Customer Reviews

Asleep

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't like writing, but I just had to write a short review for this book. This book is wonderful and touching. It took me on emotional highs and lows through the characters' experiences. Although it's a young adult book (no steamy sex scenes), the relationship between the Micah and Adisa is developed so nicely, and is at times sweet and tender and other times smolders with barely restrained passion. The love between them felt tangible as each of them made sacrifices for the "safety and comfort" of the other. This story was skillfully written, and I am waiting with bated breath for book 2 of the trilogy. I've only recently started reading books by independent authors, and this is the best one I've read by far. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes young love and romance along with superheroes.

Asleep

Even though they'd never come at night behind closed eyes, dreams have always been a constant companion to Adisa Summers. She longed to be, not a princess in flowing gowns like other little girls, but a hero in a billowing cape. At a certain age, however, one is supposed to put away childish dreams, and it seems perhaps Adisa will when, shortly before her sixteenth birthday and on the eve of her first day of sophomore year, she has her first real nighttime dream - of a traumatic incident when she was a baby, abandoned in a field. Yet, when handsome and aloof new student, Micah Alexander, becomes, first, her undeterred dance partner in gym class, then her unexpected defender, mysterious protector and finally, (and unbelievably to Adisa), her devoted boyfriend, those childhood dreams become a vicarious reality, for Micah has a secret, and when he flies in to save Adisa from a falling tree, she learns her daydreams were not so farfetched, after all.

If I could give more than five stars to this wondrously original super hero love story, I would; it is that extraordinary. In Asleep, author Wendy Raven McNair gives readers one of the most real and likable heroines to be found in a fantasy novel, convincing them such a magical world isn't just fiction, but a possibility all should strive to believe in. Adisa is the epitome of human dichotomy - scared and brave, shy and bold, vulnerable and independent and lost even as she finds herself - and the story of her budding romance with the captivating Micah, her relationship with the family she loves but sometimes feels so different from, her triumphs and tribulations with friends and classmates and, most of all, her rise from the sleep of her childhood dreams to the awake reality of adult self-awareness and identity is as touching as it is fascinating. Suspenseful, humorous, romantic and, above all, beautifully and realistically-written, Awake is an amazing novel I recommended not only to readers of the YA genre, but to anyone who holds the belief that our dreams define who we are and what we can be and that true love is as patient and self-sacrificing as it is passionate and self-defining. One of the best books I've read this year and one I know I'll revisit again and again, I can't wait to read more of Adisa and Micah's story in Book II of the series, Awake. Exceptional work!

Reviewed by Krisi Keley- Member

Paranormal Romance Review Team

I wish I could give this book 10 stars instead of just five. Seriously. I know that sounds over-the-top and most reading this will think it's an exaggeration. But I just finished reading "Asleep" and it was easily the best book I've read all year. And I read a ton of books. And it seems to be getting rarer and rarer for me to come across books that I like, let alone love.

I knew before finishing the free sample that I would buy the book, because I was already so hooked by the compelling characters. And after the first few chapters I already knew the book would be five stars, and it only kept improving from there.

The characters (even minor ones) are well drawn and interesting. The main characters (Adisa and Micah) were compelling and the relationship between them developed in a very realistic way. The author is a master of dialogue and not once did I ever feel like these teen characters were acting ridiculously juvenile for their age or unbelievably mature. Which was no mean feat (considering the storyline). The adults sounded like adults, the teens sounded like teens and the kids sounded like kids.

I stayed up ridiculously late reading this book after downloading it for my Kindle, even knowing I had to go to work could not pry me away. But I finally relented figuring I should try to get at least an hour or two of sleep. But I then spent the next day (luckily Saturday) devouring the rest of it.

The romance/relationship between the two main characters was compelling. I couldn't wait for them to get together, but until many books, also enjoyed every step of the way. And because the other characters and sub-plots were so well drawn, I had no desire to skim the book when Adisa and Micah weren't in the same scene. I laughed out loud more than just a few times, and felt real suspense at points. I desperately wanted to know what would happen to even secondary characters and was completely rooting for Adisa and Micah to have their happily ever after.

I also especially appreciated the true to life, and completely non-stereotypical, way the author portrayed this mostly African American set of characters. There are so few stories that pull this off without resorting to caricature. And when race matters were dealt with the characters had realistic reactions and the author's masterful character portrayals really had a chance to shine. And my respect for the author just increased exponentially (a little math humor that those who read the book might appreciate).

If I gush any more over this book I'm sure I will come off like a paid spokesperson (and I'm definitely not). Even still, I feel as though I'm lacking the proper words and elegant delivery necessary to truly express how much I liked this book. I could probably write an essay filling pages if I set my mind to it. I love it that much. So much so, that I think I will probably re-read this book before long. And that's the most glowing endorsement I can give a book. I have read hundreds of books (literally) yet I can only think of 1 or 2 that I have ever liked enough to bother reading again. Because most books, no matter how enjoyable on the first go through, rarely entertain or captivate me enough that I'm sure I'd fall in love all over again. I really think this book may enter those exclusive ranks.

Either way, I am definitely looking forward to reading the sequel, "Awake." And if everything I've said in this book isn't enough to convince you to read the book (if you haven't already) then I urge you to read the sample and judge it for yourself.

Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair had me quickly turning the pages in an attempt to find out what would happen next. I found something very interesting while reading about Adisa Summers' journey into finding out more about the mysterious boy, Micah Alexander, who moved into the house across the street. That something is how tired a person can feel when she spends her entire night dreaming. After such an adventure in the subconscious mind, she wakes up exhausted. Adisa spent most of her life having dreamless nights, but as a new school year begins, and Micah's presence invades her every waking thoughts, she begins to dream.

Adisa's life gradually begins to change as she interacts more and more with Micah. She learns things about him that causes her to be envious of him, but still, at the same time, he was taking up space in her heart. While Micah's secrets were being exposed, Adisa was discovering her own secrets. How do Micah's and Adisa's secrets connect?

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. One thing I chide myself for doing is reading the back of the book, because a key component of the story is mentioned. I found myself asking when was it going to be revealed. Once it was revealed, the story picked up its pace. I am anxiously awaiting the next two books in this series. Asleep is a very good young adult fiction book that both adults and teens will enjoy.

The author provided this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

Adisa has always had a fascination with super heroes. She believes in right and wrong & truth and consequences. She chooses to see the good in everyone and tries to be as strong as people believe she is.

She has a typical family - a mother whose mission is to feed the world, a father who is loving and very protective of his family, and older twin sisters with whom she has a love/hate relationship with (mostly love, though) - and typical friends.

Her whole world is turned up-side-down by the mysterious and absolutely gorgeous Micah, the boy whose family just moved into the house across the street. Though Micah appears to be emotionally shutoff and very rarely speaks, he seems to want to get close to Adisa. He chooses to sit next to her in class, asks her to be his dance partner, and even defends her when her older sisters pick on her. Her interactions with Micah leave Adisa feeling confused and mostly frustrated, to say the least, but there's just something about him that she can't or doesn't want to stay away from.

A tragic accident on Adisa's 16th birthday sets in motion a chain of events that will ultimately redefine not only Adisa and her role within her family, but also her relationship with Micah and her entire outlook on the world as she knows it. She's introduced to a life she never dreamed existed; one filled with a secret society, 'super heroes', and 'villains'. What does this mean for Adisa? What role does Micah play? How will this change their future?

ASLEEP had a great pace, excellent characters, believable dialogue, and an intriguing plot. The story progression was believable and the flow was perfect - nothing moved too slow or was rushed through.
Wendy Raven McNair did a beautiful job with the character descriptions and relationship development. The characters were not only realistic, but also very easy to fall in love with and relate to. Even the 'bad guys' or villains in this book were hard to hate since their circumstances lead the reader to understand and really sympathize with them and the actions they take.
This is the first of three books in this series. I am chomping at the bit for the next installment, AWAKE.

ASLEEP is a mix of sci-fi, paranormal, super heroes, and teenage angst. Adisa Summers is a fifteen year old teenage girl, who has always had an overt fascination with super heroes and not much else. Her world is tilted when an absolutely gorgeous boy, Micah, sits next to her in class and asks her to be his dance partner. For maybe the first time, Adisa is infatuated and also saddened because she's not the pretty one in the family and she knows she will not appeal to him.

She is thoroughly surprised, when the 'mystery boy', who appears to be emotionally shutoff and very rarely speaks, seems to gravitate to her. What Adisa doesn't know is that Micah's family has just moved into the house across the street from her and Micah has an agenda. His odd emotionless behavior, rigid posture, and vacant eyes are puzzling to Adisa, and the mixed messages they send have her imagining all sorts of things.

They become a couple and Adisa is learning things about Micah she does not understand. An accident on her sixteenth birthday starts a domino affect that will ultimately redefine her role within her family, and her relationship with Micah. She's introduced to a life filled with a secret society, super heroes, and villains; and her entire outlook of the world changes.

ASLEEP is a superhero teen love story set in modern day Atlanta. It is filled with thrills, romance, and suspense. Their relationship is developed nicely; it is at times sweet and at other times smoldering, with restrained passion. Her family adds a good backdrop for Adisa's development and they also render some shocking surprises. The pace at times was slow, but the characters, the dialogue, and the plot were very good. Overall, this is an excellent leap into a genre that never ceases to inspire dreams filled with fantasy. Ms. McNair, has thoroughly set the stage for books two and three.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

I loved this book from beginning to end. When I first bought this book it was off of a whim and didnt know what to expect. I like action and space battles in my sci-fi books. Half way through the book and nothing really happened except that the main character Adisa likes the new guy is school. I started to doubt whether or not this was a sci-fi / fantasy novel. it played out more like an interesting diary of a 14 year old girl. I was still glued to the book from beginning to end. McNair's writing style was amazing. this was one of my bests reads.

Fantastic. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. This is a book that my daughters will enjoy. Too often we are not able to locate stories that express the gambit of all emotions, stories that make you feel as though you are living the lives of the characters. Characters that look like you. Thank you Wendy for writing such a wonderful story. I look forward to the final installment.

If you like fantasy movies, you will love this story of, my version, "Love in Fantasy." Dreams do come true even if you do not believe in them. Love does exist, even if you do not believe in it. Take this ride with Adisa and Micah, it will remind you that Love and Dreams are real and, at the end of the day, you can be happy. We need "happy" doing this time in our lives. It keeps us going.

I came across this book while browsing samples for my Kindle. Once I started reading and came to the end of the sample - I felt I had to purchase the book -the story was just that compelling. What I find funny is that I didn't even realize what genre this book actually fell under when I purchased it - and I have to say that it's not one that I usually would even consider. I'm a pretty die-hard AA Romance aficionado.

Although this is a love story - it was so much more. I thought it was phenomenal. Wendy Raven McNair has managed to write an imaginative original story that I would be as comfortable recommending for YA reading as I would to someone who like myself is a far more seasoned romance reader. I'm so looking forward to the next installment in this trilogy.