Told in an absorbing first person narrative voice, Awoke is a gripping entry in the Want Series by K.T. Conte, a great read for young adult fans of the paranormal. As the story begins, readers are introduced to Katya, a young girl preparing for a night out of dancing and fun, but she feels uncomfortable with herself, pretending that she is normal, like everyone else, and that is the façade she’d like to create. But then she has to warn herself, talking herself into believing that she’s normal: “Katya, you will not mess this up tonight. You will be a normal— no, you are a normal person tonight. There is nothing weird about you.” 

But Katya is different from every other girl in Boston. She has the ability to see creatures that aren’t of this world and the power to manipulate waves of life energy, and these gifts make her a target for powerful forces. The decision to help Gregor, a member of an international military team called the Kyrios, puts her life in grave danger, plunging her into a world where dead spirits are in constant warfare with wardens that keep them in the underworld. In the most conflicting of situations, Katya must make the choice to follow her calling or to return to the “normal” life she pretends to have. 

As I said above, this story is told in an irresistible voice, from the first person point of view, and the reader is pulled in from the very beginning. I loved the way Katya develops through the story, from a girl who is unsure of what she wants, refusing to admit the truth about herself to someone who takes responsibility and begins to put her gifts to use. The writing is beautiful and K.T. Conte creates a striking balance between her descriptive narrative and the fascinating dialogues, keeping the reader well-entertained. Awoke is a fast-paced, exciting read. 

Awoke: The Want Series by K.T. Conte is a great paranormal treat for young adult readers, a story that explores a teenage girl’s journey to accepting her exceptional gifts and following a very unique path. For a long time, Katya has pretended that she is normal, that she is like everyone else, but deep inside there is a turmoil of emotions, an unfolding world that she tries futilely to suppress. Yes, because she is gifted with incredible abilities, and she can see creatures and things veiled from the eyes of ordinary people, and can harness waves of life energy. When a member of an international spirit military group called the Kyrios enters her life, everything changes as she finds herself in the middle of a monumental battle that has raged for ages, involving undead spirits and wardens charged with keeping them in their place. She has to make the choice to embrace her path or retreat to the semblance of a life she’s created. 

There is a lot to enjoy in K.T. Conte’s novel and readers will enjoy the way the conflict is developed. It was interesting imagining what it feels like to be the protagonist as I read the story and I couldn’t help but accept the lesson that our gifts are our curses. Imagine the internal conflict of having great powers and not being able to accept those powers. The pace is fast and the writing captivating. Katya's world is overwhelming and readers will follow her with bated breath, caught up in the whirlwind of action taking place in an invisible world that affects ours in many ways. Awoke: The Want Series is well-plotted, set in an interesting and vividly written setting, and featuring compelling characters readers will love to follow. It was an engaging read for me.