Blood Awakens (The Awakened Book 1) / Jessaca Willis

Supernatural powers, the end of the world, and blood. Lots of blood.

★★★★★ "Unique, original, beautifully written, addicting, and so much more."

★★★★★ "Hurray for characters of color that are well done."

★★★★★ "Fantasy books are my all-time favorite genre especially when it involves powers, superhuman/vampire qualities to the characters and plot. But these powers were so unique."

People called Sean a blood guide, though he never fully understood why. As far as he knew, he could hear heartbeats and heal people. It wasn’t until he walked in on his brother’s brutal murder that he learned of the darker nature of his power: blood speaks to him, and he to it. With a simple song, he can command it to do whatever he wants, and in that moment, he showed his brother’s murderers no mercy. Now Sean must fight to keep his inner demons in check and his path to redemption begins with the establishment of a sanctuary for people like him, people with powers, the Awakened.

Two years after the Awakening, after the wars that destroyed entire societies and brought about "the end of the world," Graciela and her brother Santiago are struggling to survive. Graciela is one of many who never Awakened, but she’s watched as her brother’s power as an empath—the ability to sense other’s emotions—has brought him to the brink of death. Together, they set across Central America in search of a cure, or at the very least, safety in a crumbling, dangerous world. What they find is a sanctuary called Hope, the same one Sean governs.

But they soon discover that even from within the compounds of the sanctuary, no one is safe. Not when there are people in the world with unimaginable power and an insatiable bloodlust.

Fans of The Young Elites, Year One, and Shatter Me will devour this diverse post-apocalyptic paranormal fantasy.

Important note for readers: This book is "new adult" fantasy, with moderate violence, and one or two mild curse words, but otherwise appropriate for mature teenagers and older. There is no sex or drugs in this book.