Rating: 4.5/5 There are times when you read a book and it genuinely touches your heart. The characters are raw with realism, the plot claws its way into your bloodstream, and, word by word, you find the story consuming your soul. Awakening is one of those books. It feels so deeply intimate that you think you’ve discovered something special, something you want to desperately share with the world but can’t help but want to selfishly keep guarded as well. Exceptional in its exploration of grief, self-acceptance, and love, this epic series starter is one you won’t want to miss. When you’re eager to sing a book’s praises, it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ll start with what impressed me the most: character depth. When a novel’s characters leave an impression that is so real -- one where your heart beats in rhythm to their own fictional palpitations, ebbing and flowing based on a spectrum ranging from blissful happiness to oppressive despair -- magic happens. Burke crafted such vulne