Another day, another dystopia. "Awaken" has an interesting premise: Set in 2060, it chronicles a peaceful society in which education is free and available to all via Digital School. Students attend DS in the comfort and safety of their own homes, and make hundreds of new "friends" daily via online chats, social networking sites, and other forms of technology. Life is completely plugged in and completely remote. 
 Like so many YA novels with a dystopian theme, "Awaken" follows a predictable path. Our heroine is blissfully going along with her life, when her eyes are opened by the appearance of a mysterious (and -- of course -- gorgeous) young man. Slowly but surely, the facade of a perfect society is stripped away to reveal the false assurances and corruption underneath. 
 "Awaken" is not a bad book, and in fact parts are quite good. However, the menaces are not quite menacing enough, the controlled society isn't quite controlled enough, and the conflicts and resolutions just weren't quite convincing. 
 According to her bio, the author is a teacher, and unfortunately,the book does come across as heavily preachy/teachy at times. Yes, we know it's bad to never interact on a personal level, to rely solely on technology to communicate, and to be blind to the world around us because we're too busy gazing at our various screens. In reading "Awaken," it all felt a bit too obvious. I prefer my fiction with an edge of subtlety; anvils over the head are not required.