Awakening (The Creation of Death Series Book 1) (2024)

The Awakening- Book 1 of The Creation of Death Series by Kris Branham

This book gives off a mix of Good Omens, and the Mortal Instruments, which is a favorite of mine - so yes! We follow along with Sara, Spencer, and Melody as they find themselves to be the sole survivors of a plane crash. The group starts to experience visions and strong powers while realizing they have been thrown into the middle of a war and need to work together to find some answers.

I really enjoyed this storyline and the characters. I love how they were all written together as a group and individually. The good vs. evil battle really powered through so well, giving the readers a balance of storyline and action. I do think this is a story someone knew to fantasy/magic stories would enjoy, as it doesn't overpower the entire book. I would definitely recommend this story to others.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A well-told story about good and evil. This book will keep your interest until the end.

Captivating first book from Kris Branham. Each chapter informed later chapters with a quick pace that made it easy to consume within days time. I was immersed by the otherworldlyness within settings and characters that feel so familiar.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley for making it possible for me to read this book. And, thank you Kris Branham for being such an inspiration. After I read the last section of the acknowledgements, I felt so much hope. That for each of us, better is possible. That we are not alone. Wow!

This is the first book in The Creation of Death series.

I found the prelude to be a bit confusing because it had me wondering if I had the correct book. It didn't seem to match the books description being a confrontation between Death and Spirit. It didn't hook me because I couldn't form a good picture of them in my mind. Coming back after finishing the book, I still don't see how this prelude ties in. Maybe I just missed something huge... who knows?

In the first chapter, the book quickly tied in with it's description, to my relief. I was suddenly gripped in the action of the first few chapters, pleasantly surprised by the fast pace. No time was wasted, quickly gripping our attention and investing us in what was happening. I was glad I had continued reading after the prelude. I had renewed hope in the book.

For me, Sara was so easy to relate to. As I kept reading, I felt a stronger connection to her character and I started rooting for her. Wanting to read more to find out more about her and her story.

I took way longer to finish reading this book. Longer than I would like to admit. It just didn't really do it for me. Maybe it was because I took so long to finish it that I didn't form a bond with the book and a stronger desire to become part of it. I think I was expecting too much when I started. I was disappointed in the ending of the book. There was the last big scene, which was great, but then it was like the story was dropped like a hot potato. It had the fastest ending and not even a big cliffhanger. It just collapsed.

I think my biggest problem with this book was that I just expected more. I am sorry.

A book about angels and demons that I couldn’t put down. I gained access to this book through Netgalley and as soon as I read the prologue on my phone, I just knew I had to buy the physical book itself.

Awakening is the first book of The Creation of Death Series. It follows 3 humans who survived one of the many plane crashes and who soon developed supernatural powers. Aurora Borealis now covers the whole northern hemisphere but humans didn’t know that the veil between heaven, hell and purgatory are now opened as the ancient battle between angels and demons are left unfinished. The angels have their quest to guide these 3 supernatural humans to awaken their power to defeat the evil.

The plot is creative and the characters are likeable with their flaws and their struggles. Their individual journeys have been a delight to follow and how they interconnected towards the end. The pacing was a bit slow at the beginning but it seriously kept up and it never stopped. I was afraid that the romance would turn heavy on this one and thankfully it didn’t. I just wished there was more world-building or more explanations of the magical world. I hope and guess that we get to know more of this on the next book.

So yes, this is the book that caused my “angels and demons” fever lately. I saw that the sequel was out, entitled Breaking that was just recently published and I bought it immediately.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
-Beautiful, sexy and morally grey angels with amazing tattoos
-Realistic characters and descriptions of mental struggles
-Discussions about spirituality and religion

Thank you Netgalley and the author for this ARC.
My opinions are my own.

I’m between 2,5 and 3.

What i liked:

I liked the concept of the story. I do love an angels and demons book and the blurb didn’t do it justice.
The characters are very likeable, there’s a start to slowburn.
Kind of multiple pov.
I liked the writing.

What i didn’t like:

Very slow paced, not much happening throughout the book.
Not enough worldbuilding for that amount of description so confusing at times.
Not enough background on events that do happen and overall.
A little character building but not nearly enough.
It feels like a prequel to the actual story.

Conclusion:

Great concept, execution needs work.
Overall not for me.

Okay I have so many thoughts let hope I get them down in a good order.

First of all, I really enjoyed the characters! I thought they were well written, their individual journeys made sense, and the way the group came together made me happy.

The plot: I thought the plot was super interesting!!the lore and mythology behind it is absolutely fascinating, and was interwoven so well it made me so happy. I’m a little obsessed.

The beginning of the book absolutely snags your attention, ensuring you NEED to know what happens from page one! This is a little bit of a denser book, you will need to be actively paying attention, but it’s so so worth it!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Plot: Awakening has a very interesting premise of guardian angels coming to Earth to bond with humans that have blooming supernatural abilities. Something bad is brewing and only the survivors of a plane crash have the potential to stop it from happening.

Review: When I started reading, I noticed right away its lack of finesse. Many of the sentences came out clunky, and I had to reread them because the grammar and the sentence structure did not flow naturally. I think the dialogue fell victim to this the most.

Whenever characters conversed, the stakes felt super forced and melodramatic. Spirit constantly repeated the same information in slightly varied ways. She states how imperative their mission is, but I never got the sense of what their mission truly was. Just that, the rules of the game were changing and she did not know why. This lowered my investment in their cause, since I had little to no idea what it was. Find Trevor. Got it. But the rest seemed muddied and vague.

Michael seemed angry and angsty, and I had trouble connecting. Keep was cute, but crossing the line into dating Spencer was weird. Like the sexual tension felt forced, a bit creepy, and voyeuristic, rather than protective. If this was the first time they interacted with humans this way on Earth, I don't buy the element of attraction. Curiosity sure, but physical attraction, no.

I also noticed a bunch of typos in the ARC and the Kindle Unlimited copy. This was hard for me to get pass. I felt like this book needed more editing to shine.

However, I did appreciate the representation of mental health and mental illness. The parts with Sara discussing her therapist felt written from experience. I liked how she doubted herself and her stability. I felt invested in her the most because she felt the most genuine.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for access to Awakening. This was a great story that kept me turning the pages. I loved each character's journey and how they all ebbed in and out of each other's lives. My biggest complaint is that I felt like the story was all telling with little showing. The batlte of good vs. evil in this magical little world had the potential to suck me in so much more. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who wants a simple, magical read without a complicated fantasy world.

Thank you NetGalley for access to Awakening. This was a great story that kept me turning the pages. I loved each character's journey and how they all ebbed in and out of each other's lives. My biggest complaint is that I felt like the story was all telling with little showing. The batlte of good vs. evil in this magical little world had the potential to suck me in so much more. Overall, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who wants a simple, magical read without a complicated fantasy world.

Thank you for to NetGalley adn the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I don't think this book is for me. I tried several times to get into it and just couldn't. I found several grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the bit of the book that I read, and just don't see myself finishing it.

This book was fantastic! One of the best books I’ve read in a while! The writing was amazing, the characters were amazing, can’t go wrong reading this! As always thank you to netgalley for providing the earc!

I really loved this book with the unique story involving angels, demons, and other paranormal elements. This is unlike other fantasy books I have read and highly look forward to future books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoyed this book, it was very easy to read and had Good Omens vibes but with a Supernatural series twist.

The beginning was so ensnaring I just had to know what happened, the characters were interesting, and the settings were descriptive and easy to imagine. Everyone had their own plot line that converged and wrapped up nicely, but with an ending that left the reader wondering what's going to happen in book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing

Great book that feels like Constantine and Supernatural had a baby! If you like angels vs. Demons tropes this is for you