Even with a diverse set of characters, the story mostly focuses on Aeden’s path. In some places, it suffers from a lack of immediacy to the narrative.Ĭharacter: 8/10. You’ll leave its pages with both shock and awe.ĭawn of Wonder is the first book reviewed under our new scoring system. If you’re looking for a medieval fantasy that will suck you in like Lord of the Rings, Narnia, or Mistborn, experience Dawn of Wonder. The world only continues to expand the myths only continue to burrow into my brain the mysteries will only further excite my mind when the second book drops on shelves. Taking place over at least four years of Aeden’s life, I’m excited to experience the next stage of The Wakening. The scale of this tale also staggered me. Renshaw’s choice to attack domestic abuse through fantasy provides insight into the fear gripped by victims, reminding readers of the complexity of the human psyche. The internal conflicts of Aeden felt raw and real through a broken mind that continues to plague him with every step. While he’s establishing a longer series, Dawn of Wonder stands on its own as a masterpiece. They set the stage for every conflict experienced by Aeden throughout Dawn of Wonder, all the way to the very final story arc.Īnd through that act, Jonathan Renshaw masterfully executes a most difficult aspect of the art of storytelling. What’s more significant, however, is that the first chapters of the story are, in fact, the most important chapters.

The first act plunges readers into the action within its first pages.

While I can’t speak to the experience of reading the book, since I listened to the tale on Audible, the story captivated me from the start. Its world slowly expanded from the valleys of the Mistyvales to the plains of Din’Eilan, thrusting me through twists and turns of emotional turmoil as the main character, Aeden, encounters increasingly difficult challenges. And at about thirty hours as an audiobook, I knew it would indulge my time long car rides.ĭawn of Wonder presents a most ambitious tale, well beyond most modern epic fantasy. But it was at the top of the lists, and the cover intrigued me. I knew nothing of the story, I’d never even heard the title. A few months ago, when I had a few credits available on Audible, I snagged Dawn of Wonder, Book 1 of Jonathan Renshaw’s “The Wakening” series, out of sheer curiosity.

The wakening book 2 jonathan renshaw