Priestess Awakened (Guardians of Sky and Shadow #1)
by Lidiya Foxglove
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Fantasy Romance/ Reverse Harem
Blurb:
My world isn’t safe. The northern gate lies open and monsters roam the land. Towns are locked behind walls, protected by the emperor and his Black Army. Once, a fated priestess and her four guardians kept the gate sealed with magic, but there hasn’t been a priestess in over a century…or so I thought.When a monster attacks me within the walls of my village, I am saved by Sir Forrest—the quiet former soldier who came to Istim three years ago.
Turns out, he’s been watching me. Waiting for my powers to awaken.
I am the fated priestess.
But there have been others. The genius commander Abel and the Black Army have killed them all. Sir Forrest found out the truth, and now he is driven by his sacred mission to help me find my guardians and bring me to the gate.
All I have to do? Find them and join with them in the Grand Quintet to grant them the powers I apparently hold, close the gate, and save the world…without suffering the same dire fate as the priestesses who came before me.
I’ve always liked attention…but this is too much.
This reverse harem fantasy romance trilogy is for those who enjoy plenty of steam, strong heroines, a few hot guys (and one who is just pretty and probably sparkles), more tragic pasts and secrets than any group of people should reasonably have, and winged cats.
My Review:
The moment I heard of this book I knew I had to read it, something about that pretty cover and the sound of the blurb made me curious about this one. And I haven’t seen a lot of Fantasy Reverse Harem books so far. I am glad I picked it up as I really enjoyed this book. I have to admit when I first started reading I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it, but things picked up quickly and soon I found myself really enjoying this one and wanting to read more. And it felt like it only got better once the story progressed.
Priestess awakened is about Phoebe, who discovers she is the Priestess of the Gate and there this retired soldier that was staying in her village is actually one of her guardians and she needs to find the other 3 guardians and close the gate. By having sex with her guardians she can give them power and each guardian has a different sigil. Yes her role in this whole thing is actually to provide her guardians with extra powers and heal them that way.
I have to admit the concept did sounded a bit ridiculous with how the sex served as a means to give them power and heal them, but it was actually really well written, developed and tastefully done. It had a solid story with focus on the characters and their relationships and emotions. And I liked how things were handled and there are some interesting twists at the end that make me really curious about the next book. It was just a very fun read and I wanted to see how everything played out.
I liked Phoebe as a main character, she felt pretty realistic to me. She had seen a bit of the world when she was picked as Strawberry Girl when she was younger and traveled around a bit, so she has seen more of the world than most of the villagers in her village, but at the same time also doesn’t really know what’s going on out there. I liked how she was sad to lose her dreams for the future, but she also handled the responsibility well. I liked how she had her doubts and was a bit afraid or nervous at times, it made her feel real. And I am looking forward to see how she developed over the course of the series.
This book was a bit different than the Reverse Harem books I read so far, but I liked how this book handled the Reverse Harem aspect. It was a bit of the chosen one type of plot, but it worked here and I liked that while they did mostly go along with this plan, they also struggled accepting their role a bit. I thought that felt realistic that they had their doubts and struggles as well. I liked how each of the guardians were very different and there’s also a non guardian that travels with them. The author did a good job to give each of the guardians a different feel.
I also liked how it dealt with the emotions and interactions between the different guardians. And the struggle between what they wanted and what they had to do. There is a bit of jealously, some doubt and guilt and a bunch of other emotions that get addresses. It was pretty interesting to read about and I liked how this way the harem aspect got worked out.
I would’ve liked to learn a bit more about the guardians, they all were pretty interesting characters. But as the book isn’t too long and there are multiple of them it still felt like we only get a bit of each of them and even less of the ones she meets later. But even with that I think the author did a good job developing their personalities and giving the reader a feel for each of them. And I am hoping to learn more about them in later books.
The book does have a bunch of steamy scenes, but with the set-up I excepted even more, but it actually had a petty good balance between everything going on. There is enough about the characters, their journey, their role and then some steamy scenes added in the mix. It was also interesting how every guardian was quite different in the steamy scenes as well. And I liked how every sex scene was quite different from the other sex scenes as well.
The world building felt a bit limited. We get to know a bit about the priestess, her role and her guardians and they actually have a book that details a few of those things, but it also felt like there’s a lot we don’t know. Which get illustrated at the end when someone else has different information/ point of view. I also wanted to know more about the monsters, they seemed a bit stereotypical evil creatures so the main characters have something to fight against. But later on we get a few hints there might be more to the monsters and I can’t wait to see how things develop in the later books.
I also had some trouble getting a good grip on the world at times, what was possible and where they were on aspect like technological advancement, what kind of magic there was etc. I also would’ve liked a map as sometimes I had trouble visualizing were everything was in relation to the rest. there also were a few mentions of other countries and realms and I wasn’t quite sure how that related to this place. I did like the set-up with the emperor who wanted more power and is conquering other places and how the cities were all walled against the monsters and the safe houses and such. Oh and there is a flying cat, which was pretty cool.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fun fantasy Reverse harem book. Phoebe is the Priestess of the Gate and only she with her four guardians can close the gate so the monsters can’t get through. She needs to have sex with her guardians to give them more power, and while that sounded like a bit of ridiculous set-up at first it was actually quite tastefully done and developed. I liked how different all her guardians were in their personality and even in bed as well. It also deal with a bunch of emotions and struggles with how they have this responsibility, but they all have hopes and dreams they might have to give up as well. And I liked how that got touched upon in this book. While there are a bunch of steamy scenes, there is also enough space for the story and to get to know the characters. Although I am looking forward to get to know more about them in later books. The world building is pretty minimal and it could be hard to get a full feel for the world at times. The monsters seemed a bit stereotypical evil, but something at the end makes me think we will learn more about that in the next books. I would definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a steamy Fantasy Reverse Harem book.
You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.
LOL, it is a great set up if one is looking for spicy harem romances. I do enjoy the fantasies with the epic journeys to save the world sort of thing. Too bad it seemed not as developed as you would have liked. Maybe there will be more coming in future books. It’s been a while since I picked up a romance with a fantasy setting.
It is a very captivating cover.
Sophia Rose recently posted…Blocked by Jennifer Lane #TGPUL #Giveaway
It really made for a great set-up for a steamy reverse harem fantasy romance :). It was a fun read. The epic journey plot line worked really well here. I think we’ll get to know more about the world and all the characters in the next book. Book 2 should be out next month :). I actually have read very few fantasy romance,s but this one makes me think maybe I should pick them up more often. It sure is a captivating cover :).
Well that set up and premise of the story sounds interesting. I would want to know more about the guardians too but hopefully the next book will fill in all those questions.
Mary Kirkland recently posted…Review: Ty’s Temptation by Patrice Michelle
It was a great set up and I really enjoyed the book. I am hoping we learn more about all the characters in the next book.
Hmm, this one sounds really interesting. A fantasy reverse harem book? I have not read anything like that. Could be different and fun for me. And I do love that cover! Excellent review and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. ♥️
It sure was a different type of book, but it totally worked and it was a really fun read. I agree that cover is awesome.
Thank you for a thorough review, Lola. In answer to your question – no, I don’t:).
I actually very rarely read Fantasy Romances myself either, but this one was really good, so I definitely am open to reading more.
I’ve never heard of a fantasy reverse Harem. Do Laurell K. Hamilton Merry Gentry books count? 🙂 It’s tons of Harem situations in those books. I love the cover for this book and I like a little steam every now and then. I grew up reading Harlequin romances. Great review.
Cricket recently posted…Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I think so yes. I haven’t read those books myself, but I heard others mention those are reverse harem books indeed. I also love the cover for this book and it was a great book. Perfect for when you want a fun steamy read.
I actually really like the sound of this. I love the cover and I never read a reverse harem. I already added this to my TBR, I will grab it next time I am looking for a steamy different read.
Great review, Lola! 🙂
Michelle @Because Reading recently posted…3.5 Star #QuickReview ~ DC Comics: Secret Hero Society Book 1 & 2
It’s on KU so I am for sure grabbing it! 🙂
Michelle @Because Reading recently posted…Currently I’m….Feb 20, 2018
A lot of Reverse Harem books are in KU. It’s nice you can grab it that way :).
I read quite a few Reverse Harem books recently, although this is one of my favorites so far :). I hope you get the chance to read this one when you’re in the mood for a steamy fantasy romance. Let me know what you think of it when you get around to reading it!
What an interesting story, I am glad you enjoyed it! The cover looks very promising, and I am tempted as I’ve been into fantasy quite a lot, lately.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I’ll make sure to check it out. 🙂
Fran recently posted…Spinning Out by Lexi Ryan
Let me know what you think of it if you decide to check it out :). It sure was an interesting story and I am really curious about book 2. And the cover is great indeed!
That’s a really eye-catching cover! I have mixed feelings about the sex thing. It sounds like a way to include sex in the book just for the sake of having sex in the book and like sex is going to be a super high priority because of it, and that frustrates me in books. But I can overlook something like that if the rest is good, and I’m actually curious about the emotion and jealousy and stuff like that, since those emotional struggles are often missing in menage/reverse harem books, it seems. Anyway, I’m glad you liked the MC and seemed to like the book overall 🙂
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Shatter Me (Shatter Me Book 1) by Tahereh Mafi
It really is a great cover. I wans’t sure if I would like the way the sex was handled as like you said it sounds like a way to just add sex into the book. But it was very tastefully done actually and I ended up liking how it was handled. There isn’t as much sex as you would expect with that set-up and all the sex scenes are pretty different from each other, which is pretty rare in books. The whole emotional struggle and jealousy was very well done and interesting to read about. And I am really curious how that continues in the next book.