seth at bay with his brothers. But what really shook his world was Lily, especially when she was what challenged him, what made him willing to put his duty aside to keep her safe. His desire to put Lily first is what truly made this such a heartful love story. 

"I will not steal the precious opportunity to live, to be mortal, and to be free, from Lily. She deserves more. I will not take from her what was taken from us."

This book was filled with so much Egyptian lore. We really got to know the powers and roles of specific gods, as well as the process of mummification and what they represent in terms of preserving the body. It's such a wonderful culture that has sadly been Westernized and turned into a nothing but a horror trope, with all the horror stories and horror movies. This book really brings us back to the roots, before all the ridiculous Western interpretations of death and terror came about, and brings to light the pure life of Egyptian culture.

The author has done such a fantastic job in bringing Egyptian princes to life through selfless and noble princes, heartaching love, and god-like powers. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next book!