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Wide Awake (Academy of the Fallen #1)

by Daniele Lanzarotta (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 386 ratings · 57 reviews

Kayla is a 16-year-old girl who was adopted when she was little. She lives a normal life, with great friends, loving adoptive parents, and well... a not-so-great boyfriend. But the reason why she was given up for adoption was far from any usual reason. She was meant to be kept away from the Academy and anything else related to the supernatural beings that could hurt her.

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Kindle Edition, 280 pages

Published May 25th 2011 by Rocket Science Productions, LLC

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Aug 10, 2011 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, for-review, favorites, from-author, ya-paranormal-romance

When I finally did stop crying, he slowly pulled me away, and I’m not even sure what led us to this but he got even closer, his lips had barely touched mine. “I shouldn’t,” he said under his breath. I didn’t care. He made no effort to move… our lips still barely touching; I leaned closer and kissed him.

Before I start this review, I just want to say WOW, isn’t that cover lovely? This is what initially attracted me to the book. I love the cover! And as you all know, a great cover doesn’t make a g...more When I finally did stop crying, he slowly pulled me away, and I’m not even sure what led us to this but he got even closer, his lips had barely touched mine. “I shouldn’t,” he said under his breath. I didn’t care. He made no effort to move… our lips still barely touching; I leaned closer and kissed him.

Before I start this review, I just want to say WOW, isn’t that cover lovely? This is what initially attracted me to the book. I love the cover! And as you all know, a great cover doesn’t make a great book but this is the case, Wide Awake……is a GREAT book!

Kayla is a normal 16 year old girl who was adopted at a young age. She goes to school, has a crappy boyfriend and has a group of close friends. When Kayla starts seeing a teenage girl called Carolyn, she doesn’t understand what’s going on at first, well, not until she realises she can see ghosts and can command them at will. When Hunter, a handsome outcast at school reveals he can also see the ghosts, he and Kayla team up to try and help Carolyn but trouble suddenly arises when a dangerous threat gets in there way……revealing that the supernatural world is very much real and leaving Kayla in more danger than ever.

Wow! This book surprised the hell out of me. I’d actually spent three quarters of the book thinking that this was a ghost story. Of course, I’ve seen the title of the book but there was just no real indication of ‘The Fallen’ but then WHAM! And suddenly I was thrown into The Fallen world and now I need to know more. From the first page, I was sucked into the deadly supernatural world that Daniele has created and then next minute, I’d finished the book. Honestly, it was that good. It’s quiet a short book being around 280 pages but within them 280 pages, you’re thrown in a number of situations leaving you feeling every single emotion. I think this is the first book to actually give me the chills while reading it. The dangerous threats that come Kayla’s way are definitely very creepy and will leave you wanting to know more.

The characters were also absolutely brilliant. I loved both Kayla and Hunter. Their relationship felt a lot more real than the last few books I’ve read recently because it wasn’t an instant thing and because of that it was full of suspense, just what I like. You can clearly see and feel the chemistry between the two characters but the story only touches the surface off their romance and it definitely leaves you wanting to know more. And that ending wow, come on, that’s just a horrible way to end it the story but it was so good at the same time. It’s left me dying to read the next book and I’m eager to find out what happens next.

Overall, Daniele has created an exciting, thrilling and captivating book that is fast past and left readers wanting to know more. An excellent job in my opinion and I can’t wait to read ‘Nephilim’ the next book in her series.

Thank you to Daniele for giving me the opportunity to review her work.
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Oct 19, 2011 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, books-with-reviews, favorites, books-i-own

I started reading this book about 4 hours ago and believe it or not i just finished it.. in only one day!

The story is simple Kayla is a 16 years old adobted teenager with a normal school life three BFFs Jess,Emily and Ashley who are not really her best friends and a boyfriend called Justin (who is a total jerk if you ask me) But things are going to be a bit tricky since our lovely Kayla started to see a bizzard girl which is happens to be a ghost... And at the same time that Kayla trying to foun...more I started reading this book about 4 hours ago and believe it or not i just finished it.. in only one day!

The story is simple Kayla is a 16 years old adobted teenager with a normal school life three BFFs Jess,Emily and Ashley who are not really her best friends and a boyfriend called Justin (who is a total jerk if you ask me) But things are going to be a bit tricky since our lovely Kayla started to see a bizzard girl which is happens to be a ghost... And at the same time that Kayla trying to found out why another ghost a guy called Benjamin comes as well to the story..

some one is missing?sure it does : Kayla would need some help and the help comes to the name of Hunter a 17 years old teenager who is a bit loner but he seems to know lots of things about that...

Well the story was interesting even that you might feel bored because the 2/4 of the book is going on who is that little girl ghost (called Carolyn) is who is Benjamin how comes Hunter comes and go and the same time but near the end alot of stuff are revealing for the Angels the fallens the hunted the Nephelims the Otherworld and sort of that... It gets a bit tricky indeed! But you will handle it!

The book overall at least to me it was interesting.It might not had the academic english use of words but it was enjoyable and very fast paced. There were things that it really felt me jumpy and freaked out (like what happens if you open the closet and you suddendly you see a freakin ghost over there) and there was other when you will def laugh (like the scene in the history class when Benjamin waves for some reason it remind me that vampire guy from ''vampire sucks'' lol) and ofcource the romance between Kayla and Hunter which is indeed in a level stage by stage but still... they paused it when a parent enter the room (and you will screaming huge ''WHAT THE HELL WHY??)

Oh did i tell you that the book ended with a cliff which is totally annoying in some spesific point?You will see what i mean!

Some extras For some i always imagine Carolyn to be the extract imagine of Natalie a ghost/fade character from a tv show called '' The Fades''

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Jul 05, 2011 Michaela Schoonover rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaway, summer-2011, disappointing

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This book frustrated me. A lot. I felt like the whole idea behind it was good. I love books about fallen angels and all that, but the terrible writing in this book kept me from enjoying it like I should have. The language felt stiff and not at all natural and I had to force myself to keep reading instead of stopping out of frustration. I'm interested in what will happen with Kayla and Hunter in the next book, but I don't know if I can handle Lanzarotta's writing for a whole other book. S...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trilogies

Wide Awake was a wonderful book... I love the way the friendship between Hunter and Kayla builds though the entire book. All the twist and turns as she navigate through all the changes in her life kept me glued to the book. I completed the book in 3 hours... I think it might be a record for me. I could not put it down and could not wait to see what was going to happen on the next page.

I am looking forward to completing the trilogy!

I also wanted to give a shout out to Narrator of the book, Sarah...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Alana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, read-2013

Before I begin my review I think it is important to mention that at the time of writing this book has a 4.5 rating on Amazon and 3.61 on Goodreads and most of the reviewers seem to have loved it. Unfortunately, I feel like I was reading a different book.

I tried my hardest to like the main character, Kayla, but for me she came across as a spoilt rich kid. If her being a spoilt rich kid was important to the plot in some way then maybe I could understand, but it wasn’t and all it did was make her u...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Kerry rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't hate this book--I just didn't like it.
First of all, was I really supposed to like Kayla? Because there was nothing about her to like. She was spoiled, shallow, selfish, two-faced, and wasn't aware of how to use her brain.
This book read as very immature. So many exclamation points where there really didn't need to be any.
The characters had no depth. Only Kayla really had any character development, and what she did have was inadequate. A lot of what she did or did not do was without any...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Brandi Salazar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those stories that I had a lot of hopes for, and it just didn't deliver to my expectations. The story started off good, and the characters were well-developed. I hated her boyfriend from the second he pulled her aside at the museum, and I loved Kayla what she jumped to cut him off at the pass. The girl has guts. Only, when she starts being followed by "ghosts," not so much.

The whole story started off with this creepy vibe, and the fact that Kayla is haunted really made me want to...more This is one of those stories that I had a lot of hopes for, and it just didn't deliver to my expectations. The story started off good, and the characters were well-developed. I hated her boyfriend from the second he pulled her aside at the museum, and I loved Kayla what she jumped to cut him off at the pass. The girl has guts. Only, when she starts being followed by "ghosts," not so much.

The whole story started off with this creepy vibe, and the fact that Kayla is haunted really made me want to stick with it. Add to that the outcast hero, Hunter, who holds a considerable amount of mystery himself, and the story moved along in the same direction any teenage romance would, which is good. However, for all we do learn about what is really going on, we are left in the dark on so much more. What is the secret surrounding Hunter, exactly? That is the biggest question for me, and I feel like I was running around in circles, close but never able to figure it out. And there were other things I took issue with.

One problem for me was the considerable amount of typos and grammatical errors. No book is perfect, and I have made this clear in any review I have ever written where I run into this problem. Only if they are plentiful does it ever really bother me. Fact is, I was surprised that the author had an editor or was even traditionally published. The language the characters used was not how people really talk. There was a huge lack of contractions, which would have made it so much easier to read instead of jerky as it was. Punctuation was also a major problem, which affected readability. Finally, the so called cliffhanger was weak. Instead of, say, revealing Hunter's secret, we were left with *SPOILER ALERT* a confession that he "might" be in love with Kayla. Somehow, that is just not enough make me desperate to find out what happens next, which is disappointing, because I really wanted to love this story. I don't know if I will be reading the next in the series yet, but if I do, it will be somewhere down the line. I'm in no hurry. This is a good YA book for a rainy day.
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Mar 08, 2012 Miriam rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers of Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I got drawn into the story right away from the beginning. We get to know Kayla, a young girl who breaks up with her boyfriend in the first chapter of Wide Awake, just because she feels he is going to break up with her anyway. That's the way Kayla handles things: She hurts others before they can hurt them. Indeed even her friends aren't really close to her, which is not surprising as soon you find out, that Jessica and Emily are the worst tattletales ever who would do anything for a great story a...more I got drawn into the story right away from the beginning. We get to know Kayla, a young girl who breaks up with her boyfriend in the first chapter of Wide Awake, just because she feels he is going to break up with her anyway. That's the way Kayla handles things: She hurts others before they can hurt them. Indeed even her friends aren't really close to her, which is not surprising as soon you find out, that Jessica and Emily are the worst tattletales ever who would do anything for a great story and Ashley, in fact, is the girl Kayla's ex-boyfriend cheated on her with.

But Kayla's world begins to change when she starts seeing persons that no one else can see - the little girl Carolyn, in particular, who she tries to take care of first and is then scared of later. But Carolyn really doesn't seem to be Kayla's biggest problem: There's Benjamin, who is a bit older than her and who is not as nice and helpless as Carolyn at all. No, he's dangerous and frightens Kayla more than anything else. But thank God, there is Hunter who seems not only to be the only person who can see these strange persons, too, he is also willing to help Kayla to cope with her situation - which, in fact, doesn't only include her seeing ghost or whatever paranormal species these strangers are, but also dealing with very protecting adoptive parents and the mystery concerning her biological ones.

And that was one of the things I really liked about the story: There are a lot of paranormal elements in it, but still Kayla was just a normal teenager and had the same problem like everyone would have in her position: She loves her adoptive parents, but at the same time sometimes it isn't easy to cope with them - like with any other parents, too. And it gets especially tricky when the both of them reveal an unexpected secret to her. Additionally her really annoying ex-boyfriend Justin, who tries to win her back, isn't getting off her mind while Hunter slowly manages to find a way to become irreplaceable for her. And of course, Kayla can't do anything else but to use their friendship to make her Justin jealous. Actually I didn't lake that part of her, but probably it's pretty realistic for a sixteen-year-old girl with her family background to act like that.

The story's pace felt quite slow to me, but that way the relationship between the characters could develop in an appropriate speed. And even though there is a major cliff hanger at the end that I didn't like, I loved that the story was not mainly build on the paranormal aspect, but on Kayla's personal story. Main aspects of the paranormal aren't even revealed until the end of the story as Kayla herself doesn't get to know these things before.

This book is a nice read. There's nothing too deep in it for sure, but I think everyone who has a thing for paranormal novels will totally like this one.

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Jan 10, 2012 Jeanbooknerd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

Wide Awake (Academy of the Fallen Series) by Daniele Lanzarotta is a gripping story that is compellingly magnetic from the first page to the last. I had a difficult time stepping away from this original entrancing story and its great set of unforgettable characters.

The supernatural world that Lanzarotta created was truly immense even though the book is just at 280 pages. Even in such a short book, it contained a lot of details, surprises, adventures, and many emotions that you feel satisfied aft...more

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May 20, 2012 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fallen, ntoya-may, 12-new-authors

Okay, I had this on my Kindle. No idea why, honestly, but it was there. I was looking for something to read and the myriad of review books sitting there didn't call to me. So, I gave this a shot since it was so short.

HOLY CRAP! I really really liked this story. I was amused by Kayla from the beginning, tbqh. She was acting so completely like a teenager. I love when teen characters act their age. However, I felt the story needed a bit more background earlier in the story. There were some things t...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Paranormal Reads rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be my last. I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. Kayla is your ordinary 16 year old girl until one day she sees a little girl crying while on a school field trip and later in her house. She soon realizes that what she is seeing is a ghost. Kayla’s world is turned upside down not only can she see ghosts but demons also. Hunter says he can help Kayla with them but she needs to trust him. Hunter knows about Kayla’s...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Masquerade Crew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

KIM P.'S REVIEW

2 STARS

I had high hopes for Wide Awake. The cover art was professional and the book blurb was intriguing. A main character that was adopted and would have some dealings with other worldly beings promised to be fast paced and engrossing. Regrettably, it did not take long for my hopes to be dashed. Several things kept me from enjoying this novel. First, the author’s vocabulary was simplistic (in the opening paragraphs the adjectives used to describe the main character's boyfriend an...more KIM P.'S REVIEW

2 STARS

I had high hopes for Wide Awake. The cover art was professional and the book blurb was intriguing. A main character that was adopted and would have some dealings with other worldly beings promised to be fast paced and engrossing. Regrettably, it did not take long for my hopes to be dashed. Several things kept me from enjoying this novel. First, the author’s vocabulary was simplistic (in the opening paragraphs the adjectives used to describe the main character's boyfriend and closest friends were: awesome, okay, great) and not very descriptive. Unfortunately the lack of detail kept me from getting to know, connect, or care about any of the characters, with the possible exception of the main character, Kayla.

Secondly, connections between characters, facts about events that occurred, and descriptions of the Otherworld were often vague, leaving me confused. For example, why isn’t Chase welcome at the Academy? What characteristics do the Fallen have? What in the world is a Nephilim? The author “assumed” I’d know or understand what these character types were; they were never described or explained.

Lastly, an abrupt POV change in Chapter 28 (from Kayla’s to Hunter’s) and then back again in Chapter 34, left me feeling disconnected. Multiple point of views are fine, but should follow some kind of pattern.

Although the story premise had promise, in my opinion the author failed to deliver and I was left with more questions than answers.

ALANA'S REVIEW

2 STARS

Before I begin my review I think it is important to mention that this book has a 4.5 rating on Amazon and most of the reviewers on there seem to have loved it. Unfortunately, I feel like I was reading a different book.

I tried my hardest to like the main character, Kayla, but for me she came across as a spoilt rich kid. If her being a spoilt rich kid was important to the plot in some way then maybe I could understand, but it wasn’t and all it did was make her unlikable for me.

There is the bare bones of a good story idea within this book but in my opinion it read like a first draft with lots of repetitive phrases and scenes that could be cut altogether and the famous writing rule of ‘show, don’t tell’ seems to have been completely ignored. The characters were all very two-dimensional and the dialogue did not fit the age group (in my opinion), and felt very stilted. The book doesn’t really get going until near the end and then it is left on a cliffhanger for book 2. To my mind one novel has been stretched and padded in order to turn it into a trilogy.

I don’t like giving negative reviews and always try to look for the positives, but I also think it is important to be honest and this book just didn’t do it for me. Like I said earlier, other’s seem to love it, so maybe I’m missing something. I give Wide Awake 2 stars.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Crystal Trent Dotson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first page will pull you in and keep you reading.
Kayla is a teen who sees a teenage girl named Carolyn, which is a ghost. Kayla soon realises that she can see, talk to and command ghosts. Just when she thinks she's losin it, Hunter a dark and mysterious teen at her school steps up and lets her know it will be ok, and he sees them also.
While trying to understand this new activity in her life, her and Hunter are also trying to find out why a demon is after her.

I really enjoyed this book. The...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Annie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decent premise but poor execution. The language was stilted, not conforming to general slang or speech. Very irritating.

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Apr 14, 2013 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was a really good book. It kept me on the edge of my set and I never wanted to put it down. Second book should be good as the first!!!

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Oct 13, 2011 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What!?! I can't believe that was the ending! I started reading this book as a quickie read, which it was since I finished it in 3hrs. I wasn't expected to get sucked into the plot like I was. I am still confused as to what is really occurring in the book. Between the Haunted, the fallen and the academy, I can definitely say that I really can't predict this book just yet. It pains me to say this, but I think the story finished at exactly the right spot because now I am on a mission to continue re...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Becca marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I kind of want to read this book but at the same time I've read bad reviews making me not want to. I also don't want to wast five dollars on something that I didn't like, but it's either cleaning my room or reading a book soooo I chose the book even though it cost money and it doesn't cost money to clean but i don't like to clean soooo yeah. Ohhh or I could bake Chocolate chip cookies that sounds good too. Soo if there is a reason why somebody really like this book or hated it could you comment...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Danielle Eisner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like this book. I wanted to wait to read it until i bought the second one, and im so glad i did, cuz otherwise i might have been tempted to throw my kindle across the room at the ending. LoL It ended in such an OMG moment. I like Kayla, and Hunter, but they are both stubborn, and i wanted to smack them across the head a few times. lol I really like them together and i cant wait to see where things go with them. I even thought there was a good villain, and by good i mean he was good at being a...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Resti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

sigh~~
the only thing i finished this book was because i want to know more about hunter and kayla relationship.
i didn't enjoy this book. it felt off. I can't put my finger on it, i just didn't like it as much as i thought i would.
though, I really like hunter and kayla relationship. I didn't like her father, her real father, daniel. ugh.
too much unfinished problem here. and i didn't like the idea of switching pov in the characters. one minute it was kayla pov, then it switch back to daniel and hun...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Tich Brewster rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read and reviewed this book for Loves All Things Books:

This book totally rocked my world. The story was packed with action and some romance, a perfect YA read!

Kayla is a 16 year old living happily with her adoptive parents. Soon things get a little crazy when she starts seeing and talking to people that aren't really there. Just when she thinks that she may be losing it, Hunter confirms that she isn't crazy. He helps her to understand and use her abilities to talk to ghosts. Together they work...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Merve Özcan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demon, ghost, immortal, paranormal, mythology, romance, teen, contemporary

This story started very beautiful but along the way toward the end, something got wrong and it is not that beautiful anymore.Hunter's saying in the final scene" because i love you" is the most artificial thing i can think of right now.it feels like in this scene there is no place for them to have this feelings. And our main character, She is so inmature she takes one step to Hunter and Then she comes back to other guy. Her character chanced along the way and just because she discovered her powe...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Bia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

More like 2.5 Stars!

This book felt like fanfiction to me. The writing, the pace and the construction of the idea of the Academy were just off to me. I always thought something along the lines: something is missing or how can those things happened if some other thing just happened? I couldn’t concentrate properly to read the book as a book, you know? I think some of the fanfictions out there are really good and some are even better than a book. But this book didn’t do it for me.

It’s about Kayla,...more

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May 07, 2013 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Wide Awake Academy of the Fallen is a story about a normal sixteen year girl that one day has her perfect little world turned upside down when she goes on field trip with her school and comes across a strange and crying girl that seems to be lost. When Kayla tries to help the girl she is turning on an internal switch that she going to wish she hadn't . Now she's seeing ghost and the only other person who can see them is a once popular and loved by everyone boy named Hunter . Hunter then volunte...more
Wide Awake Academy of the Fallen is a story about a normal sixteen year girl that one day has her perfect little world turned upside down when she goes on field trip with her school and comes across a strange and crying girl that seems to be lost. When Kayla tries to help the girl she is turning on an internal switch that she going to wish she hadn't . Now she's seeing ghost and the only other person who can see them is a once popular and loved by everyone boy named Hunter . Hunter then volunteers to start hanging out in her room to stop the bad ghost Benjamin from having his way with Kayla. With all that time Kayla spends with Hunter a friendship begins to form a friendship that then turns into something more. Ooh okay I want to start off by saying that the cover art of this book gives me the creeps but in a good way. I love when cover art has the power to do that!

Now that's out of the way I will also go on record saying that I have been trying get my hands on this book for the longest time and when I finally did this book did not disappoint. As mentioned above Kayla has a pretty good life going for herself despite having been adopted and not knowing her parents from like birth. She drives a great car, has pretty and popular friends, goes to a pretty decent school in a good neighborhood. Has the popular jock-ish boyfriend but when she goes on a field trip and starts seeing this girl crouched down behind a display or something crying life just isn't same. Loved ,loved, loved how mysterious this book turned out to be . The whole seeing ghost thing is always creepy it doesn't matter if it's in a book or in a movie it's always interesting.

When that detail popped up I thought for sure that I had this book nailed. It was like bam! Got it! I know what her power is! And then when Hunter started seeing the same things too once again I thought for sure that I had everything all figured out. But boy was I wrong. STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT A SPOILER!!!! So when at the end Kayla turned out to be a nephilim I was like floored. Seriously I think my mouth was hanging wide open at that point. I was so shocked because the book didn't start out as the typical fallen angel book with the whole seeing ghost thing and all. And Hunter being some kind I don't know half ghost or something was genius! Now I personal didn't care for Kayla's so called friends. I used the term so called because they didn't seem to about anything besides shopping and gossiping. Which made them very two dimensional.

Even with that it still wasn't that big of a deal to me because they weren't really important to the story like a lot of friends are in YA books. Her ex-boyfriend included were simply props and most of the story takes place while they are just in the background . Let me see is there anything that I didn't like about the book? At this point no. There really wasn't anything that flawed the book or made wonder what Lanzarotta was thinking. Okay so instead of going on and on about how good this book is I'm just going to let my personally rating system do the talking for me. The cover art I 'll give a 8 out of 10 stars, the cover wasn't just beautiful but it was related to the actual story plot and the character. The scenery/settings a 6 out of 10 stars because even though Lanzarotta is one of those few authors that when they describe a place you do get a feeling that you are there but I did wish that there were more scenery to choose from considering that most of the book was spent inside of Kayla's room. The characters a 8 out of 10 stars I really enjoyed both Hunter and Kayla and didn't mind the other characters being simply just props. The plot a 10 out of 10 I really enjoyed the mystery of it all and finally the overall experience a 10 out of 10 stars. Would you read this again? http://bookworm89-bookmebaby.blogspot...(less)

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Oct 06, 2011 Jackie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels-demons-nephilims, young-adult

Wide Awake was pretty vague. The writing or language setting was uncomfortable, i didn't like it, it was irritating. It was also hard to keep on reading and it also seems that the author had rushed it. I love books about Fallen Angels but this book was quite disappointment with the language. When i first saw this book, i was really excited about it. But when i started reading it, it didn't get my attention with Lanzarotta's writing. Her writing were too simple and plain.

The plot is great, i lov...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Lalaine ( Ficbookreviews ) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorite-reads

My life had been pretty normal
until that point.

So.. school field trip! Who would have thought
that would mess up my so-called normal life?

OMG. I never thought this novel would be so good. Since there's not so many good angels/Fallen angels stories out there, I was wary to read this but the author did an excellent job keeping me enthralled with the storyline the whole time. Dark, cute, alluring and a quick, nice read.

It's hard to tell you the summary of this book without telling you the whole...more My life had been pretty normal
until that point.

So.. school field trip! Who would have thought
that would mess up my so-called normal life?

OMG. I never thought this novel would be so good. Since there's not so many good angels/Fallen angels stories out there, I was wary to read this but the author did an excellent job keeping me enthralled with the storyline the whole time. Dark, cute, alluring and a quick, nice read.

It's hard to tell you the summary of this book without telling you the whole lot, so that synopsis up there is enough I guess. So let's go straight to my review. The first half story was unpredictable. But then, intentions and mystery are slowly revealed that kept me turning the pages. The paranormal elements and demon activity are intertwined with the plot. The characters were just amazing. Kayla is our narrator here, and I thought she's great, not stupid but flawed, totally normal for me. Loved reading her thoughts. I Loved the tension between Hunter <3, Kayla and Justin. I know what you're thinking, another love triangle, but that's really not exactly what's happening here. I can't really tell can I? You just have to read it to find out. All I can say is that romance was so well-played out. I don't think there was an instaluv here too, I thought the mutual attraction has basis and was gradually developed. Atleast, that's how I felt. Hunter, ahh, broody, mysterious with a dangerous vibe kind of guy, he is addicting! I was totally fangirling over this guy. And the ending, that last page made my heart melt.

Don't know why this book has some pretty low ratings via Goodreads but I like challenging myself and was so glad that I read this wonderful book. If you are up for paranormal romance story and doesn't read books based on their ratings, then I think you should really check this one out. I can't wait to get started with the second installment. There were some additional characters that I would like to know more!

Book 2 is already freaking out! (less)

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Nov 21, 2011 Pam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kayla is 16 and was adopted as a very young child by a loving couple who basically give her everything! She tends to be a little spoiled and a bit snotty! But that changes when suddenly she is seeing this little girl just about everywhere she goes. It takes Kayla a while to realize that the girl is a ghost. When she makes that realization she also discovers there is a “guy” in her math class that is just bugging the heck out of her…only she can see him too…or so it seems. Turns out Hunter, a kid...more

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Aug 01, 2012 LovesAllThingsBooks Book Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book totally rocked my world. The story was packed with action and some romance, a perfect YA read!

Kayla is a 16 year old living happily with her adoptive parents. Soon things get a little crazy when she starts seeing and talking to people that aren't really there. Just when she thinks that she may be losing it, Hunter confirms that she isn't crazy. He helps her to understand and use her abilities to talk to ghosts. Together they work on figuring out why a demon is after her.

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Oct 26, 2012 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book started off okay, but just got worse the farther I got into it. Kayla is pretty spoiled, and isn't a very good friend. She was difficult to route for, and the love story aspect wasn't convincing at all. The ending wasn't just a cliffhanger, it felt like the author accidentally deleted the last half of the book, and published it anyways. If I wasn't reading a digital copy- I would have thrown it across the room in disgust. I have no desire to read the next one.

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Jan 03, 2013 Zenta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

Šo darbu ievēroju, jo to ieteica, kā līdzīgu Immortal City. Biju patīkami pārsteigta par autores tēlu raksturu izvēli, kas nav tipiska šādai sižeta līnijai, kas jau kaut kur pazīstama. Bet tas bija milzu pluss. Lai arī nebija strauji sižeta pavērsieni un dažas lietas bija paredzamas, man patika. Gaidīju varbūt kaut ko mistiskāku, pārdabiskāku, bet ceru to saņemt pārējās sērijas grāmatas. Ceru, ka drīzumā atradīšu pārējās daļas, lai varu pārliecināties par savām priekšnojautām.

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Mar 10, 2012 The BookWhisperer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wide Awake starts off running. This makes it easy to engross yourself in the story effortlessly. Kayla is a very special character that seem wise beyond her years. As an adopted child readers will easily accept this as a realistic trait for her character. Hunter seems dark and mysterious from the start, so his character still remains a bit of a secret at the conclusion of this story. I look forward to book two in hopes that his personality will develop and broaden. These two will csrrg us throug...more

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About Daniele Lanzarotta

Daniele Lanzarotta is the author of YA and NA paranormal/Fantasy novels, including the Imprinted Souls Series, Mermaid's Curse, and Academy of the Fallen.

She enjoys reading and writing young adult novels with just about any sort of paranormal or supernatural bent…vampires… ghosts… She also enjoys watching hockey, playing rock band, guitar hero and spending time with the family.

Imprinted Souls and...more

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Wide Awake (Academy of the Fallen #1)

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