This was a wonderful second book to this series! I loved every minute of it. Thank you, Kristen Day, for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I love this series!
"Behind the confidence, beneath the intensity, and hiding amongst the darkness was an innocence so pure it almost blinded me. The wildfire condensed into a river of hot lava that flowed straight to my soul; feeding something even deeper and stronger than love itself."
And that is why I love Finn as much as Stasia does. He would do anything for Stasia. The whole book had a bunch of surprises and reveals about Finn, and I kept waiting for a shocking surprise and any moment to destroy me. And he did have some secrets, but I am so happy he never truly broke my heart.
Then there is Stasia who the book is mostly about. She is preparing for her journey to the Underworld to gain immortality. I love that she is a very strong lead female character, and would sacrifice everything for love of Finn and her friends. I think this quote from the book says it best about her character:
"Every day I wake up is a day I've fought for. Every mistake, every laugh, every tear, and every sunrise; I've earned through years of abuse and pain. I carry these memories with me as a reminder of who I am and what's truly worth fighting for."
Awaken has a new creepy villian brought in to torture Stasia and cause trouble for her and her friends. She is the Princess of the Underworld, Nadia. She screams villian, and I had no trouble hating her. She causes a lot of trouble, and leads up to the surprise ending. The ending to this book was actually very beautiful. But the last page throws you a cliffhanger that will shock you, and have you screaming for the last book, Chosen.
Have you ever felt anxiety the whole time you are reading a book because it is just that good and you know that surprises you may like or may not like or going to happen? That is how I felt reading Awaken. Kristen Day writes in a descriptive way that flows and keeps you turning the pages. There was romance that was not overdone and has you screaming for more, and lots of heart racing action. How could there not be good action when the Underworld is involved. I highly recommend this series to everyone!