Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Awakening

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Awakening by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

56 reviews

kaiyoung_kop's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Zodiac academy is like if every overused book trope had a baby - and I kinda love it for that
Dead parents ✅
Twins that are very different ✅
Secret heiresses ✅
New world ✅
It was… an experience,
It was like everything in a bad YA novel in a NA scene.
But I was here for it.
I devoured this trash up.
Like it was bad in a good way?
(I know, my standards are so low they are on the floor)
At around half way through the book, I was like, wow Seth is such a golden retriever
Well uhhh… we know how that worked out…
*sighs saltily*
The book condones abuse (?) as in the main characters accept that they are going to be physically, emotionally (and even sexually) abused until they get stronger?
The ‘love interests’ were so fucking creepy.
Eg; Seth (love interest) was licking and sniffing one of the fmc when they first met?
Smh
Also the alpha wolf thing?
*dies in cringe*
At most points, it felt like bad fan-fiction
But in the best way possible
It’s absolute garbage for me, but I love it.
It’s one of those books where you have to recognise it as bad to be able to enjoy it.
It’s just an easy, fun read.
I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with standards
But if you want a quick, bad, fun read to help you escape a reading slump, I would recommend it.

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maregred's review

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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rebekkamafia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

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jesshart8's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

savvyrosereads's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Rating: 3/5 stars

Twins Tory and Darcy learn they’re the long-lost heirs to the throne of Solaria—if they can graduate from a magic school where most of the student body wants them dead.

Eh? I was warned that the writing of this series left a bit to be desired, so I went in prepared, but I cannot stress enough that the writing is…not good. If you need top-tier writing to fully enjoy a book series, this is not for you—there are a lot of grammar/punctuation issues, the pacing is bizarre, there are loads of ridiculous cliche phrases (and the use of random out-of-context Spanish words to make sure we realize one of the characters is Latinx). The plot was also a little bonkers, and each of the characters made a series of bad decisions and overall drove me nuts.

That said, the world these books are set in is unique and pretty fun, and I found myself intrigued by the magic system and generally wanting to know what would happen next. My friend Hannah has compared these to movie theater popcorn, and I totally agree with that. Is it the best meal? No. Will you keep eating it if there’s a bowl sitting in front of you? Yes. For that reason, I’m definitely going to continue the series (though I don’t expect to go that quickly, which is why I’m planning to do individual reviews as I go!)

Recommended if you like: books about magic boarding schools, yes including the one you’re thinking of right now; dark/bully romance (I’m told—there was very little romance, dark or otherwise, in this one); popcorn fantasy

CW: Loads of violence/bullying/attempted murder; discussion of death of parents; references to foster care abuse/neglect

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tabathapaine's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SPOILERS!!
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I was torn between liking this book and hating it for MOST of it. The bullying and torture that the Heirs do to the twins (like forcing vampire bites, which is 100% assault… and almost drowning one of them) is almost what made me close the book entirely, yet there’s a big part of me that wants to see these women come back and fight for their throne. I want VENGEANCE, and that’s what is going to keep me reading.

As for characters, the twins can be likeable in their own ways. Tory the rebel with a sassy attitude and fierce protection of her sister, and Darcy the sweet one that still takes no shit from anyone. I found that I expected them to spend more time trying to build on their powers since they knew so many people wanted to cause them harm, but instead they got distracted by the gorgeous assholes that were the ringleaders of their misfortunes. Sophia is just wonderful, sweet and smart and a dedicated friend, Diego is also protective and caring to the twins.

Now to the unlikeable characters. I’ll start with Orion, since it’s kind of a battle between hating him and liking him throughout the book. I think he has some redeeming qualities and keeps most of his icy cold attitude to weather the storms of the cruel fae world. As for the heirs, all of them are spoiled, self righteous, narcissistic assholes that have ZERO redeeming qualities that can save them. Their cruelty and savagery are too thick for any other qualities that could set them part from each other to show through.

I am very interested to see where the authors take the Vega twins from here, and to see what may be lying beneath (if there IS anything) the heirs and Orion.

On to Book 2!

Content Warnings