Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Caitlyn is the average, socially awkward teenager from Oregon. Except, he mom died when she was younger and left her a tarot card depicting the Wheel of Fortune under her pillow. No one quite Understands Caitlyn, including herself. She’s feels as if she’s in the wrong time period and sees unexplainable “visions” and “Screechers” when she sleeps. While many feel that her mother was simply crazy, Caitlyn is torn between believing them and wondering if she was trying to tell her something. After receiving an invitation to apply to the Fortune School in France and getting accepted on a full scholarship, her journey begins.

The night before she departs, Caitlyn’s vivid dreams lead her to a visit with her mother who performs a tarot reading.

- Nine of Swords
- Queen of Swords
- Knight of Cups
- Three of Swords
- Wheel of Fortune

As the book progresses, she’ll finally see how they pertain to her future. Through meeting foreign princess friends, a peculiar headmistress, and her “Knights of Cups”, Caitlyn finally is able to understand herself and her family history.

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When my mom told me she won a copy of Wake Unto Me from 365 Days of Reading, I couldn't help but think it was an overly cheesy, adult romance novel. I decided to read the excerpt online and honestly fell in love with the book just by the cover. By the time I finished reading the description, I couldn't wait to receive it in the mail and was extremely disappointed that my stupid mid-marking period deadlines for school kept me from reading it for a couple weeks.

While I was initially turned-off by the title, Lisa Cach is now one of my favorite authors. She perfectly combined a mix of paranormal, romantic, mysterious, and historical elements that made a truly remarkable novel. Since I'm studying French, I loved how she incorporated components of the foreign language but also included a translation through Caitlyn's thoughts. Raphael was the cliché dream guy but still held an indescribable personality that made him unique.

If the Fortune School really existed, I'd be the first to enroll. While Lisa Cach's other books look pretty good, none of them seem to hold the same interest to me as Wake Unto Me does. She did write a collection with a few authors called My Zombie Valentine which I’ll definitely have to check out now. One of the other authors happens to be Katie MacAlister who I absolutely adore, so it isn't too much of a surprise anymore that Cach's writing has also captured my heart. <3 I really hope that she continues to write more YA books and would love to see the same basis or characters transpire into a series.