Ask My Shelf
Log in Register
Ask My Shelf

Share your thoughts in a quick Shelf Talk!

The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

"Thrown into a cutthroat academy where celestial power decides your place and rivals play for keeps, two sisters must survive brutal trials, courtly traps, and dangerously magnetic enemies. Swaggering, scandalous, and addictive, The Awakening kicks off a romantasy saga that crackles with ambition and bite."

Have you read this book? Share what you liked (or didn’t), and we’ll use your answers to recommend your next favorite read!

Love The Awakening but not sure what to read next?

These picks are popular with readers who enjoyed this book. Complete a quick Shelf Talk to get recommendations made just for you! Warning: possible spoilers for The Awakening below.

In The Awakening, did you enjoy ...

... the deadly academy experience where survival is as important as passing trials?

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

If you loved how Tory and Darcy are thrown into Zodiac Academy’s lethal "lessons"—from elemental trials to the Heirs turning every corridor into a gauntlet—then El’s fight to survive the Scholomance will hit the spot. In A Deadly Education, classrooms spawn monsters, the cafeteria can kill you, and every spell has a cost. Like the Vegas learning to weaponize their nascent powers under constant threat, El must outthink a school designed to eat its students alive.

... an intense, enemies-to-lovers arc with a morally gray love interest?

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Drawn to the crackling, love–hate tension between the Vega twins and ruthless Heirs like Darius and Caleb? In Shatter Me, Juliette’s lethal touch makes her both weapon and target, and her volatile chemistry with the enigmatic, controlling Warner delivers that same intoxicating push–pull. As with the heirs’ obsession-fueled pranks and power plays, every charged glance and betrayal here doubles as foreplay and a test of loyalty.

... a brutal, no-safety-net education that escalates into real war?

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

If the savage hazing, shadow creatures, and bone-deep stakes in The Awakening kept you hooked, The Poppy War amplifies that darkness. Rin claws her way into Sinegard, where training is vicious and instructors break students to forge weapons—much like how the Heirs push the Vegas past their limits. When war erupts, classroom lessons turn lethal, and the choices around forbidden power echo the series’ darkest magic.

... alternating POVs that let you inhabit competing mages’ agendas?

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

If switching between Tory and Darcy’s voices—and glimpsing how different power players scheme at Zodiac Academy—was your jam, The Atlas Six delivers a feast. You’ll live inside the heads of Libby, Nico, Reina, Parisa, Callum, and Tristan as they vie for a place in a secret society where only five will advance. Like the Heirs’ mind games and the Vegas’ defiance, every alliance is a gamble and every chapter shifts your loyalties.

... cutthroat magical aristocracy of heirs, courts, and lethal status games?

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Hooked by the Heirs’ dominance at Zodiac Academy—the dragon prince Darius, vampire Caleb, siren Max, and werewolf Seth—and how titles and bloodlines rule everything? Red Queen throws you into a Silver court where noble houses flaunt elemental powers and politics can kill. As Mare navigates princes Cal and Maven and a rigged social ladder, you’ll get the same adrenaline of scheming, status tests, and power plays that the Vegas face from day one.

Unlock your personalized book recommendations! Just take a quick Shelf Talk for The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. It’s only a few questions and takes less than a minute.