Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Awakening

by S.J. Bolton (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 1,237 ratings · 213 reviews

How did it all begin? I suppose it would be the day I rescued a new-born baby from a poisonous snake, heard the news of my mother's death and encountered my first ghost...

Veterinary surgeon Clara Benning is young and intelligent, but practically a recluse. Disfigured by a childhood accident, she lives alone and shies away from human contact wherever possible. But when a m...more

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published April 23rd 2009 by Bantam Press (first published February 21st 2007)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best of the Snakes

3rd out of 18 books — 10 voters

Overworked Titles

339th out of 340 books — 20 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,513)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 07, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, 4-stars, read-in-2012

Rating: 4.5 stars

As my brother said when he was little: me no ikey nakes. They give me major heebie jeebies. They make me shudder. I can't look at them on TV, and only a madman would even suggest I go into a reptile house.

So knowing this book has snakes as a main character, whatever made me read it? The answer is simple: SJ Bolton. I’ve read two of her tension-filled books this year and she’s become one of my fave authors. Snakes or not, I wasn’t going to miss out on a third.

That said, I could h...more

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 03, 2011 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, mystery, thrillers, animals

This is the second of this author’s books I’ve read and her writing has made me a fan. I found her first book Sacrifice equally compelling and readable.

This well paced thriller, set in small English village introduces us to a young, reclusive, veterinary surgeon who has been deeply scarred by an event from her childhood. A number of strange occurrences involving snakes draw Clara into investigating the mysteries with interesting results.

I was impressed with the amount of interesting facts about...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2012 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, mysteries, spookies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

10 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Janebbooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

In a way, S. J. Bolton's second published novel AWAKENING is a coming-of-age story. The protag and narrator of the tale is a reclusive wildlife veterinarian, Clara Benning, unmarried daughter of an archdeacon. She practices in a remote British village and prefers her mute swans and baby owl chicks to people. But several invasions of snakes into the village and the death of three old people, once parishioners of a church burned to the ground fifty years prior, change her life.

Additionally, the no...more In a way, S. J. Bolton's second published novel AWAKENING is a coming-of-age story. The protag and narrator of the tale is a reclusive wildlife veterinarian, Clara Benning, unmarried daughter of an archdeacon. She practices in a remote British village and prefers her mute swans and baby owl chicks to people. But several invasions of snakes into the village and the death of three old people, once parishioners of a church burned to the ground fifty years prior, change her life.

Additionally, the novel is a quintessential gothic crime thriller. It is no coincidence that Bolton was dubbed the "high priestess of rural gothic crime" in Harrogate the summer of 2011. Her third novel Blood Harvest was shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier mystery of the year, an award given only to British and Irish crime writers. Bolton was the only female writer nominated. All the gothic elements are richly detailed in AWAKENiNG:

An isolated British village "creeping with snakes and mystery." An abandoned and old, rambling residence, Witcher House. A burned skeleton of a church never rebuilt.

A disfigured female. In this novel, the narrator herself with a side of her face scarred by a horrendous childhood accident.

Old family secrets. The four, maybe five Witcher brothers, once pillars of the community. Strange religious rituals fifty years ago at a church, burned and never restored...a Church of the Latter Rain.

A hint of romance. Both a kind neighbor and a TV celebrity and noted herpetologist befriend Clara.

And snakes. As in other novels, Bolton has well researched the other villains of this story...snakes. She lists five tomes of snake science in the acknowlegements along with a special thank you to the curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates at the Chester Zoo. She also imagines a improbable grass snake swarm in chilling prose:

"How best to describe what happened next? It was though I were in the midst of a wide, swift river. Water was rushing towards me, ebbing and swirling occasionally but...flowing relently onwards...a field of wind-blown grass. I watched that flow of - water...grass...what on earth was it? - coming towards me.
Snakes...dozens of them...maybe hundreds. They were rippling through the long grass like ribbons flowing from a child's streamer. Their bodies gleamed slick and wet, shining in the moonlight. They moved over the land with a collective purpose...
It was a grass-snake swarm. Young snakes, slim as pencils, moved alongside adults over five feet long. I saw dark snakes, pale snakes, could even make out the markings on their backs...It was beautiful, extraordinary; quite wonderful..." (219-220)

Bolton's imaginative prose is beautiful, extraordinary and wonderful, too. She is indeed the high priestess of modern gothic crime.

(less)

5 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2013 Oswego Public Library District added it

Shelves: suspense

Excellent creepy, suspenseful thriller by British author S.J. Bolton. There is a strong focus on snakes (sometimes a wee bit too much information perhaps) used as murder weapons in the deaths of numerous elderly people in a small village. Suspicion is spread between a disfigured female veterinarian, a public television snake expert, a religious cult, and young thugs. Author does a phenomenal job keeping the reader guessing and keeping the reader sufficiently on edge as you wonder when the next s...more

like · see review

Sep 01, 2012 Lizzie Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars

’Awakening’ by S J Bolton
Published by Bantam Press. April 2009. ISBN: 978-0-59305-923-4

Clara Benning is a vet living in a small rural village in Dorset. Clara’s work is at a hospital treating sick and injured wild animals. Thus Clara lives a reclusive life taking no part in village life, mainly owing to a facial disfigurement that makes her wary of any sort of social contact.

But she is thrust into village life when she takes a telephone call one morning from a distraught young mother who has fou...more ’Awakening’ by S J Bolton
Published by Bantam Press. April 2009. ISBN: 978-0-59305-923-4

Clara Benning is a vet living in a small rural village in Dorset. Clara’s work is at a hospital treating sick and injured wild animals. Thus Clara lives a reclusive life taking no part in village life, mainly owing to a facial disfigurement that makes her wary of any sort of social contact.

But she is thrust into village life when she takes a telephone call one morning from a distraught young mother who has found a snake in the cot with her baby.

This is not the first encounter with a snake that the village has experienced, and already there has been one death from a snake bite. So when a village meeting is called at the home of millionaire Clive Ventry, Clara finds herself unwillingly thrust into the limelight as an expert on snakes. Suddenly Clara is just where she doesn’t want to be – the centre of attention. As more snakes appear in the village, she comes into contact her neighbour, a nurse called Sally, her next-door neighbour Matt Hoare and Sean North, a reptile expert who presents a TV wide life programme.

Assisting an old lady in the village, Clara’s interest is caught by reference to a fire that burnt the village church down in 1958 and that this is tied to the return of the snakes. But as Clara tries to find out more she runs up against a blank wall – no one will talk about the tragedy. As Clara attempts to uncover the truth behind the fire she finds herself in all kinds of trouble, but exactly from whence does it come after all this time?

Reading this book I learnt a great deal about snakes, all of it interesting and some of it utterly fascinating, but nothing that makes me want to ever encounter one. Whilst I am prepared to believe that they don’t feel slimy to the touch, but have skin like silk, I still don’t have any desire to hold one.

The story itself was intriguing, and compelling, one of those books that you can’t put down. Recommended.
------
Lizzie Hayes
(less)

like · see review

Sep 22, 2011 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Creepy yet wonderful. I idly picked this up from a pile, but I'm a goner for great first lines, and this one starts "...a heartbeat before the sun came up" and I'm walking in the house with Clara, turning around the corner, waiting to see what she sees. And although I shudder like most when I think of snakes (they're nesting inside various houses in Clara's English village), Clara's point of view (she's a rescue vet) allowed me to marvel at their strange beauty and appreciate their awesome (in t...more

1 like · like · see review

May 20, 2011 Cyndy Aleo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

I'm always up for a decent thriller as long as the gore isn't too over-the-top, and chose S.J. Bolton's Awakening to mix in with the recent run on graphic novels and chick lit I seem to have been reading.

::: The Plot :::

Clara is a veterinarian who specializes in the odd sorts of animals you might come across in the country or a small village, from badgers to swans. We learn fairly early on that she is a loner, sticking to herself because of a disfiguring scar she's had on her face most of her li...more I'm always up for a decent thriller as long as the gore isn't too over-the-top, and chose S.J. Bolton's Awakening to mix in with the recent run on graphic novels and chick lit I seem to have been reading.

::: The Plot :::

Clara is a veterinarian who specializes in the odd sorts of animals you might come across in the country or a small village, from badgers to swans. We learn fairly early on that she is a loner, sticking to herself because of a disfiguring scar she's had on her face most of her life.

When she's called in on more incidents involving snakes than are likely for the area she lives in, a mystery begins to unfold involving poisonous snakes from exotic locales, a mysterious church fire that occurred over 50 years ago, a strange (and possibly incestuous) family, and elderly neighbors being murdered right and left.

::: I'm Gonna Wash That Snake Right Outta My Hair :::

I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a good analogy for how the mystery plays out in Awakening, and the best one involved the reader following a trail of breadcrumbs only to have to try to stuff them all into a not-very-large turkey at the end. That isn't to say that the story is a turkey, but it was the best way to describe how the clues are left for the reader.

It's obvious within the first 50 pages what at least one of the underlying causes is for the entire plot, and who the potential victims will be, based on a clue that practically has a marquee flashing around it. Many of the clues are dropped in this obvious manner, and while how they tie together may not become completely clear until the end (when all of these clues and plot threads have to be wrapped up), it's obvious that You Are Expected To Pay Attention Here.

Along with the overly-obvious clues, there is a cast of characters that's often too large to be managed. As a reader, I often found myself flipping back to the front of the book to see if there was some sort of chart like you'll often find in romance novels. With a gang of five young hoodlums, an inter-married family of... arg, I lost count again... too many, several police officers, various clergy, neighbors, co-workers, reptile experts, plus Clara's family... Well, you can see how this might all get sort of confusing.

Still, Awakening is an interesting read, chock full of information about snakes, suspense that will still have you turning pages, and a sympathetic heroine in Clara.

This review was originally published at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_A...(less)

like · see review

Apr 17, 2011 Josie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Someone really needs to teach S.J. Bolton how to use red herrings properly. When Matt was introduced it seemed like he was being set up as the love-interest-who-is-actually-the-villain. Lots of heavy-handed clues to support this theory were dropped, such as when Clara and Matt have to collect all the snakes in the Poulsons' house. Matt knows exactly where the master bedroom is, and is confident and experienced in handling snakes even though he claims never to have done it before -- two things th...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 14, 2011 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

S. J. Bolton's suspense novels are like no other mystery suspense novels I have ever read. Browsing Chapters a couple years ago, I happened to see the cover of Sacrifice (a bright gold ring on a gloomy bluish coastal background) and it intrigued me so I read the back blurb...I love elements of science and the supernatural...so I took a chance on Bolton's debut. Well, I wasn't disappointed and Sacrifice stayed in my thoughts (and possibly nightmares) for days after I had read it. I continued to f...more

like · see review

May 02, 2010 Lucinda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Awakening (Minotaur 2009) is the story of Clara Benning, a wild animal vet with a disfiguring facial scar. Clara has taken a job at the Little Order of St. Francis wildlife rescue center in a small village in Dorset, England, hoping the isolated spot will provide the privacy she craves. A frantic neighbor calls Clara for help when she discovers a snake in her baby’s crib. Clara rescues the baby from the adder and quickly retreats to her surgery. The next night Clara wakens to screaming — a villa...more

like · see review

Nov 25, 2009 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars

A very exciting page-turner with some well-handled side-lights and carefully researched lore, primarily about snakes, but also about snake-handling Protestant sects. The protagonist is Clara Benning, a young, country veterinarian in the southwest of England, who (we gradually learn) has spent her life avoiding humans because of her terribly disfigured face. We only gradually learn about the cause and extent of her scarring, and the author paces the revelations very artfully. Clara unwillingly be...more

like · see review

Jul 08, 2009 LJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: amateur_sleuth, contemporary_post_1945, england, female_author, mystery, suspense

First Sentence: The darkest hour I’ve ever known began last Thursday, a heartbeat before the sun came up.

Clara Benning is a veterinary surgeon who, due to a childhood accident, chooses to spend her time working with a wildlife hospital and living as a near recluse in her small village near the boundaries of Devon and Dorset England. Grass snakes are common in that area, but not when they invade households en masse. Even less common is when a resident dies by the bite of a black adder as many tim...more First Sentence: The darkest hour I’ve ever known began last Thursday, a heartbeat before the sun came up.

Clara Benning is a veterinary surgeon who, due to a childhood accident, chooses to spend her time working with a wildlife hospital and living as a near recluse in her small village near the boundaries of Devon and Dorset England. Grass snakes are common in that area, but not when they invade households en masse. Even less common is when a resident dies by the bite of a black adder as many times the level of venom from one snake bite.

When a taipan, one of the world’s most deadly snakes and native to New Guiana, is found, there is clearly a human hand at work killing elderly residents. Along with her neighbor, a police officer, and an internationally herpetologist, Clara must uncover a long buried secret and a killer, before more die.

I can’t say I’m fond of snakes, but its clear Ms. Bolton has done her research. I found the information on snakes, the breeds, their venom and their history in England very interesting. I still don’t want one as a pet, but the information was included in such a way that it added to the story without disrupting the flow.

And flow the plot did. From the very beginning, added by her vivid descriptions and very good suspense. The story did lag a bit at one point, but soon picked up again. I found myself reading much later into the night than I had intended. I was never able to predict where the story was headed. The twists were very well done.

Bolton likes very strong, very independent women. As with her first book, “Sacrifice,” the protagonist doesn’t need a man to rescue her. She occasionally does things which would qualify a different character as “too stupid to live,” but the difference is that Bolton’s characters are aware when they put themselves into those situations and the motivation for so doing is always solid. There is a strong emotional factor as well. We come to understand very clearly what has made Clara as she is and are allowed to see her break through those barriers; not in a maudlin was, but in a way that is understandable and well done.

It is not a perfect book, but it is a solid read with excellent suspense. I am quite certain her next book will make its way to my shelves.

AWAKENING (Susp-Clara Benning-UK-Cont) – G+
Bolton, S.K. – 2nd standalone
Bantam Press, 2009, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780593059234
(less)

like · see review

Jul 04, 2009 Vegantrav rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was very much anticipating reading this novel after immensely enjoying Bolton's debut novel, Sacrifice; Awakening, while a solid work of crime/suspense fiction, failed to live up to brilliance of Sacrifice. The plot of Awakening revolves around a series of murders and disappearances, and the murders are carried out via venomous snakes: adders and taipans. Bolton does an excellent job of building the suspense leading up to the resolution and detailing the trials and turmoils of the protagonist,...more

like · see review

Jun 17, 2009 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Claire Benning is a damaged, isolated and almost monastic veterinary wildlife surgeon. The organization she works at rehabilitates injured and sick wildlife, and she spends her days saving everyone from badgers to roe deer. When a neighbor in her tiny village dies of snakebite, Claire is asked in for a consult as the local snake expert. She finds the victim has died of the snake venom, but of much higher concentrations than is possible from one snake. As it becomes apparent that a human, not a s...more Claire Benning is a damaged, isolated and almost monastic veterinary wildlife surgeon. The organization she works at rehabilitates injured and sick wildlife, and she spends her days saving everyone from badgers to roe deer. When a neighbor in her tiny village dies of snakebite, Claire is asked in for a consult as the local snake expert. She finds the victim has died of the snake venom, but of much higher concentrations than is possible from one snake. As it becomes apparent that a human, not a snake, is the cause of death, more snakes appear and more attacks ensue. Joining with a local constabulary and an eccentric world-renowned snake expert, Claire strives to discover who is behind these attacks as people continue to die.

S.J. Bolton’s second novel, Awakening caught my interest from page one. Bolton manages to build her characters slowly, the same way we get to know people in our lives. We find out the reason for Claire’s reclusiveness quite early on, but the cause isn’t given to us until much further into the book. Claire’s relationships with those around her, her dogged determination to remain aloof and alone, and the slow eroding of those walls she’s built around herself are a cornerstone of this book. While the title, Awakening, leads us to believe it refers to the behavior of the snakes, it also refers to Claire herself. The author does a bang-up job of incorporating into the story the practices of a little known sect of snake handlers in the United States, and the background information regarding them is delivered to the reader perfectly. Bolton knows that people are nuts and often truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.

Lots of snakes figure in the book, and I know snakes can creep a lot of people out. But nevertheless, this is a great mystery. Oh, I’m such a Smarty-Pants; I had the whole plot figured out by about page 153. I was dead wrong, but until the last couple of chapters, I was feeling pretty smug. And I do so love being wrong when it comes to the ending of a book.

S.J. Bolton was an author that I’m not familiar with. But I’ll be picking up her first novel, Sacrifice and adding it to my teetering tower of “To Be Read” books on my next trip to the bookstore.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Mary Gilligan-Nolan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book by S.J. Bolton. She is a terrific writer and delivers a great story every time. This one was a very interesting one in that the subject matter was very informative. The story is about a wildlife vet called Clara Benning, who lives in a small country village and keeps to herself, doesn't like mixing with people or neighbours, because she has had severe scarring to her face since childhood and had been shunned as a child and teenager. She is called to a neighbours house wh...more I really liked this book by S.J. Bolton. She is a terrific writer and delivers a great story every time. This one was a very interesting one in that the subject matter was very informative. The story is about a wildlife vet called Clara Benning, who lives in a small country village and keeps to herself, doesn't like mixing with people or neighbours, because she has had severe scarring to her face since childhood and had been shunned as a child and teenager. She is called to a neighbours house where there is a snake in the cot with the woman's infant child. Soon, there seems to be a lot of snakes turning up in houses in the village and it is then discovered that an elderly man has recently died from a snake bite. Clara has some experience with snakes and reptiles, having worked in Australia at one time, and as the community start to panic and she tries to allay their fears, some rather strange things start to happen, which have links to a tragic incident in the village, some 50 years before. Ms. Bolton has done her research here on snakes and separates the facts from the fiction and gives the reader some very interesting details on reptiles. I enjoyed the story, as it really flowed well and kept me turning the pages and not wanting to put it down. Every free minute I had, I had it in my hand, I just wanted to know what was coming next, because, Ms. Bolton has a great knack of keeping up the suspense and keeping you guessing, which I love in a book. This is a really good book, full of mystery and also a little creepy, which just adds to its charm for me. There are some great characters, the neighbour who Clara discovers she has a bit of a crush on, when he comes to her assistance on more than one occasion and turns out to be a policeman, the reptile expert, Sean North, who she finds rude and slightly obnoxious, but yet she feels drawn to, and then she finds herself befriending some of her elderly neighbours and she is completely at odds with all this human contact and interaction, so we see a real development of Claras character as the story unfolds. It's a big book, but then it's a big story. S.J. Bolton can tell a tale, that's for sure. I hope she keeps them coming.(less)

like · see review

Aug 04, 2009 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime-fiction

Snakes are infesting the small English village in which shy, scarred wildlife veterinarian Clara Benning resides. When a local man dies of a snakebite, Clara's expertise is requested even though she has spent much of her time avoiding her neighbors because she believes they always stare at the terrible scar on her face. It soon becomes apparent that the snake infestation is not a natural occurence, particularly when a poisonous Australian viper appears; rather, something sinister is going on tha...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2011 Decee Foulkes rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have grown to be a big fan of Bolton's and even though this was good it didn't measure to Blood Harvest and Sacrifice.
The plot and suspense is brilliant and Bolton is good at building the reader up and sending them in all different directions to who the culprit is. She plays the reader excellent. One thing that I did find difficult is the snakes that are used throughout the plot. I have a phobia of them and so this read wasn't easy.
If I had one negative to say it would be the lead character...more

like · see review

May 27, 2012 Kristina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, my-book, mystery-thriller

S.J. Bolton is one of the best authors I've discovered in the past few years. Her novels are well-written, suspenseful, and the plots usually involve something weird and unusual. This is true for Awakening. Clara is a veterinarian who works at a wildlife rescue center in a rural part of England. The beginning of the book starts with her checking on an elderly neighbor and her sick dog. She finds the dog drowned in a sack with a poisonous snake and the woman murdered. The book then backtracks to...more S.J. Bolton is one of the best authors I've discovered in the past few years. Her novels are well-written, suspenseful, and the plots usually involve something weird and unusual. This is true for Awakening. Clara is a veterinarian who works at a wildlife rescue center in a rural part of England. The beginning of the book starts with her checking on an elderly neighbor and her sick dog. She finds the dog drowned in a sack with a poisonous snake and the woman murdered. The book then backtracks to weeks earlier in which Clara saves a sleeping baby from being bitten by an adder (poisonous snake native to England) and snakes are apparently turning up in neighbors' houses. Clara, as a wildlife expert, is asked by the village to help with the snake situation. Her natural curiosity links the snakes' mysterious behavior to a strange fire in a church fifty years ago. As she continues to investigate, she finds her life in danger.

This is a great book. I ripped through it fairly quickly because I couldn't put it down and that's the first book I've been able to say that about in a few months. Aside from the weird, creepy story lines, I really like her characters. Clara is intelligent, but something of a recluse. A childhood accident left her face disfigured and she is reluctant to socialize or talk to more people than necessary. Clara is a very sympathetic character and I like her immensely for being strong and proud and not having a "woe is me" attitude. Bolton brought Clara's background into the story and her facial disfigurement (and Clara's response to it) became part of the plot and affected how Clara behaved once she got pulled into the investigation. Because snakes are integral to the story, the author did a lot of research and I learned a lot about snakes which was okay because I like snakes. There's also a very interesting discussion between Clara and her father, an archdeacon, about snakes and their symbolism in Christianity and other religions.

If you are looking for an intelligent, suspenseful novel, then this is the book for you. Also check out her first novel, Sacrifice because it is amazing too. (less)

like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Awakening is set in a small town village where many snakes; deadly or not have been showing up in houses recently. The citizens confront Clara Benning, a vet who is another citizen of the small village. Clara is a quiet woman who doesn't like interacting with humans very well after a tragic childhood accident.

As more and more snakes keep appearing Clara realizes that a man who's death was supposively an accident, was actually murder. More murders keep coming and Clara soon finds herself involve...more

like · see review

Aug 15, 2012 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read, summer-2012, 4-stars, fiction, reviewed

After reading Bolton's stunning debut Sacrifice, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Awakening and, picking this up to re-read for the umpteenth time, I can still remember that same excitement from all those years ago when I first brought my copy (the overly gleeful one where you dance about the living room, proceed to fall afoul of a rug or a cat in said distracted state, and then use your sprained ankle as a ‘valid’ excuse for reading it cover-to-cover in the one sitting).

I’d picked this up wi...more After reading Bolton's stunning debut Sacrifice, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Awakening and, picking this up to re-read for the umpteenth time, I can still remember that same excitement from all those years ago when I first brought my copy (the overly gleeful one where you dance about the living room, proceed to fall afoul of a rug or a cat in said distracted state, and then use your sprained ankle as a ‘valid’ excuse for reading it cover-to-cover in the one sitting).

I’d picked this up without any serious intentions of re-reading it again, having revisited it just this Easter, yet suddenly a few pages had become several chapters… I’d been enrapt once more by Bolton’s engaging style.

It’s something like six or seven times I’ve returned to Clara Benning; the reclusive vet is downright loveable and it’s become a bit of a ‘comfort read’ akin to flu-induced duvet days whiled away with the Firth Pride and Prejudice adaptation and David Attenborough talking through the various weird and wonderful animals of our planet. The character of Sean North also fondly reminds me of Steve Irwin and a childhood holiday to Australia Zoo, so little wonder this particular novel has a special place in my heart.

I’d discovered Bolton at a point where I’d official gone off the whole ‘thriller’ genre, I found myself predicting the endings with a frustrating accuracy. Sacrifice had caught me, so refreshingly unawares, that I held high hopes for Awakening… As you might have guessed, by this stage of my review, I was not disappointed. It’s exceptionally rare that I buy hardbacks, never mind at full RRP, yet Bolton is – now I think of it, the singular – exception to this. In fact, I seem to recall shaming my mother by squawking in the middle of her local supermarket on spotting her fifth and most recent novel Dead Scared in the book section (I’d been staring mournfully at it online in the run-up to its release, along with my very-empty bank account and the pitiful 41p of my savings jar).

Anyway! Having shown my fan-girl colours, onto the book itself:

On the one hand, this book is indeed a thriller. I take my hat off to anyone terrified of snakes who read this, because I remember that first time and feeling just a shade jumpy about wading through long grass for about a week or so after. And I really like snakes. On the other, as mentioned by another reviewer, there is a slight ‘coming-of-age’ element for the reclusive Clara, written from her perspective.

Bolton is the absolute Master of slowly unwinding a storyline, she doesn’t tell us precisely what is ‘wrong’ with Clara until we’re almost at the end, giving us just a few tantalising hints. She also knows how to build up the tension (I still can’t read Blood Harvest in anything less than full daylight) and the discovery of ‘Hissy Clara’ still gets to me despite knowing, precisely, what and when it’s going to happen…

Regardless of being so familiar, I still love Awakening. It’s my favourite of Bolton’s books, simply for all the memories it triggers and now has pressed between the pages – some grass fell out this morning, having somehow snuck into the conclusion. After a moment of confusion, I remembered finishing it at the Park for a break from THE particularly evil essay of last semester. Then there’s a singular tearstain at the interrogation scene, from re-reading it just after an overly-sentimental breakup… This one copy embodies all the reasons that I resent the concept of e-books. They’re too sterile.

All in, I dearly love this book. It’s started to look just a shade battered and I’ve always been pedantic about keeping my library in good condition. It’s one of the few favourites of mine that I won’t lend out - on the grounds I might have cause to re-read it again at any given moment. I’ve even indulged in the ‘carnal sin’ of dog-earring, having picked it up for a ‘few pages’ that have always led to chapters and so on, and who picks up a bookmark for just a ‘few pages’. I guess the sign of a good book is both its staying power, its rereadability AND the manner in which it can make a reader lie to themselves about precisely how much they of it they intend to be reading!

My only complaint, if it is that, is that the writing is so engaging on the subject that it always gives me a frustrating desire to go to the zoo and spend a few hours in the reptile house… And there isn’t one even remotely local to me… Bolton had embodied such passion and enthusiasm into her North character that it’s catchy!
(less)

like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Mirrani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-and-reviewed

Representing the snakes that the book is based on, the plot of Awakening will gradually twist and turn you in any number of directions before bringing you to a sharp and stunning end. The story is well thought out and the mystery is well presented so that the reader is honestly left to decide for themselves how things will go, even up to the end.

I don't know that I would say this book was overly suspenseful or thrilling. Perhaps someone with a fear of snakes will enjoy the darker, stormier parts...more

like · see review

May 11, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrills-and-chills

Not recommended for people with ophidiophobia.

S.J. Bolton writes a beautifully broken heroine in Awakening: Clara, scarred from a childhood accident, shies away from social contact and instead interacts with the animals at her vet practice. But her normal routines change when her village experiences an influx of snakes, and Clara is called in first as a rescuer and then as a consultant once several people are bitten. The victims and incidents are apparently unrelated, until Clara notices a patt...more

like · see review

Jan 11, 2012 Martin Böhler rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novels, crime

Eine Orgel ohne laufendes Windwerk gibt keinen Ton von sich. Unwahrscheinlich, daß sich in einer seit einem halben Jahrhundert verlassenen Kirche noch ein funktionierendes Windwerk findet, das außerdem ständig läuft. Oder wenigstens genau dann in Betrieb ist, wenn die Protagonistin in schwerer Bedrängnis ein bißchen Krach gut gebrauchen kann. Unwahrscheinlich genug, daß man eine funktionierende Orgel nicht längst ausgebaut hätte, aber wir wollen nicht kleinlich sein.
Daß der Lapsus leicht zu behe...more

like · see review

Mar 24, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA Readers, Suspense fans

Shelves: suspense

Overall, I liked this one quite a bit. I liked, especially, the main character -- the scarred and solitary Clara Benning. Bolton really built suspense by refusing to disclose for about 100 pages how Clara comes to be scarred. It's a mark of good writing that Clara remains compelling despite her self-involvement, and self-hatred. I love characters who evolve in the space of the novel, and Clara certainly does, very believably. She comes to realize that she has a deep magnetism, attractiveness tha...more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2009 Merilee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-a-favorites, read-b-suspense-mystery, read-a-young-adult

Great story; great character development; I can't wait to see how the story develops further in the sequels (there are more story just waiting to be written, right?)

I loved how the book kept to a central character. The author did not share her great omniscience with us; we never delved into the thoughts of another character; instead, our perception of the world and its events occur only through the eyes of the main character. And, that, made the story that much more compelling. I loved the lack...more

like · see review

Sep 18, 2011 Jerome Parisse rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another great crime novel by S.J. Bolton, with an unusual theme: Clara is a veterinary surgeon but lives as a recluse because she was disfigured in a childhood accident. She saves the life of a baby sleeping next to a venomous snake. And it's only the first occurrence of snake biting or attacks in this little English village. A taipan (An extremely venomous snake from Australia) even appears on the scene. Where do all these snakes come from and who uses them to kill people? This is the mystery C...more

like · see review

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

Snakes and religion.

Both of those subjects occupy a large portion of this book’s plot. While you might not think these things would make for a great gothic mystery, you’d be wrong.

I was looking around for some mysteries to buy for the library I occasionally work in when I stumbled across S. J. Bolton. I ended up purchasing this book and Now You See Me, thinking one day I’d get around to picking one of them up. Well, after reading a few pages of Awakening online, I practically ran to the library...more Snakes and religion.

Both of those subjects occupy a large portion of this book’s plot. While you might not think these things would make for a great gothic mystery, you’d be wrong.

I was looking around for some mysteries to buy for the library I occasionally work in when I stumbled across S. J. Bolton. I ended up purchasing this book and Now You See Me, thinking one day I’d get around to picking one of them up. Well, after reading a few pages of Awakening online, I practically ran to the library to check it out.

Veterinary surgeon Clara Benning sought refuge in a small village, working at the Little Order of Saint Francis, which treats sick or injured animals, for almost five years, hoping to live a solitary life, away from prying eyes and the crowds of people that come with large zoos, where she once worked, who would stare at her face, one side of which was disfigured by a childhood accident. Unfortunately for Clara, her isolated existence is abruptly brought to an end when deadly adders begin turning up in local houses, and even stranger things, such as a man being killed by one of the adders yet having far more venom in his system than a single bite could deliver and the appearance of a dead man in a window, begin happening. And when Clara’s investigations begin to turn up long-buried village secrets, she finds her own life in jeopardy.

Thrust into Clara’s life are caring neighbors, such as Sally, who wants nothing more than to befriend Clara, and Matt Hoare, who tries to get closer to her but also needs her help to solve the murders that are occurring, and Sean North, a celebrity reptile expert whom Clara consults for his knowledge of snakes, among others. Each character was interesting and vital in bringing Clara out of her shell. And the other characters, those involved in the happenings of the past, which involved the deaths of three young men from the village and the burning of the local church, were equally intriguing, with a number of people being possible suspects in the murders, and everything Bolton threw at the reader had me guessing who was committing the murders and why until the very end. And boy, is it a doozy. Yeah, it’s a little crazy, but utterly imaginative and a total page turner.

Awakening totally sucked me into its world. I don’t know if it’s the English setting or, despite the action that occurs, the languid feel I got from the writing, but I seriously couldn’t put this book down. Bolton has succeeded in weaving together a wonderful gothic mystery, full of intriguing characters and, in particular, a main character who is so completely believable, sympathetic and likeable (seriously, at times my heart just broke for this woman) that I can’t even begin to describe how upset I am that it appears this is a stand-alone book. I feel like their stories haven’t been finished and would love to know more about what happens in their lives. Plus, I’d really like to know what the hell the deal was between Matt and Sean!!

Though the only other of Bolton’s books that look really interesting to me is her Lacey Flint series, I’m planning on picking it up very soon and if it’s half as good as Awakening, it’ll be an awesome read.(less)

like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 Brenda B Birdow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great mystery by newcomer S. J. Bolton. Just a word of warning, if you're particularly squeamish about snakes you might have a little difficulty reading this - the whole story is based on snakes as they relate to cults/customs and the local vet whose major interest iss snakes and other creepy-crawly cold blooded animals. In investigating the unexpected death, by snake bite, of a local villager, the vet is called out to more than one house visit due to the sudden appearance of snakes insi...more

like · see review

Oct 16, 2009 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mysteries

Thrillers are not my favorite kind of mystery, except when they are as good as this one, which I'm sure will make my "Best of 2009" list. Like Sacrifice, Awakening's protagonist is a young professional woman -- a wildlife veterinarian who has spent time in the bush in Australia and now works for a wildlife rescue organization in Dorset. Disfigured in childhood, she lives a lonely life by choice in a small village -- but since it is a small village, everyone knows who she is, so she's called on f...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 83 84 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
A new mystery gen...: Gothic elements in a 21st century novel...	2	12	Apr 01, 2013 05:13am

combine
Other Editions (20)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery > Crime

21 users

Mystery

16 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

12 users

Thriller

11 users

Suspense

11 users

European Literature > British Literature

10 users

Horror

7 users

Gothic

5 users

Animals

4 users

Thriller > Psychological Thriller

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Janus Stone
by Elly Griffiths
Red Bones
by Ann Cleeves
The Burning
by Jane Casey
Blacklands
by Belinda Bauer
The Calling of the Grave
by Simon Beckett

About S.J. Bolton

Sharon J Bolton was born and brought up in Lancashire, the eldest of three daughters. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an actress and a dancer, studying ballet, tap and jazz from a young age and reading drama at Loughborough University.

She spent her early career in marketing and PR before returning to full-time education to study for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Warwick Univers...more

More about S.J. Bolton...

Books by S.J. Bolton

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Awakening

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Awakening
avg rating	preview: Awakening Goodreads rating: 3.88 (1237 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4835296-awakening?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327441688l/4835296.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4835296-awakening?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Awakening by S.J. Bolton[/url]

Awakening

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website