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A review by sherrios
The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I actually did.
This story follows Tanvi and Venkat, two mortals embroiled in the world of Nagalok. Stolen away from Prithvi (Earth) as children, the two have very different experiences in this mystical world: Tanvi becomes a dream runner — someone who searches for and extracts the dreams of humans on Prithvi — whereas Venkat becomes the apprentice and adoptive son of one of the most powerful naga in Nagalok: Nayan. But what happens when Tanvi's heart begins to stir?
The premise itself was extremely eyecatching. I adore books about mythology, and I was excited to read this.
While I absolutely loved the mythology aspect of it, the worldbuilding was lacking. It wasn't even that the author was relying on knowledge of the mythos — there were aspects in Nagalok that just weren't fleshed out. What was the initiation ritual and why did the hearts of the runners have to be stilled? What is burnout? What was it about Venkat that made him a dream smith?
In addition to the haphazard worldbuilding, there were so many pacing issues. The first half of the book is extremely slow. It was almost a slog to get through. The conflict with the Garuda and Garudi attacking Asha and Tanvi on Prithvi seemingly comes out of nowhere, and the entire end of the novel felt unearned. The prose lends itself to being beautiful at times, but there is so much description, so much telling and not showing, that it almost feels overwhelmint at times.
Then, there's the slow-burn romance between Tanvi and Venkat. Venkat mentions several times in the beginning that he feels like he's the carer of the dream runners, and seemingly sees himself as a pseudo-father figure. Which just makes the relationship that buds between him and Tanvi that much more unnerving.
I don't know. This was something I really wanted to enjoy, and while the end of the book went a lot quicker, the subtance of the novel just felt wildly inconsistent.
This story follows Tanvi and Venkat, two mortals embroiled in the world of Nagalok. Stolen away from Prithvi (Earth) as children, the two have very different experiences in this mystical world: Tanvi becomes a dream runner — someone who searches for and extracts the dreams of humans on Prithvi — whereas Venkat becomes the apprentice and adoptive son of one of the most powerful naga in Nagalok: Nayan. But what happens when Tanvi's heart begins to stir?
The premise itself was extremely eyecatching. I adore books about mythology, and I was excited to read this.
While I absolutely loved the mythology aspect of it, the worldbuilding was lacking. It wasn't even that the author was relying on knowledge of the mythos — there were aspects in Nagalok that just weren't fleshed out. What was the initiation ritual and why did the hearts of the runners have to be stilled? What is burnout? What was it about Venkat that made him a dream smith?
In addition to the haphazard worldbuilding, there were so many pacing issues. The first half of the book is extremely slow. It was almost a slog to get through. The conflict with the Garuda and Garudi attacking Asha and Tanvi on Prithvi seemingly comes out of nowhere, and the entire end of the novel felt unearned. The prose lends itself to being beautiful at times, but there is so much description, so much telling and not showing, that it almost feels overwhelmint at times.
Then, there's the slow-burn romance between Tanvi and Venkat. Venkat mentions several times in the beginning that he feels like he's the carer of the dream runners, and seemingly sees himself as a pseudo-father figure. Which just makes the relationship that buds between him and Tanvi that much more unnerving.
I don't know. This was something I really wanted to enjoy, and while the end of the book went a lot quicker, the subtance of the novel just felt wildly inconsistent.