Awakened

When Darkness Falls

By: M.A. Hollstein

Narrated by: Julie Branc

Awakened after millions of years of imprisonment, a prehistoric alien threat has been freed, and is now wreaking havoc on the Earth. Becoming more powerful by draining electricity all over the planet, the earth is plunged into darkness, making humanity more vulnerable than ever.

Follow several groups of people on the first night of their journey in this apocalyptic adventure. Little do they know that this is just the beginning. Something more sinister is about to emerge, changing life as they know it.

©2022 Raven Tale Publishing (P)2023 M.A. Hollstein, Michelle Hollstein

A harrowing, poignant beginning

Received as an audio review copy provided by the author, this is an honest review. Wonderfully narrated by Julie Branc, Awakened is a beautiful, harrowing story of survival for the unfortunate souls that encounter dangerous and deadly creatures armed with murderous talons and teeth and out for blood... that just happened to show up when the power suddenly disappears. Some of the people we follow were already facing personal crisis: a mother desperate to save her and her children from a abusive husband before a creature upends their dark reality; a woman having an affair with a guy as they share a vacation on Hawaii and being on a plane not the best of places to be when there's no power and now surviving on dark ocean waters. From visceral circumstances, people rise to show the best and worst of humanity when the world is altered in a way no one really understands.

Highly recommended.

It was good

It was a great story. My only issue was the constant back-and-forth between the different characters lives. This made it hard to understand sometimes what was going on.

story of survival

It does go back and forth with characters but that keeps it interesting! But it did end with you wondering who survives and what happens next!

Fantastic!

It is rare that I find a book that keeps me listening, or thinking about when I can get back to listening when I'm not, but this one did it. Throughout the story, I became embroiled in the lives the author presented to us in the apocalyptic story making me feel so many emotions. There are so many authors that depict this possibility of an emp, zombies, war...but prehistoric aliens? This is a new one for me and I am impressed!
M.A. Hollstein paints a story of horrific creatures on the hunt and the humans are the hunted. Be warned there are some chilling scenes that will stay with you long after you have finish the story!
The characters are each believable and their interactions with each other are, as well. I want to know what is going to happen and how are they going to get away? How are they going to get to their families? Are their families still alive? I have so many questions I need answered!
This is the first I have heard from this narrator and I enjoyed her story telling very much. Julie Branc did a fantastic job of telling the story and not just reading it. By her 'becoming' each character and she helped to make them more believable for me. She did an outstanding job of holding my interest as she brought my heart to my throat by giving me the visual of the bloody scenes the author described, as well as the fear, anger, desperation and despair each character was feeling. I enjoyed her many different voices, and, at times I forgot she is the woman speaking as a man.. She gives just the correct amount of roughness to each man just as she gives the softer or hysterical side to each woman or child.
The ending leaves you hanging, but it's rare for an apocalyptic story not to when it is a series. I just want more!

Read somewhere you can yell

I was the crazy lady yelling at the characters like they could hear me. Great short story, there was plenty of action to keep you listening with real life drama in an impossible situation. Looking forward for the next book.