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Wake of Deception

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The Ancient Ones have plans to save humanity from itself. Except the Dissenters are trying to unravel them. But when Hanu and his friends from the mental health hospital are summoned into the Capital City, he develops his own plans – stay alive long enough to find the truth. In the first installment of The Wake Trilogy, a young hero struggles to find his place in an uncertain world.

Paperback

First published November 6, 2016

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About the author

Sasha DeVore

5 books46 followers
Sasha DeVore loves coffee and sleeping, and firmly believes there is no wrong time of day for breakfast tacos. She graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology in 2012.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Michael Slavin.
Author 8 books278 followers
July 23, 2020
As the book starts is feels very predictable. In the future, an alien race has saved the Earth, but have become benevolent overloads. Children are experimented on secretly and others are drugged up so they won't be a problem.

Some kids getaway, off their meds, and meet the underground. They don't really fight back, but they do try to save others destined to be experimented on or killed.

But the story kept my interest and I kept reading. I like it, until the end. I did like the setup but wanted some resolution. I do not feel like it resolved any storylines, it just felt like part one, which it is, there is a Part 2 and 3.

There is a lot of creativity here, it was written well.

No bad words, no real violence...I think it is a YA book or could be (the author is a 3rd-grade teacher).

Review by Mike Slavin author of award-winning Kill Crime (action-packed thriller on Amazon to buy or KU. As of this writing 95% 5 and 4-star reviews on Amazon with 241 reviews)
Profile Image for Jim Liston.
Author 7 books33 followers
April 5, 2020
In the future, the world is ruled by a race of extraterrestrials that aren’t as benevolent as they appear to be. Parents report their children to the authorities if they exhibit unacceptable behavior, such as dreaming. The children are sent to mental hospitals for treatment where they are observed to determine if the drug therapy corrects the defect. Those that can’t be fixed are delivered to the District for override. Hanu and a group of children are sent to Capital City to supposedly watch the Super Bowl celebration and be in the parade. But things don’t work out that way, and the children find themselves struggling for their lives.

Wake of Deception is an exciting, adventure-packed story with colorful characters set in a thought-provoking dystopian future. I was completely involved in the story from beginning to end, without any moments failing to keep my attention. The story is a unique mix of The Matrix and the Hunger Games, which are two of my favorite stories. I have already started reading book two of the Wake Trilogy and sincerely hope that the author is well into writing book three!
Profile Image for BooksCoffee.
1,068 reviews
May 27, 2020
A mind-boggling adventure, Devore’s 3-part thrilling dystopian series tells the story of a young hero who is struggling to save the humanity from the outer-space villains.

When the Ancient Ones offered to save the humanity from self-destruction in the first installment of the series, no one on Earth had any idea about their ulterior motives. Now a hundred years have passed, and the planet is controlled by the ruthless aliens. When 14-years-old Hanu gets a chance to escape the psychiatrist facility on his way to the District of Operations with other patients, he doesn’t think twice. A group of Dissenters help Hanu and other escapees realize a harsh reality about the life on Earth: the Ancient Ones are here to destroy the humanity, and the only way to stop them from doing so is by closing the portals permanently.

In the second installment, as the full-fledged member of the Dissenter organization, Hanu is determined to destroy the portals that the Ancient Ones exploit to enter the planet. But an accident throws him in the middle of a desert. Now he must find his way back to the Underground or risk letting the Ancient Ones win.

In the third installment, the City of Fire and the Underground City's governments are unable to reach any resolution with the civil war at its peak. With the approaching Year One, an event that will implement the Ancient Ones’ complete autonomy over Earth, it becomes imperative that Hanu and his friends destroy the Ancient Ones completely or risk humanity’s complete annihilation.

Devore’s characters are multidimensional and memorable: a charismatic hybrid, a gifted teenager and his loyal group of friends, a genius organization, a malevolent outer-space villain who learns to accept the human values, the ruthless aliens - antagonists or heroes, all the characters make an impression with their well-rounded portrayal. The intriguing intergalactic world and the setting of the dystopian Earth add to the intrigue.

The series is recognizable as a space opera, but everything from humanity’s self-destruction to the politics of the Intergalactic Council is richly detailed, providing depth to the story. With its exciting, swashbuckling adventures of ordinary heroes and beautifully written accessible prose, the series will appeal to readers of any age including the young and old.

A brilliant series to introduce the middle graders or early teens to the world of dystopian fiction.

12 reviews
January 24, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read, well paced and well thought out. It's super easy to get through but also captivating, I finished it in two days. The author evolves her writing style as the book progresses, matching the language with the growth of the main character. Also absolutely love the overall story and concept, it blends a lot of different types and concepts of sci-fi, while pulling off a story that doesn't feel rehashed or boring. It's unique and unlike anything I've read.

Unfortunately I did find the writing itself lacking at times. It was occasionally difficult to understand her description of spaces or actions, and towards the beginning the writing was a little too over simplistic. Not sure if it was her intention, but the character descriptions were also a little lacking. I didn't mind it too much, since it allowed a level of imagination, but at times it becomes confusing because of the amount of characters introduced. Because of that I'm giving it 4 stars. But I definitely recommend it to sci-fi lovers!

I will also say, it helps that I had a lot of knowledge about alien conspiracy theories going into reading this, FOR SURE draws a lot from that world (in a good way in my opinion).
Profile Image for Madeline W.
402 reviews3 followers
June 6, 2020
REVIEW: Wake of Deception (The Wake Trilogy, #1), Sasha DeVore
RATING: 3.25/5 stars

I received a free digital ARC of this novel through a LibraryThing Member Giveaway.

It has taken me a little while to get through this book, but I am glad to report that I've finally finished it! I feel slightly biased in my review of this novel, as I felt the target audience level to be much younger than myself, so this is one book I'd definitely recommend checking out yourself to make a judgement. The basic summary is that Hanu and several other children are detained in a mental facility in your typical science fiction world, with the Ancient Ones - an alien race - reigning as benevolent rulers. But as time progresses, Hanu learns to breakdown previous misconceptions and fight like a martyr for his friends and beliefs.

It was a cute story and an easy read, with just enough tension from time to time to keep the plot moving forward. However, I had some issues with Hanu. I know we're looking at a young protagonist here, but the irresponsibility and unintentional egocentrism jumped out on occasion. Specifically, I am thinking of the "it's not fair!" outbursts throughout the text. To me, it was realistic enough for someone his age, but it was somewhat grating to read through. There was also a lot of "but you're just a kid!" talk that seemed moderately forced. Still, I did enjoy the tales of alien races and alternate dimensions. Kurt Vonnegut and his Tralfamadorians would be impressed by those portions, I believe.

I think I would have enjoyed the book more if the plot and writing voice were geared more toward adults. There are many interesting ideas to explore in this text - which I hope are advanced further in books two and three - but they fall short with briefness and a predictable progression. The foundation is here for a solid series, but there are just pieces missing for me.
Profile Image for Dannielle.
10 reviews
February 12, 2018
I recieved this through a Goodreads Giveaway and had it through just in time to take away with me on my honeymoon.

Overall I enjoyed the novel, I am fan of dystopians although I haven't read too many books in that genre. Hanu was a fascinating main character, making his way through a society that doesn't take too kindly to people like him.

He travels from an instituation to a main city and from there things really go off with a bang!
After being separated from his mother and sister for several years, he finally gets to reunite with them, in what I found to be a heartbreaking scene.

Hanu, along with several other characters, then make their way through the city and it's underground to escape the 'Ancient Ones'. My only quibbles, is that the novel itself wasn't, in my opinion, long enough. I think it could have been another 100 pages at least, and then we could have had some more in depth descriptions.

This leads me on to my second and final quibble, the Ancient Ones...
I couldn't really picture what they are supposed to look like! And it frustrated me so much!
I spent 15 minutes re-reading and re-reading their physical descriptions and still couldn't get a picture in my head!

That being said, the novel was interesting and I can't wait for the sequel! :)
Profile Image for Emma Marie.
62 reviews2 followers
August 25, 2017
I enjoyed this book, however it did lose me a little mid-way through when it started talking about their illnesses as gifts that allowed them to do things such as astral project. It appeared to come out of nowhere really, and I think had the book been longer and allowed more time for this to be built up it would have sat better.

The focus shifted away from that more in to the 'real world' after that (though it was still mentioned) and my enjoyment of the book returned. Overall a quick, nice read.
Profile Image for Victor Hess.
Author 6 books23 followers
June 8, 2020
Ready to jump to episode 2

Sasha DeVore has given us the perfect hero - a patient in a futuristic mental institution and tasks him with fighting a superior force to save the world. Her characters are well crafted and essential in this dystopian tale that kept me interested at each turn of the page. She uses excellent dialog and narrative to inform the reader. I recommend this highly.
2 reviews
January 18, 2020
It was one for the conspiracy theorists for sure. I enjoyed breaking the story line down in my head. I loved that it was an easy read, not too dense on the technical stuff, but just enough description to help the reader understand the future setting. I recommend for teens and young adults.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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