Emerge: The Awakening

The Awakening (Emerge #1)

by Melissa A. Craven

Release Date: April 1st 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

2015 Dante Rossetti Awards Finalist
2015 International Book Awards Finalist
2015 USA Best Book Award Finalist

Allie Carmichael has always believed life is simple. 
You’re born. 
You live. 
You die.
She has no cause to believe that equation works differently for her, but there has to be a reason the world treats her like a pariah.
When an unexpected move to Kelleys Island brings Aidan McBrien crashing into her life, Allie is thrown by his reaction. He doesn’t shrink from her touch. He doesn’t stutter or make a quick exit. He smiles and welcomes her into his circle of friends, who aren’t exactly comfortable with Allie, but they seem to get her in a way most people don’t.
Finally, Allie has a real shot at normal and rides that high right up to her sixteenth birthday when she wakes in agony—an experience Aidan insists they have all faced. She struggles in ignorance, uncertain of what is real and what isn’t. When she emerges, Allie is different. She has always been different, but even among her extraordinary friends, she and Aidan are special. 
As Allie struggles to maintain her tenuous grasp on the power that threatens to overwhelm her, she worries she will lose herself in this strange new world. A dangerous world where she will have to fight tooth and nail to defend the power and freedom that is her birthright. 
…only Allie hates to fight. 

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About the Author

Melissa A. Craven (the "A" stands for Ann—in case you were wondering) was born near Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to Cleveland, Ohio at the age of seventeen. She still thinks of Cleveland as home, so it was only natural for Emerge to take place there.


Today, she is back in Atlanta—for some reason she can't seem to stay away from the ungodly heat that makes her long for things like "lake effect snow" and wind that will knock you flat.
Melissa decided a long time ago that the “life checklist” everyone else was clutching so tightly in their fists, just wasn’t for her. She does everything backwards because she is weird like that, but then, she is an artist and artists are notoriously "unique" and "quirky."


She is an avid student of art and design, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of West Georgia in 2009. She worked as an interior designer for several years, but she's always thought she might like to be a writer when she grows up.


In her spare time, if she has any, she enjoys shopping for derelict furniture she refinishes to exercise the interior design part of her brain.

Author Links:

Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads│YA Books Central│Instagram│Pinterest

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Into the Fire - 4-Star Review

Goodreads Synopsis:
In one month’s time, seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman will die and be reborn from her own ashes…

Her life of secrecy has never been easy. She’s watched her younger brother, Jeremy, burn and rise again in a coming-of-age process called rebirth. And just like her brother, when her time comes, she won’t remember anything from her first life other than she’s a Phoenix—a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical Phoenix bird.

The last thing she needs to worry about is falling for the new guy in town—Logan Schmidt.

Cara is drawn to Logan in a way she can’t explain, but she’s not exactly complaining. Everything is perfect…except it’s not. Once she’s reborn, she’ll forget Logan. And to make things worse, a Phoenix Hunter is on the loose, and Cara’s involvement with Logan is bringing out her Phoenix qualities—the very qualities that will draw the Hunter right to her.

Desperate times call for desperate measures…

Afraid of hurting Logan, Cara breaks it off for good. But her attraction to him runs deeper than a typical high school crush. She wants him—needs him. And if he proves willing to stay by her side, their love might destroy them both.

Can Cara hide from the Phoenix Hunters long enough to survive her rebirth? And if so, will it mean a new beginning with Logan—or the beginning of the end?

4-Star Review:

Ok, so let me start with a confession... I love phoenixes.  Seriously, I love everything about them from the symbolism to the mythology to the imagery.  So when I heard that Kelly Hashway was writing a series about them, I am not too proud to say that I did a happy dance in front of my computer screen.  And then I got a copy of the book and did another jubilant jig. 

However in the midst of my celebrating, I had a horrible thought... what if it isn't as good as I think it is going to be?  We've experienced that book that we have anxiously waited for, gotten our hands on, and been sorely disappointed by, and never want to relive that experience.  So when I was about to crack open the first book in a series about my absolute favorite mythical character, I got nervous and procrastinated... and procrastinated... and said look how pretty the cover is.  Until finally, I opened the book with only one eye open, checking to see if it could possibly live up to my dreams.  

I read the first chapter with only one eye, but then the other eye slowly but surely joined the party.  From there, it was difficult to put the book down to accomplish mundane tasks such as work, volunteering, and other household chores.  The imagery not only fulfilled my every expectation, but left me in awe as well.  

With some YA novels, you have to wade through the overwhelming amount of teen angst, but let me tell you... there is no wading through Into the Fire!  It is a roller coaster ride from beginning to end.  Yes, the main characters are teenagers, but they have some maturity and common sense about them which makes following their story not only enjoyable, but addictive!

So it is with great enthusiasm and verve that I suggest picking up a copy of Into the Fire, and allow me to also give you a piece of advice to go along with that suggestion - go ahead and pre-order the second book, Out of the Ashes, which will be released on March 22nd.  By the time you finish it, you will be begging for the second book so you can see what happens next.  

Purchase Into the Fire on Amazon

Pre-Order Out of the Ashes on Amazon