Review of Awaken
I started reading L.G. Benito’s Awaken because I was in a fantasy rut and needed something new. After finishing a young adult bender last week, where all the main characters were boys going to magic school, I enjoyed the change. When I met Mika Plum of Yevera, I realized what I was missing. I needed a strong, morally gray female lead with some gore sprinkled in. Yep, you read that right, my friends. This book is for people who enjoy a little gore with their action.
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Mika’s adventure starts with a love story. She finds a boy she wants, and she makes him hers. Page is the ying to her yang, each of their strengths leveling out the other’s weakness. They grow into young adults together, but Mika’s entire world turns upside down the day her mother gives her permission to marry. Necromancers destroy Yevera, her hometown, and the military forcibly recruits Page. He kissed her and promises: “I’ll come back for you. No matter what happens, just wait for me.”
The survives travel to Di’Abribel without expectations of seeing their loved ones again. Leaving her to find her way in life alone, but not for long. Addie, a stray puppy, finds Mika. She adopts him, though it is culturally unacceptable to house a dog. As she finds her way in a new city with adult responsibilities, her dog is her constant companion and, in some ways, her child.
Time passes, the world ground her down, until she discovers Page may have survived the war. Him not coming for her convinces her he is in trouble and she must save him. Her adventure goes from only owning what she can carry on her back to becoming a hero. She pays dearly for this title and Page does too.
These are the type of epic high fantasy books that bring me back to Lord of The Rings. Where you follow the main character from childhood to enormous fates that shape societies, lead armies to battle, and discover love and heartbreak. This story has its own geography, magic systems, and cultures. Benito spared no detail in showing the reader both sides of every story, making it impossible to choose sides. I liked the sweeping moral questions this book inspires and will miss Mika Plum of Yevera. I look forward to reading L.G. Benito’s next book!