Awoken

The Lucidites

By: Sarah Noffke

Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett

Around the world humans are hallucinating after sleepless nights.

In a sterile, underground institute the forecasters keep reporting the same events.

And in the backwoods of Texas, a 16-year-old girl is about to be caught up in a fierce, ethereal battle.

Meet Roya Stark. She drowns every night in her dreams, spends her hours reading classic literature to avoid her family's ridicule, and is prone to premonitions - which are becoming more frequent. And now her dreams are filled with strangers offering to reveal what she has always wanted to know: Who is she? That's the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. But will Roya live to regret learning the truth?

©2014 Sarah Noffke (P)2015 Sarah Noffke

interesting world

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked George and Joseph the best.

What does Elizabeth Klett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Joseph and Ren were brought to life very well with their unique voices.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The very last scene...

Any additional comments?

I finished Awoken after listening to Defects (via audio) and reading Rebels (via Kindle), in preparation for listening to Ren: The Man Behind the Monster. I realize that the Lucidites series was written and recorded prior to the Reverians, but because I had listened to the Defects first, the narrator's voice was already solidified as Em. This made the audio slightly less enjoyable (although I'm not really sure why), particularly when there was some character overlap.

The beginning of Awoken was slightly hard to follow as the location and time jumped around quite a bit and a lot of characters were introduced at once (I actually stopped listening and went back to read the first couple chapters). After the story caught up to the present, though, it went pretty smoothly, even slightly predictably. The story could have been improved with some showing of Roya's family and/or the hallucinating humans. Additionally, some of the more interesting plot points, like the missing director of the institute, were presented more like background details (did no one go looking for him?).

For me, the best part of Awoken was Noffke's portrayal of George and Joseph. These young man really brought the story to life for me, as Roya herself could have been more likable. I never really got too interested in the action of the story, but I definitely enjoyed much of the character development.

A Unique and Thrilling Start To The Series!

I truly loved how completely different and unique a story Sarah Knoffke created! I loved how even if I guessed one of the storyline twists correctly, there was still so much more to the twist than what I had anticipated. The idea of a whole society of "different" people living in more or less plain sight had already piqued my interest. Add in the dream walking, a mysterious threat that drains/kills the dream walkers, and an eclectic cast of characters and I was swept away. The only thing that bothered me was the MC. She was very reactive--perhaps too reactive--to the people and situations around her. I could understand some of her outbursts. But others felt like she was lashing out for the sake of lashing out. Interestingly, I felt like it was easier to connect to the other characters than it was to connect with her. However, I still liked the story enough to want to continue the series.

Dream traveling!

Great fantasy story! Loved the way the narrator tells the story! You feel like you're traveling in another time!

One to look forward to.

Okay so I listen to audio books generally on my drive to and from work and at the gym. One of the key indicators of a great audio book is one where I don't mind if traffic is slow that day or if I get a few extra sets in at the gym.

It is certainly one I looked forward to! The story just kept pulling me. I think one of the strongest aspects of this book is the characters. Normally on an audio book it can be difficult if there are too many characters. This one beats that by creating multiple characters that have depth and also great narration by Klett.

This is certainly one to pick up. I have a feeling that Sarah Noffke is going to be an author on the rise.

Very Interesting and I want more!

What made the experience of listening to Awoken the most enjoyable?

I liked the narration and the variety of characters!

What did you like best about this story?

This is a very interesting story, kind of a Divergent, Hunger Games cross....I can see this series really taking off!

Have you listened to any of Elizabeth Klett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I would any time!! She is an excellent narrator!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is a little to long too, but near the end, I did not want to put it down!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This was a bit of a rough starter for me...it took me awhile to bond with Roya...she has a very negative attitude in the beginning...but it all changed for me when she received her first gift of clothing from her friends that actually recruited her. Roya is a dream traveler and comes from a very strong line....she goes to the Lucidites institute to develop her gift and compete for the opportunity to be there champion, and fight Zwang, who is basically feeding off other dream travelers and ultimately sucking there life out of them...she is not thrilled about this....well she becomes part of a team of very talented young people who all have gifts too...and ends up fighting for her life and the ultimate outcome of the world...there is a love triangle and secrets revealed and it was a really interesting listen! I will continue this series!!! :)

Thank you Audiobookblast(dot)com

Awoken: The Lucidites review

Where does Awoken rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High among the favorites.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything. This was a really interesting story.

Have you listened to any of Elizabeth Klett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, and this is just as great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, definitely.

Any additional comments?

A winner.

Engaging YA series start

Teens dealing with new and developing powers, will they learn fast enough to save the human race? Enjoyed the mix of characters and can't wait to start the next book. This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

Awoken

A well written and interesting "read". Roya has always felt out of place in her family. When she finds out that she is a Lucidite, the adventure begins!

Unique sci-fi

This story was pretty interesting, but didn't feel like the first book in a series. The first 1/4 of the book kept briefly mentioning characters and events like it was referencing a previous story, to the point that I double checked to make sure I hadn't accidentily started with the second book.
That narrator was excellent, voicing the different characters distinctly. The content was mostly clean - there were no "adult" scenes, and minimal language (if any) - I would have been comfortable letting my young teen listen to it. There was the type of violence that comes with any good vs evil story, but it wasn't at all gratuitous or graphic.
The story was a bit predictable, as with most YA sci-fi stories, but the world was unique, and interesting. There was enough of a conclusion to the story, that I wasn't left wondering what happens, although there is enough of an open ending to lead to a sequel.

Great start

I really liked this book, it is different than I usually read. It has a great story.. I love how all the characters are detailed, you can actuallypicture them...I cant wait to read the next one