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 sixteen-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?
When sixteen-year-old Roya Stark attends a dinner party she hardly expects to be drugged, much less told by the host that she’s a special race of human with incredible abilities. Then she follows his orders, closes her eyes and enters a different world. And meets a leader of secret society who promises that his people can protect her.
This is Roya’s first meeting while dream traveling. Within forty-eight hours Roya is pulled into the mysterious world of the Lucidites with a vengeance. By that time her family has already fallen victim to violent hallucinations and the dark figure has dared to approach closer at night, hovering just outside her window. When told her world is in danger and her fate is connected to greatness, Roya knows she has no choice but to seek refuge in the Lucidite Institute. The only catch is she’ll have to risk drowning to get there…
Roya thought she was just a weird teenager. Turns out she’s an extremely powerful Dream Traveler and her fate is to rid the world of a real nightmare. Captivating and mysterious, Awoken will take readers on an exciting voyage they will not soon forget.
Excerpt
“I cannot grant you any more time,” Shuman says. “I need your answer.”
I scan the surface of the water, looking for nothing in particular. She can wait for my answer. She will.
I push my fingers into my eyes and inhale deeply. This duel is inevitable. Zhuang and his challenger’s futures are intertwined. Any attempt to evade the other person will only bring the two together. And somehow I was elected by people I don’t know, for a danger I only recently knew existed. Still none of this makes sense, which is why I know I have to rely on instinct. It’s all I have left. “Fine,” I say a bit pathetically. “I’ll do it.”
A smile would be nice, or maybe a “good for you.” Instead Shuman, who appears to be all business, all the time, begins spouting instructions. “Your next step is to find the Lucidite Institute. Since you are relatively new to dream traveling there are many risks you face.”
No big surprises there.
Shuman continues, “You must dream travel to the Institute while fully submerged in water.”
Um, what? “Are you serious? I’ll drown.”
“There is that risk, yes, but the only way to enter the Institute is through water. To travel there you must return to your body and then immerse yourself in water. I advise you to know you are one with it. It is through this knowledge that you overcome the fear of drowning and focus on the higher task of dream traveling. If you remain calm and focus properly then you will travel and arrive at the Institute. If you are unsuccessful, then yes, you will drown.”
“Oh, is that all? Sounds like a piece of cake.” I’m wondering now if I made the right decision.
Shuman narrows her eyes, but doesn’t respond otherwise.
I rub my temples as an overwhelming pressure erupts behind my eyes. “This is all so strange, it sounds like a recurring dream I’ve been…” My words fall away as the inevitable truth dawns on me. “You put those dreams in my head, didn’t you?” I accuse, staring at her rigid persona.
“The Lucidites are responsible, yes,” she says, her tone matter-of-fact.
“What! That’s insane! That’s awful. Night after night I dreamed I was drowning myself. Do you know how horrifying that is?”
“You should be grateful. We have prepared you for the journey you are about to take. Your subconscious mind has already practiced much of what you are going to do.”
“Grateful!?” I shake my head in disbelief. “I thought I was losing my mind. I didn’t sleep well for weeks. No. I’m not the least bit grateful. You invaded my subconscious,” I spew, more frustrated now than frightened.
Shuman takes a long inhale and says, “Everything that has been done was to protect you and the future.”
Professional Reviews
Amazing must-read book!!
Awoken is the first book in the Lucidite series, and it's a captivating one! I really enjoyed the introduction to Roya and the phenomenon of dream traveling. I love the idea of this secret society of people whose consciousness travels around the world, unseen by regular folks, or Middlings. Roya is faced with the weight of needing to save humanity from a dangerous dream traveler, threatening to rob thousands, if not millions, of their consciousness, but once she gets all the way to the specialized Institute to do so, she finds she's not the only one who's been recruited for the task! The book takes us through the struggles she faces, the mystery surrounding her family, the people she meets, the special abilities they all have and are getting used to. And of course, there are some romantic interests at play, too. This book is full of surprises and suspense, and it keeps you turning pages all the way through. I won't give away any more, so I'll just leave with my recommendation: Read this book! It's a good one!!
Powerful female lead, unique world, GREAT book!!
Awoken is a refreshing jolt in the young adult world because it tackles something we all encounter but rarely take time to evaluate in the same creative way that Sarah Noffke does: dreams. The Lucidites are the next evolutionary step, people able to travel in their dreams and do extraordinary things, but what is so compelling is Noffke's character Roya and her own wishes to just be normal and accepted. This urge, felt by so many young adults and adults alike, drives the story to powerful crescendoes and exciting conflicts that make the reader race to the finish and unable to put the book down as Roya confronts a great evil that not only threatens the safety of Lucidites everywhere, but also humanity. While the weight of the world rests on Roya's shoulders we fall in love with her supporting cast of characters which are richly realized and unarguably unique in their own approach to this magical, fantastic world living just on the other side of our pillows. You will never think of dreams the same as you want to scream in frustration, cheer at the page, and devour this addictive page turner that leaves you begging for the next book, so you can once again dive into the wonderfully realized world of the Lucidites!
She interjects all the makings of a great suspense story
A coming of age book, Awoken is the unfolding story of Roya, a young girl searching for her identity. Ms. Noffke weaves a tale that adults and young adults can relate to. She interjects all the makings of a great suspense story: good vs evil, a love triangle and a young woman uncovering her roots. A page turner for sure, I did not want it to end. When it did I could not wait to get my hands on the sequel, Stunned. Read it, you will like it.
