Awakening

Title: Awakening

Author: Natalie King

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Number of Pages: 272

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 2014

Summary: When Zelie Taylor pulls a lost necklace out of the icy lake, she has no idea what the consequences will be.

At first the pendant is just freezing cold - unnaturally so - but then she hears a voice inside her head and thinks she must be going made. She's not. Seventeen-year-old Tamas' soul has been trapped in the pendent since 1918. His body is nearby, sleeping, and Zelie must help him awaken.

At first Zelie just wants Tamas' moody, enigmatic presence out of her life, but after a while she isn't so sure. And what is waiting for Tamas when he does emerge? The sinister force that trapped him has returned and is growing more powerful.

A hundred-year-old mystery steeped in dark magic will make Zelie question everything she thought she knew.

First of all let me start off by saying I want to kick myself for how long it took me to pick up and read such an amazing book. Secondly I want to kick myself for not realising that this book was written by a New Zealander. I really need to read more books by Kiwi authors.

Now that the negatives are out of the way, lets talk about the positives.

This book was spectacularly written. It was written in a way that I can't describe in words but it was perfect and it was faultless. The writing brought the world to life, gave the characters depth and moved the story forward in an effortless way. I knew from the first line that this book was going to be exceptionally good and by the end of the second I knew it would be spectacular. 

"Of all the emotions, guilt leaves the greatest mark. While fear and happiness can fade, guilt remains as heavy and harsh as the day it arrives."

This book is deep and thought provoking in a way that is all encompassing but without drowning you in unpleasantries. It was a perfect balance. As for the mystery side of this book it is weaved through the book, feeding you bits and pieces as you need them allowing you to draw your own conclusions.

My favourite character in this book was Tamas. Who he is in the beginning and who he is in the end is almost unrecognisable, yet at the same time Natile King manages to portray who he is fundamentally through all stages of his character development. Tamas starts off as a very angry character who has been mislead and betrayed. Just as Tamas begins to accepts this situation he is unexpectedly given the freedom he desires but at the cost of once again facing his demons and being forced to overcome his need for revenge.

While I didn't find that Zelie did much growing as a character, she did learn to act rather than simply feeling. Zelie isn't really shy but she is withdrawn and likes to blend in with the crowd. By the end of the book she isn't afraid to stand up and do what she needs to do to help those she cares. I suppose rather than learning and developing in many ways like Tamas does, Zelie learns one big lesson instead.

Awakening is also filled with a few minor plot lines that while do not directly alter the main story line they do nicely interweave with it and help to shape the overall book. Natalie King's writing style has in many created a new legend or myth. Everything was original and obviously had a lot of thought go into it.