Awakening

"Awkward start but intriguing premise. Decent writing but not particularly noteworthy. Makes the most sense when you know that it is written to give backstory for a videogame - though I wouldn't let that stop you from reading it. If you're shy of videogame-like violence and depressing themes, though, you might let that dissuade you..."

"4.5...took a little while to get in to, but well worth the read!"

"When I started reading this I tried to take it in small doses to make it last as long as possible. That didn't work out very well because before I even got half way I didn't want to atop reading for almost anything (including eating). I'm loving following Ana on this path to finding herself and saving her origin world. There are so many mysteries to unlock and so much that's unknown to us that I both love it and I hate it. I'm enjoying the slow unveiling and yet I'm one of those people that wants to know it all now. This story is great and I'm loving the journey Ana has embarked on. I can't wait to see what she becomes and what other powers she gains. I'm seeing an epic battle in the future (I hope) and Ana becoming even more awesome than she already is. I can't wait for book 3 to come out and I really hope that it's soon so we can see what else is in store for Ana and her tribe. Also I'm completely team Jaden. Dohlan can go find someone else to stalk and haunt their dreams."

"I'm running out of ways to say I love Sanderson's books. But whatever. This was another great one. And you really don't need to play the game before you read this, though I did briefly read to get an idea of what the game was about. I would be interested to see what his constraints were on this book and what he could use his creative mind to make. Also, this book does end on quite the cliffhanger, and reading on kindle (and not being able to see physically how much of the book was left) I found myself surprised and upset at the abrupt end, but that was the initial shock. There's still another game and story, so yay for that."

"CW: death, gore, language<br/><br/>It wasn’t bad. The meat of the story was good, it’s just that the timing was kind of disjointed and unclear. Apparently the book’s story takes place over 2 months, but based on the way it was laid out it really sounded like it took more like two weeks. The snark was entertaining, the plot has some decent weight to it, and many of the characters were enjoyable (including the MC). It’s just that the transitions in time weren’t really there, which made for some really confusing leaps. This is book 1; there is a sequel, a prequel, and a novella (novella review coming soon). I want to know how everything resolves, but I’m not dying to grab book 2 immediately to find out. <br/><br/>Chase, the MC, is marketed as a total dick; a partying, promiscuous, *****. Maybe he was before the story’s timeline picks up, but we never really get to see that. You get the feeling that he partied a lot and was willing to have casual hookups, but he doesn’t come across as a tool, just that he likes to have a good time. With the pacing of the actual book, we don’t get much of a chance to get to know any of the characters particularly well, including the MC. I really would have liked to have seen more of who the characters are outside of crisis mode. I think they all have a lot of potential, but this story didn’t quite hit it for me. There wasn’t much emotion for me, just a lot of mayhem and blurred timelines."