bellatora's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this better than the first book, [b:Wake|1661957|Wake (Dream Catcher, #1)|Lisa McMann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293806190s/1661957.jpg|1656772]. Unlike Wake, this one had some exciting action. Janie is recruited by the police to use her dream catching ability (and her teacher seducing ability) to take the lead on Operation Catch The Creepy Teacher (due to a tip, the police suspect that there is a rapist teacher at Janie's high school; they just don't know who it is). The plot was action-packed and even though I mostly guessed right, there were still surprises when the mystery was finally revealed. I was also pretty nervous about Janie's ability to successfully keep out of Creepy Teacher's grasp. I'm still not super excited about the romance; Team Janie and Cabel just doesn't do it for me, but I think their relationship is sweet and I like them together.
On the other hand, the resolution of the Creepy Teacher story line was pretty ridiculous.
The dreams still don't make sense. Why are everyone's dreams so damn relevant? Would the girl really dream about being raped per se or more general stress dreams of being attacked/silenced/smothered (i.e., mauled by bears or chased and smothered by pillows or something)? I really feel like McMann doesn't remember her own dreams.
And Old Lady Dreamcatcher is...what...a ghost? She's dead and yet in Janie's dreams. And then she appears to move on in the end. I don't understand that.
Janie's dreamcatching ability is disappointing. She doesn't really get better at it, in the sense that despite getting some cool new tricks (pausing, looking around the dream) she still can't really keep herself from getting sucked in. I would really have preferred Janie being able to create some kind of mental shield.
This is a trilogy and I'm on the fence whether I really want to read the 3rd one. It just seems like it's wallowing and plotless. I dunno, this is a great concept but I feel like McMann doesn't do as much with it as she could. It's more like she wants to write the Depressing Life of A Modern Teenager genre of book (which I tend to avoid when possible) and stuck a supernatural element in it. It's not the normal High School Teenage Romance With a Supernatural Twists that I thought it was.
On the other hand, the resolution of the Creepy Teacher story line was pretty ridiculous.
Spoiler
The teacher date rape drugged the ENTIRE Chem class. I mean, really? Excellent way to get caught, dumbass. He had the girls in the bag. He could've seduced and slept with them individually. Why drug the entire class? Including the guys? And then the other teacher and the coach were ALSO rapists? There was like a whole teacher rape gang? Oookay. Way to be subtle there, guys.The dreams still don't make sense. Why are everyone's dreams so damn relevant? Would the girl really dream about being raped per se or more general stress dreams of being attacked/silenced/smothered (i.e., mauled by bears or chased and smothered by pillows or something)? I really feel like McMann doesn't remember her own dreams.
And Old Lady Dreamcatcher is...what...a ghost? She's dead and yet in Janie's dreams. And then she appears to move on in the end. I don't understand that.
Janie's dreamcatching ability is disappointing. She doesn't really get better at it, in the sense that despite getting some cool new tricks (pausing, looking around the dream) she still can't really keep herself from getting sucked in. I would really have preferred Janie being able to create some kind of mental shield.
Spoiler
Oh, and Janie's going to become crippled and blind from dreamcatching? Why? Is dreamcatching supposed to be some kind of metaphor for Huntington's or something? There is no reason dreamcatching should have such debilitating side effects. I'm kind of angry about this. McMann shoves a lot of shit into Janie's life: the alcoholic mother, the dreams, the rapist teachers, the damaged boyfriend, the flaky friend, the inability to drive for fear of crashing. Why the blindness and crippling in addition? There's no point to the side effects. It adds no good additional drama. It just adds unnecessary tragedy.This is a trilogy and I'm on the fence whether I really want to read the 3rd one. It just seems like it's wallowing and plotless. I dunno, this is a great concept but I feel like McMann doesn't do as much with it as she could. It's more like she wants to write the Depressing Life of A Modern Teenager genre of book (which I tend to avoid when possible) and stuck a supernatural element in it. It's not the normal High School Teenage Romance With a Supernatural Twists that I thought it was.
taliac36's review against another edition
4.0
i love this book! i cant help having so many mixed emotions for janie!! pity for her curse, pride for her skills, happiness for her love life, and sad for her future!! she deserves a happier life than the one she has now!
butterfliesonmybookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An amazing next installment in the Wake series. Lisa McMann's writing is so unique and smooth, I sat down thinking I'd read about 20 pages, and I ended up reading 120. This is probably the third time I've read this book, and I love it more and more each time.
moon_child98's review against another edition
2.0
I don't even know why I keep reading this trilogy. Why bother? Seriously?
Nothing changed in this one, I still hate the same things I hated in the first book. The only good thing that happened in this one is that we got to find a tiny bit more about Janie's ability, but that's all. I'll probably read the third book in March just to see what happens, but my hopes are down.
Nothing changed in this one, I still hate the same things I hated in the first book. The only good thing that happened in this one is that we got to find a tiny bit more about Janie's ability, but that's all. I'll probably read the third book in March just to see what happens, but my hopes are down.
abigailbat's review against another edition
5.0
We first met Janie in WAKE. Since she was a little kid she's been a Dream Catcher - she gets sucked into other people's dreams. It's made her life hell, but she's finally getting some control over it (helped out, of course, by dreamy guy Cabel). In FADE, Janie's using her gift to pin down a possible sexual predator who may have raped someone at her high school. But is Janie getting in over her head?
FADE uses the same breathless, present-tense style that made WAKE so un-put-down-able. Some scenes were a bit disturbing as Janie investigates the possibility of sexual predators among her teachers. I was rooting for Janie and Cabel the whole way through (loved the romantic bits). I absolutely couldn't put it down and can't wait for the third book!
FADE uses the same breathless, present-tense style that made WAKE so un-put-down-able. Some scenes were a bit disturbing as Janie investigates the possibility of sexual predators among her teachers. I was rooting for Janie and Cabel the whole way through (loved the romantic bits). I absolutely couldn't put it down and can't wait for the third book!
stepnic's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t have much to say on this one without spoiling the book. For me, the plot was absolutely predictable. I kept hoping there would be a twist, but it is such a linear storyline. Point A starts in the first chapter and Point B falls somewhere before the last 50 pages. The story kept going despite feeling as though it should’ve ended long before it actually did.
The writing style is such a kicker for me, though. Like Wake, Fade is written in present tense, 3rd person POV, and filled with odd fragments.
I mostly kept going to see if it would get better. Despite the terrible rating, I’m still considering reading the final book just to see how the trilogy ends given that they are such quick reads.
The writing style is such a kicker for me, though. Like Wake, Fade is written in present tense, 3rd person POV, and filled with odd fragments.
I mostly kept going to see if it would get better. Despite the terrible rating, I’m still considering reading the final book just to see how the trilogy ends given that they are such quick reads.
aldersons's review against another edition
4.0
I might have to reread Wake. I do believe I only gave that 2 stars. Which is weird considering how much I liked this book. I'm not even sure why I checked this out of the library. Curiosity? Whatever the reason, I'm glad I did.
In the sequel to the first book in the Dream Catcher series, Wake, Janie's working with the local police department to investigate some suspicious behavior going down at Fieldridge High. Cabel's not happy about Janie putting herself in the way of danger, but she's determined to figure out what's going on. In the midst of that drama, the new couple is trying to find a little secret time together. Janie's got a lot to deal with on top of that. She's finally learning the truth about her ability... and herself.
In the sequel to the first book in the Dream Catcher series, Wake, Janie's working with the local police department to investigate some suspicious behavior going down at Fieldridge High. Cabel's not happy about Janie putting herself in the way of danger, but she's determined to figure out what's going on. In the midst of that drama, the new couple is trying to find a little secret time together. Janie's got a lot to deal with on top of that. She's finally learning the truth about her ability... and herself.
myeverskye's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Like the first book, I read it in one sitting in a matter of hours. Now I have to wait for the 3 sequel to come out next year :(