About a month ago, I was approached to be a part of an amazing blog tour called A Cornucopia of Dystopia based solely around dystopian fiction by the amazing Danya of A Tapestry of Words and Casey of The Bookish Type. How could I possibly refuse?!

Long story short...I had the amazing opportunity to read Awaken by debut author, Katie Kacvinsky, who took time out of her busy day to answer a few of my questions for all my readers? So, check out the interview below, and be sure to check out the lineup for the rest of the tour!

1. Please describe Awaken in five words or less.

Yikes. I’m really bad at this but here you go: Dystopian romance, anti-technology drama.

2. What made you decide to write a dystopian novel?

I write the kind of books I want to read. I love science fiction and dystopia because you can take the fictional themes and apply them to real life. I also look at where our culture is headed with all of our digital devices and it freaks me out. I think we’re losing touch with what makes us human and that’s what inspired my story.

3. Finish this sentence..."If I weren't an author, I would be a ____."

Movie director. Or, I’d be an assistant to James Cameron who is my favorite director.

4. What is one message you hope your readers will come away with from Awaken.

I think we are all caught up in the digital age. Even though many of these technologies have so many benefits, I think they can also be addictive and waste a lot of our time. I hope people will think about their own habits and remember that it’s okay to unplug once in a while.

5. Technology is at the core of Awaken. Do you ever fear that the world be the way it is in the novel?

In some ways we are already there; technology is the core of our own society right now. But, I’d like to think that we’ll never make it to the extreme I write about. 
6. You could virtually workout on a computer or do a physical workout in the real world. Which do you choose, and why? 
I’ve tried working out to DVDs but I much prefer running outside or playing sports with friends. I can’t even play Wii video games. It makes me laugh to watch people do it; I think they look really stupid. I’d rather invest in a tennis racket and a pair of shoes and go play the game outside instead of swatting my hand at an invisible ball moving on a screen.

7. Is there anything specific you'd like to tell your readers?

If you like a good love story, you’ll like by novel.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Katie! Now for the rest of you...do you want a chance to win an awesome ARC of Awaken for yourself?! Here are the rules: This international giveaway ends on April 15, 2011 at midnight EST. Random.org will pick the winner and the winner will be emailed directly. You do NOT have to be a follower, but if you are, it is much appreciated!

Click HERE to enter!

Awaken Review (Cornucopia of Dystopia Tour)

Title: Awaken
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.

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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!

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

FOR REVIEW

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

(ARC - Thank you, 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.

FOR REVIEW

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

(eARC - Thank you, Harlequin Teen & Netgalley)

Every girl who has taken the test has died. Now it's Kate's turn. It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

FREE NOOK BOOK

The Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher

(Thank you, Barnes & Noble)

Rae Wilder has problems. Plunged into a world of dark magic, fierce creatures and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. 

Rae finds herself beaten up, repeatedly, and forced to make a choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.