REVIEW: Arcadia Awakens (Arkadien #1) by Kai Meyer

 

Author: Kai Meyer

Series: Arkadien

Pages: 451

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Amazon: Arcadia Awakens

Synopsis (Goodreads)

To New Yorker Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic, and wholly unknown. But when tragedy strikes, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where her sister and aunt have built their lives and where centuries of family secrets await her. Once there, Rosa wastes no time falling head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both intrigue and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

Ancient myths brought to life in the Sicilian countryside, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a long history of familial bloodlust prove to Rosa that she can’t trust anyone—not even her own family. Torn between loyalty to her aunt and love for her family’s mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love . . . or run as far and as fast as she can.

REVIEW: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Rosa Alcantara has left her home in NY to head to Sicily, Italy to be with her Mafia boss Aunt Florinda and Sister Zoe; it has been a tough year emotionally for her which has seen her withdraw from everything and everyone around her. All she yearns for is a bit of peace and quiet but what she ends up involved with goes beyond her wildest dreams.

Alessandro Carnevare is the son of a powerful Sicilian Mafia family and soon to be head honcho or Capi, if he can stay alive long enough. His uncle Cesare is also after the powerful role and will use any means necessary to have Alessandro out of the way.

The Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem, they descend from the Arkadiens – shape-shifters, I enjoyed how this part of the plot was interwoven with the mafia and political aspects. The originality was certainly impressive and seeing the secrets unveiled along the way kept the story flowing nicely.

Now as a main protagonist, I didn’t find Rosa endearing whatsoever, she was feisty and at times snarky which put me off her as a character; I know her hardened demeanor was as a result of what she had endured but I felt it was a tad over the top, especially with the people she was dealing with. It also took me a while to adjust to her strange behavior. Alessandro on the other hand I really liked, he was protective and upfront from the very start which I thought was quite noble considering the role he was about to take on and because of his families history with the Alcantara’s; he was quite trusting. The romance is there but not at the forefront of this story, it is also a slow progression which I liked.

There was a lot happening plot wise with this book, with the paranormal aspects, political happenings between the rival clans as well as the forbidden romance but with all of this we see the characters grow, we are learning more about the feuding families and of their histories and I thoroughly enjoyed the ancient Greek mythology.

I loved the amazing and exotic Sicilian setting; Meyer’s vivid details of the picturesque surroundings gave you such a descriptive vision of the beautiful landscape which I found wonderful.

I enjoyed Meyers writing style and although the pacing for me started off slow, it soon picked up and I was mesmerized by the story being told, it is a page turner where you never quite know what is going to happen next.

All in all, Arcadia Awakens intertwines a forbidden romance with danger, mystery and intrigue; it certainly stands out against other YA novels with its creativity and I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.