Mini Reviews: Mist + Awaken

MIST
Mist #1
Susan Krinard
Adult Urban Fantasy
384 pages
Tor Books
Available now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Centuries ago, all was lost in the Last Battle when the Norse gods and goddesses went to war. The elves, the giants, and the gods and goddesses themselves were all destroyed, leaving the Valkyrie Mist one of the only survivors.

Or so she thought.

When a snowy winter descends upon modern-day San Francisco in June, Mist’s quiet existence starts to feel all too familiar. In quick succession, Mist is attacked by a frost giant in a public park and runs into an elf disguised as a homeless person on the streets…and then the man Mist believed was her mortal boyfriend reveals himself to be the trickster god, Loki, alive and well after all these years.

Loki has big plans for the modern world, and he’s been hanging around Mist for access to a staff that once belonged to the great god Odin. Mist is certain of one thing: Loki must be stopped if there is to be any hope for Earth. But the fight is even bigger than she knows….

Because Loki wasn’t the only god to survive.

MY THOUGHTS 
Mist thrusts us into a modern-day world just starting to feel the influence of figures of Norse mythology, fascinating us from the beginning with gods and goddesses perhaps lesser known than those of their Greek or Roman counterparts, and all the more intriguing for it. As is often the case with first installments of urban fantasy series, this book focuses primarily on world-building and setting up the epic war that hovers ominously on the horizon, leaving us faltering just a touch with some of the Nordic names and terminology which are both hard to pronounce and remember. Additionally, given infamous trickster god Loki is the primary villain, we know from the onset that Mist’s battle with him is not one that will be resolved in this first book, and without a smaller villain or story arc to provide a concrete conclusion, there’s definitely a feeling of unfinished business when we reach the last page.

Despite those drawbacks, Mist proves to be a heroine with infinite potential, the prologue showing us in brutal detail just how vulnerable she can be physically even with the advantages granted to her as a valkyrie, while the rest of the story gives us a glimpse at her strength and her fighter’s spirit. There’s the barest hint of a romance between her and an elf with more secrets and lies in his life than we can almost keep track of, their initial antagonism and slow emotional thaw toward one another piquing our curiosity as we can’t help but wonder how things will continue to develop once a light is shone into the elf’s dark and shadowy corners.

Rating: 3.5/5

Find Susan:

Website • Facebook • Blog • Goodreads • Amazon

AWAKEN

Abandon #3

Meg Cabot

Paranormal Young Adult

343 pages

Scholastic Point

Available now 

Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness — and safety — are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: He revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order. Someone has to die.

MY THOUGHTS

Awaken starts out strong, returning us to the Underworld and giving us a glimpse of John and Pierce finally working together at the job they both initially fought but now embrace, delighting the part of us that loves mythology and has been dying (no pun intended) all along to see it play a bigger role in this series. Unfortunately though, we’re all too quickly returned the surface and Pierce is once again separated from John, our hope of watching their romance develop in a way it hasn’t the past two books crushed like so much dust. Their seemingly dark bond and the inherent danger that stems from John being lord of the Underworld has been one of the key components drawing our interest, but the connection between them has never quite sparked an emotional reaction, and while this final installment is no doubt an enjoyable read, it doesn’t lock the much-desired connection we’ve been waiting for in place.

Pierce has made progress from the young woman she was in book one, finally content in her relationship with John and no longer so keen to run from him or do things he specifically asks her not to, while at the same time proving she can be every bit as intimidating as he is when those she loves are threatened. Like the romance though, the plot of Awaken leaves a bit to be desired, some problems for both Pierce and John working out quickly and easily, never really testing us heart and soul to see how much we can withstand before we carry the marks of our time with these characters with us forever. The potential for an emotional read is undeniably present, but this series seems more content to stay a touch more superficial, and while it doesn’t fail to entertain in its superficiality, those of us who crave the battle scars caused by a book that challenges us every step of the way can’t help but want more.

Rating: 3.5/5
 

Find Meg:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon 

These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Interview: Katie Kacvinsky

I'm super excited today to welcome author Katie Kacvinsky to the blog to answer just a few questions about her young adult dystopian novel, Awaken (read my review HERE). This one has a fascinating concept and an all-too possible depiction of a completely digital future, and will release from Houghton Mifflin on May 23rd. Hope you enjoy the interview!

Much like Maddie in the beginning of Awaken, I often feel naked and cut off from the world without access to the internet or anything digital, are you the same way or do you embrace those times when you can be “ unplugged” ?

This is a tough question. I realize there are so many benefits to technology—the internet is the most powerful resource that exists. I’d be a hypocrite to say I don’t use it. But, I do embrace being unplugged. I don’t need to be connected to everyone, every second of the day. What bothers me is if you try to go unplugged for very long, you become a social outcast. We not only use computers for information, we also use them for jobs, entertainment, shopping, socializing, even dating. It’s the fact that computers are taking over every facet of our lives that is creeping me out.

In order to calm Maddie down from a panic attack at being away from the constant stimulation of her digital world, Justin tells her to picture her utopia. What would your utopia look and sound like?

My utopia is Bayfield, Wisconsin. It’s a small harbor town on the edge of Lake Superior in Northern Wisconsin. When I go up there, I feel like time slows down. I love walking down the piers, crammed full with sailboats. I love hearing the ferryboat coming to and from Madeline Island (I actually named my character, Maddie, after Madeline Island). It’s also a great place to people watch—full of kayakers and tourists that fill the downtown streets and pubs. It’s one of those places where all my negative energy drifts away.

If you could say anything embarrassing, or gushing, or brutally honest to one person knowing you had the ability to delete all traces of it after it was said, who would you unburden yourself to?

I would tell Stephen Colbert that he has stolen my heart and soul and that I love his pointy little ears.

Did you write Awaken straight through from beginning to end or did you write the events out of order? If you wrote out of order and it’ s not a spoiler, can you tell us where you started and why there?

I wrote Awaken in order (I know, boring). Usually when I write books I skip around, but this one spilled out of me so quickly it practically wrote itself.

If Maddie or Justin could pick a literary world outside their own to live in, which fictional worlds might each of them choose and what would they find so appealing about them?

That’s a good question. I think Maddie still needs to figure this out—I don’t think you know where you belong until you leave your comfort zone and try out other places. But I can see Justin living on the coast, in San Francisco or Portland. Somewhere with people, but also close to hiking and nature.

If you could reach through the pages and pluck one character out to live in the real world with you, who would it be?

Probably Justin. It’s refreshing to meet people that question the norm. I think it’s inspiring to challenge the rules; it’s the only way change happens.

Maddie is pretty disastrous in the kitchen, her first and second attempts at making a sandwich rather unfortunate in their flavor combinations, are you more gifted in the art of cooking?

Haha, yeah, I had some fun with that scene. I figured, if she never cooks and eats protein bars for most of her meals, how would she even understand what flavor is? As for myself, I am inventive in the kitchen. I rarely follow a recipe and try to invent my own casseroles which can be pretty disastrous. I leave most of the cooking to my husband.

If you lived in the world of Awaken but were like Maddie’ s mom who remembers what it was like before synthetic vegetation and digital schooling, what one element of the previous world would you miss most?

One thing I already miss is sitting around with a group of people that aren’t distracted with their cell phones. It’s really rare these days. Usually when I go out to dinner with friends or family, everyone has their phones out on the table and their eyes are constantly wandering to their screens and I feel like I’m competing for everyone’s attention. I get distracted because everyone else is distracted. I miss the intimacy of hanging out for a night and just turning all of that off and being in the moment. I would go back to that.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Katie! And thank you to the Cornucopia of Dystopia Blog Tour for providing me with a copy of the book and making this interview possible.

AWAKEN (from Goodreads)

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.

Review: Awaken

AWAKEN
Katie Kacvinsky
Young Adult/Dystopian
352 Pages
Houghton Mifflin
Available May 23rd
Received for review as part of the Cornucopia of Dystopia Blog Tour

THE STORY
Maddie lives in a world of online schooling and chat rooms, only leaving her house to play soccer before coming home again. Everything is computer-based now, and people have no need for personal contact, especially Maddie who is under the very careful watch of her father for betraying his trust two years before.

Though Maddie doesn't always agree with her father and his involvement in the creation of Digital School, a program that encourages online learning and greatly discourages face to face interactions, she loves her family and wishes to regain what she's lost. Keeping Maddie strictly online doesn't keep her from meeting Justin however, and he encourages her to meet with him at a local study group.

Justin introduces Maddie to a world long forgotten, one where people seek out other people for support and companionship, and one where they are fighting against the digital monster taking over everything they value. She quickly realizes they view her as a vital part of their fight, but aiding them in their cause will change everything Maddie knows and fully disconnect her from her previous way of life.

MY THOUGHTS
Awaken is a story fully befitting its title, forcing us to open our eyes and see just how easily this future could come to pass and how simple it would be to limit social interaction to strictly digital communications. Maddie's world is fascinating in its realism, its focus on electronic profiles and online chat rooms as substitutes for human to human contact incredibly apropos for this day and age, and we can't help but wonder how many years we have left before Awaken is no longer representative of our future but of our present. Who would we be if people only knew the characteristics and personality traits we wanted them to know, and only saw us through uploaded virtual representations and screen names? We could be anything and anyone we wanted to be at the touch of a finger, but as this story so beautifully points out, what a lonely existence that would be. No one would know the real person behind all the pixelated representations–the quirks and oddities that make us individuals would all be wiped out in a wave of digital illusion and perfection, and we then would cease to be people, instead only existing through a compilation of information we've deemed relevant.

Maddie is a thoroughly enjoyable heroine, a girl who is undoubtedly embedded in the comforts of the digital world but who is open minded enough to consider its detriments as well was its credits with regard to its effects on society as a whole. She is willful and confident, standing her ground when Justin and company ask her to betray her family in offering them her assistance to their cause despite her agreement with their views. When it comes to her attraction to Justin, Maddie exhibits an admirable persistence, refusing to allow him to keep his distance through pretty excuses and noble sentiments about it being what's best for her. She is smart, determined, loyal, and a girl we can only hope we meet again in a future installment.

While Maddie is a girl who earns our instant affection, Justin is a young man whose efforts to start a revolution we absolutely respect, but whose strict adherence to the rules he's set for himself frustrates us to no end. For an individual who dedicates his entire being and existence to affecting change, he is remarkably stubborn in welcoming it into his own life. He preaches the merits of human companionship and personal interaction but yet tries repeatedly to avoid those very things with Maddie. When eventually Maddie breaks through the massive shield he's erected around himself, he gloriously submits to the emotional and physical sensations for which he fights so resolutely, but then quickly thrusts his barriers back into place when he feels the moment has passed and proceeds to repeat this process several times over to our ever-increasing irritation.

Overall, Awaken is an intriguing debut from Ms. Kacvinsky despite Justin's somewhat hypocritical nature, one that has a premise that haunts us due to its undeniable applicability to our own lives, and one that has a main character about whom its a pleasure to read. The ending is left wide open, but not frustratingly incomplete, and we read the last page hoping this will not be our last foray into this world, but is merely the beginning of our experience.

Rating: 3.5 /5

Teaser Tuesday: Awaken

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and here's how it works:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share a snippet from somewhere on that page but be careful not to include spoilers

My teaser today is from Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky:

"Have you ever kissed anybody?" he asked, and took a sip.

I smirked. "There aren't a whole lot of opportunities in the digital world. I did practice on my hand once. It didn't do anything for me."

Justin coughed on the water he was swallowing and I slapped my hand over my mouth.

"Did I just say that out loud? I mumbled.

He was half coughing, half laughing. "Yes, you did," he managed to say.

"Delete, delete, delete," I said, and pushed an imaginary button in the air. "I really miss that feature."


AWAKEN (from Goodreads)

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.

In My Mailbox #23

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren and is a great way to see what other bloggers are reading and reviewing. I always love seeing what everyone else got for their week!




FOR REVIEW:
Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #4) by Chloe Neill
The Goddess Test (via NetGalley) by Aimee Carter
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
Reunion by Jeff Bennington

BOUGHT:
This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

A huge thank you goes out this week to Penguin, NetGalley, Jeff Bennington, and Danya of A Tapestry of Words for sending me books I've been absolutely dying to read!