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The Last Anakim Trilogy #1
Awakening
Kate has the potential to save the world. Some would rather she destroy it.
Quirky muso Kate has just met Nick, her biological father, who throws her world into chaos. Strangely there are some benefits to this. James is one. Ethan, his twin brother, not so much.
Torn between loyalty to her adoptive parents and uncovering the truth about her origins, Kate grapples with her sense of belonging and identity as she discovers that nothing is quite as it seems.
The forces of darkness are gathering and Kate may be the only one to conquer them.
Quirky muso Kate has just met Nick, her biological father, who throws her world into chaos. Strangely there are some benefits to this. James is one. Ethan, his twin brother, not so much.
Torn between loyalty to her adoptive parents and uncovering the truth about her origins, Kate grapples with her sense of belonging and identity as she discovers that nothing is quite as it seems.
The forces of darkness are gathering and Kate may be the only one to conquer them.
- GenresFantasy
336 pages, Paperback
Published February 9, 2016
7 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
About the author
Janet V. Forster
3 books34 followersJanet V Forster is a Melbourne, Australia based psychologist and author.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 14, 2016
The book takes us back and forth from Kate's present and Deb and Nick's past. Creatively and elegantly weaving the two together to tell Kate's history. I won't tell you what the Anakim stands for as that gives away a big piece of the story. That being said this book tells a great story to set up a trilogy that I really look forward to reading. The way it was pulled together was unique and intriguing. I was very happy to learn her history the way I did from two different points of view. If you love a little supernatural mixed with intrigue you will enjoy this book, I know I did.
February 4, 2016
Janet has an excellent mind, and truly a wonderful story. However, I had a very difficult time staying interested in this book. Not because of the basic plot, but because of all the gobbly goop I had to read to get to the good part or to get to the main needed information. I feel as though I read a lengthened version of the description. I know what you are thinking, ‘well yeah that is kind of the point of a description’. No, I mean the description tells you pretty much everything, there is no hook. Allow me to further explain.
Here is the description as it is stated right now.
“Kate has the potential to save the world. Some would rather she destroy it. Is quirky muso Kate becoming an angel? And not just any angel, but the one everyone’s been waiting for the one to reconcile fallen angels with their Creator and save the world from certain destruction.
There are benefits to this possibility. James is one. Ethan, his twin brother, not so much…
Darkness is shadowing Kate and many have great expectations of her. She’s only just met Nick, her biological father, but he drinks like tomorrow might never come and when he advises her of his family’s supernatural background and the potential disaster looming, she is soon considering joining him in slurping down a bucket of something amber-hued and running blathering into the night.
The first book in The Last Anakim Trilogy, Awakening explores the mysterious events at the time of Kate’s conception and the passionate, but forbidden relationship between Kate’s biological parents. It builds the readers’ insight into the strange circumstances of the past, as well as Nick’s unusual Anakim family, and offers an understanding of who Kate really is and why she offers the hope she does.
Will the babe born of light be infected by darkness, or rise up in triumph?”
That is pretty much the whole book. There are no surprises or twists because they are all revealed in the description. And you can’t change the description; otherwise, the book would sound dull. Why? Because the beginning of this book has no hook. It is literally just going through Kate’s (main character) daily life and how her biological parents met and had sex. It took until I was 64% of the way in to get to the major event that usually happens within the first three chapters. Unless, of course, the major event is her finding her biological parents. But what kind of hook is that? It is not entertaining or exciting at all. Once I got to Nick (her biological father) telling her what they are, I couldn’t put the book down. It was fantastic! A little over the top on the descriptions, but good. Honestly, though, all the information you picked up before that was practically useless. The bits that were useful had long and pointless descriptions around it. Or the main point was backed into.
*Note: backing into the main point is when you add a description to the subject. Once you get to the subject you go, ‘Oh that is what you are talking about’ and then you go back to the beginning of the description and re-read because you are now able to understand because you finally got to the subject. Yes, I understand that sometimes that is an okay thing to do, but it happens all too often in this books, and not in a very good way.
I know that the last paragraph of the description says that it 'explores the mysterious events at the time of Kate’s conception and the passionate, but forbidden relationship between Kate’s biological parents.' but it isn't a mystery when you know the secrets of the father, which is stated in the description. The 'mysterious' events are lacking the thrill of the mystery. They are could have and probably should have been condensed into a few chapters and not spread out into 13 chapters.
I really wish that the first part of the book had been shortened into being a few chapters and that the ending was lengthened. Or that there was a better hook at the beginning. Or if I had questions that I felt the need to be answered between each chapter, but I didn't. All the questions you could ask are revealed in the description. If I could just rate the last 15 chapters, I think I would give this book four stars instead of three, even with the over-the-top descriptions. I may give the second book a try when it comes out, but if it starts up like this one I will just put it down.
Let me end by saying that I hate giving negative reviews and that there are obviously people out there that will enjoy this book. Maybe the second one will be more thrilling and maybe you somehow needed all the stuff in this book to understand the next one better. So I say give it a try if you have kindle unlimited you don't even have to pay to download it. Just try it, and if you like it, right on. If you don't like it no big.
Here is the description as it is stated right now.
“Kate has the potential to save the world. Some would rather she destroy it. Is quirky muso Kate becoming an angel? And not just any angel, but the one everyone’s been waiting for the one to reconcile fallen angels with their Creator and save the world from certain destruction.
There are benefits to this possibility. James is one. Ethan, his twin brother, not so much…
Darkness is shadowing Kate and many have great expectations of her. She’s only just met Nick, her biological father, but he drinks like tomorrow might never come and when he advises her of his family’s supernatural background and the potential disaster looming, she is soon considering joining him in slurping down a bucket of something amber-hued and running blathering into the night.
The first book in The Last Anakim Trilogy, Awakening explores the mysterious events at the time of Kate’s conception and the passionate, but forbidden relationship between Kate’s biological parents. It builds the readers’ insight into the strange circumstances of the past, as well as Nick’s unusual Anakim family, and offers an understanding of who Kate really is and why she offers the hope she does.
Will the babe born of light be infected by darkness, or rise up in triumph?”
That is pretty much the whole book. There are no surprises or twists because they are all revealed in the description. And you can’t change the description; otherwise, the book would sound dull. Why? Because the beginning of this book has no hook. It is literally just going through Kate’s (main character) daily life and how her biological parents met and had sex. It took until I was 64% of the way in to get to the major event that usually happens within the first three chapters. Unless, of course, the major event is her finding her biological parents. But what kind of hook is that? It is not entertaining or exciting at all. Once I got to Nick (her biological father) telling her what they are, I couldn’t put the book down. It was fantastic! A little over the top on the descriptions, but good. Honestly, though, all the information you picked up before that was practically useless. The bits that were useful had long and pointless descriptions around it. Or the main point was backed into.
*Note: backing into the main point is when you add a description to the subject. Once you get to the subject you go, ‘Oh that is what you are talking about’ and then you go back to the beginning of the description and re-read because you are now able to understand because you finally got to the subject. Yes, I understand that sometimes that is an okay thing to do, but it happens all too often in this books, and not in a very good way.
I know that the last paragraph of the description says that it 'explores the mysterious events at the time of Kate’s conception and the passionate, but forbidden relationship between Kate’s biological parents.' but it isn't a mystery when you know the secrets of the father, which is stated in the description. The 'mysterious' events are lacking the thrill of the mystery. They are could have and probably should have been condensed into a few chapters and not spread out into 13 chapters.
I really wish that the first part of the book had been shortened into being a few chapters and that the ending was lengthened. Or that there was a better hook at the beginning. Or if I had questions that I felt the need to be answered between each chapter, but I didn't. All the questions you could ask are revealed in the description. If I could just rate the last 15 chapters, I think I would give this book four stars instead of three, even with the over-the-top descriptions. I may give the second book a try when it comes out, but if it starts up like this one I will just put it down.
Let me end by saying that I hate giving negative reviews and that there are obviously people out there that will enjoy this book. Maybe the second one will be more thrilling and maybe you somehow needed all the stuff in this book to understand the next one better. So I say give it a try if you have kindle unlimited you don't even have to pay to download it. Just try it, and if you like it, right on. If you don't like it no big.
May 4, 2016
Kate has always wanted to search for her birth parents, and now that she’s 18 it’s time to take the plunge. Her mom probably won’t like it, but every adoptee needs to find their roots if they can. However, Kate gets a lot more than she bargained for when she locates her birth father, Nick. His family history brings her into a world that she had no idea even existed, and one where she plays a huge role, like it or not.
Full disclosure - I work for an adoption agency. I generally cringe when I read adoption stories because of all the misconceptions and myths. I am unashamedly pro adoption because I feel like it is an often underutilized alternative for tough situations that can work for everyone if you put the effort into it. Although not perfect, I was honestly okay with the adoption story in this one, although I’m wondering how it will play out with the supernatural element. I think that the portrayal of a desire to know your roots is accurate, but the acknowledgement of your adoptive family as your real family too is present. Kate’s birth mother is in a totally relatable situation and obviously places her out of love and the desire to protect her, rather than rejection, which is true for most voluntary placements, although the totally closed aspect of it is not as accurate now with open adoption being the more common scenario. What I hope continues in this series is while Kate inherited supernatural stuff from her bio family that she has to engage, her parents are still her biggest champions, and her greatest allies, and the adoption story, much like the Christian salvation story that the Nephilim and other supernatural elements seem to be drawn from, becomes the reason she can be the heroine, rather than the convenient plot point to which it is usually relegated.
Full disclosure - I work for an adoption agency. I generally cringe when I read adoption stories because of all the misconceptions and myths. I am unashamedly pro adoption because I feel like it is an often underutilized alternative for tough situations that can work for everyone if you put the effort into it. Although not perfect, I was honestly okay with the adoption story in this one, although I’m wondering how it will play out with the supernatural element. I think that the portrayal of a desire to know your roots is accurate, but the acknowledgement of your adoptive family as your real family too is present. Kate’s birth mother is in a totally relatable situation and obviously places her out of love and the desire to protect her, rather than rejection, which is true for most voluntary placements, although the totally closed aspect of it is not as accurate now with open adoption being the more common scenario. What I hope continues in this series is while Kate inherited supernatural stuff from her bio family that she has to engage, her parents are still her biggest champions, and her greatest allies, and the adoption story, much like the Christian salvation story that the Nephilim and other supernatural elements seem to be drawn from, becomes the reason she can be the heroine, rather than the convenient plot point to which it is usually relegated.
May 3, 2016
I enjoyed this book and thought it was a really good start to the series. After years of dilemma due to not wanting to upset her parents, Kate meets her biological father. He's not what she is expecting and her life quickly gets complicated as a result of him in it. The book was probably not quite as supernatural as I was expecting, but that side of things did build and no doubt this book is setting up things to come in the next 2. I found the characters deep and the story meaningful. The style of writing was poetic and descriptive and well thought through. I found that I could imagine every setting and character, but if you don't like that kind of writing, it may not be for you.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews