Today, we welcome you to our very own launch party for the third novel in Lisa McMann’s “Wake” trilogy! First, we offer a double feature review of Fade and Gone. Then, we invite YOU dear readers to enter our international giveaway for the chance to win one of TEN copies of Gone!

Fade (Book 2 in the “Wake” Trilogy)

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 2009
Hardcover: 256 Pages

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They’re just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody’s talking. When Janie taps into a classmate’s violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open–but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie’s in way over her head, and Cabe’s shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability. And it’s bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a Dream Catcher sealed, but what’s to come is way darker than she’d even feared…

REVIEW: Fade picks up where Wake leaves off, following Janie and Cabel as they delve headfirst into another undercover sting at Fieldridge High. The police force follows up on an anonymous lead that a teacher may be having an illicit, sexual relationship with students, with Janie accepting the role as point-person – i.e. bait. As Janie struggles to discover the identity of the sleazy teacher, she also has a lot to deal with, personally. She juggles her growing relationship with Cabel (which must be kept secret from her friends and the student body, lest they blow their cover) with her own growing understanding of her power as a Dreamcatcher. With Miss Stubin’s old police files and journals to help guide her, Janie comes to terms with some of the hard truths about her very unique abilities – both good and bad.

Lisa McMann really puts Janie and Cabel through the grinder with this second book. In Wake, she introduced readers to Janie’s unique ability to enter the dreams of anyone sleeping near her – a curse Janie has to bear, which means she’s constantly tired, hungry, and isolated. Though Janie has had her “power” since she was eight years old, she doesn’t know much about it (other than how drastically it interferes with her ability to lead a normal life). In Fade, Ms. McMann explores the implications of being a Dreamcatcher in much more detail, creating a heartbreaking future for Janie and Cable. And I mean heartbreaking. This is heavy stuff. I loved that Ms. McMann doesn’t shy away from the gritty in this second novel – the characters speak like teens (swearing, believable slang, etc), they drink, they have sex. The sleazier elements of teacher-student relationships and date rape are also examined in an unflinching way, and I really appreciated that that (as horrifying as it is to read).

Again, the strength of Fade (as with Wake) lies with Janie and her relationship with Cabel. I love the natural progression with these two characters! They have disagreements and misunderstandings, but are undoubtably in love with each other, and I love that their relationship is changing and growing as they spend more time together. While Cabel’s character isn’t given as much insight as with the first book and he does feel a bit “support system”-y (i.e. he’s always – only – there to pick Janie up when she falls), there IS some significant development in his believability as a character. At least, there is to me. Whereas in the first book, Cabel came across as the typical too good to be true hawt dude with a troubled past that of COURSE is always there for Janie no matter what, in this second novel, you see some chinks in his perfection. He has to realize that Janie is an independent, intelligent young woman who wants to help, even if it means putting herself in dangerous situations. And when Cabel tries to go all alpha and protect her from herself (yecch, I abhor this type of “hero” behavior), Janie calls him on it…and he gets it. That’s a good thing.

There’s also another marked improvement in Fade from Wake – the revelations about the nature of her gift. Some of those questions that weren’t asked in the prior book are addressed here, in particular about the future that awaits young Janie. With Miss Stubin’s notes (and her spectral, from-the-grave dream guide persona) to guide her, Janie has a very dramatic decision to make that will change her life. This also means that the stage is set for some serious drama in Gone…

The only problem I had with Fade, as with Wake was how silly and implausible the Janie and Cabel working as super secret agents for a very well funded and influential branch of the Michigan police department. It’s a little too TV movie for me. But, with the strength of Janie’s character and the difficult issues she must grapple with, I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief in the sillier (and more trivial) aspects of the story.

Much better, more complicated and heartbreaking than Wake, Fade is a smart, sharp book. Highly recommended – if you were underwhelmed with book 1, I beg you to give book 2 an honest shot.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

Chapter 1
A NEW YEAR

January 1, 2006, 1:31 a.m.

Janie sprints through the snowy yards from two streets away and slips quietly through the front door of her house.

And then.

Everything goes black.

She grips her head, cursing her mother under her breath as the whirling kaleidoscope of colors builds and throws her off balance. She bumps against the wall and holds on, and then slowly lowers herself blindly to the floor as her fingers go numb. The last thing she needs is to crack her head open. Again.

She’s too tired to fight it right now. Too tired to pull herself out of it. Plants her cheek on the cold tile floor. Gathers her strength so she can try later, in case the dream doesn’t end quickly.

Breathes.

Watches.

You can read the full chapter online HERE.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Gone (Book 3 in the “Wake” Trilogy)

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 2010
Hardcover: 224 Pages

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves—she has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life–and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out….

REVIEW:

NOTE: This review contains SPOILERS for the first two books in the trilogy. If you have not yet read Wake and Fade, and if you do not wish to be spoiled for these two books, READ NO FURTHER. You have been warned…

Gone is the last book in the Wake trilogy, in which Janie comes to terms with the biggest decision of her life. She faces a traumatic, all around shitty decision: to stay with Cabel, to be loved, to continue with her work for the Police Force and go blind and lose the use of her hands….or to isolate herself, giving up Cabel but keeping her sight and dexterity. Janie loves Cabel and he loves her, but she knows from his horrifying nightmares every night that he has his own doubts and fears about Janie’s future (and how his future will be affected by her crippling disability). During the day, he doesn’t betray even the slightest hint of doubt, and Janie feels so very alone – because the love of her life can only be honest to her in his dreams. Then, she gets a frantic message from her best friend and neighbor, Carrie – her father, a man she has never known, lies in the hospital and is very near death.

Gone is a worthy close to this trilogy, and is a very different animal than the first two books. While books 1 and 2 were centered on detective work/high school police stings with Cabel and Janie working undercover, this final book is much more introspective and focused on Janie’s abilities and her future (which makes it all the better, in my opinion). There is the mystery of who Janie’s father was before his debilitating injury, but Gone is really much more a book of answers and revelations, and, ultimately, of choices. Janie must choose between a hard road of love (always feeling that she’s holding back Cabe or making him resent her) or cutting herself off from the rest of the world entirely. It is, as one character puts it, Janie’s “Morton’s Fork” – a choice between two impossible alternatives.

In Gone, everything comes full circle. We learn what happened to Janie’s sad, alcoholic mother – a seed planted in the first book (one I had since been dying to see more of). In Gone, all answers are given. This is a HARD book. One thing Ms. McMann does so brilliantly throughout the trilogy is convey how very tough and messed up Janie (and Cabel’s) lives are, and I cannot help but feel for these two characters. I feel for them, but I admire them too – Cabel and Janie’s relationship goes to a whole new level in this book with Cabel’s subconscious doubts and fears (all extremely valid, all things considered). He becomes more real and believable as a character and I finally “buy” him in this third book because he’s no longer a too good to be true, completely selfless hot boyfriend. And Janie is fantastic as well, coming face to face with her own greatest fears and making the only decision she can with the hand she has been dealt.

The revelations are wonderful and the book ends the trilogy in a very smart way. It’s bittersweet, but just so…fitting. It couldn’t have been any other way. I’m glad that the trilogy doesn’t end with Janie magically all better and all her issues resolved in a sparkle of rainbows and living happily ever after with nary a worry in the world. I have mad respect for Lisa McMann, for continuing to go there. This is a far more mature book than Wake, and it is good to see Janie come full circle.

The Wake Trilogy, in this reader’s opinion, is one that just gets better with each subsequent book – and it’s a story arc that grows on you, the longer you think about it. Absofreakinglutely, highly recommended.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From the official excerpt:

Janie and Cabel move carefully through the hallways, watching for open doors. She gets caught in a weak dream but only for a few seconds—she barely even has to pause in step. They stand outside Henry’s room, Janie’s hand tense on the handle.

Static and shockingly bright colors. Janie nearly crumples to her knees, but this time she is more prepared. She steps blindly toward the bed and Cabel helps her safely to the floor as her head pounds with noise. It’s more intense than ever.

Just when Janie thinks her eardrums are going to burst, the static dulls and the scene flickers to a woman in the dark once again. It’s the same woman as the day before, Janie’s certain, though she can’t make out any distinguishing features. And then Janie sees that the man is there too. He’s in the shadows, sitting on a chair, watching the woman. He turns, looks at Janie and blinks. His eyes widen and he sits up straighter in his chair.

“Help me!” he pleads.

And then, like a broken filmstrip, the picture cuts out and the static is back, louder than ever, constant screams in her ears. Janie struggles, head pounding. Tries pulling out of the dream, but she can’t focus – the static is messing up her ability to concentrate.

She’s flopping around on the floor now. Straining.

Thinks Cabel is there, holding her, but she can’t feel anything now.

The bright colors slam into her eyes, into her brain, into her body. The static is like pinpricks in every pore of her skin.

She’s trapped.

Trapped in the nightmare of a man who can’t wake up.

Janie struggles again, feeling like she’s suffocating now. Feeling like if she doesn’t get out of this mess, she might die here. Cabe! She screams in her head. Get me out of here!

But of course he can’t hear her.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Courtesy of publisher Simon Pulse, we have TEN copies of Gone up for grabs! The contest is open to everyone and will run until Saturday, February 13th at 11:59 PM (PST). To enter, leave a comment here answering this question: If you were faced with your own “Morton’s Fork” – living with Janie’s ability as a Dreamcatcher, or completely isolating yourself from other slumbering people – what would you choose?

Good luck!

Hola compadres!

Another Sunday, another stash, another installment with some fabulous news to share!

Book Blog Covention

A couple of Sundays ago we reported that the first ever con for book bloggers, The Book Blogger Convention, will happen in New York on the 28th of May one day after the Book Expo America (May 25-27) and that Thea was going to attend both whilst Ana was going to stay home dying of envy.

Well folks, some things have changed and we have some further news to report! First of all, the BBC has affiliated with BEA and if you register for the former you are automatically registered to the latter. How great is that?

Second, there are going to be several interesting panels during the con like Professionalism/Ethics, Marketing, Author/Blogger Relationships, Building Community, Writing/Building Content, and Thea has been invited to be a panelist for the Marketing segment!

Finally, because she must be there to see this in person, Ana decided to throw caution to the wind and will be joining the hordes attenting both events! This will be grand, the second time ever the Smugglers get to meet in person. Needless to say, we are Super Excited.

So come on, join us! Registration for the con is still open and available for a discounted rate of $90 (until February 14). This includes your pass to BEA, so it’s quite a deal!

In Other News:

Locus Magazine in its February 2010 issue, published The 2009 Recommended Reading List with inputs from many professionals of Fantasy and Scifi genres. Amongst the listed, some of our own favorites such as the ubiquitous Ark by Stephen Baxter (which seems to be making most ‘top of’ lists); Drood by Dan Simmons, Liar by Justine Larbalestier and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. And of course, many, many others that we really want to read (what else is new?).

On that same vein (hee),The 2009 Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot has been released. The Stoker Awards are held each year by the Horror Writers Association in celebration of the best of the genre has to offer. And we are stocked to see Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Kaaron Warren’s Slights making the list! The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Slights were two of Thea’s Top 10 reads from 2009. You can read her review for The Forest of Hands and Teeth HERE, and the review for Slights HERE. Also, you can check out our interview with Carrie Ryan, her Smugglivus Guest Post, as well as Kaaron Warren’s guest post about her favorite horror reads of 2009. Congratulations, Carrie and Kaaron!

As you might be aware, the last season of Lost premiered last week with an episode that was mind-blowing and which already sent us into full Theorising Mode. We probably exchanged a hundred emails after we watched the episode discussing the implications of everything that happened to the future of the show. If you are rolling your eyes right now, well, it seems you are not alone. We were shocked, we say SHOCKED, to find out last week, that we, as Lost fans, are officially considered….annoying, Oh, the HORROR, by the non-fans of the show. This, according to this video from The Onion. (Seriously now, THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME. We lurves it. Thanks to Willaful for the heads up).

Current Giveaways:

Don’t forget that our Soul Screamers giveaway is still going! You have until February 15th to enter for a chance to win either both and (first winner) or (two additional winners). You can enter it here.

This Week on The Book Smugglers

We kick start the week with a Lisa McMann special. Thea reviews Fade and Gone books 2 and 3 in the Wake Trilogy and we will have a massive giveaway to celebrate the release of Gone.

On Tuesday, it’s another very special day here at the Book Smugglers. Thea reviews A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, one of the masters of Horror and one of her favourite authors since she was a child. And we are supremely proud to announce that her review will be followed by an interview with the author!

On Wednesday, Ana reviews A Tale of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox, third in her Demon Slayer UF series.

Thursday sees Ana reviewing Lex Trent Versus The Gods the first YA offering by writer Alex Bell. The review will be followed by an interview with the author.

Finally on Friday, Thea reviews the Fantasy novel Except the Queen by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder.

And that’s it from us today.

Enjoy your Sunday!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Welcome to another Sunday edition of our Smugglers’ Stash & News.

We shall start with some excellent news:

The Mysterious Benedict Society covers to be “Adjusted”:

The School Library Journal reported on the 26th that Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will be adjusting the covers of The Mysterious Benedict Society following complaints that the character Sticky Washington, which is described as having brown skin appear as white in the covers:

“We are adjusting the covers of all three titles immediately as they reprint in order to offer a more faithful rendering as soon as possible,” Melanie Chang, Little, Brown’s executive director of publicity and communications, told School Library Journal.

We couldn’t be more delighted with the news and as we said last week, proud to be a part of this awesome, vocal, dedicated group. However, let’s not forget that this has been going on for a long time and as awesomely urged by The Rejectionist in their post last week: No Retreat, Baby, No Surrender!

In Other News:

From the series: Things That Mystify and Baffle Us.

The Guardian reported that

Dictionaries have been removed from classrooms in southern California schools after a parent complained about a child reading the definition for “oral sex”.

Yeah, you heard us right. The Webster Dictionary was pulled from shelves because a parent thought it was not age appropriate for her child. The Dictionary. What comes next? A ban on the alphabet?

Because who knows what those perverted little minds can spell? We are seriously considering creating a special tag for archiving surreal news such as these, like “Aliens” or “Snow in Rio de Janeiro”. Perhaps “X-files”. Anyways, the ban was (somewhat) overruled and the parents can now opt out whether their child can or can not have access to the Dictionary.

In other more, uplifting news:

The Nebula Awards are the annual awards by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to celebrate excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing. The 2009 Awards will be held May 14-16 at Cape Canaveral, Florida and nominations will start soon and be open till February 15th. Tor.com has a list of interesting titles for consideration.

In similar news, The British Science Fiction Association Award shortlist has been announced this week. We are ecstatic to see in the Best Novel category Ark by Stephen Baxter which was one of Thea’s top 10 books of 2009. Also, included are The City and the City by China Mieville and Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin, both books in our TBR piles – we must really get to read them soon!

The “Don’t Let Your Dream Fade” Contest:

Lisa McMann, author of the Wake trilogy and Simon & Schuster are running a really cool contest. Offering $1000 to a teen to further his or her dreams, whether it be for college, something arty, or even just not having to work a second job to have more time to focus on high school: they’ve asked teens to do a video blog (2 min or less) comparing their dreams to Janie’s, the main character in the Wake trilogy. You can read more about the contest here or check an example of one of vlogs already created for the competition on youtube.

A Teaser:

And finally, coming from Harper Teen this February:

28 Days of Winter Escapes

28 Fabulous Books. 28 Fabulous Authors. 28 Fabulous Blogs.

For 28 days this February, Harper Teen is offering up a book-a-day giveaway on its Winter Escapes website. For every day of the event, a different book will be featured and up for grabs on the official site – but also, the author of that particular book will be at a different partner blog to talk about their book. We are thrilled to announce that we Smugglers are part of the event, and will be having author Delia Ephron here on February 17th to talk about her featured book, The Girl With the Mermaid Hair.

It all starts tomorrow, with The Amanda Project: Book 1: Invisible I. Make sure to stop by the Winter Escapes website for a chance to win autographed copies of the books, and also be entered for a chance to win an iTouch.

Giveaway Winners:

We had two giveaways that ended yesterday!

Molly Harper Giveaway:

The two winners of an autographed set (each) of all three Jane Jameson books by Molly Harper are:

Wish Giveaway:

The winner of an autographed copy of Wish by Alexandra Bullen is:

Congratulations! You know the drill. Please send your snail mail address to contact (at) thebooksmugglers (dot) com and we will get the books to you ASAP.

This Week On The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Thea finally gets a chance to read and review, post apocalyptic novel Veracity by Laura Bynum, a book she has been eyeing for some time.

On Tuesday, Ana reviews highly anticipated Fantasy novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin.

Wednesday sees Thea reviewing the sci-fi thriller Impact by Douglas Preston.

And then on Thursday Ana finally resumes her Historical Romance reading with a review of The Bride and The Buccaneer by Darlene Marshall.

Finally on Friday, we post a joint review of a book we both have been wanting to read for a long time and which comes highly recommend from several sources. The YA/Fantasy novel, Blackbringer by Laini Taylor.*

And that’s it from us today.

Have a nice Sunday, folks!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

* EDITED above from Silksinger. We are reviewing the FIRST book in the series, titled Blackbringer.

Title: Wake

Author: Lisa McMann

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Young Adult

Publisher: Simon Pulse (US) / Simon & Schuster (UK)
Publication Date: December 2008 (US) / October 2009 (UK)
Paperback: 224 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 of the Dream Catcher (Wake) trilogy.

Why did we read this book: Both of us had seen the cover, the numerous reviews filled with praise across blogland, and found the premise pretty interesting. And since both of us were intrigued, we decided on a joint review.

Summary: (from Amazon.com)
Not all dreams are sweet.
For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can’t tell anybody about what she does — they’d never believe her, or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She is a participant….

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: My first thought when I started Wake was a little hesitant. The format of the book is broken into headers under dates and times, in sort of an episodic, third person present tense play-by-play. I was scared it would get kinda hokey, kinda quickly…but it didn’t. Wake’s narrative style works beautifully with the type of story it is, and I found myself unable to put the book down. Seriously, this is one thrilling little book – I gotta say, I enjoyed it.

Ana:I too enjoyed Wake and quite a lot, actually. Thrilling is a damn good word to describe Wake as I was unable to put the book down after I started reading it. It is a very short book and I was done within two hours – and in those two hours I went through a rollercoaster of emotions: I laughed, I was angry, I was terrified and I cried at least twice.

On the Plot:
Wake follows Janie, a seventeen-year old girl who has had little rest for most of her life. Anytime Janie is in close proximity to someone asleep, she immediately and uncontrollably gets sucked into their dreams. This understandably causes some big problems for Janie – when someone sleeps in class, behind her on the bus, or even has a nightmare and she’s driving by, she goes into something of a seizure, blind and paralyzed in body, she has to endure the entire dream with the dreamer in her mind. As Janie grows older, this becomes more of a problem, especially in her study hall and at her job as an assistant at a nursing home. But then her dreams start to change – first, there’s Cabel who can see, speak to and remember Janie in his dreams. Then, Janie realizes she might not have been the only one with the power and curse of slipping into others’ sleep – and she learns that in the dreams, she might have the power to change things.

Thea: As far as plotting is concerned, Wake isn’t exactly a traditional story with a dominating main problem and resolution. It’s an incredibly readable novel, but not because of a central conflict – rather, this is a book about a character struggling with what she perceives to be her curse. As I mentioned before, Wake is written in an episodic fashion, broken down by dates and times and composed almost entirely of brisk, quick sentences. For example:

October 16, 2005, 9:30 p.m.
It’s Sunday. The house is clean. Janie had the day off. She ran out for groceries in the morning, vacuumed, dusted, washed, polished, shined, and steam-cleaned.

Now, Jaine is asleep on the couch.

This writing style may seem gimmicky at first, but it’s an ingenious gimmick as it suits the story perfectly. What is Janie’s life, as she jumps from dream to life and life to dream, if not a series of episodes?

Most of Wake’s plot deals with Janie and her struggles, especially after she becomes close with Cabel. There’s a lot of teenage angst – Cabel likes Janie but can’t always be with her, Janie gets disappointed and angry when Cabel seems to be dealing drugs and sidling up with a popular cheerleader type, Cabel tries to get Janie’s attention but she doesn’t want any of it, etc, etc, ad nauseam. But, surprisingly, the angst (though predictable) isn’t at all trite or draggy. And, when Janie and Cabel finally get their wires uncrossed, it’s pretty sweet.

Though much of the book is devoted to the relationship between these two characters, the draw to Wake in my opinion is Janie and her gradual understanding of her gift. What starts off as a curse becomes something that Janie (finally) learns that she can control and even change, especially when she discovers she might not be the only one of her kind. The dream sequences are varied, ranging from terrifying to hilarious to exhausting, and are definitely one of the strongest parts of this book. Though, by the end of the novel it gets a tad tiresome with Janie slipping into dreams so often, it’s still a very cool, imaginative idea. Major kudos to Ms. McMann.

My only real dislike with the book was how it turned into a ridiculously simplistic cop novel by the end. Seriously, this has gotta be the nicest police station in the country with the most understanding captain ever. Everything is so prettily and easily resolved by the end of Wake, it’s a little tough to swallow or take seriously. Not that it’s bad, but it’s just a bit…simple.

Ana:I very much enjoyed the narrative style – first person, present tense, and short, staccato sentences – because it was extremely effective in presenting the story to the reader. I felt it was the best choice as it fit perfectly with what I felt, Lisa McMann was trying to do. The episodic narrative was very potent in conveying just how episodic Janie’s life was. It portrayed beautifully the sense of being alone and the idea that she was utterly, completely unable to avoid being captured in someone else’s dream. The fact that every single step she took in her life was so that she could avoid being close to someone who was asleep and everything in her day or life had to be carefully planned showed that she there was no possibility of casual agency in Jaine’s life. For that, a lot of what happens in Wake made me feel like I was the one trapped in a nightmare.

The story starts to change a bit when Jaine realises that she can’t allow herself to be dragged through life like that and that’s when she is able to find a way to control what happens to her. And yes, that comes with responsibility and yes, it opens up doors and I though the idea behind what she can do was quite interesting.

Similarly, I was completely captivated by the romance plotline as well – In fact, it may have been my favourite part of the novel, and all that teen angst was so wonderfully irresistible. I was completely surprise at how such a narrative style could convey a LOT of emotion without really putting it out there. It is through actions rather than feelings that we learn what the characters are going through. It is funny how once again, Thea and I chose the very same quote to use in our review but here it goes again – the same bit above, which I think is a GREAT sequence that shows how Jaine is first, excited about a date with Cabel and then the ensuing disappointment that we can only guess at:

October 16, 2005, 9:30p.m.
“It’s Sunday. The house is clean. Janie had the day off. She ran out for groceries in the morning, vaccuumed, dusted, washed, polished, shined, and steam-cleaned.
Now, Janie is asleep on the couch.
Cabel doesn’t come.
Or call.”

I really did enjoy most of the book but as Thea I felt that I had to suspend disbelief when it came to the final part. Regardless of that, this is a solid first in a series.

On the Characters:

Thea: Wake is definitely a book about characters – in particular, Janie and Cabel, as characters. Janie is a strong heroine who translates as a very real, very tired teen and is without a doubt the best part of this novel. Since the time she was 8, Janie has experienced these episodes where she is victim to anyone sleeping nearby, and what she has to go through and the extent of how dreaming affects her day to day life is a shocking thing to read. Add to this Janie’s alcoholic mother and her life of poverty, her own determination to make enough money to eat and to go to college, and you have an incredibly endearing heroine. I loved how in the early portion of the book, Ms. McMann takes readers through some parts of Janie’s childhood and gradually shows how she has become the person she is in real-time – Janie tries to be normal, but it’s impossible between her home life, her tough work schedule, and the fact that her days and nights are interrupted by other dreamers leaving Janie exhausted.

Then, of course, there’s Cabel. Cabel has the requisite tortured past which didn’t really speak to me (sorry Ana, I’ve read better!), and he seemed like a mashup of the every paranormal dream-boy in so many young adult titles these days. He’s gorgeous and smart and of course is HIDING A SECRET but is a misunderstood good guy with a good heart (and naturally, is head over heels in love with heroine Janie and has been forever). Meh. It’s not that Cabel is a bad character, but he’s not a particularly unique one, or one that elicited any real emotion from me.

Cabel aside, there are glimpses of other character that I wish I knew more about in Wake – for example, Janie’s mother. Why did she start with the drinking? Did she have Janie’s power and resort to alcohol to take the edge off? There’s also Janie’s best friend and next door neighbor Carrie – who has a troubled past of her own and gets into her own scrapes over the course of the book. There’s the biatch, Melinda. We never really know much about Melinda (other than she has a secret crush on Carrie and hates Janie with a passion), but I’m hoping she’ll be in the next book with a little more color. Finally, there’s Miss Stubin, who I definitely expect to see more of…

Ana: Cabel, Cabel, Cabel….oh, let me count the ways I felt for this character. I have to wholly disagree with Thea on this one – my emotional connection with the book was all because of Cabel, much more than Jaine. From the first time we see glimpses of his nightmares via Jaine, I felt sorry for the guy. For his childhood, for what he was going through right now and I loved him. Mind you, it is not a “falling in love” kind of love but a humane, sympathetic love for this character. When it came to one scene in particular where he is completely naked for Jaine to see, I cried. I was in public, reading at Starbucks, and I had to hide my tears behind the book, I was practically sobbing. I though his actions were sweet and romantic and he was well-suited for Jaine – but he wasn’t perfect and neither was she.

As for Jaine, she is indeed an endearing heroine and once she finally decides to take control she becomes a really strong protagonist and someone I was able to root for and relate to. As for the other characters, they are there but not really enough fleshed out for me to care – although I do have one of my Special Theories about Jaine’s mother and the reason behind her withdrawal from the world.

But really, the best aspect of Wake, for me, was Cabe and Jaine’s relationship.

Final Thoughts, Observation and Rating:

Thea: This is a quick, fun read and one I’d recommend especially to those looking for some fast entertainment. It’s the kind of book I’d recommend for parents trying to get their kids into reading, or to friends who want to ease into the YA paranormal genre. I wasn’t blown away by Wake, but I certainly enjoyed it! And I cannot wait to give Fade a read, very soon.

Ana:Wake is thrilling and undeniably romantic with well-written Teen angst and a gripping storyline. I actually think this works really well on its own and I was thoroughly satisfied with the way things were when I closed the book. I will read Fade though – and as soon as I can.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

Thea: The first time Janie tries to have a sleepover is a disaster and a great scene that sets the stage for Janie’s future (and it’s kind of funny too).

Ana: The scene were Cabe tells about his childhood and shows his back to Jaine and he cries. Or the scene in the bus when Jaine is in the throes of several dreams one after the other and he takes care of her. Awww.

Additional Thoughts:

Book 2, Fade continues the story of Janie and Cabel, and book 3 in the trilogy, Gone, is due out early next year.

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves–she has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life–and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out…

He reaches toward her, his fingers black and bloody, his eyes deranged, unblinking. Janie is paralyzed. his cold hands reach around her neck, squeezing tight, tighter, until Janie has no breath left. She’s unable to move, unable to think. As his grasp tightens further around Janie’s neck, his face turns sickly alabaster. He strains harder and begins to shake.

Janie is dying.
She has no fight left in her.
It’s over.

Rating:

Thea: 6 – Good

Ana: 7 – Very Good

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