Review and Blog Tour: Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Title: Wake Unto Me

Author: Lisa Cach

Published: March 31st, 2011

Source: The Teen {Book} Scene Blog Tours

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Caitlyn Monahan knows she belongs somewhere else. It's what her dead mother's note suggested, and it's what her recurring nightmares allude to. Desperate to flee these terrifying dreams and her small town she accepts a spot at a boarding school in France. Only, when she arrives, her nightmares get worse. But then there are her amazing dreams, so vivid and so real, with visits from an alluring, mysterious, and gorgeous Italian boy from the 1500s. Caitlyn knows they are soul mates, but how can she be in love with someone who exists only in her dreams? Then, as her reality and dream world collide, Caitlyn searches for the real reason why she was brought to this school. And what she discovers will change her life forever.

Well, this book definitely wasn't what I was expecting! The cover is a bit misleading, making it seem like she's haunted in waking, rather than her dreams. I was surprised by the direction this story took, but not in a bad way at all! There was way more mystery than I thought there would be. It had a lot of historical aspects to it as well, which I enjoyed. It wasn't quite as paranormal as I thought it would be, which is a good thing. I'm starting to get a little burned out on paranormal. Though it's not intentional, the beginning, middle, and end of this book are three distinct, separate parts.

The beginning was a little shaky. The pacing was a bit awkward, and it told, rather than showed, her home life and her past. I didn't get a very good sense of who Caitlyn is in the beginning, and most of the characters were flat. This is probably because most of the characters aren't a very big part of the book after the first couple chapters.

The middle was the most enjoyable part. Cach really got into the groove and the pacing was neither too fast or too slow. The characters are much more dynamic, including Caitlyn. I really got a sense of who Caitlyn, and her new friends at her school in France, were. I thought the dream sequences were perfect, there weren't so many that she was practically never awake, but there weren't so few that we forgot what happened the previous time.

The end got a little..strange for me. The pace really sped up, to a point where it was too fast. A lot of different ideas came together at once, and more than one mystery was wrapped up in a short time. It got a little confusing, and was less believable than the middle. I enjoyed the way it ended, I just felt like it happened too fast.

Overall I thought this book was really enjoyable. I loved the mystery, the romance, and the setting. There were a few issues with the more technical things like pacing, but I really enjoyed the story. If you're a fan of paranormals, and even historical fiction, you'll want to check this book out!

Characters: 7/10
Plot: 8/10
Originality: 9/10
Writing: 8/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall: 40/50 B-