Awaken

by Lauren Wagner

Natalia has embraced the choice of her people. She is honored to have been chosen as their human sacrifice and will surrender her life to the Gods. She awaits the call of her people for that final moment, living a life of solitude until it's time. But then her death is stolen from her - she is kidnapped by her own guards and forced into an eternal slumber.

Hundreds of years later - now - Natalia is woken in a world that's completely unfamiliar. The archeological team was not looking for her. They were looking for Estancia, the lost city of gold, and Natalia agrees to guide them.

While they journey through the treacherous jungles of Argentina, Natalia stumbles upon the alarming truth of her past. Her life's prophecy must be fulfilled to restore balance to her people, but only she can decide whether that balance is worth her death.

Genres: Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Nica Sarmiento]

If you love Indiana Jones and Lara Croft movies, you should definitely read this book. It shows the point of view of the mystery waiting to be discovered. Fast paced, action filled book, I loved it. A little more proofreading will give it a 5 ⭐️. I loved how there’s two points of view from two people of different backgrounds so it gives a wider perspective for the reader.

[The Book Coyote]

I received an advance review copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book has a lot of potential. I really fell in love with the story and found myself really interested to see what was going to happen next. It was original, interesting, and moved quickly enough to keep me involved. The writing is good (if not completely consistent - see below), and it was a fun, easy read.

However, there are a few things that negatively impacted my enjoyment of this book. First of all, while I agree with the author's decision to have two viewpoints since they are so different, it was jarring to switch from 1st person to 3rd person. I think this could have been improved if Quinn's perspective was 1st person as well. I also think that this might have helped the enormous number of pronoun mistakes ("her" for "my", for instance) and incorrect verb tenses. I realize that this book is an ARC and therefore not completely corrected for publication, but I have never seen so many of them before. A consistent perspective would likely fix this problem.

One other thing - from both Natalia and Quinn's perspective, it seemed that the reader is dropped into the action far too quickly. As the book is already on the short side for a novel, I think it would be nice if there were a few chapters from each perspective on the background of the main characters, and where they were and what they had been doing before. This would allow the reader to gain more attachment to them and maximize the impact of the story.

As I said, this book has a lot of potential, and I enjoyed the creativity. It is not like every other book out there and it is written with usually beautiful prose.

[Yamini]

I love it book starts with the punch on your face 😂 No crawling slowly to build the arena n chapter over chapter introducing the characters. Don't get me wrong that's all right if you are reading literature or epic fantasy. But for a middle grade, this approach just felt right 👍
So here are my pros n cons takeout from the book:

Pros:
🍃 The book is fast-paced with short chapters that you can easily skim through
🍃 The storyline is quite novel
🍃 It has a peculiar combination of Archeology and Saving the world by the sacrifice of a little girl
🍃 The protagonists in the book will be well relatable to the targeted audience (middle grade)
🍃 The dragon is super cute taking care of the girl

Cons:
🍂 Few concepts are not well explained like how did a little girl not age much in 800 years or so?

Also, it is important that readers first read the blurb at the end of the book to get the hang of what's going on inside the book from the first chapter itself. Usually, it's what people do, but in case you are one of those who just jump head into the book, it will take a while to figure out who is doing what and why.

Thank you very much @cinnabarmothpub for the ARC. This book was a journey I longed to have 😊

Genre: #middlegrade #fantasy
Rating: 4/5 ⭐

[Cynthia Prosser]

The first thing I want to mention is this books needs to be proofread thoroughly. There were many mistakes and I often got the impression that it had originally been written in the 3rd person and then edited to be in the 1st person. It rather distracted from the story and that was frustrating. That being said, it was a good story with well written characters. It is the type of tale that unfolds a piece at a time and leaves you guessing, wondering, and wishing to know what happens next. A piece of information would unfold and you would be left wondering how does this fit and in with the rest of whats happening. The story is told in the 1st person alternating between the 2 primary characters. It starts long ago in a different world and in that world ther are dragons, but you don't know if the dragon is a "good guy" or a "bad guy". Then the story moves to the current day as the the protagonists work out what and why that happened long ago and how it impacts the events of today. I liked the primary characters and the way they intereacted and became a troup or family together. Some pondering of the extant issues and some action. Then the action increased adn the end of the novel pulled you along to its conclusion. Satisfactory ending which left me wondering what happened next. Would recommend to folks who like some fantasy with a smattering of dragons, some archeology, and/or some South American indigious people.

[Princess Pandora]

I have absolutely loved every minute of this book! The dual POV is done really well! It starts off so exciting and has you hooked by the first paragraph.
I have been recommending it to everyone I can because it’s so different from anything I’ve ever read. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while!

It starts with Natalia thinking that she’s going to be sacrificed on her 16th birthday! Which is a huge honor! Instead, she’s kidnapped by her own guards and trapped in a cave, forced to sleep for 100s of years by her Keeper, a dragon! When she wakes up, she’s discovered by an archaeologist name Quinn! You will not want to stop until you find out if her city, Estancia, is actually a Myth or the real “Lost City Of Gold”

[Alexandria]

Adventure, mystery, fairy tales and family all come together in this compelling read. Waking up after 800 years after being put in a cave with a dragon, people thinking she is crazy, and wanting to find the truth is peak inside Awaken. I started this book before bed and told everyone I knew about it the next day and how I couldn’t wait to finish it that evening! I will definitely read again and purchase for a friend as well as for my bookshelf!

[Steve Fowler]

Awaken

Excellent read ! Loved the story and the characters. Enjoyed the description of the Dragon. This is a book that I couldn't put down.

[Bonnie DeMoss]

Natalia is the chosen one of her people. She has been prepared to die as a sacrifice and is very willing to do so. Then she is kidnapped and forced into an unwanted slumber by an evil dragon. Hundreds of years pass, and in the present, Natalia is awoken by Quinn. Imagine being part of an archaelogical dig and your treasure comes alive! Before long, Natalia leads her finders on a quest for the lost city of gold, but she is really only interested in saving her people.

I enjoyed the changing points of view. Natalia's point of view is in first person, and Quinn's is in third person. The two points of view work together well and are not confusing. The character development is excellent and the description of the dragon is so intriguing. This is a thrilling archaelogical adventure through the jungles of Argentina. It is full of action and surprises and will keep you enthralled. Highly recommended for fans of YA Fantasy.

I received a free copy of this book from Cinnabar Moth publishing. My review is voluntary and the opinons expressed are my own.

[Delphia Von Heeder]

Awaken is a new novel by Lauren Wagner. Awaken is a fabulous book that is different and fresh. I thought Awaken was a unique story. Natalia is chosen to be Queen of her people, Estancia. Her guards took her from her bed to a cave where a dragon with blue scales kept her prisoner. She slept and when an archeological group broke into the cave, Natalia awakes… 800 years after she went to sleep. This fantasy has adventure, evil men wanting revenge, dragons, heros, just everything a great fantasy should have. I received this arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Kat M]

this was a great fantasy novel, the characters were well done and I enjoyed the premise. It was a unique setting and I enjoyed this story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.