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A review by mandysknight
The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I read this so you don't have to.
Honestly, I don't understand how this one has such a big following - or so many books in the series. I can guarantee that I won't be continuing. Which is a shame, because I THINK there might be a decent story here (somewhere deep down), but I can't get around the writing and writing style, firstly.
But also the:
- Bullying. Not only is it super not fun in general, but my GOD was it overused and BORING. Like 417 pages of bullying is not it.
- Lack of consent. Look, I get it. The Vega twins are annoying (sorry not sorry), but this entire school is putting them through it, doing things to their bodies and using them, and there is blatant disregard for the word "no". Consent is sexy.
- The stereotypical alpha male combined with the bitchy female. The men in this book USE and ABUSE and TAKE and BULLY and it's disgusting. And the women? Standing by as passive bystanders, perpetuating the idea of being good for nothing more than a bitch fight, gossip, and pettiness.
You know, I kept reading the book because I thought there must be SOME redemption somewhere in here. But there isn't. It's an entire book of beating two women (let's be real, two 18 year olds) down who have already had a really shitty life. They're thrust into a completely unfamiliar world, and no one gives them any kind of grace, and anyone offering any help or explanation comes with a price.
If this was it for you, good, I'm happy for you.
But this was not it for me. This might be one of the most disliked books I've ever read in my life.
Honestly, I don't understand how this one has such a big following - or so many books in the series. I can guarantee that I won't be continuing. Which is a shame, because I THINK there might be a decent story here (somewhere deep down), but I can't get around the writing and writing style, firstly.
But also the:
- Bullying. Not only is it super not fun in general, but my GOD was it overused and BORING. Like 417 pages of bullying is not it.
- Lack of consent. Look, I get it. The Vega twins are annoying (sorry not sorry), but this entire school is putting them through it, doing things to their bodies and using them, and there is blatant disregard for the word "no". Consent is sexy.
- The stereotypical alpha male combined with the bitchy female. The men in this book USE and ABUSE and TAKE and BULLY and it's disgusting. And the women? Standing by as passive bystanders, perpetuating the idea of being good for nothing more than a bitch fight, gossip, and pettiness.
You know, I kept reading the book because I thought there must be SOME redemption somewhere in here. But there isn't. It's an entire book of beating two women (let's be real, two 18 year olds) down who have already had a really shitty life. They're thrust into a completely unfamiliar world, and no one gives them any kind of grace, and anyone offering any help or explanation comes with a price.
If this was it for you, good, I'm happy for you.
But this was not it for me. This might be one of the most disliked books I've ever read in my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Classism