Something about this book rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was Lily?
I try really hard not to DNF any book, so this took me a while to complete.
I started off liking it: the NYC setting, Egyptian mummy, "fish out of water", god powers.
But then the Lily internalizing/complaining about Amon, Amon-Lily interactions, Lily appearing take charge when before she was clueless, things just started to get me bogged down.
Sorry, I fear I won't be going on to the next in the series. ( )

DNF

WTAF was this?
I mean, What. The Actual F. Was this?!?
I have no words. ( )

I was really looking forward to this new book because of my love for the Tiger's Curse series that Colleen Houck also wrote. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. Although extensive research into Egyptian mythology is evident in this story, the emotional connection between the two lead characters, Lily and Amon, just wasn't nearly as strong as expected. The story was interesting enough, following Amon on his quest to resurrect his brothers in order to stop an ancient evil from claiming the world. He meets Lily in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and finds he needs her strength and energy to survive in order to complete his quest. As the story unfolds, we find that Lily and Amon have feelings for one another that grow throughout the quest. Too much of that feeling, however, is the author telling the reader about it rather than showing it. The end of the story was a mystery, but not in a good way. It seemed that the story was at an end, though not a happy one. Rather than a cliffhanger that would make the reader anxious for another installment, the epilogue just left this reader scratching her head. If there is to be another book as part of an ongoing series, I'm not sure if I even want to read it. I really wanted to love this story, but was left disappointed. ( )

A decent YA adventure about Egyptian mythology

My favorite thing about this book is the Egyptian elements. Reading Lily’s adventures in pyramids gave me strong Indiana Jones vibes. There were also many short stories about Egyptian Gods when Lily was finding her way into the unfamiliar land, which I relished as though a small child listening to sweet fairy tales. The magical powers of the three Egyptian princes were dazzling as well. I don’t know how much of the mythology in this book is real though.

The heroine, Lily, is a rich New York girl that everyone envies. Despite her wealth, she felt trapped and empty, living a life planned by her parents. Just when she was trying hard to decide college to go to, she was accidentally involved in helping a century-old Egyptian prince to save the world.

It’s nice to see the heroine being rich for a change, instead of the orphan/poor-girl-turned-out-to-be-the-chosen-one trope. While most of us are not as rich as Lily, the author did a great job making her likable and relatable. I love how she still had troubles in her life and how this whole experience made her braver.

One problem though…. the romance.

I heard Colleen Houck is very good at writing love triangles, so I had high hopes for a sweet, touching romance. But no! This book is totally insta-love. Lily pretended she didn’t need love but she apparently wanted it from page one, and she like the prince mostly because of his good looks and strong muscles. It isn’t wrong to choose a man on his appearance, but when so many other male characters in this book are good-looking demigod princes, there is a problem. Although the love interest confessed his feelings pretty late in the book, it still felt a bit rush and unconvincing. I guessed their romance could be attributed to their bond, then again, this is also a bad reason for a relationship. The fact that it didn’t turn out to be a love triangle and that the love interest was lovable are the saving grace.

Though the romance isn’t great, I find the book pretty enjoyable in general. The plot is a bit predictable while still entertaining. The writing is nice and made me want to keep reading. The characters have good personalities. I would recommend this book to mythology and adventures lovers. (If you have high expectations for romance though, you might be disappointed.)
( )

I was finding myself figuring out the plot in several YA books lately; however, I accidentally came upon this book in a used bookstore. The repetitious chain has been broken with Reawakened. The smart, elegant banter and quippy comebacks from our heroine put my faith back into YA books again. Not spoiled by too much love and longing romance, this story is fast paced and exciting from page 2 to the end of the book. I was actually hoping the girl would get the guy, mummy, god, whatever. I truly w joyed this story and history of Egyptian Mythology. ( )