Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski's plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her legs grow glittering scales. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend's hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time.

But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which 'normal' doesn't even begin to apply.

Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend's stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own.

It was supposed to be a vacation. It's turning out to be a whole lot more.

Chloe loves the water. She dreams about the ocean, drew it constantly in her childhood artwork, and can’t imagine anything better than spending a vacation on the beach. However, she’s never ever been to the ocean, she can’t swim, and her parents are obsessed with the dangers that water presents to the point that they do not even have a bathtub in the house. Naturally, she runs away from home in order to accompany a friend to the beach. This leads to a series of events involving people who live under water, someone who wants Chloe dead, and the possibility that Chloe herself is not what she seems.
Awaken features a girl who is very special and has to learn about her special qualities from a cute guy, something that is commonly seen in YA fiction. I was a little impatient with how long it took Chloe to figure out what was going on. Presumably the second book in the series will focus more on the underwater cities, and that will definitely be interesting. ( )