Let’s be honest, Awakened had the makings of a thriller that could’ve kept me up at night. Instead, it dragged me into a narrative slumber so deep, I half expected to wake up in a post-apocalyptic wasteland led by a katana-wielding woman and a tiger. But no, just another monologue and an overextended flashback.

Laura Elliot sets the scene with intrigue, sure. There's tension, secrets, and brooding aplenty. But somewhere between chapter eight and why-are-we-still-talking-about-this, the plot gets tangled in its own shoelaces. Characters make choices with all the logic of a B-list horror flick, and instead of racing toward revelations, the story plods like a tired walker on The Walking Dead, season 7 style.

The dialogue is often intense, though not always in a good way. It feels like someone took a thesaurus to a soap opera script. And while Elliot clearly knows how to craft suspense, the pacing becomes its own antagonist. You're not turning pages out of excitement. Instead you’re flipping them like you're trying to find the part where something finally happens.

To be fair, there are flashes of brilliance. A few scenes genuinely deliver the emotional gut-punch promised in the blurb. But they’re few and far between, buried under layers of “let me explain my trauma for the third time this chapter.”

In conclusion, Awakened is not a bad book, just an overly long one that thinks it’s way more mysterious than it is. If you're a fan of unresolved tension, glacial pacing, and characters who love a good internal monologue, then you may enjoy the slow unravel. For the rest of us? It's a literary filler episode—watchable, occasionally moving, but ultimately skippable. Could’ve been killer, instead just kind of lingers.

The sleepless are evading the country, and a group of doctors are doing work to study up on what they are and how they live/function. Trapped in a tower, they continue their daily lives conducting research, but one day they get a huge surprise that makes them question everything.

Release day TikTok post, no spoilers
So excited about this ARC, I had to give you a heads-up that it's available today. This book kept hitting me so hard, I wrote notes after every reading session. Many books are engaging and moving. Awakened is transformative. My dreams, thoughts, and physicality shifted and strengthened. I felt unmoored, and at the same time connected and expectant.

Part way through, I realized I was experiencing something remarkable. We get monsters, gruesome horror, creepy science, slippery scalpel medical ethics, chronic illness / CE rep, some diversity, including glimpses of bi or pan Sapphic ♀️, Thane, a black military veteran and Maryam a wheelchair-using doctor--and chilling isolation in the Tower of London. 👀 I would have read it for the setting. Or the neuro chips. Or the monsters. Or the creeping dread and squelchy horror. And it's so much more than all of that.

The book is even better than I expected. I've been transported. Laura Elliott excels at atmosphere, perceptions, facing tough, ugly questions, and exposing raw, sensual longing under a controlled exterior. This book knocked me on my ass. Your turn.

My thanks to @AngryRobotBooks for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

Note: This is her debut novel. There's a different author by this name who writes thrillers.Awakened is a great choice if you crave monster horror and also enjoy speculative fiction, and if you're into dystopian, end-of-the-world novels with gothic and zombie vibes and literary-quality perceptive writing that goes so deep it hurts. More soon!

Awakened had all the ingredients for a compelling read: an intriguing blurb that hinted at a story in the vein of The Girl with All the Gifts and 28 Days Later, blending post-apocalyptic science with horror and human resilience. Unfortunately, it delivered none of the tension, emotion, or character depth that made those comparisons so powerful.

The narrative was dry and distant, lacking the visceral urgency or emotional core needed to ground a story like this. There was virtually no character development, and the plot moved forward with a sterile, clinical tone that made it difficult to connect with or care about what was happening. The philosophy and science felt overly dominant, but without the necessary counterbalance of horror or humanity to make it engaging.

This was a tough read to get through, and while the concept had potential, the execution fell flat for me. A story with this premise should have gripped me, but instead, I kept waiting for something to spark that never did.

Many Thanks to NetGalley, Angry Robot, and Laura Elliott for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved the premise. To counteract the natural process of sleep and increase human productivity, a chip has been invented and implanted in subjects' brains.
Unfortunately these chips have malfunctioned and very swiftly the subjects become ravenous zombie-type creatures. The scientists responsible for this are safely tucked away in The Tower of London looking for a cure.
At times my interest was piqued, but for parts of this book I felt it dragged. It was fairly philosophical, with a lot of dialogue, which I don't mind, it just struggled to keep my interest at times. I also got very confused as to what was happening at the end, which was probably by intent but it ultimately left me feeling a little dissatisfied.

A little mysterious and a lot dark!

This books is definitely for the fans of the movie 28days later!

Elliott does an incredible job of building a slow sense of dread and horror as the reader is very gradually introduced to a world that looks familiar and yet so very different to the one that they know. I really enjoyed the discussions of intersectional issues like medical racism and mistreatment of the disabled community whilst also tackling questions around the nature of humanity.

An evocative and captivating read.

A terrifying look at the world that ask questions about scientific ethics and humanity and what makes a human human.

I loved the scientific detail that was threaded through this book making the distopian future seem believable. Although I enjoyed the style of writing as scientific research it was quite weighty at times that I found hard to get into the flow.

Overall though a great unique take on the classic zombie / vampire story. For fans of the the passage or girl with all the gifts.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC.

This was a back-and-forth read for me. I liked many aspects of the story and also found myself wanting more connection to the world in which it all takes place. I think if there are future plans for more writing, it would add to the piece of this universe that you get from this novel. I found a few times that I could not fully understand a situation or dream state vs reality, but in general, the story was easy to follow.

A few of the characters are deep and you can follow their human progression/digression as the story unfolds. A lot of the characters could have been made more multi-dimensional. The concept of the awakened but a fairly novel idea but I feel like something was missing to tie it together and make it amazing.

At first, this felt like a zombie story, then it was leaning towards a vampire feel and in the end I feel like it was similar to Frankenstein and his monster.

Instead of the “monsters” in the story being “The Awakened” you find that the real monsters are the humans and for the most part the human race. A very interesting take on dystopian apocalypse and how we in so many ways can create it ourselves, simply by being broken, imperfect humans. A fairly cerebral read with most of the story progression happening in the minds and relationships of the characters.

3.5 stars edging close to 4.

This genre-defying book spans sci-fi, horror, dystopian fantasy and literary fiction in its depiction of a near-future event which feels creepily realistic. In a quest for increased productivity, a group of scientists create a chip that enables people to bypass the need for sleep yet remain awake and alert.

Seemingly success at first, it has deleterious effects and devastating consequences. Instead of enabling people to work longer and harder, this deviation from the norm becomes monstrous. The world is unrecognisable as sleepless, zombie-like creatures turn on one another and destroy themselves.

Shocked and dismayed, huddled away in the confines of the Tower of London with a few survivors while the Sleepless scream at their gates, the ensconced scientists frantically seek to produce a cure that will reverse these unforeseen effects and restore people back to their normal selves.

When two survivors turn up looking for shelter, they’re observed and tested to help further that cause. One of them intrigues them greatly because he has deep understanding, prescient knowledge of things, and an ability to reveal human traits alongside Sleepless characteristics.

Vladimir develops a close relationship with Dr Thea Chares. Is he to be trusted or feared? Could he be the solution they are seeking? Thea’s journal entries become the means by which the story is narrated. They are less cold and clinical, less rational, too, as events escalate beyond all expectations.

I loved the insights into Thea’s inner life, the reflections on her mother’s health issues, the historical context behind M.E, how it differs from CFS, and the medical response to it, because I’ve battled the same condition for over 30 years.

This slow paced novel is beautifully written. It reveals the depths that love can take us to. As it progresses, there’s a disconnect between reality and dreams that enhances the edge of horror being depicted. A thought-provoking, powerful debut novel.

I do not publicly review the books I DNF because I do not want to contribute to any negative press before a book is even published.

I had no problem with the novel itself but felt it was very mis-marketed. I was expecting a fast paced and thrilling horror, but this is slower paced, more science based and literary. A book I would have enjoyed had my expectations not been skewed.

I will likely read this in the future now I know its style.

Awakened was compared to 28 Days Later and The Girl With All The Gifts, but it really didn't live up to those comparisons. The biggest problem? It's painfully slow. I kept losing focus and honestly, if I wasn't committed to a blog tour, I probably would've DNF'd it.

Thea tells the story by jumping between her memories, observations, and reports, but it just felt kind of empty to me. I usually love dark dystopian reads, but this story just didn't grab me at all. The writing is so incredibly dense and slow, which makes everything drag even more.

The story is about people getting chip implants that let them skip sleep entirely—they're called "The Sleepless." Thea and her scientist buddies are some of the few people who don't have the chips, but here's the kicker: they're the ones who created this whole mess. Now they're stuck running experiments on test subjects, trying to figure out how to undo what they've done.

I actually really liked the flashback parts that show how The Sleepless came to be and how the whole thing started, but that’s about it when it comes to this story.

At the end of the day, this book just wasn't for me. It's all about exploring humanity and ethics, which is fine, but there's zero action or anything to keep me hooked. The philosophical stuff is interesting enough, but it can't make up for how boring everything else was.

I’m not going to lie, I did really struggle with this book, but out of respect for receiving the early copy I pushed on.

“Civilisation has ended. In a bid to make us more productive, to give us more time, science took sleep from humanity. But sleeplessness turned people into feral monsters and now a small group of scientists are trapped in the Tower of London, consumed by guilt at what they have done and desperately searching for a cure. And then one day, as the last ravens circle, two miraculous survivors walk into the Tower.

Are they the answer or a terrible question?”

I think my difficulty with this one was in terms of confusion over the genre and where I was expecting the story to take me. I felt this was more of a science fiction than the horror it was touted as. I couldn’t vibe with the pace or the format of the storytelling.

Interview with the [redacted].

Awakened is a gothic post-apocalyptic zombie-lite dystopian horror story set in the not so distant future where humanity has done its humanity thing, and unintended consequences usher in a new reality. Fans of Jane Eyre, welcome to speculative fiction.

I loved Awakening for many reasons, foremost because it’s a thought-provoker. There are so many excellent brief meditations on humanity, on progress, on chronic illness. If I were teaching, it’s the kind of novel I would throw into a required reading list for a course on ethics or the philosophy of science. Make the unfamiliar familiar for the good of analytical thought.

That doesn’t mean it’s overly philosophical or technical; quite the opposite. Elliott’s simple writing style and natural logic of pondering make gigantic questions of the human condition immediately accessible. It helps that the book is written as sort of a journal as opposed to more straight up first-person narrative, so what might be seen as unpolished prose instead makes the central character more believable and ultimately more human.

Through it all, the lyrical and dreamlike vibe keeps Awakening excitingly on the cusp of being grasped; there were several times where I found myself wondering if a scene was actually happening or just imagined. Even still, I never felt lost, and perhaps the irrelevance of which it is makes the experience that much more engaging.

This was a fascinating novel. It’s pitched as horror but it’s almost got a sci-fi/speculative feel to it. I read an eARC of this novel so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

This is labelled horror as it does take place in an end of the world event where people who have had chips to help them avoid sleep implanted have turned into zombie like beings that seek to attack unaffected humans. They have superhuman strength, they don’t sleep and their eyes turn blue. This explores a group surviving in the Tower of London. They consist of scientists who worked on the chips originally and are trying to find a cure. This is written with more of a scientific lens and looks at the science that made this possible, the early work the scientists were doing, what caused things to go wrong and the experiments they are doing now to find a cure. I really enjoyed this lens and I found this a fascinating place to look at a zombie-like apocalypse event from. If you’re interested in horror but don’t like things to be too graphic or scary, this is a good book to read as the gore was minimal. Some of the horror comes from a more reflective view where the scientists question the ethics of what they are doing.


A unique and enjoyable read. It’s quite a slow burn but a thought-provoking novel.

Thank you to Net Galley and Angry Robot for a free e-ARC of 'Awakened' by Laura Elliott.

WOW - what a book! I went into Awakened with very few expectations and came out the other side with my mind blown.

Awakened follows a group of scientists who have formed a self-sustaining community in the tower of London, after their invention of a neural chip that prevents people from needing to sleep sets off the apocalypse.

'London was in its final bloom, but the impending collapse was hidden by a last long gulp of plenty. Looking back, there was no sense of dread in the air and no subtle suggestion that a disaster was approaching. In those final years, the prevailing emotion was one of exuberance and energy. We let the monster swallow us and we were happy as we were digested.'

I was hooked from the very start of this book and inhaled it within 3 days. Not only is the premise really interesting, the writing is absolutely beautiful. I also loved the research and presentation of factual history interspersed throughout - and the exploration of how this has affected the main character, Thea, and her mother - such as the story of Henrietta Lacks and the outbreak and later discovery of ME.

'It came to me in later years that there was little dignity in suffering, but even less in suffering that was doubted. My mother suffered, and she suffered more so because there was a question mark hanging like the sword of Damocles over the legitimacy of her plight. The doubt of doctors was a poison to her efforts to survive. Every appointment became a battleground when it should have been a relief. The effort to become well again was blocked by the very people who were meant to help her. When doctors don't believe you, who else can you turn to for help?'

Without providing any spoilers, Awakened is such an interesting exploration of human nature. It is unique and impactful. The writing is really effective in both showing the growth and unreliable narration of Thea, as well as transforming as the plot twists and turns. I will definitely be reading this book again and again - especially to appreciate the build-up of the story in more detail.

A promising dystopian premise where science has removed the need of sleep but in the process, the world is affected by the Sleepless - zombie like creatures. Since then, London scientists have been desperately searching for a cure.

The book is written through a diary entry style, following science experiments. I would like to say its detached, but it only rambled on. This was less horror, psychological and more boring, somewhat descriptive (within scientific parameters) more vague than analytical. Ergo, my brain was boring and I need something stimulation to keep me going. Last, I didn't feel the dialogues and realizations were that profound.

I think this book is perfect for those that enjoy a simply narrative that isn't flashy at all.

Thank you to Angry Robot/ NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC.

This is definitely a case of misrepresentation. Awakened is being compared to 28 Days Later and The Girl With All The Gifts, but is a purely cerebral exploration of humanity. There are no edge of your seat, page turning thrills. I would classify it as literary fiction with a lens of speculative fiction.

Awakened has no action and no driving force. It is a story of a doctor who has helped the world install a chip to eradicate the need for sleep and her interviews with the other survivors and a subject. It explores humanity, ethics, and individuality. I thought those subjects were interesting but I do think this book was trying to be something it isn’t.

A great concept and could have still been a lot of fun but the execution just didn’t live up to the summary.

A neural chip, designed to eliminate sleep for productivity, instead unleashed a global nightmare as sleeplessness has turned humanity into feral monsters. Civilization crumbled, leaving a small group of guilty scientists marooned in the silent Tower of London, desperately seeking a cure. Among them is narrator Thea Chares, haunted by her role in the experiment and her mother's illness, as distant screams echo the world's collapse.

What is unique here is that Awakened is a protest for the chronically ill and disabled community. It covered themes from being shunned by the medical profession, to consent and medical ethics, to flaws and hypocrisy in wider humanity, and more in-between.

There were also a lot of deep philosophical discussions. There were so many quotes that resonated with me. However, at times, the reflections on ethical dilemmas felt repetitive and they made the pacing feel slow. I enjoyed though the witty, interesting conversations between Thea and another survivor. One particularly grim yet fascinating aspect was delving into the medical history facts, exploring the dark side of science and the crucial issue of consent. This was definitely a thought-provoking, yet dark, read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In spite of all my best intentions to finish the book before publication date, I am struggling through it and I have only reached the 30% mark. I think the concept is extremely interesting, but the narration doesn't really flow in a way that makes you want to keep reading.

Although I still have every intention to finish the book, I think editing it in a different manner would have helped in keeping the reader's attention for longer. The time-jumps and fragmented excerpts of interview transcripts and fictional science don't bother me, although I know that some readers strongly dislike stories that aren't told linearly.

For me personally, it's just how many characters are introduced right at the beginning, it's just very hard to keep track of who's who, particularly when some characters are identified in different ways (e.g. sometimes by name, sometimes by title), with each character you also have to learn and remember how they relate to the narrator Thea, so it is a significant amount of information that I just do not have the brainpower to retain so early in the narrative. The inner monologue to action/dialogue ratio is also a little out of proportion and while I know that this is supposed to underscore the feelings of isolation in our protagonist, it didn't really do much to endear her to me. I really wish that this book had been narrated differently because I probably would have devoured it instead of trudging through it wondering when the action is going to pick up.