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Awakening (Tankborn #2)

by Karen Sandler (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 19 ratings · 12 reviews

Once a GEN (genetically engineered nonhuman) girl terrified of her first Assignment, Kayla is now a member of the Kinship, a secret organization of GENs, lowborns, and trueborns. Kayla travels on Kinship business, collecting information to further the cause of GEN freedom.

Despite Kayla’s relative freedom, she is still a slave to the trueborn ruling class. She rarely sees t...more

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published April 2013 by Tu Books, an imprint of Lee & Low Books (first published January 1st 2013)

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May 04, 2013 Rich in Color rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-post-apocalyptic

Last week in her review of Fragments, Audrey wrote, “Second books in a trilogy are always complicated.” I couldn’t agree more. Middle books often seem to wander a bit merely waiting for the final wrap up in the third. In this case, the first book, Tankborn, left quite a few strings untied and much open for speculation, but this second book raised even more questions and provided very few answers. A completely new storyline is introduced and only a smattering of clues come with it.

Karen Sandler c...more Last week in her review of Fragments, Audrey wrote, “Second books in a trilogy are always complicated.” I couldn’t agree more. Middle books often seem to wander a bit merely waiting for the final wrap up in the third. In this case, the first book, Tankborn, left quite a few strings untied and much open for speculation, but this second book raised even more questions and provided very few answers. A completely new storyline is introduced and only a smattering of clues come with it.

Karen Sandler certainly leaves the reader begging for more, since the book ends rather abruptly in the middle of some major action. The author has created characters that the reader can care about, so it can be a bit frustrating for the reader when faced with a cliff-hanger. You may want to wait until the third book is a bit closer to release so you can read them close together. Revolution is slated to be released in the spring of 2014 and that seems like a long time to wait to find out what will happen next.

The benefit of a trilogy though, is that the world is already created, the characters are in place and a lot more development can happen. In Tankborn, Kayla’s physical and emotional strength were demonstrated on many occasions and the reader could get to know her to a certain degree. In Awakening, Sandler takes that next step and shines more of a light on her inner strength. Kayla has many choices to make and Sandler really takes the opportunity to flesh out who Kayla is and what she truly values.

This book also delves deeper into the caste system and the effects it has on the entire society. The ranking of GENs, lowborns, and trueborns is extremely rigid and even the privileged people who are “helping” still don’t always see how little respect they show those who are lower in the order. As the truth is exposed, characters come face to face with the ugliness in their society and must make the choice to let it remain or take steps to make a change. Fortunately, there is hope for a better future.

One of the cool things about this book is the wildlife on the planet Loka. I found the “pet” seycat to be pretty awesome. Kayla noted that, “Seycats like Nishi might be barely knee-high to the tall GEN boys, but they could slash even a full grown man to ribbons with those claws and teeth” (16). They generally eat rat-snakes (venomous spider creature with a rat-like head and long snake-like body) and sewer toads. Nice.

Once in a while it felt a bit like the vocabulary was forced in and a bit deliberate so the world would seem radically different than Earth, but for the most part it worked. Karen Sandler has a vivid imagination and she uses it to spin a tale complete with deadly meter-high spiders called bhimkays and Genetically Engineered Non-humans who often times appeared more humane than their human “superiors”.

Recommendation: If you cannot take suspense, I would say wait until the final book, Revolution, is closer to release. Otherwise, get it soon along with Tankborn if you haven’t already read it. You would miss a lot — particularly the backstory of Kayla’s relationship with Devak without reading that first. Both books are thought-provoking and entertaining with plenty of action, mystery, and a bit of romance.

Original Review with extras at http://richincolor.com/2013/04/review...(less)

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Feb 19, 2013 Lindsey Blake rated it 3 of 5 stars

Haven't read the first in the series so making up ground and I liked the premise of the story - GENs are artificially engineered people born in tanks to do the bidding of the highborns and the lowborns. The society is highly ordered and strictly adhered to but there is an underground movement trying to make things better for the lowest elements. And of course there is a Romeo and Juliet style love affair going on between a high born and a GEN!

I think the first book was probably better - this on...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Jessica Strider rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pros: great characters, complex story, multi-racial cast

Cons: Kayla and Devak's waffling with regards to their relationship got a bit irritating, several plot twists were obvious

It's been several months since the events of Tankborn and Kayla misses Devak. He's been avoiding meeting with her and she's not entirely sure why. Her transport job with Risa has kept her from visiting home and though she's done a lot of work for the kinship, transporting information and materials, she's not as sure thei...more Pros: great characters, complex story, multi-racial cast

Cons: Kayla and Devak's waffling with regards to their relationship got a bit irritating, several plot twists were obvious

It's been several months since the events of Tankborn and Kayla misses Devak. He's been avoiding meeting with her and she's not entirely sure why. Her transport job with Risa has kept her from visiting home and though she's done a lot of work for the kinship, transporting information and materials, she's not as sure their goals are in line with hers anymore.

Two other matters concern her: the spread of the Scratch, a plague that only infects GENs, one their internal circuitry can't cure, with a 100% mortality rate. That is, 100% until one victim came back to life with the ability to heal others. And the graffiti scribbled on the door of a warehouse that blows up: Freedom. Humanity. Equality.

This is a great book with a series of complex, interconnected plots. The characters are great, with a mix of races represented, and a positive portrayal of a lesbian couple.

Kayla's dealing with several issues, both in her love life and with regards to her treatment by the kin. She's fed up letting people mess with her brain without explaining what they're doing, even if it's just to transport information from one group to another.

While I found her relationship issues with Devak a bit irritating over the course of the book, I acknowledge that it's a realistic portrayal of how two sixteen year olds react in the face of challenges they hope - perhaps without hope - to overcome. Devak's realized just how hard a relationship with a GEN would be, and even if Kayla took the treatment that would turn her into a lowborn, a life together would be difficult. She meanwhile feels he's making decisions for her, just like the other trueborns in the kinship.

Some of the plot twists were fairly obvious, but that didn't make the book easy to predict. There were a number of twists I didn't see coming, particularly the cliffhanger ending.(less)

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May 11, 2013 Barbara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Tankborn, the first book in this series, set me on fire. I loved the storyline, the concept of a dystopian future where a group of Earth émigrés set up an exacting caste system when they colonize a new planet. The castes begin with Highborn Trueborns at the top, and untouchable Gens (people born in tanks whose DNA has been combined with animal DNA to endow them with certain skets – skill sets) at the bottom. Skin color is an integral part of the system, Highborns have a perfect brown tone. Anyth...more Tankborn, the first book in this series, set me on fire. I loved the storyline, the concept of a dystopian future where a group of Earth émigrés set up an exacting caste system when they colonize a new planet. The castes begin with Highborn Trueborns at the top, and untouchable Gens (people born in tanks whose DNA has been combined with animal DNA to endow them with certain skets – skill sets) at the bottom. Skin color is an integral part of the system, Highborns have a perfect brown tone. Anything too light or too dark is lower on the ladder. The facial tattoo distinguishes a GEN. They may be any color. A romance grows between Devak, a Highborn, and Kayla, a GEN assigned to work for his family. They both learn some hard truths about reasons for the caste system, the real origin of GENS, and Kayla’s personal history. A conspiracy is uncovered, and Kayla barely misses out on a chance to take one step up the caste ladder and become a Lowborn. Instead she joins an underground movement seeking to improve the lot of GENs.

Awakening takes place some months later. I started the book, eager to see what would happen next. Unfortunately Awakening suffers from pacing issues. Kayla wanders around the countryside, and the pages. Her role with the Gen underground has her traveling and delivering messages and supplies. But the story seems to take one step back for every two steps forward. A disease is running across the land, striking only GENS. Sick GENS are being rounded up and taken away. At the same time there is a new drug available for Highborns, one that can restore strength and fitness. Devak’s grandfather is both a member of the underground seeking to help GENS and a recipient of this medication. Yet no one seems able to connect the dots between these developments.

Likewise, although Kayla is suspicious of the new Gen who joins her caravan, she never acts. At times his actions were so obvious I wanted to reach into the page and grab her and make her take another look at what he did. Coincidence should only be accepted for so long.

Then there was Devak, also a member of the underground. The first time he lamented on the impossibility of there being anything between a GEN and a Highborn, I sympathized. But it happens every time the story enters his point of view.

During the long road to the solution of several intersecting mysteries there are many detours and false starts. I have a feeling that if someone had just cut out about a hundred pages, this would have been a smooth, book; a real page-turner.

I still want to read book three, but mostly I hope it regains the vitality of book 1.(less)

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Apr 15, 2013 MoyJoy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I looooved this sequel and I can't wait for Part 3!!!!

Awakening picks up not too long from where Tankborn leaves off. Where Tankborn really told a lot about the world Kayla lives in, Awakening really tells about the person Kayla (and the rest of the cast) has become.

You really see the characters develop in direct correlation their experiences which is not easy to do in a book.

The mysterious happenings in the book were just wonderful. A real challenge for the reader but not so hard to figure th...more

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May 05, 2013 Tiara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biopunk, young-adult, sci-fi, science-fiction, part-of-a-series, tankborn

First, I wanted to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book picks up some months after the events inTankborn. Kayla is part of an underground movement working toward freeing GENs from the life of oppression. Kayla, along with her lowborn companion, travel from sector to sector retrieving and delivering information for the kinship (a network of trueborn, lowborn, and GENs working together). While Kayl...more First, I wanted to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book picks up some months after the events in Tankborn. Kayla is part of an underground movement working toward freeing GENs from the life of oppression. Kayla, along with her lowborn companion, travel from sector to sector retrieving and delivering information for the kinship (a network of trueborn, lowborn, and GENs working together). While Kayla believes her overall work is good, she wonders if the kinship is truly as dedicated to this cause as they say. Are they truly willing to risk so much for GENs? She knows that most members of the kinship, no matter their social rank, hold her in high regards, but she wonders if this because she's proven herself. When they look at her, they see an individual. She's not some insignificant GEN girl. Kayla also continues to struggle with her feelings for Devak, the trueborn boy whose grandfather (and prominent member of the kinship) she cared for in Tankborn.

There many things going on in this book. I mean, the last book had a couple of different issues going on, but they seemed to connect together from the very beginning of the story. Some of the things introduced into this story didn't feel like they fit anywhere at first and didn't really pull together until toward the end of the story where things seemed to progress at a rapid pace as the author tried to wrap the loose ends. There's nothing wrong with everything not coming together until later, but it made some things feel so rushed even though their impact on the story and what they mean for the people involved is important. I didn't feel like this was as intense as the last story was, but overall, I felt this was still a solid story about the struggles surrounding the GENs,

I know this a young adult book and you have to have romance, but I got a little tired of Kayla and Devak's song and dance. I realize their relationship is extraordinary and nigh impossible. The societal pressures and laws that threaten to keep them apart weighs heavy on their hearts. This causes them to make decisions and mistakes that draw them further apart, though I did like Kayla's speech that Devak couldn't decide what was best for both of them without her input. So much of her life has been spent with her choices being stripped from her by people that "know" what's good for her. She wasn't willing to accept that in a relationship with someone who supposedly cared about her.

However, it didn't feel like Devak really understood what Kayla was telling him instead he begins to nitpick and take what she said out of context. I guess I can understand since he's used to being listened to and doted on. It's hard to see where privileged behavior comes in at times when you're used to things going your way. However, it just felt a little disappointing and typical of someone with status. In any event, I felt like their drama just really took away from the story at times. I think it could've been streamlined into the story more.

I wish Sandler spent a little more time world building. It seems like she's created this wonderful place, but we only get to hear about some of its nuances from time to time. From the first book, I knew they had two named suns, but it wasn't until this book that we learned they also have two moons. Also, the religious beliefs of the various social classes should be explored more since the trueborn don't believe as the GEN do, and the lowborn have their own take on what the GEN believe. And religion plays an important part of the story in these books, especially what the GEN believe.

After the ending of this book, there's no doubt there will be another. It ended on a very tense cliffhanger, and I'll definitely be awaiting the next book.(less)

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Apr 30, 2013 Sallysmurf rated it 3 of 5 stars

Tankborn was one of the first books that I read for review when I started writing for Midnight Reads so I have a soft spot for this series. It’s probably also why it feels as though I have been waiting forever for the sequel to be released.

In the first book in this series Sandler really focussed on the story of Kayla, how her place in the world changes, her budding relationship with Devak and throughout the story we see her develop to become a stronger independent woman by the time the story dra...more Tankborn was one of the first books that I read for review when I started writing for Midnight Reads so I have a soft spot for this series. It’s probably also why it feels as though I have been waiting forever for the sequel to be released.

In the first book in this series Sandler really focussed on the story of Kayla, how her place in the world changes, her budding relationship with Devak and throughout the story we see her develop to become a stronger independent woman by the time the story draws to its temporary close. In Awakening the story takes on a much wider viewpoint. The disease, Scratch, which affects and kills GENS, is spreading wildly and even as those around her are dying a political uprising seems to be taking hold as the phrase Freedom. Humanity. Equality. begins to appear through the sectors that Kayla works in with Risa. When you look even deeper it would seem that even those individuals who claim to be pursuing equality for GENS like Kayla are actually using them for their own benefits whether they wish to see it or not.

There is an interesting mix of characters in the Tankborn series. I particularly like reading about Risa and Kayla. They both portray a strength that I wish more female protagonists had. I also liked Abran and the little fliratations between him and Kayla, although I found some of the plot surrounding him to be a tad obvious. For me it was the complexity of his situation and the reasons behind his behaviour that I found intriguing and I kind of hope he pops up again somewhere in the future. I also liked Junjie, mainly for the loyalty he displays to those he cares about. The one person who disappointed me was Devak. At the beginning of the book his budding relationship sours and whilst he argues that he isn’t with Kayla purely because he wants to protect her I can’t help but feel that his behaviour is most triggered by his own fears of the potential repercussions he might face. I hope he sorts himself out for the next book or I won’t be pleased!

It took me a while to get into this book, mainly because of the gap between the two publications and the unique language that Sandler has developed that does give it an ‘other-wordly’ feel but also means that you might be flipping back to the glossary from time to time to remind yourself of the meaning of certain words phrases etc.

The story winds along at a slow comfortable pace until you get to the final couple of chapters and then everything begins to take off at a lightning pace, indeed I think it’s the final chapters that really up the ante for this sequel. After the ending, well I can’t wait until the next instalment is published. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait as long next time around.

Rating: 3.5/5 If you enjoyed Tankborn you will enjoy this sequel. Now book three is due out when exactly?
(less)

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Apr 15, 2013 Amy (Amy's Book Den) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: space, sci-fi, dystopias

In a world where GENs are treated as less than human, a group of people called the Kinship work together to change this ‘rule.’ It’s the reason Kayla joined their movement, but now she isn’t so sure. The Kinship seems to have lost sight of their goal and Kayla is sick and tired of blindly following rules. But before she can rebel, Kayla will have to deal with a deadly virus, forbidden love, and treachery among the ranks.

Awakening brings double the intrigue, triple the action, more swoon to the...more In a world where GENs are treated as less than human, a group of people called the Kinship work together to change this ‘rule.’ It’s the reason Kayla joined their movement, but now she isn’t so sure. The Kinship seems to have lost sight of their goal and Kayla is sick and tired of blindly following rules. But before she can rebel, Kayla will have to deal with a deadly virus, forbidden love, and treachery among the ranks.

Awakening brings double the intrigue, triple the action, more swoon to the romance, and more incredible scifi details to the awesome Tankborn series.

It took a while to get reacquainted with all the concepts and strange words—the new words are everywhere but it’s part of the beauty of the series. You’re immerse one hundred percent into this world. Once you roll with it, the narrative flies as smoothly as an aircloud lev-car.

Kayla travels with Risa, a lowborn woman, delivering supplies across the sectors as a cover for Kinship business. Traveling in the lorry made this a fast pace story with every turn something new to discover. Their assignment has been going smoothly for the past months, until someone starts bombing foodstores and warehouses and leaving strange messages in GEN script.

Because outer problems aren’t enough, Kayla also can’t get Devak out of her mind. Even after months apart he’s a constant presence in her mind and in her heart. But she knows GENs have no business dreaming about romantic relationships trueborns, much less a high status one. She even tries accepting another boys attentions, but it doesn’t work. Kayla realizes nothing will ever compare to the intensity between her and Devak. The scenes between them spark with resentment, yes, but also with fierce love. They both such stubborn heads, but I love characters willing to sacrifice their love and happiness for each other.

But Kayla’s issues aren’t the only thing happening in this book. Two GEN girls have come back after dying from Scratch, a virus that attacks only GENs. What’s impressive is they now have the power to heal others. Also, Kayla’s best friend Mishalla made the change from GEN to lowborn. She dreams of having babies of her own, and when a possible solution presents itself, she’ll do anything to help. Even handing GENs to the hands of gene-splicers.

The last chapter, I so cannot go into detail about it. All I will say is that it ended with a bang. Literally. And I hope I don’t have to wait so long for a third book!

*Arc copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley*(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Brichimt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Karen Sandler's book 2 in the Tankborn series about genetically engineered teens called GENS finds them fighting for their freedom from the world they were created in. GENS are slaves to the low and highborns. After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime for the 2nd in the series to come out, I must say I'm a little disappointed.

The rest of this review is on my blog: http://brichislitspot.wordpress.com/2...

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Apr 19, 2013 Victoria Law rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, books-i-read-in-tandem-with-my-daug

Wow, what a cliffhanger! And now I have to wait for the NEXT book to find out what happens!!!

How oh how to write about this for my Girls of Color in Dystopia blog series without inadvertently spoiling the ending of Tankborn?

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May 08, 2013 Tasha marked it as to-read

Shelves: dystopian-post-apocalyptic, science-fiction, young-adult, can-t-find-still-looking, 2013

Will you be coming out with an ebook edition of Awakening? Maybe IBooks? Lol

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Feb 08, 2013 Skyla marked it as to-read

When does this come out? I've been waiting FOREVER!!!

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Shelves: dystopian-post-a

May 05, 2013 Karen Sandler rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

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About Karen Sandler

Karen Sandler published numerous romances for adults in the late '90s and early 2000s, then shifted to young adult science fiction in 2011 with the publication of TANKBORN by Lee and Low/Tu Books. AWAKENING, the second book in the trilogy, is now available. The third book will be released in Spring 2014.

Determined to let no genre stone be left unturned, Karen is also looking forward to the publica...more

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