Asleep by Wendy Raven McNair Book 1 of 3Rating: 3.5/5
IQ (Incredible Quote) "My dreams had been awash in vivid colors, splashing light in the crevices, swirling away the lurking shadows. Lilac Wine had suffused my very being in its intoxicating words and rhythms." One of the prettier lines from the book :)
I always thought it would be cool to be able to fly (the whole time I read this book R.Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" was stuck in my head). Flying is one of Micah Alexander's (he's the love interest) powers. Asleep is the first superhero book I've ever read. I decided it was Halloween themed since almost everyone has dressed up as a superhero for Halloween (I've been Catwoman). I used to be obsessed with superheroes actually (much like the main character Adisa). My siblings and I watched all these old cartoon Batman, Superman, and Justice League movies and I fell in love with superheroes. They were fearless, smart, witty and beautiful.
Asleep is a lot like Twilight, in fact it's pretty accurate to sum it up as the 'Black Twilight'. However, it's slightly better than Twilight in my opinion. The irresistible guy actually has flaws, the main character is strong and has a backbone (she's never just waiting around for Micah to rescue her and she's not too clingy). Adisa Summers has never had a boyfriend, let alone a kiss. So when the cute new guy, Micah Alexander, seems to be interested in her, she's unsure what to do. Around other people he's stiff, unemotional, unresponsive, but when they're alone, he's kind and romantic. Micah is a superhero and he teaches Adisa (albeit reluctantly) about his secretive world.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the descriptions of the superhero world. It was very interesting and the only time I appreciated all the descriptions. In Asleep the very first superheroes originated in Africa, also some of the most powerful superheroes are Africans. It was nice seeing Africa in a new, positive light. Their world is known as the Sp. world and they are called sp. beings. The author describes new and intriguing aspects of the sp. world such as shields, burning, morality (there's an interesting conversation Micah and Adisa have where he tells her that many superheroes want to go to Heaven and that they aren't immortal) and more. I was in a state of constant suspense, wondering when Micah would reveal his secret to Adisa. The book has a good deal of action and suspense. The romance was sweet but (like in Twilight) a bit unbelievable. Micah's younger brother Jason is the typical adorable little kid, with a twist. He's six years old and adds a nice subplot to the story.
One of the main things that kept me from giving this book a higher rating was the fact that it makes too many pop culture references. That's a big turn-off in a book, because it makes the book outdated. This book mentions news anchors, singers and songs. None of that was key to the story and I could of done without it. Also the main character could be a bit irritating. The author seemed to determined to stress the fact that Adisa had good manners, (it's mentioned in at least every chapter), her family is perfect "they were their naturally charming selves" (this was said in a non sarcastic tone) and is a pretty good child (it's very hard for her to lighten up and she's very safety conscious). Another problem I had with Asleep is that it's too descriptive. Way too many inconsequential details and parts. Also (and I think this has more to do with the book being self-published, although A Wish After Midnight is the one self-published book I've read with hardly any spelling or grammar errors) there were some punctuation (especially in the dialogue), grammatical and spelling errors. I'm not a big fan of the cover either. It's slightly creepy and not very striking. My final problem with the book was that the chapters were too long. They all seemed to run together, they needed to be better and further divided up (16 total, there needs to be more).
Ultimately, I felt that Asleep is another nice addition to the fantasy genre. The author herself describes the book as her answer to Twilight and I think it does a good job of creating a fascinating new world to read about. There are few books about superheroes and rare is the YA book about a poc superhero. I'm excited for the sequel, Awake and the continuation of the character's stories. 7th grade and up (My younger sister loved this book and gives it a 5/5 rating for younger readers). I would recommend this book to all people who love superheroes, fantasy, Twilight and romance stories.
Have a fun Halloween everybody! Don't forget tonight is the last night you can enter my Halloween giveaway (click on the Halloween picture in my sidebar).
*Disclosure: I received 2 copies from the author. One to keep and one to give away.
