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:
