Author: Katie Kacvinsky
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's
Published: May 23, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 352
Source: Cornucopia of Dystopia
Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.
Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.
In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.
Maddie lives in a future world where everything is digital. School, friendships, relationships and life, in general, are all lived out through computers. The real world people once lived in is an inconvenience, and Maddie's content to obey her father's rules and the world she's used to. Justin comes into her life though, and makes her wonder what she might be missing because he loves the tangible world that's so foreign to her. And Maddie starts to wonder if there's something to be said for real life...and she has to decide if it's something she wants more than the virtual world.
I love the premise for Awaken. We live in a society where technology really drives our culture. I mean, seriously, people vie for the best phones, best television and best computers all the time. The more we communicate via these means, the better. Author, Katie Kacvinsky, has taken what we see in society and made it the entire backbone of the future. It's a scary world where nothing is done together, but rather all virtual, and it makes you wonder what will happen if continue on this path. Thought-provoking and eerily believable, Awaken made me uncomfortable but intrigued.
That's all fine and well, but I have to admit that I really struggled to connect with Maddie and Jason. I liked that Maddie wasn't a pushover in Awaken, but I felt that Jason was just so incredibly preachy that it was off-putting. The theme of Awaken was powerful, but I also felt it was really, really in-your-face if that makes sense. I knew two pages in that the message was that we don't really live if we live in a virtual world, but I felt it was a bit bland because it was just beating me over the head with it. That's not to say the message wasn't strong or powerful in and of itself, but I guess I wanted to see more of a visual from Awaken, and all I saw were words.
Awaken is a rich story with a good, moral message despite its flaws. In a world of dystopian fiction, it takes a unique approach and simply advances on the world we live in today. I give it a strong 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to fans of YA books and dystopian fiction.
Today is day 8 of The Long Weekend Blog Tour! Be sure to check out today's tour stop over at Tara's blog, Hobbitsies! She's got another amazing review and interview lined up for you, plus another chance to win!
Great review! This one sounds amazing, but I’m bummed to hear the characters were difficult to connect with. I’ll probably still give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI get what you mean about the message being too in-your-face. I've experienced this with a few books. I'm still looking forward to reading Awaken--like you said, the premise sounds really interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds intriguing, but that's a shame that the characters weren't easy to connect with. Thanks for the great honest review, :D
ReplyDeleteI felt the exact same way on this one Melissa! I liked Maddie quite a bit and I was intrigued by the world and how entirely possible it seemed, but Justin drove me crazy. He was a bit much at times for sure.
ReplyDeleteEek, over-preachy? That would really bug me, but it does seem there were a lot of positives too. I'm not sure if I'll be reading this one, but thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI love the premise of the novel but I don't like preachy characters! I might still read the book because of the good points you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteOver-preachy characters put me off very efficiently but your review made me ponder on this one - thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a disappointment. I really do not like it when a book feels preachy with its theme. I was really hoping that based on the premise this would be better.Thanks for such an honest review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really interesting...I might have to check it out. I hate when I can't connect with the characters though! :(
ReplyDeleteI have read several reviews on this book and all the same rating. I think I may pass on this one. Or i may pick it up later. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this book - I read it off netgalley, but I haven't reviewed it yet. :)
ReplyDeleteUgh, I do not like preachy characters. But I'll still give this one a try. Hopefully he doesn't bug me too much.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review :)
This sounds like an interesting book but preachiness is definitely a turn-off. Also, the idea of living solely off of computers seems like a bit of a stretch. I don't know...still might be worth reading.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping and hoping this one was going to be fantastic! I'm sure I'll still read it and see what I think, great review Melissa!
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...great review, but this one might have to wait. So many books, so little...well, you know the rest!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week!
Kristin@ My Bookish Ways
I had a hard time with this one...I think it started off ok but for some reason I didnt finish it. Nice review, it makes me want to recheck my galley..:)
ReplyDeleteJustin did nothing for me. And how many times did he have to say 'My job is more important than you' before Maddie got the picture....?
ReplyDeleteI don't mind good messages but that's disappointing - I'm really not into the 'hit me over the head' preachy stuff.
ReplyDeleteHmm, not a fan of overly preachy characters but other than that, I do love my dystopians so perhaps I will love this one too.
ReplyDeleteawesome review, melissa!!
ReplyDeleteGreat honest review. I look forward to trying this one when I'm back in the YA swing of things :)
ReplyDeleteSure the web is nice, but to never meet for real, what a horrible world it sounds like. I am glad she ventures out
ReplyDeleteFair review - I haven't read this one yet, but I am hearing mixed reviews. I'll still give it a go, though :) Thanks, Melissa!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I'm going to have to think on this one. A new one and sounds great! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI found Justin to be really preachy too and that made it hard to connect with him. I also didn't like that he kept trying to push Maddie away. Despite some grievances though, I found this one easy to read and can see the world ending up like the one envisioned by Kacvinsky.
ReplyDeleteThe cover made it look really slow, so I've been kind of avoiding it. Great review though :)
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to this one for a while now, so I'm a little disappointed that it didn't live up to your expectations. I still fully intend on reading it, but I'll keep it in mind that the message may be beaten over my head a bit. Great review, as always.
ReplyDeleteOoofff... not a strong connection with the characters? I'm definitely going to have to keep my eye out for this when I read Awaken. Thanks for the straight-forward review!
ReplyDelete