A lot of the book is spent in the detention center with Maddie. It was cool to see the setting shift to my city, and hear about all the destructive earthquakes and the new building materials that make for safer cities in the future. This book takes a look at the balance of technology and human interaction – is there a middle ground?

She has to pay her dues in a detention center, where counselors try to “cure” her of her rebellious nature. She’s still unwilling to back down on her stance on technology though and that gets her into trouble. In the sequel, Maddie is sent to Los Angeles to live with her brother. Justin is fighting for the simpler way of life before technology took over, and Maddie starts to see the light as well. The heroine, Maddie Freeman, is the daughter of the founder of DS and is boldly recruited by Justin into his rebellion. People rarely interact face to face anymore – all socializing is done online. That shift leads to more and more reliance on technology. The premise is that in 2060 schools are crime-ridden and too dangerous to attend in person – now all kids must attend digital school (DS).

Middle Ground is a solid sequel and I zipped through it quickly, sad to say goodbye to the characters once again. Even though I’m not as into the category anymore, this series holds up, and the digital reliance topic is just as relevant today. I gave Awaken a five-star rating, and in fact it was one of the first books that got me hooked on romantic dystopia.

Luckily it all came back to me easily, just like connecting with old friends. I read Awaken over two years ago, so I was worried if I’d remember enough to get through the sequel. Middle Ground is book two of the Awaken trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky.

Awaken by katie kacvinsky