{"id":4759,"date":"2018-09-08T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-09-08T16:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=4759"},"modified":"2018-09-07T17:50:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-08T00:50:34","slug":"the-awakened-teen-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/the-awakened-teen-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Awakened — Teen Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

review by Kira Toal, age 16<\/p>\n

The Awakened\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>by\u00a0Sarah Elizabeth Santana<\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> by Sara Elizabeth Santana follows Zoey Matthews, a teenage girl whose life is torn apart by \u201cZ:\u201d a virus that wipes out a third of the population within weeks, and then reanimates their corpses. The undead victims are now smarter, stronger, and driven by an insatiable desire for human flesh. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Characters: 3.5\/5<\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The male and female leads of the story, Ash and Zoey, aren\u2019t over-exaggerated (which is a complaint I often have of young-adult novel protagonists), but at times feel dull. Yes, Zoey is perseverant and Ash is loyal, but giving a character heroic traits doesn\u2019t necessarily make that character unique or compelling. They are by no means unlikable, but they could have been more thoroughly developed. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The villain, however, is excellent. Although I can\u2019t divulge too much about her motives and methods in order to keep this review spoiler-free, I can say that she is a fearsome and megalomaniacal antagonist perfect for a story about individuals attempting to reclaim some control over their lives amidst harrowing circumstances. \u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Tone: 5\/5<\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book\u2019s greatest strength lies within its tone. The beauty of <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> is that it knows when and when not to take itself seriously. Santana clearly did not set out to write the grittiest, most gruesome zombie novel ever written. I firmly believe, due to her narrative and dialogic choices, that she aimed to strike a balance between thrilling action and sardonic humor, and she certainly delivers. There are moments that are swelling with suspense and dread, and there are moments, particularly between Zoey and Ash, that brim with acerbic wit and playfulness. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Plot: 4\/5<\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the <\/span>The Awakened\u2019s<\/i><\/b> pacing, because when I got to the book\u2019s midway point and realized how much Santana had already crammed into the story and how much was still left to go, I assumed the 341 page book\u2019s Maximum Story Capacity (as I like to call it) wouldn\u2019t be able to fit in every plot point. Despite some minor inconsistencies, however, the book\u2019s story is told very well. The ending leaves a few questions unanswered, but <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> does have a sequel, <\/span>The Sanctuary<\/span><\/i>, which likely ties up the loose ends. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Setting: 4.5\/5 <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The world building in <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> is well-handled. When the characters move from one place to another, it feels concrete\u2014as though they are moving through real time and space as opposed to through the pages of a book. The world of <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> is on the verge of the apocalypse, not post-apocalyptic; thus, when Santana introduces the reader to new environments, the descriptions feel well-integrated into the story. In other words, novels in which the apocalypse has already happened often include a lot of expository narration for the sole purpose of explaining the world to the reader. <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b>, on the other hand, allows readers to learn about the world at the same time as the characters, which makes the novel far more immersive. \u00a0<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Overall Score: <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The zombie-filled world of <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> might get messy, but the novel itself features a clean, uncluttered story about trust, survival, and control. The action is well done, the world is organic, and the take on zombies is fresh and unique. My greatest criticism of the novel is that the characters feel underdeveloped, but it should be kept in mind that <\/span>The Awakened<\/i><\/b> is only the first half of a duology, and I have a feeling that Zoey and Ash\u2019s growth as characters is far from finished. 4\/5 stars. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Find this book in our catalog: The Awakened<\/a><\/p>\n

Catalog Number: SF SANTANA,S<\/p>\n

339 pages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

review by Kira Toal, age 16 The Awakened\u00a0by\u00a0Sarah Elizabeth Santana \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Awakened by Sara Elizabeth Santana follows Zoey Matthews, a teenage girl whose life is torn apart by \u201cZ:\u201d a virus that wipes out a third of the population within weeks, and then reanimates their corpses. The undead victims are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":4760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/09\/the-awakened.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1eL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6123,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2020\/kingdom-of-souls-teen-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4759,"position":0},"title":"Kingdom of Souls — Teen Book Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"December 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 Kingdom of Souls By Rena Barron Arrah, unlike many other people her age, does not yet possess magic. 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