Review: As I Wake

Author : Elizabeth Scott
Series : ---
Publisher : Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date : September 15, 2011
How Received : Borrowed
Rate : 5
 
Summary : (as quoted from Amazon)Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.
Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.
 
My thoughts :
As I Wake is a very unique, amazing read. The story begins with a girl named Ava waking up in a place she does not know, into a house - and a life - she does not remember. Jane - the person who claims to be Ava’s mother - is very warm and welcoming, giving Ava everything her heart desires. Her friends, Sophy, Greer, and Olivia, all welcome her back to school as if she was never gone. But something’s not right, and Ava knows it. She starts to remember people from her life, and she does remember Sophy, Greer, Olivia, and Jane. But the thing is, she remembers - know, she knows - different versions of them. Her suspicions are confirmed when she meets Morgan ; a boy no one seems to know except Ava. She remembers him, and with his appearance, she starts to remember the less than glamorous aspects of her old life. And now she is forced to make a very tough decision : she must choose between her new, comfortable life with Jane, or go back to the very harsh, scary world she used to live in with Morgan, the boy who she loves more than anything, and who she would do anything for. I loved Scott’s writing in this book ; the story, while rather complex, was easy to follow because of the beautiful prose in which Scott wrote the novel. I have to admit, it took me a while to finish this book, just because some of the characters truly terrified me, characters such as Sophy and Clementine. I can’t mention much about Sophy ( because then I’d spoil the book for you guys!) nor can I mention much about Clementine, but I will say this : I was not expecting Clementine to be related to Morgan in the way that she is. And, after I found out why Ava was here, I disliked Clementine even more! Other characters, like Ethan, Ava’s would-be crush (if she could just remember him from here!) made me sad. He had everything he could possibly want, except for the one thing he wanted most : Freedom. But, to me, the most important people in the book , who showed courage, embraced sacrifice, and were a beacon of hope to one another, were Morgan and Ava. Their love for each other was astounding, amazing, and gut-wrenching, all at once. As I Wake is an amazing read, and I highly recommend picking it up today.
5/5
~Moujnir