Reviews

The Awakening by Nora Roberts

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library_of_fairy's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

vlwelser's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.5

rebeccas_readingnook's review against another edition

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2.0

It took me a really long time to get through this. There was more I hated about this book than I liked.

My biggest issue was the fact that this book is 400 pages and easily could have been the 1st 100 pages of the second book. This story is so drawn out, I really didn't need to read 250 pages of her adventures with her best friend. We also don't meet the hero or the "love interest" (if we can even call it that because there isn't any romance in this book or chemistry between the characters) until over 50% of the way through. Not to mention that the first intimate scene is with the hero and another woman before he even gets with our main character. That definitely rubbed me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, they both can have history but I really didn't want to read about him having sex with another woman while trying not to think of her as the MFC.

Honestly I probably should have DNFd this book but the premise of the story as a whole kept me interested enough to see how it would end (which is a cliff hanger btw). This cliff hanger, and the story overall didn't grab me enough to bother reading the rest of the books.

This story had a lot of potential, but holy hell was it really disappointing.

sapphicsoilscientist's review against another edition

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This book could have been half as long and it would have been twice as good. Not enough dragons, not enough fantasy, entirely too much ‘girl has medical issues you’re meant to dismiss because it’s Magic’s fault’ just without the requisite magic. I spent 5 hours of my life being bored by this.

amberdebo's review against another edition

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2.0

I almost couldn't finish this book. The only reason I even checked out the second book from the library is to see what happens with Marco (who is NOT one of the main characters, so we'll see how well the second book holds my attention.)

Bad things:

I HATE KEEGAN. He's a bully, and a jerk, and he belittles Breen constantly. Why in the world is he written like this? I cannot stand him. Nora Roberts must have NO experience dealing with folks with anxiety, because I can tell you, the way she wrote Keegan and his handling of Breen's anxieties...woof. He's a straight up asshole to Breen about her very real concerns. He YELLS at her when she's dealing with panic attacks, and she magically gets "better." WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. F*CK. IS. THAT. That's not how anxiety works, NORA. Would you just scream at someone with a broken leg to get over it and walk? Good Lord.

Nora Roberts is big on fat shaming without actually saying it in so many words. I don't think I realized this when I read her in high school, but considering I devoured her books back then, I am pretty sure she's one of the reasons I have such self-hatred towards myself for my weight now. It's the little snide comments about getting "fat and lazy", or how working out is a major part of Breen's identity, or the comments about her body becoming "more like a warrior" and "less soft and useless." BLEGH.

My gosh is Breen an annoying character. NOT because of her anxiety--I actually related to that part of her, and the lack of self-worth, the most. But she's literally good at everything she does, even as she doubts every action. I cannot with that.

MagicK. First of all: what is with the k. Ugh. It's whimsical and fun, apparently! Gag. Besides that, it's just a dumb magic(k) system. Or at least I think it is...it's really ill defined, so maybe it's actually really awesome in practice. There are dragons! And elves! And mermaids! And cute little poems that double as "spells!" And a generic EEEEEEVILLLLL guy with no apparent reason for being EEEEEEVILLLLLL!

Bullocks the dog. Don't get me wrong, the dog himself is one of the best characters. But why in the world is his name Bullocks? I get that it's "funny" or whatever, but I've lived in Ireland and England, and even though it's funny, it's a little rude. Yes, maybe I could see a certain type of adult naming their dog that, but I just don't see a children's book being called that...it'd be like naming a dog "Ballsack" in an U.S. children's book. (I found this surprising, because I'm pretty sure Nora Roberts spends a ton of time in Ireland so she should know this.)

The good:

Marco. That's pretty much it. I love him, and I'm way more interested in how he handles this whole new world than in how Breen does. He better get a love interest or a significant plot of his own- I'm over "sassy and gay" being substituted in as entire identities.

The "we'll see":
Breen's mother. I just have mixed feelings, which I'm pretty sure is NOT what the author intended. She obviously wants us to hate her mother, because she's written as almost cartoonishly cruel. But idk, I feel like she has a few good points about why she did what she did, although OBVIOUSLY that doesn't excuse the behavior. But it does, IMO, make her more sympathetic as a character. I hope she gets a redemption arc.

Anyway. All this to say: if book two is as bad as this one, I will not be finishing this series. I hope there's less Keegan, although I'm sure it'll be the opposite. We shall see!