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typedtruths's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
➸ Trigger warnings for child abuse (recounted and on-page), grief and loss depiction, death of a mother, terminal cancer, torture including dental torture, murder, gun violence, kidnapping and captivity, imprisonment including inhumane treatment and indefinite detention, forced labour camps, and unlawful state surveillance.adancewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
Thank you to Usborne Publishing an Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway
With a gorgeous cover like that and with the tile of The Book of Stolen Dreams I had high expectations for this adventurous middle grade novel. Unfortunately those were not at all met.
A lot had to do with the writing and the set up of the story. This story is written from a third person omniscient point of view as we follow two siblings. I felt so far removed from these characters however. The start was okay, I could feel the love for their parents and especially their father but when it comes to the setting and world, not so much.
Despite following both characters, it is clear that the book is setting Rachel up to be the star. I feel having a limited third person point of view would have worked better. I think getting completely swept up in Rachel throughout the story and discovering what happened to her brother instead of knowing what is going on before her would have jammed up the suspense and engagement.
I also wasn't a big fan of how the story was build up. We find Rachel at the start. And then we go all the way back to the beginning and get in some history. Which can work great but it didn't. We went into too much action detail but I still get nothing on the emotional front.
Other than that I liked Robert and Rachel was okay. But I also had some problems with the plot decisions and side characters. I had expectations of those stolen dreams but it kind of fizzled out. And then those characters that brought others back and now someone else wants to live forever and oh no that can't happen. Please. Nothing of that was challenged either. I was very over this story by the end.
However I am rating it 3 stars here because I do think that the targeted audience won't be an as harsh critic as me.
With a gorgeous cover like that and with the tile of The Book of Stolen Dreams I had high expectations for this adventurous middle grade novel. Unfortunately those were not at all met.
A lot had to do with the writing and the set up of the story. This story is written from a third person omniscient point of view as we follow two siblings. I felt so far removed from these characters however. The start was okay, I could feel the love for their parents and especially their father but when it comes to the setting and world, not so much.
Despite following both characters, it is clear that the book is setting Rachel up to be the star. I feel having a limited third person point of view would have worked better. I think getting completely swept up in Rachel throughout the story and discovering what happened to her brother instead of knowing what is going on before her would have jammed up the suspense and engagement.
I also wasn't a big fan of how the story was build up. We find Rachel at the start. And then we go all the way back to the beginning and get in some history. Which can work great but it didn't. We went into too much action detail but I still get nothing on the emotional front.
Other than that I liked Robert and Rachel was okay. But I also had some problems with the plot decisions and side characters. I had expectations of those stolen dreams but it kind of fizzled out. And then those characters that brought others back and now someone else wants to live forever and oh no that can't happen. Please. Nothing of that was challenged either. I was very over this story by the end.
However I am rating it 3 stars here because I do think that the targeted audience won't be an as harsh critic as me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Grief
Mentioned Cancer.