Book Review: “Enlightenment” (The Bathala Series #1) by Reno Ursal
“Enlightenment” (The Bathala Series #1) by Reno Ursal (2019)
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Page Length: 296 pages (paperback edition)
Synopsis:
When Dorothy Dizon meets the mysterious Adrian Rosario and his alluring knowledge of Filipino history, her life takes an unchartered detour. Dorothy’s true calling is connected to the hidden history of the Philippines, but Adrian reveals nothing about the truth to keep her safe from enemies of his beloved secret society.
Together, they experience an emotional journey that tests their beliefs, their choices ultimately affecting the people they love, leading them to the brink of enlightenment. (description from Goodreads)
Review:
Enlightenment follows Dorothy, the main character, who meets mysterious Adrian, a new transfer student at school. She is intrigued by him during their first meeting, but knows something is off about him. But as the readers come to find out there is more than what meets the eye; he is a supernatural being sent on a mission to protect Dorothy as she holds a great ancient power.
The book starts out slow, but after several chapters into the book it picks up the pace with many action-packed scenes. I enjoyed reading the alternating viewpoints for each chapter. It gave multiple povs of the same situations and the background between humans and supernatural beings. I like how we see how Dorothy goes through herself-discovery journey to grow into her powers and learn about her heritage.
The novel has a diverse cast of characters and I appreciate all of the rich Filipino culture woven into the book’s narrative. Through reading the story I learned more about the language, history, and traditions within that culture. Additionally, the footnotes were very helpful for giving context for the background of the story and the cultural references mentioned within the story.
There is a constant aura of suspense in the plot as hidden secrets become unveiled and there is also lots of danger surrounding the villain of the story, Sitan and his minions who are out for Dorothy’s power. Romance is somewhat of a heavy aspect of the novel, but I liked that it wasn’t the full focus of the story and instead mainly centered on the folklore. The novel ends on a cliffhanger and leaves the reader wanting more with all the questions left unanswered.
An exciting start to the Bathala Series. It’s an interesting fantasy full of culture, folklore, and history!
Final Verdict:
