The Awakening (The Gifting Series Book 2)

At the end of The Gifting, Tess and Luka realize that they aren't crazy - they are simply part of The Gifting. But the real question is, what does that mean?

This book immediately dives into an action-packed hunt for answers. First Tess and Luka are forced to escape as fugitives. Then, they must piece together the puzzle of what connects them. That means putting themselves in great danger, half way across the country. Along the way, they learn that they are not alone. And that their abilities have a much greater impact than they ever imagined.

Not only does this book ooze suspense and excitement, it is equally enjoyable for the characters and steamy (but tasteful) romance. Just a great read all around.

The Awakening kept me guessing the entire time. I wanted to know why Tess could see things other people couldn't. The book makes you question how close our society is to diminishing religion completely. It would be a sad world!

This series is all spectacular, and this book definitely didn't miss out. It had the perfect balance of violence and romance without going overboard. Loved it so much, I think I might go out and buy a physical copy.

I flew through The Gifting in a few short days and I am so happy that this, the second book in the trilogy, was released just a few months later or I would be dying from anticipation! It is a rarity that the middle book in a trilogy is much more than filler to hold us over until the third book and conclusion of the series, but that is not the case with The Awakening. I would even venture to say I enjoyed this one more than the first. There was so much action and so much suspense, I once again read through the entire book in just a few days...I couldn't put it down. I am so excited to read the conclusion in the final book, until then I will be on edge wondering what will happen to our hero Tess, her guy Luka, and all of the people with "the gifting".

I absolutely love these books! The author takes you through twists and turns of a chilling futuristic world. I've fallen in love with Tess and Luka's story. I was so mad when I finished because I had to wait for the third one to come out! A must read for people of all ages!

What a sad excuse. There is only enough plot in the first two books of this series to make up one. The rest is just badly written tangents that a reader is forced to skip over. Half of the second book is literally a summary of the first, as if the author thinks the readers are too dim witted to remember. More like she couldn't come up with actually plot development to stretch out over her contract with the publisher, so spends sickening amounts of time in the previous books.
Characters are flat and the same descriptors and mannerisms are reused verbatim. Author couldn't even be bothered to think of more for the central couple.
What's harder to stomachs than that, is the intense self pity and loathing on repeat in Theresa's narrative. Main character has literally no self worth and multiple times does exactly the opposite of what is in her interests because she doesn't want to create conflict with a boy, including taking drugs. She is whinny, self absorbed, and flat out insecure. On top of that she is an absolute idiot.
Summer and Claire are also literally the same character, just transferred into the next setting so the narrative feels justified in regurgitating jealousy to prove the main character has not a shrewd of confidence or worth as a woman.
Why two stars ?
1. Despite the bad BAD bad writing, the overall framework is an interesting concept. Points for that, even if despicably exercised.
2. I find Luka to be an interesting and romantic male character, at least when he's not puppy lovesick.

Okay, the writing is much better than it was in book one. The author must have finally gotten an editor though the formatting for kindle was horrible. There were a lot of underlined and lined through words. It was a big distraction from trying to read the story. So the writing gets 2 stars but the story itself is 3 stars. The idea was very unique and interesting. I do however think the price (4.99) is a bit much for a book still filled with errors. If errors were fixed then yes, the book would be worth it but as it stands the author may want to consider lowering the price to no more than $1.99.
This is still a big improvement from the first book. Let's see if book three is any better.

Overall Assessment:
This is the second book in ‘The Gifting’ series by KE Ganshert. This book picks up almost immediately where the first left off. I liked the first book quite a bit, but this one was even better! Tess is finally growing and gaining some confidence. I emphasize some because she still has a long way to go. I guess I should warn that there is a pretty big cliffhanger–but honestly, if you’re not into cliffhangers I’m not sure why you would risk reading a series. The final book is already out so you won’t have to wait long to find out what happens.

What I liked:
– Tess’s growth – emotional and her abilities
– Finally some answers! We learn about what The Gifting is and the different kind of abilities.
– This book was action packed from beginning to end! The first book got a little slow in the middle, but this had none of the filler stuff that the first one had.
– Awesome new characters (minus one annoying Mean Girl on steroids). I’m hoping Ganshert expands a little more on these characters, I want to know their stories!
– The cliffhanger! I know, most think I’m crazy, but I really like cliffhangers. Especially when the next book is already out :p

What I didn’t:
– The turmoil in Tess and Luka’s relationship was a little much. It annoyed me that Tess continued to leave Luka out of everything.
– We basically get another Summer in this book, but worse. Ugh
– The last thing that bothered me was when Tess and Luka find the ‘Hub’.

VERY SMALL SPOILER BELOW….

I find it hard to believe that they didn’t ask questions, no-demand answers – about the Hub when they first arrived. Why would you allow yourself to go into a big warehouse with a bunch of strangers and let them feed you information as they see fit? I would have been demanding answers to questions like “what TF is the gifting?”, “What are fighters?”, etc. right away. It was irritating to even read.

Would I recommend this book to family and/or friends?
Yes, and I will be continuing the series

For this review and others like it please visit my blog at:
ChandaReads dot WordPress dot Com

I very much enjoyed The Gifting, which introduces readers to Tess and Luka, part of "The Gifting," people who have special powers. So I don't mean this as a knock on that book, which I gave 4-1/2 out of 5 stars to, when I say that The Awakening is so much better! Basically, Ganshert took the solid base that she'd established in The Gifting and kicked it up a notch. The Awakening is full of action, danger, and romance, and it moves at breakneck speed.

Tess and Luka find themselves in Detroit with a group of others who are like them. There, they can hone their abilities and hopefully save others (like Tess' grandma). Most of this book takes place within the walls of their underground sanctuary, where many intriguing characters are introduced. The book careens toward its conclusion ... which is a gigantic cliffhanger. I listened to this on audiobook while mowing my lawn (which made mowing much less terrible), and when it ended, I literally yelled, "You're kidding me!" And then I looked around sheepishly to make sure none of my neighbors had heard me.

The only thing I didn't completely love about the novel was Tess. Her impatience and self-reliance grated on me, and I hated how she began to exclude Luka when she knew he wouldn't approve of her actions. I had to remind myself that she was a teenager, acting as teens tend to act! At the end of the book, she finally "came to her senses," so to speak, and I anticipate we'll be seeing a more mature Tess in the final book.

Note: This is one series that you definitely need to read in order! Start with The Gifting (which seems to be perpetually free for Kindle) and go from there.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this free for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Continuing on with what makes The Gifting remarkable, The Awakening resumes in captivating us with what is the Gifting, and the romantic development between Tess and Luka. What makes this sequel strong is how friendships, both genuine and insincere ones reflect off of both characters, and the underlying meaning of free will. The personal choice to be who they are and what they are willing to sacrifice for love. I'm caught onto Luka's unmistakable attraction to Tess, and his will to protect Tess, yet I'm equally irked by Tess' reluctance to accept Luka's apparent love. That's it for now, and hopefully not too spoiler-ish. And to those that prefer more actions than the emotional turmoils of our characters, don't worry. There's plenty of activity, and when it happens, you'll be on the edge of your seat, toe-curling, fingers clutching, eyes popping and heart thumping, wishing you have the ability to speed read or speed listen in my case, and see it to the end. Yes, KE had me good. I can't let go and I won't let go, because after The Awakening, you'll NEED to get to The Gathering as soon as possible.

For the full review, please see JustCommonly.blogspot.com.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.

This is a perfect continuation of Volume 1, The Gifting. Right after Tess begins to make sense of her unique ability, she and Luka are forced into the life of a criminal, hiding from the authorities, and everyone else that wants to see her dead.

The two teens make several new friends as they continue their search for answers. Their questions are finally being answered, while they go underground. The action, adventure, mystery, and suspense kept my family and me on the edge of our seats.

I strongly recommend The Awakening, as well as the rest of the Gifting Series. Overall, this is another 5-star book. I love Heather Masters’ narration too!

K.E. Ganshert has done it again! I have never been disappointed in any of her books. I think her writing just keeps getting better!

I loved the first book in this series, and I believe this book is even better. I had the audio version. Usually I don't like audio books, but this book was different. The narrator did an excellent job reading the book, and I really felt like I was living Tess' life. This story follows Tess and Luka and the craziness around them. Tess is trying to figure out what is happening to her and along the way she meets others who share some of her same "gifts".

I would definitely recommend this book. Even though the book is classified as a young adult genre, adults would also enjoy it. I received the audio version from K.E. Ganshert for my honest opinion.

There are books and then there are those books you can read over and over, whose characters stay with you and just cannot put down. This is one of those books.

Tess and Luka have run off to learn more about the gifting. In doing so, there's a new cast of characters that have gifts of their own. Tess not only faces similar issues from high school but has to deal with her feelings for Luka. They both train as fighter and guardian but soon learn they are more than just that. Tess discovers how to jump between dreams, link dreams, and take others with her. Oh and she is one bad@** fighter .

I wound up listening to this book on audible. (the narrator is amazing) I nearly drove past my destination a few times just because I didn't want to have to stop listening. This one picked up right where the first one left off and will leave you ready to dive right into the third one! Such a great series!

Here is where the screaming comes in…

First, it was incredibly difficult not to scream at anyone who dared interrupt me while I was reading this book.

I ignored my phone. I ignored my e-mail. I ignored everything. Fortunately, my children were happily playing or watching a movie during much of this time.

Second, when I reached the end of that last chapter – it was incredibly difficult to make myself do a silent scream – like the one I talked about in my review of the first book in this series – which I had to do because everyone else was asleep.

DON’T THEY REALIZE how devastating it was! Surely they would have forgiven me. Surely they would have understood.

No, I’m sure they would not. They would have groused and told me to get over myself and go to sleep.

But the story was over… AND I DIDN’T WANT IT TO BE!

Then… third… when Katie (K.E.) teased me with the openings of book 3.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The agony of that tiny little peek into a story so immediately intriguing – I could hardly stand to put the book down when I’d reached the end. It was physically painful and it was all I could do not to scream and kick my feet.

No, I didn’t remember that I’m too old for tantrums – I remembered how grumpy my family can be when they’re woken up. So I checked my e-mail until I had calmed down enough to sleep.

And now I’m chomping at the bit to get the next book… yes, again!

I’ve subscribed to K.E.’s Newsletter so that I can’t possibly miss the news!

Counting the days… impatiently.

Well-paced story with believable characters. This is an unusual story line, and I've enjoyed every word! The second book picks up where the first one left off. I'm currently on the final book in the trilogy (The Gathering), and it has only gotten better, which is hard to do considering that it started out excellent. So good. So very very good.

One of my favorite series EVER! And I'm 60 years old. The stories are unpredictable, mesmerizing, and best of all appropriate for all ages. It's so refreshing knowing that I can finish a book without having to delete it because of inappropriate material. These books were full of uncommon wisdom and I will read all of Katie Ganshert's books!

Wow is all I can say. This series just keeps getting better and better. This book was a bit grittier than the last but more exciting and action packed. I have really enjoyed reading this series and am so excited to start the next!!! I so wish I could find more books like these!!

I am without a doubt obsessed with this series! I am an avid reader and have never been so engaged and invested in a series of books as I am with The Gifting series. I have read The Gifting and The Awakening 3 times now, and I NEVER reads books again! I cannot get enough and am excited and sad for the third book in September. I don't want this series to ever end :)
K.E. Ganshert has a way of drawing the reader into such well-developed stories and character descriptions that they become your family, best friend or worst enemy. I experienced the characters emotions right along with them. The fear, the love, the anger and the jealousy are so intense throughout the book. I am amazed at Ganshert's ability to take you back to High School and the intense feelings that come along with being a teenager. Tess and Luka are on an otherworldly journey that has twists and turns around every corner. There are fascinating new characters introduced in this book that add a whole new dimension to what Luka and Tess are learning about themselves and each other.
You will not be disappointed by this book!