Sentinals Awaken

Sentinals Series, Book 1

By: Helen Garraway

Narrated by: Matt Coles

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

As a 3,000-year-old threat reemerges, only one man has the power to awaken the world’s greatest protectors and restore order to the realm. He just doesn’t know it yet.

When Jerrol Haven, a captain in the King’s Rangers, discovers treason at the highest level, he knows immediately that the knowledge puts his life at risk. And indeed, though he expected the ailing King to shield him, the ambitious Crown Prince sentences Jerrol to death. What hold does the Prince have over his weakened father, and who or what is he protecting?

As Jerrol flees for his life, he is rescued by a vision of the enigmatic Lady Leylandii, a goddess who, according to legend, once saved the land of Remargaren from malevolent wild magic users known as the Ascendants by raising a veil to nullify their power and exiling them. Now, with signs that her veil is weakening and the Ascendants are creeping back into power, she has returned and is in dire need of Jerrol’s help. For though he doesn’t know it, Jerrol possesses a rare gift: By chance, he touches a revered Sentinal tree and awakens Birlerion, one of the Lady’s personal guard who have been sleeping in the strange, tall trees since they were last called to battle.

Aided by Birlerion and an old friend, Jennery, Jerrol begins his journey to help Lady Leyandrii save Remargaren once more. But time is running out: As it was with the King, the old guard Lords are everywhere being usurped, attacked, and assassinated, while their heirs behave strangely and refuse to honour the Lady as Remargarens have done for millennia. Jerrol must unravel the mystery of the Ascendants’ return, stop the sinister force that is dividing good families through bloodshed and betrayal, and rescue the King—and his troubles are only just beginning.

Sentinals Awaken is the first book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.

©2020 Helen Garraway (P)2022 Helen Garraway

Good start to a fantasy series.

Well written and narrated story.
Good vs evil and the evil is taking over the world of our hero. But one of the good goddesses has chosen our hero to be her captain/champion.
Now he needs to wake up the sentinels that have been "asleep" for 3,000 years to help him and he also needs to find those that are being mind controlled by an evil priest and cleanse their minds.
I got this book for free with the expectation of an honest review.
Good fantasy adventure with no harem or erotica.

I REALLY ENJOYED IT. HUMOROUS & INTRIGUING

THIS STORY IS WELL WRITTEN AND EASY TO FOLLOW.

ACCEPTABLE FOR PRE TEEN AGES AND OLDER.

NARRATOR IS GREAT AND EASY TO FOLLOW.

A great first book in the Snetinals Series!

This is the first novel I have read/listened to by Helen Garraway and I was not dissappointed. The story overall is engaging, the characters are well developed and you like/hate them as you are supposed to, and the story/plot moves at a good pace. I look forward to the next book from Helen Garraway! Audio Version: Matt Coles does a fantastic job narrating this story and bringing the characters to life.

A bit confusing at times, but an okay book.

This was a hard one for me to get into for some reason. I've started it several times and had to backtrack multiple times to try to figure out what was going on. I think this has a lot to do with the writing style, which kind of hops around a bit. There are also two major characters with similar names. Overall, the book was just all right. It's not a series I'll be finishing.
I will say that the narration for the audiobook is beautifully and professionally done, as are the stunning covers for this series, which are what drew me in in the first place.

Great story

Jerrol is Captain of the Guard, so when he discovers evidence of treason, he knows he has to make it known. He expects the King to protect him from the Prince, but instead finds himself being arrested for treason in front of the King, who does nothing to stop it.

Three thousand years ago, the Lady banished all magic from the land, banishing herself and sealing her guards - the sentinals - in trees. The land has lived without magic since then, but forces are moving and the veil behind which she sealed the magic is weakening. After helping him to escape, she calls on Jerrol to help; for Jerrol has the ability to awaken the sentinals. Discovering this when he accidentally touches one of the trees and wakes Birlerion, the two of them and Jerrol's friend Jennery begin a quest to help the Lady and save the land once again.

This book begins an epic series, so there is quite a bit of world-building early on. This caused the story to drag a little bit, which made it kind of hard to get into it. I also found that I had trouble paying attention to the narrator, Matt Coles. I can't pick out what, specifically, caused that, but there were many times that I realized I had no idea what happened in the previous chapter and had to relisten to it. Even with that, I still finished the book in 2 days because it is a compelling read.

With the storylines that began in this book, I do want to continue the series, for they are quite good and, once the story gets going, it doesn't let up. However, I will likely just read the books rather than listen to the audiobooks, so that my attention doesn't wander. I will say that Matt Coles didn't do a bad job, he just isn't a narrator for me. You might like his work, so don't write off the audiobooks if that's how you typically engage with books.

Complex in the best way

Parents: this is acceptable for preteens and up
Language: G
Violence: PG-13
Sexual content: G

The story and world were complex and engaging. Some of the more nuanced parts of the story I think get lost in the audiobook but it is still a fantastically immersive experience as a whole. If you enjoy adventure, mystery, mind control, and deception, strap in and give this book a listen; I promise you won’t regret it!

The narrator has fantastic and diverse character voices!

—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great Fantasy Escape!

Up front: I received a free audio book in exchange for an honest review. And I'm happy I did!

I was familiar with some of the characters from Instagram challenges (definitely check out Helen Garraway's social media feeds!) and very excited to learn more about their story. Sentinals Awaken brought to life a wonderful world to escape to, and fascinating characters (human and animal alike!).

The plot moved along quickly, and I could easily picture it all in my head as I followed along. Also--and this is really important to me in fantasy--the wry touches of humor really brought the dialogue to life!

Though the entire book was fun, I must say my favorite part was the interplay of past and present. I'm a total sucker for mysteries of the past in fantasy stories, plus it really makes for great worldbuilding!

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to fantasy and D&D lovers. I raced through it as quick as I could!

Also, I *loved* the narration. I thought it was perfect!

A fantastic start to a fantasy world

This book was a great listen, with a wide cast of characters, adventure, and a touch of romance. That’s how I like my books! Plot driven!

Though it was hard for me to follow at first, I blame myself more than the narrator or story as I had a few days in which I couldn’t listen after first starting. I will likely relisten in future!

If you like a book of adventure, of magic as a weapon and tool rather than a crutch, of medieval intrigue and political plays for power, you will not want to miss out on this one.

I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ancient kingdom of secrets and mysteries

Received as an audio review copy from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Narrated beautifully by Matt Coles, Sentinals Awaken is an amazing, complex story set within the ancient kingdom of Remargaren. For Jerrol Haven life was already complicated as he works to uncover dangerous secrets within his king's court as one of the man's Rangers. Things get worse when Jerrol is accused of treason and set to die and blessed by those that still trusted him allows Her too to flee deeper into the kingdom to survive. Peace is collapsing through the land, leaving Remargaren vulnerable to the dark agenda by the Ascendants determined now more than ever to achieve their desire to rule through intimidation and dark magic. Called upon the enigmatic Lady Leyandrii, Jerrol becomes her Captain of her Sentinal guards and tasked calling the ancient warriors from their trees and back into the world to challenge the scheming Ascendants and saving the king Jerrol to a sacred oath to serve. Brimming with sharp, witty dialogue and so many secrets we are just beginning to uncover and understand; an epic adventure is unraveling are worth your time to spend in. Highly recommended.

Really great fantasy read and start of a series!

I felt drawn into this world right from the beginning and loved the magical elements. The Sentinals were my favorite! I like Jarrol. His growth and acceptance through the story made him a very likeable hero. He did seem to be getting a bit cocky towards the end and i'm not sure that it was a good thing or will lead him into trouble. I am very excited to see where this journey takes us to next!
Amazing audio narration and I highly recommend!!