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hauntedvictoria24's review
5.0
The story was interesting and creative! I really enjoyed this book and excited to read the rest of the series!
reaganshoe's review
4.0
Really more of a 3 star read book BUT it broke me out of my reading slump and made me 4 stars happy.
Pros:
- decent love triangle set up
- an interesting version of mermaids
- other types of mutant teens make it interesting
- that last chapter kiss was perfection
- story is actually interesting
Cons:
- writing style and dialogue was just ok
- characters are kinda 2D
- her parents suck
- so much teen angst but it’s a book about teens so I shouldn’t complain too much
EDIT:
THERE ARE 9 BOOKS?! And they’re all expensive?! Screw this. I can read the description of each book on Amazon, not miss a thing, and sleep happy tonight.
Pros:
- decent love triangle set up
- an interesting version of mermaids
- other types of mutant teens make it interesting
- that last chapter kiss was perfection
- story is actually interesting
Cons:
- writing style and dialogue was just ok
- characters are kinda 2D
- her parents suck
- so much teen angst but it’s a book about teens so I shouldn’t complain too much
EDIT:
THERE ARE 9 BOOKS?! And they’re all expensive?! Screw this. I can read the description of each book on Amazon, not miss a thing, and sleep happy tonight.
jlove731's review
5.0
Awesome lore, thrilling story, and tons of characters to adore...I just loved Awaken! I admit, I wasn't sure what to expect with this one and I am so glad I gave it a shot because I really loved it!!
With Chloe as our main character, I liked getting to discover everything as she did. There were a lot of moments I felt bad for her, but also commend her for being persistent in what she wanted and knew she needed. I'm looking forward to finding out more about her in future books!
I adored Noah right from the start. Hello, he has my blonde hair and green eye combo...insta-win for me! On top of that though, Noah is an all-around good guy. He listens, he likes to do outdoorsy things, and he's protective. Just adored Noah and his adorable sweetness and hope to see much, much more of him in future books.
Zeke, I have to give it to him for being awesomely persistent. Regardless of not knowing Chloe, he still saves her at every chance he gets and has her best interest at heart. I know we'll get to see more of him in book two and I'm looking forward to getting to know this sexy sea boy.
I really liked the story that Skye created in Awaken. It's a topic we know and love but with new lore thrown in that made the story so much more interesting and I loved trying to figure it all out along the way. There even was a thrill factor that made the story even more gripping through the pages. Overall, I was super impressed with this one and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second one!
Find this review at Shortie Says
With Chloe as our main character, I liked getting to discover everything as she did. There were a lot of moments I felt bad for her, but also commend her for being persistent in what she wanted and knew she needed. I'm looking forward to finding out more about her in future books!
I adored Noah right from the start. Hello, he has my blonde hair and green eye combo...insta-win for me! On top of that though, Noah is an all-around good guy. He listens, he likes to do outdoorsy things, and he's protective. Just adored Noah and his adorable sweetness and hope to see much, much more of him in future books.
Zeke, I have to give it to him for being awesomely persistent. Regardless of not knowing Chloe, he still saves her at every chance he gets and has her best interest at heart. I know we'll get to see more of him in book two and I'm looking forward to getting to know this sexy sea boy.
I really liked the story that Skye created in Awaken. It's a topic we know and love but with new lore thrown in that made the story so much more interesting and I loved trying to figure it all out along the way. There even was a thrill factor that made the story even more gripping through the pages. Overall, I was super impressed with this one and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second one!
Find this review at Shortie Says
gbixler80's review
5.0
unique
Loved this new series. It’s unique and introduces the reader to creatures not often written about. Looking forward to reading more.
Loved this new series. It’s unique and introduces the reader to creatures not often written about. Looking forward to reading more.
ressasloft's review
4.0
Did you say mermaids? I’m in!
In all my years of voracious reading, I don’t think I’ve read a book where the heroine becomes a mermaid. Loads of witches, wolves, vamps and even a dragon or two but never a mermaid. I’m loving it and I feel like I’ve been missing out!
The story is also really engaging! There are some good mysteries to unravel and the danger Chloe is in feels major. I love the budding romance between Noah and Chloe. I want more! Zeke is also interesting. I can’t quite tell where things are going here but I’m intrigued!
In all my years of voracious reading, I don’t think I’ve read a book where the heroine becomes a mermaid. Loads of witches, wolves, vamps and even a dragon or two but never a mermaid. I’m loving it and I feel like I’ve been missing out!
The story is also really engaging! There are some good mysteries to unravel and the danger Chloe is in feels major. I love the budding romance between Noah and Chloe. I want more! Zeke is also interesting. I can’t quite tell where things are going here but I’m intrigued!
woolfardis's review against another edition
1.0
Another tweeny protagonist with a vocabulary of approximately 12 words. Not even if you paid me. Not even if it was between life or death.
taylorfennerwrites's review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of Awaken in exchange for an honest review.
All Chloe Kowalski wanted was to see the ocean, but her crazy water-hating parents said a big fat NO when she asked to go on vacation to the California coast with her best friend, Baylie. So Chloe does what any sensible teenager would do - she goes anyway, running away from home.
At the beach house owned by Baylie's extended family, she meets Diane and Peter, parents to Baylie's stepbrothers, Maddox and Noah. Chloe has had a little bit of a crush on the super-hot Noah for a while now, but Baylie says he's been acting strange lately.
When Chloe first steps foot into the ocean she feels like a missing piece of herself has just been found. What she doesn't know is that she's setting off a dangerous series of events and putting a target on her back. Chloe is part dehaian (mermaid) and part landwalker (a person who can't stand to be near the ocean) and a dangerous mermaid cult, called Sylphaen, want her dead. How will Chloe handle it when she finally learns the truth about herself? Will her new friends think she's a freak or is it possible that they're hiding something too?
Meanwhile, dehaian Zeke noticed a change in the water the minute Chloe first entered the ocean and he wants to know what about this pretty girl caused that reaction in the water. Things seem even fishier to him when Chloe seems to have no idea what she really is. Zeke wants to get to the bottom of things and when the cult he thought had been eradicated goes after Chloe he has a strong urge to keep her safe. Will he get to her in time? Or will the Sylphaen sacrifice her to fulfill some crazy prophecy?
I've never read a mermaid-themed novel before but I absolutely loved Awaken!. The first line draws you in and before you even find out what Chloe is, you're dying to find out why Chloe's parents don't want her anywhere near the water. Their crazy reaction will shock you. I like that this story is told in alternating perspectives between Chloe and Zeke but it would have been an added bonus to have a few chapters in Noah's perspective to see into his head. The world of the Dehaians, with their magic and their technology (like the medicine and the relay station) was really imaginative and gave their underwater world much more dimension than your average mermaid story.
The only thing I found confusing was the Delaneys' relationship to Baylie. How were they related through marriage? I know it was meant to be complicated but I felt like I needed a family tree to illustrate it better.
Overall this book is great! The story keeps you interested and engaged, the characters are easy to like, the plot is well thought out and the conflicts and action are appropriately set throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the story and the ending makes you want to dive right into book two. I feel like there may be a love triangle brewing between Chloe, Noah, and Zeke in one of the future books. Read Awaken and you'll fall in love and be hooked on this series for sure!
All Chloe Kowalski wanted was to see the ocean, but her crazy water-hating parents said a big fat NO when she asked to go on vacation to the California coast with her best friend, Baylie. So Chloe does what any sensible teenager would do - she goes anyway, running away from home.
At the beach house owned by Baylie's extended family, she meets Diane and Peter, parents to Baylie's stepbrothers, Maddox and Noah. Chloe has had a little bit of a crush on the super-hot Noah for a while now, but Baylie says he's been acting strange lately.
When Chloe first steps foot into the ocean she feels like a missing piece of herself has just been found. What she doesn't know is that she's setting off a dangerous series of events and putting a target on her back. Chloe is part dehaian (mermaid) and part landwalker (a person who can't stand to be near the ocean) and a dangerous mermaid cult, called Sylphaen, want her dead. How will Chloe handle it when she finally learns the truth about herself? Will her new friends think she's a freak or is it possible that they're hiding something too?
Meanwhile, dehaian Zeke noticed a change in the water the minute Chloe first entered the ocean and he wants to know what about this pretty girl caused that reaction in the water. Things seem even fishier to him when Chloe seems to have no idea what she really is. Zeke wants to get to the bottom of things and when the cult he thought had been eradicated goes after Chloe he has a strong urge to keep her safe. Will he get to her in time? Or will the Sylphaen sacrifice her to fulfill some crazy prophecy?
I've never read a mermaid-themed novel before but I absolutely loved Awaken!. The first line draws you in and before you even find out what Chloe is, you're dying to find out why Chloe's parents don't want her anywhere near the water. Their crazy reaction will shock you. I like that this story is told in alternating perspectives between Chloe and Zeke but it would have been an added bonus to have a few chapters in Noah's perspective to see into his head. The world of the Dehaians, with their magic and their technology (like the medicine and the relay station) was really imaginative and gave their underwater world much more dimension than your average mermaid story.
The only thing I found confusing was the Delaneys' relationship to Baylie. How were they related through marriage? I know it was meant to be complicated but I felt like I needed a family tree to illustrate it better.
Overall this book is great! The story keeps you interested and engaged, the characters are easy to like, the plot is well thought out and the conflicts and action are appropriately set throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the story and the ending makes you want to dive right into book two. I feel like there may be a love triangle brewing between Chloe, Noah, and Zeke in one of the future books. Read Awaken and you'll fall in love and be hooked on this series for sure!
victoriaslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
The story was interesting and creative! I really enjoyed this book and excited to read the rest of the series!
hannahsophialin's review
4.0
Awaken is the first book in the Awakened Fate series by Skye Malone, and I'm pretty familiar with her other series as Megan Joel Peterson (The Children and the Blood trilogy) that I was confident her latest book will go into my good graces pretty easily. Thing is, Awaken reminded me so much of The Little Mermaid, I can't help but have the urge to sing "Under the Sea" and ask one question:
"Sebastian, Sebastian, where art thou?"
I had also associated funny brow movements with the author in particular. As in, brows drawing down, which I still don't know how that works without your brows looking like a seesaw or ending up with a pouting pucker fish face.
But back to The Little Mermaid similarities... and not brow movements.
Chloe has red hair, or as the book describes, auburn. But auburn's technically red with a tinge of brown. Ariel has red hair. The difference? Chloe doesn't know how to swim, and has been living on land her entire life. Then there's Zeke, which I sort of predicted him to have dark hair, and he does! Just like the princey dude for whom I've forgotten the name. In fact, said unknown princeling stalks Ariel, and so does Zeke... due to curiosity on who the pretty girl is. It's not revealed in Awaken, but I won't be surprised if Zeke is a prince.
Every book has got to have an Ursula of some sort. And she just oozes darkness, doesn't she? Too bad the Ursulas here aren't Octopuses. ;)
Okay, here's Sophia Lin logic: See, Ariel has a curse. I was sort of assuming Chloe willingly turned into a human just like Ariel, but she doesn't lose her voice, right? Except, here's the curse: she changes the ocean... and it's not exactly a pleasant way. Technically, that logic isn't going to get you far, because it isn't true, and I can't reveal the actual answer without spoiling anything. Nor do I want to reveal anything, because answers are spoilers, and not everyone can be trusted with the trusty little spoiler button. ;)
Then there are the differences, which pretty much revamps The Little Mermaid. Enough commentary on Little Mermaid.
Awaken follows two views – Chloe and Zeke. The best part of those two views though? They balance each other out pretty well. Chloe doesn't really know anything about what she is, so we're basically following a naïve character for most of the story who has strange things happening to her and strange peeps with glowing eyes wanting to murder the likes of her. Very boring in my opinion, because she doesn't know what's going on and it's all confusing and she's stuck in the hospital every once in awhile from an unfortunate encounter with said strange flowing peepy eyes. Zeke balances her out because he pretty much knows what's going on from his observations – but he doesn't really know what Chloe is until the end either.
Let's just say that balance is a good thing. Because I just can't handle an utterly boring character, and I'm sure not everyone likes that either. But if there's one thing Chloe has that makes her an interesting character, it's her voice and her frustration on why her parents hate the ocean with a passion and come up with logical, but weird excuses for them.
The only problem I probably have is how some of the terms don't appear in the pronunciation guide, and how the long ones are confusing. Maybe my head just needs to wrap around them after reading Irish terms from the second book in the Danaan Trilogy. O_o
Awaken is a good start to the Awakened Fate series, and while we spend most of the time above the surface, it's hinted that the sequel will most likely be focused underwater. It's a quick read for those who enjoy reading stories related tomerps merpeople.
------------------
original rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original review posted at Bookwyrming Thoughts
"Sebastian, Sebastian, where art thou?"
I had also associated funny brow movements with the author in particular. As in, brows drawing down, which I still don't know how that works without your brows looking like a seesaw or ending up with a pouting pucker fish face.
But back to The Little Mermaid similarities... and not brow movements.
Chloe has red hair, or as the book describes, auburn. But auburn's technically red with a tinge of brown. Ariel has red hair. The difference? Chloe doesn't know how to swim, and has been living on land her entire life. Then there's Zeke, which I sort of predicted him to have dark hair, and he does! Just like the princey dude for whom I've forgotten the name. In fact, said unknown princeling stalks Ariel, and so does Zeke... due to curiosity on who the pretty girl is. It's not revealed in Awaken, but I won't be surprised if Zeke is a prince.
Despite the fact we were barely any distance from the shore, the temperature had dropped to levels ordinarily found in places even deeper than Nyciena, with darkness to match.
Every book has got to have an Ursula of some sort. And she just oozes darkness, doesn't she? Too bad the Ursulas here aren't Octopuses. ;)
The girl changed the ocean when she was near it – a statement that on any level should have been impossible.
Okay, here's Sophia Lin logic: See, Ariel has a curse. I was sort of assuming Chloe willingly turned into a human just like Ariel, but she doesn't lose her voice, right? Except, here's the curse: she changes the ocean... and it's not exactly a pleasant way. Technically, that logic isn't going to get you far, because it isn't true, and I can't reveal the actual answer without spoiling anything. Nor do I want to reveal anything, because answers are spoilers, and not everyone can be trusted with the trusty little spoiler button. ;)
Then there are the differences, which pretty much revamps The Little Mermaid. Enough commentary on Little Mermaid.
Awaken follows two views – Chloe and Zeke. The best part of those two views though? They balance each other out pretty well. Chloe doesn't really know anything about what she is, so we're basically following a naïve character for most of the story who has strange things happening to her and strange peeps with glowing eyes wanting to murder the likes of her. Very boring in my opinion, because she doesn't know what's going on and it's all confusing and she's stuck in the hospital every once in awhile from an unfortunate encounter with said strange flowing peepy eyes. Zeke balances her out because he pretty much knows what's going on from his observations – but he doesn't really know what Chloe is until the end either.
Let's just say that balance is a good thing. Because I just can't handle an utterly boring character, and I'm sure not everyone likes that either. But if there's one thing Chloe has that makes her an interesting character, it's her voice and her frustration on why her parents hate the ocean with a passion and come up with logical, but weird excuses for them.
The only problem I probably have is how some of the terms don't appear in the pronunciation guide, and how the long ones are confusing. Maybe my head just needs to wrap around them after reading Irish terms from the second book in the Danaan Trilogy. O_o
Awaken is a good start to the Awakened Fate series, and while we spend most of the time above the surface, it's hinted that the sequel will most likely be focused underwater. It's a quick read for those who enjoy reading stories related to
------------------
original rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original review posted at Bookwyrming Thoughts
livthebooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
4 stars!
I was sent a physical paperback copy of this book for an honest review by the author/publisher
Some of it was really cliche and some of the stuff that happened was too convienent, but this was a really entertaining book. I can't wait to read the second book. I really really need it! Review going up in September on my blog!
www.livthebooknerd.blogspot.com
I was sent a physical paperback copy of this book for an honest review by the author/publisher
Some of it was really cliche and some of the stuff that happened was too convienent, but this was a really entertaining book. I can't wait to read the second book. I really really need it! Review going up in September on my blog!
www.livthebooknerd.blogspot.com