Review: Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.

Review:

Wake Unto Me was a beautifully written and complex young adult debut for Lisa Cach. There were so many wonderful twists and turns in the plot that kept me guessing and I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

Our protagonist Caitlin leaves her home and goes to attend boarding school in France and a sea of adventures and mysteries welcome her at the Chateau de la Fortune. Ghosts, death, love, friendship... Caitlin was a very relatable and likable main character. She was ordinary (or so she thought) and had her head firmly on her shoulders. Readers discovered things alongside Caitlin and my heart stopped when she got into a dangerous situation.

Caitlin arrives in France to attend boarding school only to discover that nothing is what she expected. The plot was just... wonderful. The small details made the biggest impact and I was immediately drawn into the majestical world Lisa described. Reading about the rolling French country sides and the enormous, old fashioned castles was one of my favorite aspects of the story. Wake Unto Me was more than just a typical girl-goes-to-boarding-school-girl-meets-guy-girls-falls-in-love story. I loved watching the relationship between Caitlin and Raphael unfold. He was such a gentleman and so different from any other male YA lead.

The secrets and plot twists in this story were unlike any other. While the beginning started off a little slow, soon I was on a roller coaster ride. What was real life? What was a dream? Who could we trust? I LOVED never knowing what was going to happen next and being completely thrown towards the end. You may think you know what's going to happen but I never could figure it out!

Lisa Cach has a great writing style and she introduced a lot of cool facts about history, architecture, and figures from times past. The summary didn't really tell me much, so be prepared for a terrific combination of mystery, romance, and intrigue, all alongside the fantastic Caitlin and Raphael. There are several secondary characters who I liked as well!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. While it wasn't perfect, it was full of mystery and suspense and I adored the two main characters. I am eager to read more by Lisa Cach, especially if it involves Caitlin and Raphael!

Overall: 4.25 out of 5 stars

March 31, 2011/Speak/304 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher/Author (ARC)