FefferBooks

Review first appeared on fefferbooks.com.

I have to be honest: as eager as I am to read books written by friends of friends, it always makes me a little nervous. Will it be any good? Will I have to force myself to finish? Will I have to find something nice to say about it so my friend doesn’t feel bad for asking me to read it?

I was so thrilled (and relieved) to have that concern thrown right out the window, just a couple of chapters into Awakening by Christy Dorrity. I wasn’t just pleasantly surprised–I was downright shocked by Dorrity’s talent and ability. Awakening is a self-published book, which can have a certain stigma in the industry. Honestly? I would never have guessed that Dorrity published Awakening on her own. It’s impeccably edited and beautifully developed. But the proof is, as they say, in the pudding.

Dorrity has a great gift for writing: her characters are varied in nearly every way imaginable, and her story is just plain fun. Let me be the first to say that I’m not usually much for books about “magic,” and the cover didn’t necessarily appeal to me. There is, though, a great deal more to this book: it’s really a story about finding one’s talents and abilities, and caring for the people you love most. Dorrity spends the greater portion of the book developing relationships between the characters, which serves to further the plot. I was particularly fond of Rourke, the taciturn but deeply protective janitor.

Dorrity’s real talent lies in relating the psychology of her characters: she is excellent at capturing the complex emotions that make up being a teenager. I was particularly impressed by her ability to convey deep, profound communication with her characters’ subtle gestures and body language. I think it must take a high degree of observation to be able to translate such tiny but significant things into writing. Such is Dorrity’s gift.

I’m excited to see how well this book does. I’m still not quite sure about all the magic and world-building that happens at the very end (but if you’re into magic/mythology/Ireland, you will be NUTS for it), but I can’t say enough good about Dorrity as a writer. Awakening hits shelves today, and I think it has huge potential. Go! Buy! Read!

Squeaky clean, with a sweet love story. 4 stars.

Note: ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.