In The Awakening by Sara Snow, Elinor Blackwood, the firstborn of Alpha Grayson, the leader of the Blackmoon Pack, has her destiny planned. Her father is determined to find her a mate so she can become a Luna and give birth to the next generations of Alphas. However, Elinor is determined to become a Werewolf Guard and be free to choose her own mate and future. As Grayson and Elinor face a battle of wills, it is clear his daughter is determined to join the Guard, so a truce and a pact are made. However, Elinor discovers a huge betrayal and believes she will never trust anyone again. Until one night in the forest where a stranger rescues her from an attack by Bleeder Vampires. Will Hunter, a handsome blue-eyed Vampire sacrifices one of his own to protect her. Although their feelings grow for one another, they both know their relationship can never be. As Elinor faces a marriage of convenience, she takes a trip to the forest one last time to see Will and say goodbye. The only trouble is they are joined by a pack of werewolves and are soon surrounded with no means of escape.

The plot was compelling from the outset. I loved the characters which were created with such imagination and careful consideration. A beautiful fearless werewolf, a kind sex demon, and an enigmatic vampire to name just a few. The relationship between sex demon Cyrus and Skye, the werewolf girl he saved as a child, was heartwarming and I loved to see such an innocent couple discover the meaning of true love with one another. The initiation process for Elinor to be accepted into the Werewolf Gaurd was incredibly exciting but ended so tragically. The Awakening by Sara Snow has many life lessons entwined in all the excitement and gripping action. The importance to live your life authentically and follow your dreams and the huge issue of bigotry and bias within different groups of society were covered perfectly. I found Alpha Grayson's treatment of his daughter quite heartless. He placed his reputation above the happiness of his daughter. The chemistry between Elinor and Will was explosive, the passion jumped from the page. Their final meeting in the forest was heartbreaking to read. What will happen in the second novel in the series? I await the release of The Enlightenment with much anticipation.

Nineteen-year-old Elinor feels cursed to be a royal firstborn of an Alpha Werewolf as it means she is expected to give up her dream of being a Guard and protecting her people for a more domestic role. While she plans to convince her father to allow her to become a Guard, the pressure to find a mate increases as her father arranges meetings with different Alpha-born suitors. Enter the irresistible vampire with the charming blue eyes, whom she instantly falls for instead. Elinor knows she will be in big trouble if her clan finds out about her wild and reckless taste in men, so she keeps it a secret. Is there hope that their forbidden love will survive the hurdles? The Awakening is the first fast-paced, action-packed book in the Paranormal Shifter series by Sara Snow: Bloodmoon Wars.

Not your typical werewolves! The wolves in The Awakening have more tricks up their sleeves and exist in a world filled with sex demons, wraiths, witches, and other hair-raising paranormal creatures. The story is packed with heart-racing moments that had me dropping my device and stealing glances at it because the pages seemed to come to life with the exceptionally vivid descriptions. Sara Snow strongly projects themes of sexism and feminism as the protagonist is portrayed to constantly question her inherited role as a woman in her clan. I loved and thoroughly enjoyed the cute romantic drama between the lovers and the well-structured story as a whole. The Awakening is a perfect recommendation for fans of paranormal romance, forbidden love, and werewolf and vampire narratives.

The Awakening is a work of fiction in the paranormal fantasy, action and adventure, and interpersonal drama sub-genres, and was penned by author Sara Snow. Written as the first book of the Bloodmoon Wars series, we find ourselves embroiled in an exciting tale of shifters, vampires, danger, romance, action, and suspense. Our central protagonist Elinor finds herself in a difficult situation as part of her pack because she is a desirable breeding mate to the other wolf shifters. But whilst her father pushes pup after pup at her, Elinor discovers she has eyes for another: the bloodthirsty Will Hunter, a prominent figure in the vampire court, with whom any kind of romance would be truly forbidden.

Author Sara Snow has crafted an enjoyable romp of urban paranormal fiction which mature young adults and adult audiences will certainly enjoy for all its dramas, thrills, and spills. As the opener to a series, the work does a great job in explaining the dynamics of Elinor’s extended family and her pack, whilst also introducing us to plenty of other characters who continue the expansive story and provide some great context and worldbuilding for us. The tale is also told from a few different perspectives, which affords the reader a more omniscient knowledge of what is going on around Elinor and really amps up the tension as the tale goes on. Overall, I would recommend The Awakening to fans of the genre as it will certainly deliver everything one would expect, and proves itself to be a solid, engaging start to a promising new series.

The Awakening: The Bloodmoon Wars by author Sara Snow is the first book of the fantasy series revolving around werewolves, vampires, demons, and other creatures. Elinor Blackmoon is the first-born daughter of Alpha Grayson, leader of the Blackmoon Pack. Elinor always wanted to become a part of the Werewolf Guard, while her father wants her to be a Luna, mate to an Alpha male. Getting tricked by Council Member Levi, Elinor fails her Werewolf Guard test. Now, she has no choice but to get married to an Alpha. But, things get complicated when Elinor starts to fall in love with a vampire named William. Meanwhile, her best friends Skye, another werewolf, and Cyrus, a demon prince, start having relationship troubles of their own as Cyrus struggles to contain his feeding instincts.

The Awakening is a well-written fantasy romance novel for young adults that makes you wish it was a bit longer. From the very beginning, I got engrossed with the characters of Elinor, Skye, and Cyrus, and even the mysterious vampire William. The friendship between Elinor, Skye, and Cyrus was heartwarming and seemed to be the backbone of the story. I found the narrative kept at an easy pace as Sara Snow's first novel seems to act merely as a setup for the oncoming war between werewolves, vampires, and other creatures, which will hopefully be explored further in the later novels. I enjoyed the premise immensely and am looking forward to reading the sequels. I encourage fans of werewolves and vampires to give this series a go.