Wake Unto Me Review

Wake Unto Me
Lisa Cach

Publisher: Speak, Penguin
Release Date: March 31, 2011
Series: N/A
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance
Pages: Paperback, 304 pages
Source: ARC, Publisher
Rating: 5/5 (Avg 3.5/5)

A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.

I have to give this story five stars, if not for just the love story of Caitlyn and Raphael alone. Fortunately, it's not the only reason the novel was given five stars. Wake Unto Me is one of those books that isn't perfect. It may not have the most original plot or a heroine that completely moves you into believing she is, by far, the most fantabulous female lead you have ever read about... yet, somehow for this story, those elements just kind of work out. You ignore those things that you believe may take a book's appeal down because, well, it doesn't take this book's appeal down. At least not for me, anyway.

Caitlyn is a good character. She's sweet, strong-willed and is brave in ways that may go unnoticed by some readers. She may do things that are out of character, but besides scratching your head in bewilderment, you nod and say, "I get it." To be honest, all people (characters in a story or in life) do things out of character, whether it be because of a location change or something that may change us on the inside - sometimes, there's just a moment where nothing seems rash and acting out of character seems to be the best way to deal.

And Raphael? I didn't feel the instant swoon to him that I get when reading about most main male leads. But, over time, it grew and swelled in abundance. There's something about him that just makes me want to go through and re-read the parts of the story that he's in over and over. I absolutely adore him and love the fact that we got to see glimpses of his life throughout the novel.

The story in itself has many depths and is rich with history and beautiful imagery. While reading, I felt as though I was right there beside of Caitlyn, experiencing everything with her. Cach did an awe-inspiring job at describing everything in this novel to the point that I wanted to be IN the novel. The ending was a pleasant surprise, and most unexpected. There were moments while I was reading the story, I thought there could be no good ending for the book - but it was there, and felt so incredibly right for the story. After finishing the book, I couldn't have felt more satisfied with a read.

"Is she the one?"

- Prologue

Lisa Cach: Before & After

Bio | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Website

Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

Before & After: Lisa Cach

Lisa Cach has authored a whole genre of books including books on paranormal works, chick literature, romantic erotica, and young adult. The breadth of her work continues to expand as she grows as a novelist.

WAKE UNTO ME is her debut Young Adult novel.

I feel a mix of excitement, trepidation, and relief.

I spent a couple years writing, rewriting, and editing Wake Unto Me, and I’ve spent the last several months sending ARCs to bloggers, answering interview questions, scheduling book signings, and trying to come up with clever ways to get attention for the book. Writing and releasing a book is like planning a party or a trip: you expend lots of effort trying to get everything in order and trying to make the event the best it can possibly be, but at a certain point there’s nothing more that you can do. You’ve done all you can, and the time has come to release all control over what is going to happen.

That’s how I’m feeling now: I’ve done all I can to make the book the best book it could be, and to give it a great sendoff into the world. Now I can only watch, and hope. There’s a feeling of powerlessness and trepidation with that, but also a sense of freedom and relief. Whatever happens, I know I did my best.

(4/12/11)
To my surprise, my efforts to give Wake Unto Me a solid push into the world have not slowed down. If anything, they feel more intense, given that I’ve been going to book signings. Real world interactions leave a vivid impression, and I’m enjoying hearing people’s voices, and watching their expressions as we talk. It’s a little surreal, too, to be the one on the ‘author’ side of the signing table; I only wish I was better at letting people know how much it means to me that they came to see me, or bought my book. Meeting a reader is the ultimate payoff for all the work that went into writing Wake Unto Me.

At the end of the month I’ll be taking off on a research trip to Central America for three weeks. The trip will force me to unplug from the internet and my promo efforts, and get back to writing... Which is good, because heaven knows I haven’t been able to pull the plug myself.

Reviews for Wake Unto Me
Tales of a Ravenous Reader
The Book Scout
Presenting Lenore

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound