Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940016685137 |
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| Publisher: | Cara Rosalie Olsen |
| Publication date: | 06/24/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Pages: | 679 |
| File size: | 868 KB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Awakening Foster Kelly
4.4 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
8 reviews.
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Thank you to the author, Cara Rosalie Olsen, for gifting me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
To begin, the author provided me with a link to read the first 10 chapters for free before I decided if I'd like to read it all. Once I got to the end of chapter 10, I was convinced there was some shady fantasy going on so I had to read more. And that right there is why it's a 3 star instead of a 4 star book. Let me explain.
As I was reading those first 10 chapters, I got the feel that something... else was going on with Dominic and it was going to turn out to be this big secret fantasy thing. Even though it doesn't say that in the blurb, I was totally convinced. These next few paragraphs will be kind of difficult to write without giving away the ending so bear with me!
The way it ended... it explained the fishiness at the beginning but somehow it was a different kind of resolution. It was like it started out at a fantasy/paranormal book that morphed into it's current self.
So the ending. I'm not really sure how I feel about it yet. It was a twist on a cliche ending that they tell you never to end with in 7th grade English class. It worked... but I think I was unable to let go of my prejudices against that type of ending. I'm actually doing this whole mystery thing pretty well! I can definitely see how the title ties in. In the middle, I thought it was referring to Dominic's quest to get Foster to acknowledge herself.
Otherwise, I had one other problem with the book. It had a page count of 672 pages. That's right up there with the Inheritance Cycle series which are the longest books I've ever read. Those books are epic fantasy that take place over the course of... a year and a half I believe. So where did all that length come from? The sheer amount of information that went through Foster's brain. It does show how incredibly smart she is but I think it could have been toned down a bit at the end.
Let's talk about some good stuff! I was completely immersed in this book and couldn't stop laughing at Foster, Emily, and Jake. I especially loved Foster's character and the growth that took place over the course of the book. Dominic was also a powerful symbol (and yes I'll let you figure that out for yourself) that added so much to the book. I also loved Foster's parent's relationship. It was so sweet and adorable - that's what true love is to me :)
The Final Verdict
This book was a bit long and I'm not really sure about the ending but the character growth is amazing as well as the overall message!
3.5 stars
Quotes:
"My experience with relationship began and ended with fictional characters in books and a second-hand proximity"
"'It may take some time, but eventually she'll see how kind, thoughtful, and incredibly sw-' I met his eyes, which were rife iwht amusement and expectation. 'Sw-ell,' I finished'"
'That,' he squeaked, sniffing uncontrollably, 'was just... so touching,' he sobbed"
"'It's my favorite movie,' he said, 'because being together wasn't the simple answer tot their happiness; it was the only answer.'"
"'Did you-'
'Prune the sick areas, yes I tried that,' she said without turning. 'It spread even faster.'
'How about-'
'Isolation the bacteria didn't work either. It's pandemic.'
'You could try-'
'I am-but don't say it aloud.' She turned, a sneaky smirk on her lips and winked. 'I think that's why they aren't getting better; they're prepared for our defense.'"
"'Fost,' she intoned, sounding almost bored. She rose up on one elbow, pressing her knuckles into her cheek. 'You make it sound like it's rare that we win. Where have you been for the last year and a half?'"
"'Oh, Fost, I won't lie, your face right now is kind of awesome; like a question mark exploded. It would seem my work is done here for the day.'"
"'I don't' think the place you start is as important as the starting itself.'"
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It's taken me quite a while to get through AFK. The reasons for that were unrelated to the novel itself and due to more personal life situations. That's a story for another day. During that time, I read AFK off and on. It's been sort of a relaxation tool for me. Ha. Cara's writing is very fluid. It flows so well that I sort of just melted into it. Now I'm not saying the novel was boring or put me to sleep. I'm merely talking about the actual prose in the novel. It's so smooth that it merely brought me out of whatever funk I was in. With that said, there were pieces of the story that I felt could've been sort of discussed in a shorter, less descriptive way. This novel wasn't one that over-described every little thing - I can't stand that - but it did have a few parts here and there that I had to sort of breeze through because I had already painted the picture in my mind before the author had to describe it all to me.
The characters: I really enjoyed Foster. She was very introverted and socially awkward. She tries her hardest to just blend in and never be noticed. Her parents - oh, how I enjoyed their quirkiness. Especially when her father turned his skin a different color by accident & her mother teased him about it. It was odd to see such curious and good-natured parents when you already know how awkward and shy Foster is. They brought a bit of lightness to her character where there was otherwise a sort of dull shadow on top of her.
The male lead - Dominic... I wasn't really sure if I liked him. He definitely didn't get a warm welcome from me when we first started to meet him & learn about him. As the story went on, I sort of warmed up to him... and then he would do something sort of asshatish and I would be back on the fence. Foster, however, seemed to need the tough kick he sort of brought her I think. Eh. Anyway.
The supporting characters, the twins especially, were fun. They brought more spunk into the novel.
The plot... It was catching. I honestly thought there would be more overall focus on this big senior project that Foster was so worried about. It ended up sort of being a plot point that stayed in the background and didn't really make a huge climactic situation like I had assumed it would. There were several little plot twists here and there which I needed but the ending.... I was blind-sided. I can imagine that some readers won't like this ending. They'll probably think it was a cop-out ending. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. I actually liked this ending in this situation. I will say that I think this novel could be shortened and still have the impact that it does. It was really, really long. It felt long at certain times. It helped that I read it in bits and pieces over such a long period of time. I sort of had a good pace going on. But I definitely couldn't sit and read this in a few long sittings.
So overall... I'm going to be giving this one a 4 stars.
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There's a gem here... it's just buried
I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Initial Reaction...
When I put Awakening Foster Kelly down I had no idea what to think. As I read I felt myself writing my review, knowing what I liked and what I didn't. In then it has a twist so colossal in the last 2% of the book that blew me away. I laughed and cried. And I had no idea what to rate it or how to review it. But now that I've stepped away I know that the last 2% will influence the review - but I'm reviewing the whole book, not just the last two percent. So here goes!
The Characters...
It was most definitely the characters that kept me glued to Awakening Foster Kelly. They are incredibly well written - so complete and complex I feel as if I know them.
The main character is 17 year old Foster Kelly - and the story is told from her perspective. I couldn't help but love her and yearn for that moment where she realized she deserved to be loved. She's a bit different from her peers - very timid, shy, EXTREMELY clumsy (something I totally related to), and self-depreciating. She doesn't even begin to see herself clearly. She's brilliant, a bit of a musical prodigy, and incredibly giving. The highlight of her week? The six hours every Sunday that she spends volunteering at a local home for abandoned kids. She's THAT kind of wonderful person. And yet, somehow, she doesn't believe that she's worthy of love. Yep, she totally broke my heart.
And then enters Dominic. He's the boy that SEES her. I have to admit Dominic was a puzzle for me for a good part of the book. I couldn't understand some of his very intense reactions - and I wasn't supposed to. But it really nagged at me - it took way too long for the explanations to come. I felt like I waited and waited and when they did come, it was a bit anti-climatic. I think they would have worked better for me if they hadn't taken quite so long. Anyway - his role is really loving Foster. As he gets to know her and fall in love with her, he helps her fall in love with herself. It's called Awakening Foster Kelly and Dominic is the boy saying "Wake up!"
There's also a lot of time spent with Foster's friends - a couple of twins that have very strong personalities and, like Dominic, love Foster, despite her inability to see it. I loved every moment with them. Emily is seriously intense and a bit over the top, and yet I wanted to be her a little bit. And her brother, Jake, was hilarious. He's constantly eating and I couldn't help but see my own teenage boy in him.
Foster's parents are incredible too. I loved them and yet I have to say I felt they were way too big a part of Awakening Foster Kelly. Don't get me wrong - I don't think they should have been absentee or ill defined. But we spent so much time with details about them that had no real impact on the story. I have no problem with a book being almost 700 pages. But if I can clearly pick out entire scenes that did nothing for the progression of the book, I have a problem with it being so long. And in this case her parents were one of those problems, as much as I did love them.
The Story...
Gosh, the story of Awakening Foster Kelly is a tough point for me. It took a really long time to get going. At 15% things started to happen and then they quickly detoured and came to a pit stop. Once again at about 34% they picked up again... and detoured again. There's just so much there that didn't do anything for me. We have these really long, extremely detailed dream sequences that I started skimming because they just didn't move the story forward and I really wanted to get to the main plot.
The other problem? It felt really familiar until like 50% of the way in... maybe later. It felt a LOT like Twilight, which I MUST point out I actually enjoyed quite a lot. Now let me explain- this is not at all about vampires and not really paranormal at all. There's plenty that's different. And yet it FELT similar. You've got a shy, awkward, clumsy girl who doesn't see herself clearly. She has an initial encounter with a gorgeous guy that goes terribly - he pretty much doesn't speak to her at all, clearly hates her and actually refuses to be her partner in music class. He storms out and disappears for a little over week - having such an intense, inexplicable dislike of her that he has to run away. I swear, I started wondering if I WAS going to find out Dominic was a vampire. And then he comes back and they get thrown together because of a car accident! And he suddenly wants to be her friend and has this big secret... I could go on. The point is, their relationship had so many similarities to Twilight that I was a bit bored with it until it grew a life of it's own and focused less on them and more on the Awakening part of Awakening Foster Kelly.
And then there's the great part though - the seeing this girl come to life - that's NOTHING like Twilight. She's not coming to life through romance. She's coming to life through a new ability to see herself clearly, to do things she never dreamed she could do. I loved seeing that. And there's the twist that you so will not see coming! I had such intense emotions at moments in Awakening Foster Kelly mixed in with the the waiting for things to happen. It's definitely got a solid core in there!
Concluding Sentiments...
I wish I could pull out the book buried within Awakening Foster Kelly - which sits at almost 700 pages - and review just that. There's a solid - fairly incredibly book buried in there. But the problem is that it's buried and you have to be willing to dig through to get there.
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"A mysterious object, a good book. It did that to you; made it almost painful turning the last page. Then it clung in your mind, like static, refusing to let go until another good book came along and gently weaved its undoing spell."
It's really difficult to write a review for Awakening Foster Kelly. There were things I loved about this book and other things I didn't. Reading Awakening Foster Kelly was a commitment. At nearly 700 pages, it took quite a bit of time. The length wasn't as big of a barrier as the language, however. Now, I'm a 30-something year old woman with a pretty extensive vocabulary and I have to admit I spent a fair amount of time using the dictionary feature on the Kindle app while reading this book. Several times, I looked up words and still struggled to understand them in context. I think, at times, the vocabulary was unnecessarily complex, particularly in some of the dialogue. There were times the dialogue was absolutely perfect and others when the characters were speaking in a formal way I've never heard a teenager speak. It took me a little bit of time to adjust to Cara's writing style and the length at which she went to describe the setting and the characters. But, I'm glad I stuck with it, because I did enjoy this book immensely.
"I wish you could understand. When you sing ... you don't just sing, Foster. You become the music. And it becomes you."
The characters are what drove this story and what caught my attention most. Foster was a really interesting character. She was socially awkward and endearing. Often overlooked at school, she was content to blend into the background. She's a talented musician and very intelligent. She didn't have friends, but she had her family and her relationship with them was one I'd like to see in more young adult novels. Jake and Emily, brother and sister, are the first friends Foster made. Oh I adored them. Jake was kind of a mess, but really sweet. Emily was protective of Foster and a good friend all around. I'm so glad Foster made their acquaintance and grew to be friends with them. They really brought her out of her shell. I just loved the friendships and dynamics between characters in this book.
He moved his thumb once more, one gentle caress across my cheek. And when I pressed my cheek into his palm, I knew I wasn't falling away, but falling in. I was falling into him.
Dominic was my second favorite character in the book. He was a little off-putting at first, with his attitude towards Foster and their partnership in class. But, as that hostility faded away and mores bout Dominic became clear, I fell in love with him just as Foster did. Their relationship built very slowly and it was sweet. They had a ton of chemistry and they really helped each other grow. Dominic helped Foster gain confidence. Plus, did I mention he was encouraging, thoughtful, cute and just pretty much wonderful all the way around?
"I'm afraid of-of-of everything. I'm afraid of what I want. I'm afraid that it won't want me back. I'm afraid of taking chances, and then regretting them for the rest of my life. I'm afraid that loving is synonymous with losing. Losing not only myself, but losing people I never should have had in the first place."
Foster's character development from the beginning of this book through the end was phenomenal. She made friends and built strong relationships with them. She gained confidence and really came into her own. She finally stepped out of the shadows. None of the changes were easy on her, but I'm glad I was right there with her as she pushed herself and stepped out of her comfort zone.
Cara's writing was beautifully descriptive and complex, but I fear both of these might be a bit of a deterrent to readers in the target genre. This would be a shame because this is a gorgeous book with a unique story filled with charming characters you just can't help but love. I loved the focus on friendship and how much a good friend or two can change a person. The romantic element was sweet and built slowly. Foster's relationship with her parents was wonderful. So many young adult books have absent parents or just plain bad parents and I always enjoy seeing the other side of things. Growing up – and still to this day – I had a wonderful relationship with my parents so it's far easier for me to relate to that dynamic.
"Some feelings can't be explained," I said, thinking of one in particular having nothing to do with singing. "The words to describe them simply don't exist."
I won't give anything away here, but I would be remiss should I write this review without mentioning the ending. I'm still mulling it all over and trying to understand after finishing it over a week ago. I wasn't happy. I wasn't angry. I was absolutely surprised and more than a little confused. Upon a reread of the last couple chapters in preparation of writing this review, I still don't know that I completely understand it all, but I think I love the way it all worked out. I would love to know what happens next. Maybe just not in a 700 page book. :) But, the truth is, I got rather attached to Foster, Dominic and the others and I'm just not ready to give them up quite yet.
"Our story, it's not for the logical, certainly not for the unimaginative; it belongs to the dreamers."
I mentioned early on in my review that reading Awakening Foster Kelly was a commitment. It was, but not in a bad way. I think it was good for me to take a break from the 200-300 page books I usually read and get immersed in a longer, more complicated story. Because I'm used to shorter books, I'm used to jumping right into the story. That's just not how this book worked. It built slowly, but once I was hooked, I was in it for the long run. I'm really glad Cara contacted me about reviewing this book and I do recommend it to others who might not be afraid of diving into a long book with big words. :)
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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This book is just so hard to put it words!!!! Its just plain spectacular!!! A must read!!!!!! Worth the money!!!!
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Okay, wow, so this is a hard review to actually put into words. I feel like I have all these thoughts and emotions running around in my head and I honestly have no clue where to start. So I suppose I'll just start by saying that I don't even know how to categorize this book, I couldn't, from the blurb, tell what this book was really about, as far as a plot goes. That being said, I was oddly intrigued. What I found after reading over 800 pages of this novel on my nook is that I am the exact same spot again!! I found the whole thing to be just, hmm...emotional, realistic, unexpected. I guess that's how I would describe AKF.
First off, the characters. Wow, this was some good writing. Truly, nothing was rushed and you really got to know each character, really. I felt like I KNEW these people, like maybe they lived next door to me. The way they interacted and behaved was just so real. It wasn't glamorized or exaggerated in any way. Foster is a normal girl, well a normal introverted girl. Reading her journey into getting to know her friends was exactly what it's really like.
Okay, so now the storyline... I sort of wondered where things were going all through the book. I'd saw this described as a romance, and I suppose it ended up like that, but most of the way through I felt like I was really just getting time to get to know someone and live life in their shoes for a while, so to speak. It wasn't until the very end of the book that things changed suddenly and it all made sense. Small little tidbits here and there that I didn't take the time to really linger on were suddenly brought to the forefront of my brain and I had a major "ah-ha" moment. I LOVE that! When an author can subtly place clues to a story and then completely floor you, well that's rare and spectacular.
There's not much more I can say about AKF without giving things away. All I can tell you is that this is a superb read, that really engrosses you into Fosters world, and you will definitely get the "feels" all throughout. I doubt you could be disappointed with this book.
I was provided an e-book copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
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If you enjoy an intelligent coming-of-age romance novel, then you should definitely read Awakening Foster Kelly. The characters and setting feel completely real and will make you laugh and cry. This isn't a simple novel; it has twists and turns and will cause you to look up definitions. So if you want to challenge yourself with an entertaining storyline, you should buy a copy right after reading this review.
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