Bones: The Awakening

by J. R. Stokoe

The Awakening is a Dark Paranormal Fantasy Thriller that delves into the concept of redemption and the true nature of morally grey (or black..) characters. The author's aim is to explore whether true monsters can change. As well as exploring the relative meaning of change when it comes to characters or creatures who are potentially unredeemable. Alice, the protagonist, is a normal widowed woman who knows nothing about the magical underside of the modern world; follow along as she's hurled into the chaos of a life alongside the paranormal. Will she live to tell the tale? Or will she lose her heart to her male antagonist before she has a chance to solve the mysteries? This is the first of three books in the trilogy. The target audience is for readers looking for gritty, cinematic, and psychologically deep or "real" fantasy with a hint of romance.

367 pages, Paperback

Published February 26, 2026

Reviews

[Book Bound Boricua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had my dictionary and Google ready for most of this one. I was not familiar with a great deal of the folklore and creatures brought up in the book. It was a refreshing change to the traditional fantasy I usually read. The story was very unique and the characters were all interesting. I was hoping for more interactions between Nash and Alice it felt almost as if reading two separate stories one about Alice and her ghost illness and another of Nash and his haunting with the overlap being Soleil. One thing I did not like was the way the supernatural characters referred to Nash as Nash Nash Náshdóí I am still unclear of the significance of them always repeating or saying it in this but it felt so unnecessary. I am interested to see where they go from here and if Soleil will be returning based on the epilogue.