Book Review: "Love Me Dead - Awakened" by Emma Lowe

"Love Me Dead – Awakened" is about Chloe who discovers her powers as a witch. For many years, she has been kept at a distance from the real world, a world in which witches, warlocks, vampires and possibly other creatures as well, are very much existent.  She discovers many truths that had been kept from her, for her own safety – or so she has been told. Just like with every new thing we learn, Chloe makes mistakes… irreversible mistakes, but she is determined to undo her wrongs and if this deems impossible, she is willing to pay for them.

An interesting fact, perhaps, is that "Love Me Dead" takes place in the same world as "The Not So Secret Life Of Helena Callahan" and "Suicidal Dreams" – but at different times. To me, it felt as though it isn’t necessary to have read the other books first, especially the ones that involved Helena Callahan, but I think it’s a plus if you do - especially if you want some more background information.

1. The characters

Emma portrayed the characters realistically, as realistically as it gets in a world of fiction of course. Pretty much all the characters have their good and bad qualities, no flawless people, something I love about this book. To me, a character that makes mistakes is more real to me. I’m not too much into the almost angelic-like flawless people who are on top of the world and have everything they want, etc… This is something you don’t find in the real world either, and therefore I find it important that characters in a book have to struggle every now and then as well. 

Chloe Faulkner’s transformation is very clear throughout the story. At first, she’s just a clueless girl, but the more she gets to know the real world,  the more she seems to find her true self, the more she tries to find out who she is, what she is, who she’s supposed to be and what she wants in life.

My favorite character must have been Knox, because compared to Ace, he just seems a tad more sincere when it comes to Chloe. Although, as mentioned before, Knox isn’t picture perfect either. You could say that Knox – to me – is the best choice out of two ‘wrongs’.

But, of course, Love Me Dead has many more characters that each in their own way play their part in Chloe’s story.

2. The Story

I loved the story, mainly because I loved The Not So Secret Life Of Helena Callahan and I was really interested to read Chloe’s side of the story. Another reason why I read this story is because I was interested to read more from Emma Lowe. I loved her other stories so far, each different but you could say similar too. Similar as in, when you read the story, you sort of feel that it has been written by Emma.

Love Me Dead existed of parts that had me laughing, but other times the story was able to get more serious. It held some of the basic and most common teenage issues, yet, at the same time, this didn’t interfere at all with the bigger storyline. The story pulled me right in from the start and I found myself reading everywhere and every time I found even as little as five minutes of free time.

3. Rating

I’d rate "Love Me Dead" 4/5.

Not the full 5 because as it is, the story still needs some editing. [Important: I read Love Me Dead on Wattpad, where it was clearly stated that it was only a first draft.] Sometimes I felt like I missed a little information here and there, but not in a way that it interfered the reading experience. And I think these are pretty much the only negative things about the story.

What I loved about the story was Chloe’s transformation, the way Chloe was ‘trapped’ under Ace’s spell and how that was described in the story. As a reader, it was easy to feel Chloe’s confusion at times and how at other times she wasn’t aware of any of it at all.

4. Recommendations

I recommend this story to everyone who enjoys a good fiction story and isn’t afraid of witches, vampires and other supernatural beings. I’d recommend this story to the people who loved The Not So Secret Life Of Helena Callahan, but I’m quite certain they already have read this story.

5. Extra

Description of "Love Me Dead - Awakened" by Emma Lowe: 

You live. You learn. You die.

Growing up is always difficult. First you have to teach yourself to walk then talk, and finally how to fit into high school when you are practically invisible. Life’s all about finding your place, deciding who you’re going to date next, and discovering your inner self. Teenage years are particularly important, because they are the years you find yourself. They’re the years you mould yourself into whoever you are going to be for the rest of your life. Too bad no one ever warned Chloe Faulkner that once you start to change, it’s hard to change back – because some scars don’t heal.

What happens when this glamorous little life you have aimed for turns out to be not so perfect after all? When you end up being a little freakier than everyone thought you were, you start to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for, and your precious boyfriend’s closet isn’t as empty as you thought? Social suicide.

Book Trailer: Watch it on Youtube! 

You can read "Love Me Dead - Awakened" by Emma Lowe on Wattpad: Read it here!