I Shall Awaken

- Reviews -

Dora' s village is turned upside down when three missing people return in this novel translated from the Czech. Seventeen-year-old Dora Lautner has been labelled "crazy" ever since four of her friends-Sonya, Tom, Astrid, and Astrid' s little brother, Max-disappeared from day care 12 years ago while she was left behind, unable to say what happened. As the community begins the winter solstice festival of Korochun, during which the dead may walk among the living, Astrid and Tom reappear, unable to remember what transpired, along with a comatose Sonya. Max, however, is nowhere to be found. While people assume that Gustaw Linhart, their suspected kidnapper, set them free upon his recent release from an asylum, Astrid, Dora, and Tom aren' t so sure. When the traditional bonfire refuses to light and dead animals begin to turn up around the village, talk begins of a curse. During the 12 days of the festival, Dora, Tom, and Astrid must solve the mystery of the abduction and the returnees' arrival in order to wake up Sonya and find Max before it is too late. The novel is eerie and atmospheric, with a plot drawn from the worst childhood fears of monsters under the bed. The final revelation of the truth behind the mystery does nothing to diminish the horror; if anything, it makes it even scarier. The measured pace is interrupted by bursts of terrifying action, keeping readers in suspense. An intense, absorbing novel that will have readers jumping at shadows. (Horror. 13-18) - Kirkus The mystery of four missing children emerges when three ofthem suddenly appear twelve years later. The fact they have no memory of theirdisappearance allows readers to wonder, but the question of what happened tothe fourth boy Max adds a twist. Astrid is determined to save her brother butthat requires an understanding of what happened. A twelve-day deadline createsadditional suspense as days go by. Dora was with the kids when they disappearedfrom kindergarten nap time, but no one knows why she was left behind. Peoplethink she' s crazy when they hear her account of the events so she' s nowreluctant to share what she saw. The whole plot focuses on Astrid' s efforts tosolve the mystery, find her little brother, and bring him safely home. The kids receive mixed reactions when they reappear, but thegeneral public is consistently rude, nosy, and opinionated. Astrid' s mother hasbeen ill since her disappearance, and her uncle, cousin, and grandmother arenot happy to see Astrid return. Dora' s father becomes very angry and violentwhen her friends come back, and Sophia' s mother already had her declaredlegally dead years earlier. The village is male-dominated and the Elders setrules and pass judgment for all citizens to follow. The strict atmosphere isstifling and suffocates the young people. The teens find little understandingand support to help them heal. The story has an air of the supernatural, but the authorkeeps any specifics vague for the first half of the book. Children wear tattoosto guard against evil spirits and spells are cast at bedtime to ward offdemons. Astrid suffers nightmares to the point that she' s afraid she' ll beattacked by shadowy creatures if she falls asleep. The ceremonial bonfire litduring a holiday celebration goes out and villagers are unable to get it relit. A dead cat is found among its ashes and other animals start dying around townand in the woods. Something evil has clearly targeted the town, but what? Thetruth behind Max' s disappearance is a huge, expected twist as the plot nearsits climax. YA Books Central There are so few YA horror novels out there and I am sohappy that I stumbled upon this one. The author used such a unique storylineand included Slavic gods which I was completely new to, didn' t have anyprevious knowledge of, but absolutely loved it. I definitely will be addingthis to my physical bookshelf on release day. - Taylor S, ReviewerI stumbled across this book while looking for a new book toread that tied in tales of the gods. I loved that this brought in the Slavicgods - I haven' t found a lot of stories that do. It also was YA horror, which was a huge bonus! The disappearances of children,and reappearance hinted to something more sinister lurking out there. I can' t wait to be able to share this book with my students that love horror,and the old tales! I don' t have enough in my classroom library that crossover. But first, my priority is adding this book to my personal library. A fantastic book with equally gorgeous art. 5/5. - Jennifer J, EducatorDora' s four friends went missing 12 years ago during naptime at kindergarten. No one has believed what she saw, blaming thedisappearances on the local loony man. A few days after he is released from hissentence, three of the four return; aged normally and unaware of how they gotthere or where they had been. Why did only three return and where have theybeen this whole time? And are they to blame for the sudden stroke of bad luckthe village now faces? I Shall Awaken was a great quick read. While told frommany points of view it didn' t jar the reader and helped propel the storyforward. Mythical/wise women of the village help our main characters navigatelost memories and myths that should have never been forgotten. While the endingleft a little to be lacking, it was nice to be able to allow the reader theirown take on what happens after the epilogue. I really enjoyed this story butthe reread value is what brings it down to 4 stars. Recommended for readers 10+who love a good mystery along with a bit of magic. - Kristin S, ReviewerFrom "the Czech Stephen King", Katerina Sardicka' s YA horrornovel I Shall Awaken is firmly rooted in folklore, and fear of the old gods. Following their mysterious disappearance as children, Astrid, Tom, and Sonyareturn 12 years later, with no memory of the incident. However, Astrid' sbrother Max did not return with them, and Astrid desperately tries to figureout his rescue, while dealing with the abusive family to whom she has returned. The unnamed village in which the novel is setis full of secrets, from weird witch-like characters, to forbidden forests, anda myriad of ghosts. I love the world Sardicka has created; it just drips withdread from the first page. The central female characters in this book areparticularly strong. Astrid' s defiance in the face of authority, and theliteral unknown, is incredible. This girl faces potential death in order torescue her brother. The story takes a while to build; Sardicka builds a senseof foreboding that really pays off when things speed into the break-neck finalchapters. The horror is incredibly disturbing, and I experienced the rarephenomenon of a "jump scare" in a book. I love that this is a YA book, and ifyoung readers embrace this level of terror, I think there is an incredibleamount of hope for the future. - Tracey T, ReviewerIn a small unnamed village demons are feared andsuperstitions rule the villagers' lives. The village has very good reasons tobe afraid. Twelve years ago, four six-year old children disappeared from theirlocked kindergarten classroom during naptime. Sonia, Tom and Astrid along withher little brother, Max were taken away; only Dora knows what happened but noone believed her. Suddenly during the first night of the winter solstice, themost dangerous time for the villagers when the veil between the real world andthe otherworld is thinnest, three of the missing children, now young adults,return naked, covered in mud and with no memory of what has happened to themover the last 12 years. Then things get frightening, nightmares seem to come tolife and the animals in the forest around them are dying. Astrid wants to goback for Max, but where does she go and how will she get there? The story ismostly told through Dora and Astrid and their home lives are almost as horribleas their nightmares making the reader sympathize with them. Reading this novelby a Czech author, translated into English, featuring folklore and legends of adifferent culture is a great way for readers to expand their reading horizons,and this is a good book to start with. - Youth Services Book Review

- Author Bio -

Katerina Sardicka hails from the Czech Republic. She started with writing when she was 15 years old. She has a weakness for 35 mm movies and story telling about nothing and everything. She is a representative of her own genre, the young adult mystery horror.

- Full Details -

Status:	Active
ISBN-13:	9788000063478
Published:	30 Jun 2022
Published In:
Imprint:	Albatros nakladatelstvi as
Publisher:	Albatros nakladatelstvi as
Format:	Hardback
Height:	203mm
Width:	146mm
Pages:	352

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