Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: It Wakes In Me - Sequel to It Sleeps In Me (one more to series)
Author: Kathleen O'Neal Gear
Publisher: Forge
ISBN: 0-765-31482-7
Release Date: June/July 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Fiction
Year/Setting: Black Falcon Indian Nation
Overall Rating: 3.8
Sexual Content Rating: Sexual
Language (Profanity) Content Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: Mild
Kathleen's Website:
www.gear-gear.com
Sora is the High Chieftess of the Black Falcon Nation and finds herself in a very tenuous position. The Black Falcon are currently living in a peaceful truce with several others nations (except of course for those few who want to stir the pot – but more about that later). With these tribes, however, there is a real division of labor so to speak. The women are the leaders (chieftesses) and the men are the warriors. Sora comes from a long line of chieftesses but is struggling in her role.
This culture believes each human being is made up of three souls. The eye soul, the shadow soul and the reflection soul. Each of these souls go a different way on the death of the individual and can create havoc for those still living.
Sora has been plagued with what she terms the "Midnight Fox" since she was seven years old. She can feel it coming over her but has no control. During this time of blackout she has no memory of what she did but others in her life swear she has killed seven people including her father (whom she dearly loved), her mother and then her older sister (who should have been the chieftess.
She was married for a time to Flint (who quite frankly she still loves) but with him coming from another tribe and the differences in them as individuals that marriage faded. Now during a time of complete chaos, Flint has shown up to "help" Sora find healing. Remember those I mentioned earlier causing trouble – well, they have shown a small portion of their hand and events just aren’t adding up. So, between their stirring negative emotions within the tribes and Flint now showing up, Sora has to find a way to trust what her inner voice is telling her and search for the healing and answers she so desperately needs. Not only to save herself but to help save her village.
It Wakes In Me is wonderfully written. The descriptive terms used are superb and the romance and healing Sora is involved in are incredibly erotic. This storyline, however, is not an easy read. I had a lot of difficulty following the different souls and the references to them along with all of the characters who flowed in and out of the story. Each of the characters was very well written and defined but there were so many I had trouble keeping them straight and remembering who belonged to which tribe.
As far as the heroine, however, Sora is a woman of incredible strength. I can only imagine how terrifying it was to her to admit she needed help and she wanted to deal with whatever has happened during those times of blackout. In spite of that fear, she went forward and reached toward the healing taking place – even if it meant losing everything.
I don’t want to give anything away but I also struggled with the ending. Don’t get me wrong it is a great ending but it is definitely a sequel. I found myself really hanging. I don’t mind being left with a teaser at the end but this felt a little bit more like a drop off which was hard.
Please know the story is real, raw, intense, and erotic. However, just be prepared you won’t finish the saga in one book and you might need to jot a few notes as you read slowly to make sure you keep everyone connected.
Lori
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