The Spirit: Awakening

The Spirit, Book 1

By: K. M. Riley

Narrated by: Matt Thurston

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Adele inherited the Kingdom of Iden. Willful, strong, and independent, her life changed when she discovered she's more than successor-she's heir to a mysterious power hunted by an evil spirit. Chaos covers her lands, forcing Adele to flee its reach. She journeys to unravel the secrets of her abilities, and defeat the enemy shadowing her. Adele refuses to let Iden fall-not without a fight.

©2014 K.M. Riley (P)2014 K.M. Riley

Extremely awesome

If you could sum up The Spirit: Awakening in three words, what would they be?

If I sum up The Spirit: Awakening in three words, it will be "Incredible thrilling fantasy" and I enjoyed the epic fantasy ride through this book.

Have you listened to any of Matt Thurston’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Comparing to the other Matt Thurston's performances, I would definitely tell that The Spirit: Awakening - is an excellent release and he narrated it superbly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, definitely I couldn't put it down. I completed listening to it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

The thrills, fantasies, suspense - all of them are blended perfectly with its character development and comprehensive writing. It's a great fantasy ride which was fun to listen. I enjoyed it and I would love to recommend The Spirit: Awakening.

I loved this whimsical novel.

Would you listen to The Spirit: Awakening again? Why?

Yes I would listen to it again because I want my young niece to enjoy this story with me. It's a great novel that both adult and children can enjoy.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The imagery and the pathos I felt for the characters had me react more so than I do with the average novel. Even at the start of the novel, I already cared about the animals. Take for example the the boar and the troll's conversation at the start. It had such a mysterious tone to it that I had no choice but to be drawn into it.

Any additional comments?

What a lovely summer read! "The Spirit: Awakening," is a whimsical tale that centers on the daring adventures of a strong and lovable female protagonist (Adele). The book contains many cute and imaginative characters. I love how the author brings these characters to life by adding vivid details and amiable personified traits. By having such strong character development to begin with, and adding striking imagery is what makes this novel truly exceptional. Overall, this is a well-written and highly creative story. The plot is intriguing and the story moves in a fast pace. I was never bored, and I was sad to finish it in one sitting. I will certainly revisit this novel with my niece soon! I highly suggest adding this to your summer reading list.

This Book Is Why I Hunt For Indie

I’m not going to mess around, instead I’m getting right to the meat of this review the book is really good. I don’t mean a polite really good I mean an honest, heartfelt really good book. I liked the voice of the narrator there was nice a rhythm you don’t often find. The dialogue worked for me because it did what dialogue should do in my opinion. It served to remove the veil of the pathos in the character. I think that allow the reader to understand a little more about what makes them tick.

But the bottom line dialogue needs to help move the story line forward so I don’t have to read endless narration. This is a great example of what does NOT annoy me, the dialogue is perfect in my estimation. To be frank some of it is unexpectedly laugh out loud funny, not in a slapstick hardy har, har stupid way but an unexpected delightful funny. The story line actually managed to carve out an original niche in a genre stuffed to the gill with fantasy. But this one is different the characters are exceptionally special they each have their own little Disneyesque personality design. I mean by that, the idiosyncrasies and character flaws are there, so they are not perfect, love flawed characters. At the same time they are written so real you can almost hear them breathe.

K. M. Riley’s characters are super, my favorite would have to be Adele probably not a shock to anyone who has read the book. There is a study in strong character development. She is strong and irreverent as we watch her grow up. Oops I hope that is not a spoiler for me that is one of the unique features of the book. The reader actually gets to watch her grow up. Maybe that is what connected me to her.

Whatever it is you really feel like she could be next to you at the Starbucks. Sharing the story to you on a slow Sunday morning this is a good example of what I love most about Fantasy. Quite frankly, these kinds of books and this kind of writing is what thrills me about the whole Indie movement. Most especially authors like K. M, Riley who takes care of the editing and formatting business too, thanks from a grateful reader. I’m giving the book five stars and I’m sure you will as well after you enjoy the read.

Electric tension full of suspense

Would you listen to The Spirit: Awakening again? Why?

This is an enjoyable fantasy world full of a variety of magical creatures. There are elves, dwarves, ogres, talking animals. The passages are highly descriptive, which helped me to get a good picture of Adele's world . There is plenty of action, especially with princess Adele is being tested to see if she really cares for her kingdom and is willing to fright for it. I liked the inner wisdom voice narration of Adele " It was as if she had a 6th sense an inner awareness of the feelings of others."

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harper the Wolf/Dog is my favorite character because he is a reflection of Adele other self. and he can change shapes. There is a bond between them that going deeper than surface appearances.

Which character – as performed by Matt Thurston – was your favorite?

Adele is my favorite because she has a lot of spunk and courage. And I liked the way she grew from a young girl of eleven, into her true strong self as the story progressed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was completely drawn into the story, caught up in a whirl wind of emotions from fear to amazement, laughing one minute and then crying the next. Wonderful thrilling!!!!

Any additional comments?

The story moved fast with a quick tempo, I didn't want it to end. Hope there will be a sequel.

Awesome Fantasy Read!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would most definetly recommend this audiobook to not just friends but to family members as well. The reason is because the fantasy genre is difficult to enjoy if not written well. This audiobook captivated me with how descriptive the author words are. I sat with my eyes closed as I listened to this audiobook and It provided me with a sense of literally turning the words used to into a movie in my minds eye.

What did you like best about this story?

The best thing I liked about this audiobook was that it kept me interested from beginning to end.

What does Matt Thurston bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His calm voice fluctuated in all the right places. His voice made the audiobook more enjoyable and vivid.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The part of the audiobook that moved me the most was the loyalty and dedication given to Adele by Harper. Listening to how Harper accepted his place and his role with regards to Adele's life and the teaching/ learning of her skills.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I have, for many years enjoyed the fantasy genre and rarely come across a book that keeps my interest from beginning to end. I truly want K.M. Riley to keep on using this talent, as a writer, to continue to write books for decades to come!

A Very Entertaining Fantasy Adventure!

What made the experience of listening to The Spirit: Awakening the most enjoyable?

So, I started reading this book on my phone in the Kindle app, tiny text and all. I later discovered that there was this audiobook version and decided to listen to it while I was working, which was a much better experience.

Overall, I really enjoyed Adele’s journey from a carefree, impulsive young princess to a warrior and leader for her people. Her sidekicks were fun and memorable, especially Harper, who was an excellent source of comic relief. It keeps you engaged with a quick pace and well written characters.

What other book might you compare The Spirit: Awakening to and why?

It all takes place in an interesting world, clearly influenced by other stories like: The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Princess Mononoke and The Legend of Zelda series of games.

What about Matt Thurston’s performance did you like?

For an indie book, Thurston did a good job reading the book will some feeling and character. His performance was better than expected.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The book kept things moving and I definitely wanted to keep listening, to see what was going to happen next. I finished it in a few sittings, over a couple days.

Any additional comments?

I wrote a more thorough review, in the books section of Amazon, if you want a bit more detail. I also read and reviewed the second book in series "The Spirit: Reckoning" which was also quite enjoyable.

Very Slow.

Disappointing. Slow story. Narrator does not help. If I could, I would give it a zero stars rating. Wish I could return it.