Awaken by HJ Daly

The war with Alphamore is over but Esa still isn't safe. There are people out there who fear the amount of power she wields. If they can't force her to use her power for their benefit, they don't want her running around free. And for them, dead is a better choice.

Early on the friends are attacked and Esa is injured. Thomas stumbles upon them in the aftermath of the fight and takes them to his father's home. As he learns something about how hard the last two years have been for Esa, she discovers not everyone is grateful for her part in ending the war. Feared and unwanted at every turn, Esa finds even love can hide the face of an enemy.

Esa still carries the emotional scars from the war and only her trust in Rootu keeps her sane. Only the knowledge that she is all he has left in the world keeps her from completely giving up. Tired of fighting and death, all she wants is someplace to call home where she can live in peace. That's not going to happen. Another power is rising and everyone needs to be afraid. It has its eye on Esa and will use her to get what it wants. Life altering choices are going to be made and death is in someone's future.

Unlike the first book, I was pulled into Awaken immediately and it didn't let go. I am absolutely not a night person. I like sleeping when it's dark out. Yet this book grabbed onto me and didn't let go until the end, at 3:30 in the morning. Then it ended on a cliffhanger. Daly has earned the fifth star with this book. The next one cannot come out soon enough for me. Although the book will stand alone alright, you will get much more out of it by reading Pulse first. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Pulse by HJ Daly

This story is set in a post-apocalyptic world sometime after a pulse has taken down the barrier between the "first world" (ours) and the "second world." Although the residents of the second world have always been able to see our world through the barrier, humans have never even been aware of another world existing alongside theirs.

The protagonist in this story is a young orphan girl named Esa. Living on the streets and fending for herself, Esa doesn't trust anyone. A hard life of living on the streets and doing what ever it takes to survive has taught her nothing is free, and trusting someone else can be fatal. Night is coming and Esa needs to find someplace to spend it. Having found shelter from the night and pouring rain, Esa finds she is sharing her shelter with Rootu, a spinner from second world. He rapidly becomes one if the few people she learns to trust.

A war is brewing in second world and beginning to spill over into ours. Elves, humans, mages, goblins, and a host of fantastical creatures will be taking sides fighting an evil that wants ultimate power over both worlds. Someone is looking for Esa and she needs to stay alive long enough to find out why. Along the way she meets people willing to befriend and protect her. A life alone hasn't prepared her for the role she must play in the upcoming war. Visions sometimes let her know how a friend is doing and other time offer dire warnings she has to solve.

I had a bit of a time getting into this book. It wasn't until around chapter 3 I realized I really liked this book. The characters are well developed Their personalities came through very clearly. I loved Rootu and his pets, the way he'd scamper off when he saw something interesting. He's probably my favorite support character. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, the characters did or said something else.

Although this story wrapped up well, there were comments made by characters that lead me to think the author had left herself open for at least one sequel. I haven't looked yet to see if there is a sequel, but I  certainly hope so. I would love to visit this worldscape and these characters again. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. I've only given it three stars because it took a little perseverance for me initially to get into the story. Once there, I was hooked.

This book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.