A review by kimberlybea
The Reawakened by Jeri Smith-Ready

5.0

This is the third book in the Aspect of Crow series, and I really don't recommend reading it before you've read the previous two books---at the beginning, even I had difficulty keeping the many characters straight, and I've read the whole series! However, after reading a few chapters I was swept back into the world, with its appealing characters and emotional intensity, and the mysticism of its spirit animals. It's a world in which war rages between Rhia's people, who receive magical powers from their spirit animals, and the Descendants, or Ilions, who worship gods in human form. The war has been raging for twenty years, since Rhia was Bestowed with the Aspect of Crow, allowing her guide to the deceased to the other side. Rhia was the main focus of the first book in the series, but here she shares the spotlight with Sura, her niece, who is early on Bestowed with the spirit of Snake. The war with the Descendants has intensified; the city of Asermos is occupied, and its inhabitants are forbidden to undergo their Bestowing or to become grandparents, the latter on penalty of exile. Resistance continues, particularly among those with warrior Spirits, and the people of the four villages are desperate to maintain their freedom and way of life, but at what cost? The Rewakened explores themes both eternal---such as the price of freedom and the horrors of warfare---and particular to this series---such as the need for procreation to increase one's powers. Rhia's Crow abilities again make her the subject of great suspicion, while Sura is torn between her own desires, the needs of her people, and societal taboos. In sum, The Reawakened is a fast-paced, suspenseful read, which breaks your heart on one page and blows your mind on the next.