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A review by diany_in_bookland
The Awakening by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I heard a lot of really great things about this series so I thought I'd give it a shot. I really enjoyed the dark academia vibes and the way that it merged with urban fantasy elements from many different myths and legends. The way that they were intertwined was super interesting but they still managed to stay true to their own original stories which I really appreciated because I love the origins of all the fantasy creatures the orders were derived from.
I also liked how the reader is just thrown into the mix and is figuring out a new world as the protagonists are. It's confusing and overwhelming, but when it's intentional, I think it can be a lot of fun. This book was a one that I didn't mind the info dump because it was the same as Darcy and Tory got when they found out they were fae.
The last thing I think I enjoyed about this book is the fact that there were trust issues about absolutely everything. I anticipate that this series is going to be everything that The Vampire Academy wishes it was. Every time we got new information, it made it even harder to know what to believe and who to trust which was so frustrating but in the best way for a book like this.
You would think I'd rate this book higher considering everything I liked, but it had a few things that left a bad taste in my mouth. From what I understand, this book was supposed to be a new adult urban fantasy but I just didn't get any of that. There is exactly one spicy scene, but other than that there wasn't anything to suggest it was targeted for a new adult audience. The characters were in the new adult range, but even that was hard to believe. Darcy and Tory are twin sisters that have had a rough life and only gets worse when they arrive at Zodiac Academy. Based on what we know about them, they wouldn't just hide when things get rougher or fall apart just because of a handsome guy with a nice body. We see in the first couple of chapters how they handle themselves in the presence of toxic men so why are the heirs at Zodiac any different (minus the obvious magic aspect)?
I do plan on continuing on with the series because I do like the idea behind Zodiac and I want to see what happens with the twins (I also really want to know what Order they fall into). I don't think this was a strong first book for a series, but I don't want to DNF it just yet.
I also liked how the reader is just thrown into the mix and is figuring out a new world as the protagonists are. It's confusing and overwhelming, but when it's intentional, I think it can be a lot of fun. This book was a one that I didn't mind the info dump because it was the same as Darcy and Tory got when they found out they were fae.
The last thing I think I enjoyed about this book is the fact that there were trust issues about absolutely everything. I anticipate that this series is going to be everything that The Vampire Academy wishes it was. Every time we got new information, it made it even harder to know what to believe and who to trust which was so frustrating but in the best way for a book like this.
You would think I'd rate this book higher considering everything I liked, but it had a few things that left a bad taste in my mouth. From what I understand, this book was supposed to be a new adult urban fantasy but I just didn't get any of that. There is exactly one spicy scene, but other than that there wasn't anything to suggest it was targeted for a new adult audience. The characters were in the new adult range, but even that was hard to believe. Darcy and Tory are twin sisters that have had a rough life and only gets worse when they arrive at Zodiac Academy. Based on what we know about them, they wouldn't just hide when things get rougher or fall apart just because of a handsome guy with a nice body. We see in the first couple of chapters how they handle themselves in the presence of toxic men so why are the heirs at Zodiac any different (minus the obvious magic aspect)?
I do plan on continuing on with the series because I do like the idea behind Zodiac and I want to see what happens with the twins (I also really want to know what Order they fall into). I don't think this was a strong first book for a series, but I don't want to DNF it just yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting