We are going to flashback a little bit today. In honor of
the third Awaken book that recently came out, I am going to review the first
two books. In my family we have a tradition that every year we draw out a name
of a cousin who we are going to buy a gift for. Every year I love sitting there
and getting to open the present my cousin picked out for me. Two years ago one
of my cousins got my name and when I opened it, I found the book Awaken inside
the wrapping. I had never heard of the book before but I was so excited to give
it a go. Let me just say … I LOVED it!!!!
Growing up in a world that is so involved with technology, made
this book really hit home. Every day we are becoming more and more dependent on computers, the internet, smart phones, texting, etc. In Awaken we see the world advanced to the point where human interaction is almost void. It made me realize how important everyday communication and our social lives really are. This book is set in 2060 where everything is done on the
computer. Going to school, hanging out, and even dating is done online. That is
the way Maddie lives. I absolutely love Maddie. I love seeing her growth through
the first book and having her realize that there might be more than just the
digital world. Of course this book has a love interest and let me just say,
when he was introduced, I fell in love with him almost instantly. However, the reason I loved Awaken so much is because it made me look at life and how much I was taking for granted. Was I being thankful for having friends to hang out with and have me some "girl talk"? Was I taking the time to just be outside and enjoy the world around me? Was I taking full advantage of school and all that it had to offer me? Or just simply, was I fully enjoying the opportunity to be with my family, talking ... laughing ... and communicating together? So much in life is being forgotten as we shift our focus to the things on a screen. Awaken is one
of the books that I went around telling anyone and everyone I knew to go read
it.
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I always get nervous reading the second book when I loved
the first book so much. I always have such high expectations and sometimes it
is a huge disappointment. Middle Ground was definitely not a disappointment! I
loved it just as much as the first book. As soon as I finished Awaken, I drove down to the bookstore and got this follow-up in my hands! And what did that mean once I was back home ... Middle Ground and I had an all night reading date! I couldn't put it down!!! I don’t want to give too much away for
all you who haven’t read the first book. I will just say it was amazing! The book had me laughing, crying, and biting my nails at points. You
continue to see Maddie fighting against the digital world … I will just stop
now or else I will give stuff away.
Should you read this book series??? YES!!!!!!! A hundred times
yes!!!! Awaken is the book I recommend whenever someone asks me what they
should read. Go buy it so you can read the final book that just came out this
month! Great author, great characters, and just an overall great book!
Here is a look at what Awaken and Middle Ground are about:
Awaken
Maddie
lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go
to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really
no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until
she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical
closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he
tells her.
Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.
In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.
Middle
Ground
For
four weeks Maddie has been living in Los Angeles, trying to be good. But no
matter how hard she tries, something inside her won't be sated. She can't live
a life of half-truths and false pretenses. So one night, she says how she
really feels.
That's all it takes. One night. One bad decision, and Maddie is thrown into a detention center where she's forced to undergo secretive treatment meant to squash her rebellious streak. The powers that be call it rehabilitation. Maddie calls it torture.
Alone, Maddie will not survive. But if she can find something to hold on to - an image of Justin, their love - maybe she can fight. And if she's really lucky, maybe she'll even win.
3 comments:
I also LOVED the first two books of the series. Unfortunately, I was mostly disappointed with the third book. Without going into details, I found the tone, plot and characters changed must too vastly in too short a time. It was almost as if Kacvinsky decided to completely rewrite the characters of Maddie, Justin and Maddie's mom. I found the changes disconcerting and detrimental to the flow of the plot. I am interested to see what you think about Still Point.
I also loved the first two books. Thanks for reminding me to get busy and start reading the third one! I heard it isn't available in print. Is that correct? I will be very disappointed if the author changed the characters around like the above comment states. That was one of the reasons I loved the first books ... the characters were awesome! I'll let you know what I think when I read it. Thanks for the heads up nanakaren!!!
Yes the third one is not in print:( I even sent a note to the publisher asking for it to be released in book form. I just like to have a complete series on my book shelf.
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