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The Awakening of Ren Crown

by Anne Zoelle (Goodreads Author)

4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 · rating details · 81 ratings · 23 reviews

Determination...Friendship...Magic...

Devastated by the loss of her twin--and consumed by the realization that magic actually exists--gifted art student Ren Crown embarks on a dangerous course and illegally enrolls in a fantastical university determined to bring her brother back to life. She enters a world of magic beyond imagination and finds herself an unwitting pawn in a...more

ebook, 461 pages

Published July 9th 2012 by Anne Zoelle (first published July 1st 2012)

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Jan 19, 2013 Deniz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Deniz by: Ornella

Shelves: jan13, ya, magic, paranormal

BotW 4.1.13

FINALLY DONE!
i am not sure how to rate it-- its around 3.5stars.
there are so many good aspects about this- but also big drawbacks.

Review: (finally! I know I know...)

This book split me right into two- because there were many aspects I really liked about it and many I really didn't. Which makes rating it really had.
Its 3.5 Stars--- because it is better than good but not quite that great either.

My biggest issue is definitely the length… it's incredibly looooong. Usually that doesn't pu...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Mel rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Awakening of Ren Crown is a rich, deep and engaging novel. The story deals with the struggle many of us face, of not being able to let go of those we love when they are gone. It also addresses the issues of finding out who we truly are and what we are capable of. Although this novel is directed towards the youth fantasy audience it is written in a captivating and intelligent style that can suit all ages of fans of fantasy and magic.

As you journey with Ren , Florence Crown, through her adven...more The Awakening of Ren Crown is a rich, deep and engaging novel. The story deals with the struggle many of us face, of not being able to let go of those we love when they are gone. It also addresses the issues of finding out who we truly are and what we are capable of. Although this novel is directed towards the youth fantasy audience it is written in a captivating and intelligent style that can suit all ages of fans of fantasy and magic.

As you journey with Ren , Florence Crown, through her adventure of being taken to another layer of our existence you will empathize deeply with her quest. Her goal, to reunite with her twin brother at all costs, tempts her to go to the depth of her own soul. Surrounded by an unlikely team of allies she manages the twists and turns of this desire to find her own soul is stronger than she thought.

As the story progresses you will see the karmatic connection between Ren’s inner struggles and what she is creating in her outer world. The laws of instant manifestation are at play, although our heroine is unaware of this for some time. Throughout the story many exciting, magical, exotic creatures enter Ren’s life, as well as some interesting and loyal friends. All drawing together in the ultimate conclusion that we create our own outcomes, whether we know it or not. What a great way to reveal this idea to young minds.

If parents are concerned about the subject manner, as some Youth fantasy fiction can get quite dark, I personally would say “Rest easy”. Yes there is exploration of dark magic but it does not cross the line of being “evil”. In addition, the relationships in this book stay very age appropriate and healthy. Which I found refreshing since so many popular youth books out right now so very poor examples of relationships, both in friendship and in romance.

The author Anne Zoelle appears to use many real life scientific principals such as string theory, quantum physics, particle matter and even the Chinese red string theory. What I love about this story is it is told through the experiences of magic so the reader does not have to understand these principals in order to embrace them. In this way, it can expose the audience to these ideas in a cryptic manner which encourages them to explore more about them on their own. I am not sure if this was intentional or not but these principals are so deeply seated in this story that it would be hard to believe that the Author is not well studied in all of these subjects.

Accomplishing exposing readers to such complex ideas in an intriguing and entertaining way would be enough but Anne takes it a step further. She explores human relationships, fitting in – or not, trusting your instincts, embracing your talents and in the end believing that life is magical, if only we allow it to be.
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Jan 04, 2013 Ornella rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-must-have

Even though the start is a wee bit slow, it was totally worth it. I hadn't read a book that meshed that book's plot line with the over all plot line of the series so well since Harry Potter.

The real selling point for me was the incredible world building. It was all so painstakingly thought out, every little piece connected with each other to form one hell of a world. The way the magic works, how the Layers are connected, the ripples, and chaos magic. It was all just...wow. Some people might fin...more Even though the start is a wee bit slow, it was totally worth it. I hadn't read a book that meshed that book's plot line with the over all plot line of the series so well since Harry Potter.

The real selling point for me was the incredible world building. It was all so painstakingly thought out, every little piece connected with each other to form one hell of a world. The way the magic works, how the Layers are connected, the ripples, and chaos magic. It was all just...wow. Some people might find it confusing at first but as the book progress it all starts making more sense.

The characters were all nicely fleshed out, from the MC, Ren to all the secondary characters. Loved all of them, even creepy Verisetti and perv Leandred, and that idiot Marsgrov. And then there is Ren, she so incredibly determined to get her brother back, so many things she did, and finally learning to let go and do what had to be done. She was so single-minded in her pursuit to get her brother back that she skipped very important bits in between, but she learns from her mistakes and accepts her place in this new world. But I think my favorite character was the Guard Rock, I mean who wouldn't want an actual pet rock? outfitted with a pencil sword and everything. xD

There was a bit of romance here, and I really loved how it was done. I think this quote sums it up pretty well.

"I sighed internally. I really needed to get rid of this crush, but for some reason his dark responses only made it grow. As if firmly planting it in the “never happen” category just made it more appealing to dwell upon. I returned his dark gaze. Crushes rocked because they were fantastical. The real Alexander Dare could bite me."

She is completely down to earth. Yes the dude saved her life and is beyond hot, but there is no insta-love nor some incredibly fast developing romance. It progresses naturally.

I recommend this book to everyone! Especially fans of Harry Potter.
*If you are one of those people that doesn't like too much descriptions, you might find this one a hard read. I usually don't like them too much but in this case it was what really made it stand out.(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, ya, flights-of-fantasy

I had this book lined up on my Nook for awhile, but it did languish, based on the cover. I thought it would be another book featuring a girl, who would be, as they often are in YA, slightly disappointing, lackluster, while everyone around them seems entranced just the same.

Though she is a bit mono-focused, she isn't one of those annoying people who perfectly adapts to new skills and abilities and suddenly knows karate and three languages effortlessly. She's confused, lost and heartbroken, and ha...more I had this book lined up on my Nook for awhile, but it did languish, based on the cover. I thought it would be another book featuring a girl, who would be, as they often are in YA, slightly disappointing, lackluster, while everyone around them seems entranced just the same.

Though she is a bit mono-focused, she isn't one of those annoying people who perfectly adapts to new skills and abilities and suddenly knows karate and three languages effortlessly. She's confused, lost and heartbroken, and has to make her own way in the world.

The book starts with a lot of drama - electricity, and men in black, where everything is very eerie and sinister. Ren wakes up to the loss of her Brother, and no-one believing her stories. And reoccurring visions of the boy who saved her life.

And then magic appears, and things often take a turn for the whimsical. It was hard to integrate these two worlds for me. Like....this is serious and emotional writing, oh look a tricorn appeared out of no-where. And so many magical gophers...many, many gophers.

I think anytime you make a school for magic, post Harry Potter publication, you will get comparisons. The difference is that people are sorted out by what kind of skills and abilities their magic has. And there aren't wands, or broomsticks, it's a very different kind of school.

Ren hits the ground running, and her only intent is to bring her Brother back, any way possible. She's very resourceful, and this makes the book, very long, so in that way, she's a bit too resourceful. I don't know that the reader actually wants to go over 100 different strategies?

There are some memorable characters, I think my favorite might have been Guard Rock. And Ren's character is written to grow, and she does, she makes friends, and as the book goes on she begins to develop a pretty good sense of humor.

When the book ends, there are some loose ends, that makes me think a sequel will be in the works. (view spoiler)

And truly this book was a page-turner for me, I really wanted to know what was going to happen with her Brother, how would it end? Would she be able to bring him back somehow, would she have to give him up?

You'll just have to read it, and see.(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Alisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alisa by: Ornella

This took me so long to finish. I had other things going on at once so it was really hard to get into this book because there's a million different things going on in this book as well.

I really liked the world building. The magic layers Zoelle created was a really neat idea. If you slack on reading the details anywhere in this book, you get lost so easily. Probably why it took me a while to finish.

The story behind everything was... awesome. I loved the whole idea of these twins losing each other...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Turtles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-modern

This book was really quite awesome!! I was very surprised since it ended up being a lot longer and more complicated than I initially thought. The first half of the book is mainly carried by one person: Ren. She and her twin are out playing a prank one night, when her twin's magic suddenly awakens, he is killed and his magic drained. Ren is left for dead but is saved by a stranger's kindness. She suffers over her brother's death and is unwittingly guided by her art teacher. Until her own magic aw...more This book was really quite awesome!! I was very surprised since it ended up being a lot longer and more complicated than I initially thought. The first half of the book is mainly carried by one person: Ren. She and her twin are out playing a prank one night, when her twin's magic suddenly awakens, he is killed and his magic drained. Ren is left for dead but is saved by a stranger's kindness. She suffers over her brother's death and is unwittingly guided by her art teacher. Until her own magic awakens, the teacher (who is actually a master mind villain mage) tricks her and steals the awakening magic Ren produced. In the ensuing chaos she happened to trap an experimenting student mage in her drawing. After she was able to release him she makes all the deals she can to get into magic school and learn everything she can. She is going to bring her twin brother back. The dean of the school happened to also trick her, fulfilling his promise to bring her to the school, but locks her in a room for protection. She breaks out and manages to half way enroll herself in school and gets a place to stay, prickly room mate or not. So Ren is learning her way through a strange magical world on this 2nd layer of Earth, she is at a disadvantage being so ignorant. But she doesn't let that stop her and goes forward trying to find a way to get her twin back and survive school. Along the way some awesome characters are met. It's a entirely engaging story, especially since Ren and her musings and magic carries a huge amount of the book. She is ingenious in her magic and super street smart, luckily this carries over to adapting to a new, magical world. Even being a very long book, there were lots of things left for sequels and friends to help and explore. I thought the writing style was very well done since it was mainly about a single person. I was glad that she was smart and able to hypothesize and figure things out, at the same time the reader does. There is little info dump for you to get it, but if you stay with the story (and trust me, it will grip you) then you get used to the magic properties etc. (less)

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Aug 29, 2012 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: original, different, magic, mind-boggling, best-covers, fantasy, hot-guy, intriguing

I GOT TO SAY THAT IS ONE BEAUTFUL, STRIKING AND GROGEOUS COVER!

Absolutely entrancing. It's captured my attention and drew me in and I was completely helpless. WOW. JUST WOW. I love it!

As for the book;

It starts fast, then slows down, goes faster, then slows down again.
Sometimes I was confused and there's so much going on even when everything moves slow.

BUT.....

Overall it is acquire a touching book. Everything Ren- the heroin- does is for her brother- Christian, never stopping to think of the c...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Anya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-heroine, loved-the-characters, favorites, five-stars

“Let me go, Ren.” His voice was gentle. Soothing. Not like the troublemaker or genius he had been. This was the voice in my head that had wanted out at the beginning, but then slowly changed into my constant support, gaining wisdom every day while the splitting voice had become more insane. I could see him holding the darkness back, the evil other shoved in the back of his eyes, clawing, trying to get out.
“I will see you soon,” I whispered.
“Not soon. But when we meet again, it will be like no ti...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: academy, favorites, magic, other, strange-abilities

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Story:
From what I understand, the story is about a girl who recently lost her brother by magic they did not know about. From there, she is sent to therapists and such, and surrounding herself by her most talented skill: art. She draws and paints, losing herself in her drawing with her art teacher who appears to be her friend. But, he is not what he seems. Soon, she is drawn into this world she has no idea about, trapping a boy in one of her paintings and hearing her brother'...more Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Story:
From what I understand, the story is about a girl who recently lost her brother by magic they did not know about. From there, she is sent to therapists and such, and surrounding herself by her most talented skill: art. She draws and paints, losing herself in her drawing with her art teacher who appears to be her friend. But, he is not what he seems. Soon, she is drawn into this world she has no idea about, trapping a boy in one of her paintings and hearing her brother's voice in her head. And, it gets crazier.

My Thoughts
Okay, so I didn't include everything in the plot because there was just too much, and I would ruin the book for you if I did. I wasn't as amazed by this book as I though I would be. There was way too much detail thrown at me at once, and I guess I was just too distracted to try and understand it. I mean, I understood it for the most part, but I'm not positive on how everything works.

Anyways, Ren, the main character was very…scattered to me. Like, she would focus intently on one thing, and then something would happen, and she would be in a daze. Also, every time something big happened, she would black out and wake up disoriented. The part with her brother talking in her head confused me as well. Sometimes he would say something to her, and for the most part I knew when it was her actual brother and not the demented one. But, there were some parts where I was like, "Which side of her brother was speaking just then?" I did like how Ren was very talented and smart despite her weird, scattered thoughts.

Um, there wasn't really any romance in this book, and I understand that. This first book is mainly about Ren learning the extent of her abilities and trying to bring her brother back from the dead. So far, I can see that there are two possible lovers in this series. Constantine, the sexy, secretively smart player, and Alexander, the very strong, hot, combat mage who saved her life. Frankly, I like both of them, but I'm leaning toward Constantine more because of the time she has spent with him.

Overall, I did like it. I just wasn't that focused with FINALS coming up and all. Maybe I'll read it again in the future, and I probably will when the next one comes out.
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Sep 09, 2012 Lorrie Savoy rated it 3 of 5 stars

The world that Zoelle creates is compelling - I wish there had more clarity in her descriptions of it. Ren is a typical teenage heroine, yet the addition of magical elements kept what might have been a stale rehashing of other books interesting. The great revelation at the end is neither, but the developing friendships were nicely detailed. Zoelle loses track of time in the novel in several confusing ways. Overall, I liked the world and the concept better than the writing.

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Aug 22, 2012 Marulett rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Harry Potter Fans

Recommended to Marulett by: Myself...yeah I´m cool like that

Shelves: ya-paranormal, ya, series-i-love, series-i-will-love, promising-starts, paranormal, kick-ass-male-lead, kick-ass-heroines, heroine-pov, great-side-characters, firsts, favorites

I LOOOOOOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!

I saw the book´s cover and was compelled to read it right away.

It has a bit of a slow start, but the world building is completely worth it. Ren is an amazingly well written character and it felt easy to connect with.

I hope the next book comes out soon, because the ending left me craving for waaay more.

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Aug 24, 2012 Esther rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked it a lot, the magic used in this world was complex and interesting. I liked the fact that it kind of matches your personalty. I did get a bit frustrated with ren's continued hunt to resurrect her twin. I understand that she misses him but, obviously it is a bad idea to continue on that project.

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Mar 29, 2013 Rie_dominique rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-novel, ada-di-rak-gw, ebook, family, fantasy, favorites, fiksi, love-the-cover, young-adult

lumayan juga ceritanya dengan detail yang amat sangat banyak sekali sampe puyeng membayangkannya. interaksi antar tokoh sangat kurang, 3/4 cerita terfokus hanya pada Ren seorang tanpa interaksi dengan tokoh lain. bagian 3/4 ini sangat membosankan, sedangkan yang 1/4nya lagi cukup menarik.

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Jul 25, 2012 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

LOVED! LOVED!! LOVED!!! I really can't say enough about it. I would rank it up there with Harry Potter, it is also about magic, but comes at it from such a different angle...one of the best books I've read in a long time. I am really hoping there are more of these!

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Aug 06, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a marvelous glimpse into an amazing new world! I found the author's language very evocative and all the details regarding the world to be incredibly imaginative. The plot was very exciting and I'm very much looking forward to reading what happens next!

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Nov 08, 2012 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was simply phenomenal. I've read hundreds of books, but this one will forever stand out! Truly epic to say the least!

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Feb 17, 2013 Kelli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! It was 100% original and unique, unlike anything I've ever read before. Definitely worth your time and money. A great read and I can't wait for the next one!

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Aug 16, 2012 Amanda (mandy) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-that-make-me-cry, ebook

All I can say is PLEASE let there be a second book!

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Nov 12, 2012 Butterfly added it

I have no idea what to rate this book. I'm not saying this because I think it's bad or good. I just don't know. Took me since it came out to finish it....

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Aug 01, 2012 Vetsy added it

Want to know more so I will definitely read the next book. Hope it comes out soon.

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Oct 05, 2012 Chandra Wallace rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Her world-building is really terrific, weaving together art and magic in a really interesting way. Will recommend this book whole-heartedly!

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Apr 14, 2013 Katy marked it as likely-getting-back-to

01.04.13 - Wow, this book is long. And it's weird - but not in a bad way.

01.03.13 - I totally forgot I wanted to read this.

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Apr 07, 2013 Mitch rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mitch by: Ornella

Totally see the psychedelic Harry Potter. Or maybe an artsy Inkspell?

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May 24, 2013 Corey rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 24, 2013 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

May 16, 2013 Lauren marked it as to-read

May 16, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 14, 2013 Maisha marked it as to-read

May 10, 2013 Stephanie Gorero marked it as to-read

May 08, 2013 Taleah rated it 4 of 5 stars

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