Awaken: Review
Meet Lucy, a volunteer at a local hospital, captain of her swimming team, who is intent on enjoying her last weekend with her best friend, Janice, before graduating college. Finals are almost over, and she just wants to have a relaxing weekend before joining the real world. As they are driving down the highway, her world changes faster than the speed limit.
Lucy wakes up 5 months later, and realizes she is no longer in a vehicle with Janice. But just where is she? She finds herself hooked up to tubes, and though the room does not have the typical “hospital” smell, she is certain she is either in a hospital, or the people surrounding her are trying to kill her. As Lucy states “mama didn’t raise no fool”.

Meet Cassie. Though she is able to tell Lucy how she ended up there- her car was side swiped by a drunk driver; and that her friend Janice survived the accident, what she continues to tell Lucy is hard to wrap your mind around. Can Lucy trust Cassie? Does she have much of a choice?

You soon learn that Cassie and her group, Max, Adam, James, etc, are known as the Patronus (which I will not go into detail so not to spoil anything for you); and that Lucy was “chosen”. If you didn’t believe that angels, demons, witches, and mythical creatures existed before, you will soon realize how wrong you were. But is Lucy strong enough to accept this and her new life?

Max.. the mysterious, nice looking guy that Lucy finds intriguing (and a guy I would probably be crushing on too!). But what is he hiding? Why does he seem so familiar to Lucy? Why does there seem to be a bond when she has never met him before?

Cassie never realized what kind of ride she was in for…Can the strength of the team be enough to get her through?


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The concept of this story is creative and clever. In execution,I found the Lucy character a little hard to believe, because everything about Lucy is so totally over the top. She is confronted by the ultimate enemy, vampires, on her first day in her safe new world--nearly killing her a second time. She has skills beyond those of beings with hundreds of years of experience--on her first day of training. And the ending revelation of her true identification requires an absolutely unbelievable leap of credulity.

I also had difficulty with Lucy's perceived level of maturity. She was stated to be 22. But her vocabulary and interests seemed to be those of a fairly shallow 14-16 year old. Hers is a kind of petulant, self-centered immaturity that a person usually outgrows before or during highschool.

If the author were editing the writing, I would encourage removing all but the first "death"pun. Some vocabulary seems inappropriate to the characters: Max "wiggled" when he was nervous, and the group of superheros "giggles". I would also encourage her to establish her "world" and stay within it. She sets up a universe with no instance of God, then at the end claims a God who started everything.

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh. I think this could be a really good story and I would look forward to reading more of Sarah Ross's writing. ( )

A fascinating unique fictitious life after death adventure.

A unique fictitious account of the after life of Lucy Donovan a college student who dies during a tragic car accident. At the start of the story the reader is immediately at Lucy's side as Lucy awakens in the afterlife. Lucy who is not aware she has passed on is immediately in panic mode wondering who the strangers are around her bed. Lucy is not only dead she has been specifically chosen by a group called the Patronus. Patronus are a special group of guardian spirits who guard and accompany other spirits after their death.

I really enjoyed this book and found the story unique and interesting until I came across vampire like demons during the story. Although I love the paranormal I just cannot get into any sort of vampire drama. I can happily say though, that I did like how Ross kept the vampire confrontations to a minimum throughout the story. I also felt Ross could have held back a little on Lucy's obsession with Max. I totally got her concept on how Lucy felt a connection with Max, but it just seemed a little bit much. I feel this is a great start for Ross, however I also feel she needs to show more strength when it comes to her depictions of the scenery, and other realms. Since this is book one for Ross she certainly has time to improve her next book. I am definitely open to reading a sequel to this book. ( )

Sarah M. Ross has a fresh voice and story to add to the paranormal realm of books. Her writing is imaginative and intriguing. She has a very creative story and has presented it in a captivating manner.

Lucy is off to have a fun weekend. She doesn't know what happens to her when she wakes to a strange room and unfamiliar people. She soon discovers that she was in an accident and she has passed away. Her body was brought to another realm and revived. The process took 5 months. She is now a Patronus. The job of a patronus is to protect the souls of the newly dead and bring them to a safe spot where they can wait to receive judgement.

The job has some serious danger involved. The vampires, werewolves, and fairies all want to steal the souls before they are taken to the waiting area. These paranormal creatures are dying out and take the souls to increase their numbers.

She finds herself working with a team. There are several teams that cover areas all over the world. They have a rough job, but they have a great rapport in the team. They are friends and very supportive of each other. It doesn't hurt that one of the guys is incredibly handsome and makes her heart flutter. His name is Max and she is instantly drawn to him. There is some secret. There and a reason, but no one wants to give her the information she craves. She knows her feelings and sudden attraction are not normal.

This book is very engaging and easy to get lost in. I liked the characters. I really liked Lucy and Max. They have an undeniable chemistry. I would only recommend this book to those who are 16 or older. The main characters range in age from 22 to over 900. The ending is abrupt and lets you know that this is the beginning of the story. The next book is scheduled for later this year. There is swearing and the use of the "f" bomb. ( )

Lucy Donovan was supposed to have a weekend of fun in the sun, celebrating her upcoming graduation from college. In a split second, everything changed. A drunk driver ended Lucy’s mortal life.

Lucy opens her eyes to a world she never imagined possible and a new destiny: as a Patronus, a guardian of spirits. Adjusting to her new role and abilities while negotiating this confusing realm will test her limits and push her further than she ever dreamed she would go. From wayward spirits who don’t want her help to soul stealing vampires, and even a stuck-up British royal, Lucy must brave them all to save one spirit she can’t bear to lose.

Further complicating her life is an inexplicable yet growing connection she feels to a member of her team, Max, whose mysterious behavior leaves her both confused and intrigued.

Waking up dead was just the beginning of her problems. Lucy’s death is about to become the greatest adventure of her life.

Review:

Oh my…the ending. I think next to the definition of cliffhanger. It’s one of the most suspenseful endings. My heart stopped midbeat once I realized that there wasn’t a next page.
This novel has many peaks and valleys for me:
The thing about paranormal novels is that you have to take an already developed concept, and somehow make it into something original. I think that Ross does this. However, at the same time, some concepts were so hard to swallow…and they kept being thrown at you, one after the other. Ross does a magnificent job of creating this world. If you could believe it when J.K. Rowling created this world of Harry Potter’s wizardry, or when Stephenie Meyer created sparkly vampires that had a diet that consisted mainly of animal blood, then you’ll be able to believe Ross’ afterlife, filled with vampires, werewolves, and wayward souls.
I didn’t like how Lucy finally accepts her situation in the afterlife. One moment Lucy is skeptical and doesn’t believe that she’s actually dead, and then she does. There is this disconnect, concerning Lucy’s acceptance. It’s like the reader is missing something, which is a shame, because she seems so believable before that point. However, Lucy’s personality soon makes up for it. She’s stubborn and doesn’t listen, and has some issues. All qualities that I love in a protagonist. She also gifted, and her tenacity also is a tool. Lucy also has a strong bond with her sister. It is what clearly motivates her and gives her strength. This sisterly bond isn’t often written about, and it was exquisitely done. It is a bond that transcends time, and life or death. It’s another kind of love, and readers will be lucky to read.
The highlight of Awaken, however, is Lucy and Max’s relationship. One word to describe their relationship: swoon. From the very first moment that they are introduced, you instinctively know whatever happens between them is going to be hot. The unresolved sexual tension builds throughout the entire plot, and just when you finally it’ll get resolved, the novel ends! It’s like Ross just gave you one chip and put the rest of the bag conveniently out of reach, but in sight. You’ve got to be cruel to be kind.
Stay tuned for the sequel Avenge coming out late summer/fall 2012.

ARC provided by Author.

Fun Tidbit: Once upon a time, way back when, I was once one of the eight graders that Ms. Ross taught to love books :) ( )