Review: Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer

To New Yorker Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic, and wholly unknown. But when tragedy strikes, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where her sister and aunt have built their lives and where centuries of family secrets await her. Once there, Rosa wastes no time falling head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both intrigue and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem.

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What a wonderfully imaginative story this was, with common paranormal aspects such as shapeshifting mixed in with less common ideas, such as the mafia. the setting was amazing and the story was fantastic. The thing that really excelled in this book was the attention to detail paid by Meyer that really made the setting come to life, with the wealthy mafia families battling it out in the beautiful parts of Sicily.


I loved Rosa as a main character, to be honest she started out very simple - a messed up kid - but as the time passes we begin to see her change into a strong woman, ready to stand up to anybody who knocks her down. i didn't find her particlurly relatable but it was a pleasure to read her story. I love the romance with Alessandro as well, it was Romeo and Juliet story (and yes, the Romeo was very swoonworthy), but with a far less tragic ending. i loved watching their relationship develop, there were the sweet moments and the moments filled with doubt and sadness but to me this was one of the better romances in a paranormal book.


The writing style in this book was nothing exceptional, but the descriptions of the places were so vivid that i could honestly imagine this beautiful area of Sicily, and the islands and the country roads and that really made me warm to this book. I struggled with the pacing for a little while, mostly in the first quarter of the book, before Rosa began to find out the mysteries of the families, but then when she did find out and when we start to get to the more action and suspense packed parts of the books I was absolutely gripped...


I really cannot wait to read the sequel to this book because despite not loving it, I really did enjoy this read and I can't wait to see where Rosa and Alessandro's story will go. I'd recommend this to people looking for a paranormal book with a little more substance.


Overall Rating: B-

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Due to be released March 1st by Templar Publishing
Book received as and ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.