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A review by bookladysreviews
Anna Undreaming by Thomas Welsh
4.0
*I received this book for free, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!*
Anna Undreaming is a dark Urban Fantasy novel, following our main character Anna, who has just discovered that she has the ability to wield supernatural powers by traveling through imaginary worlds created by the Dreamers. At first, she's not able to distinguish reality from illusion but, she fights the monsters she encounters in these hallucinations she's lost in, with everything she's got! Her battles attract the attention of Teej, who saves her using powers she cannot understand and reveals that she actually shares them and will one day save him in return! She's an Undreamer, which means that she has the ability to join Teej's fight and stand against the Dreamers, artists that can create new realities which are filled with both beauty and horror!
The setting of the story blew my mind from the moment I started reading it! At first, I had no idea what to expect because the synopsis was very hazy inside my head and I couldn't really remember it in detail. The first couple of chapters were a bit slow but, as the story progressed and I got used to its pace, I finished it in a matter of hours! The plot was very engaging and managed to keep me at the edge of my seat for the majority of it! Its combination of dark romance and unique story line really intrigued me because one complimented the other perfectly! There were so many interesting terms scattered throughout the novel and each time I encountered when, I got even more excited and couldn't wait to lose my self even more in this fascinating world the author created!
The idea behind the novel was seriously so authentic and it's worth reading just because of its premise! I loved the Hazes and how much they actually impacted the plot itself. They weren't really hallucinations and I'm so glad Anna fought through them because they took place in a different reality but still influenced the real world. Her character development was quite impressive and probably what I enjoyed more in the novel! She has so many layers as a character and I loved how they were slowly revealed through each chapter. She's definitely what we'd call a three dimensional character and has a depth that's not very easy to come by in Fantasy books nowadays. She's one of the most mysterious heroines I've come across recently and I really appreciated her determination to see things through, as well as her bravery when it came to fighting monsters she wasn't even sure were real. She really stood out as a main character and learned from her mistakes, without having to repeat them!
Teej was also a very intriguing and mysterious character, who's purpose was to guide Anna through wielding her powers and helping her come to terms with who she's meant to be. He was such a patient and selfless character, willing to do anything in order to help Anna and show her the ropes of this new world that was revealed to her unexpectedly and without a single warning! There wasn't really a romance between them, just the potential of one that I cannot wait to be the witness of! I've probably never shipped a - to be - romance as much as I ship theirs so, fingers crossed there will be one in the next novel. I know not everything is about romance and this particular story definitely doesn't need one to stand out but, the anticipation is already there without overshadowing everything else so, why not?
The writing itself was great and even though I'm not the biggest fan of third person narratives, the author managed to make me enjoy this one! Also, the lack of answers and some pretty important twists really added so much more into the story itself, making the experience of reading it even better! I really appreciated the fact that, there were some questions left unanswered but not infuriatingly so, because that just adds to the mystery and builds up the before mentioned anticipation of finding out what'll happen next!
Overall, Anna Undreaming is a very original story, that captures the meaning of fighting through a reality you're not sure exists, in order to create a better life for yourself! The world crafted through the pages of this book really made me want to get lost in it and the ending left me hungry for more! I absolutely fell in love with Anna and how real she felt, which made it so much easier to connect with her as a character and follow the journey she embarked on! Highly recommend it to fans of dark Fantasy, ready to enter a world they've never experienced before!
Anna Undreaming is a dark Urban Fantasy novel, following our main character Anna, who has just discovered that she has the ability to wield supernatural powers by traveling through imaginary worlds created by the Dreamers. At first, she's not able to distinguish reality from illusion but, she fights the monsters she encounters in these hallucinations she's lost in, with everything she's got! Her battles attract the attention of Teej, who saves her using powers she cannot understand and reveals that she actually shares them and will one day save him in return! She's an Undreamer, which means that she has the ability to join Teej's fight and stand against the Dreamers, artists that can create new realities which are filled with both beauty and horror!
The setting of the story blew my mind from the moment I started reading it! At first, I had no idea what to expect because the synopsis was very hazy inside my head and I couldn't really remember it in detail. The first couple of chapters were a bit slow but, as the story progressed and I got used to its pace, I finished it in a matter of hours! The plot was very engaging and managed to keep me at the edge of my seat for the majority of it! Its combination of dark romance and unique story line really intrigued me because one complimented the other perfectly! There were so many interesting terms scattered throughout the novel and each time I encountered when, I got even more excited and couldn't wait to lose my self even more in this fascinating world the author created!
The idea behind the novel was seriously so authentic and it's worth reading just because of its premise! I loved the Hazes and how much they actually impacted the plot itself. They weren't really hallucinations and I'm so glad Anna fought through them because they took place in a different reality but still influenced the real world. Her character development was quite impressive and probably what I enjoyed more in the novel! She has so many layers as a character and I loved how they were slowly revealed through each chapter. She's definitely what we'd call a three dimensional character and has a depth that's not very easy to come by in Fantasy books nowadays. She's one of the most mysterious heroines I've come across recently and I really appreciated her determination to see things through, as well as her bravery when it came to fighting monsters she wasn't even sure were real. She really stood out as a main character and learned from her mistakes, without having to repeat them!
Teej was also a very intriguing and mysterious character, who's purpose was to guide Anna through wielding her powers and helping her come to terms with who she's meant to be. He was such a patient and selfless character, willing to do anything in order to help Anna and show her the ropes of this new world that was revealed to her unexpectedly and without a single warning! There wasn't really a romance between them, just the potential of one that I cannot wait to be the witness of! I've probably never shipped a - to be - romance as much as I ship theirs so, fingers crossed there will be one in the next novel. I know not everything is about romance and this particular story definitely doesn't need one to stand out but, the anticipation is already there without overshadowing everything else so, why not?
The writing itself was great and even though I'm not the biggest fan of third person narratives, the author managed to make me enjoy this one! Also, the lack of answers and some pretty important twists really added so much more into the story itself, making the experience of reading it even better! I really appreciated the fact that, there were some questions left unanswered but not infuriatingly so, because that just adds to the mystery and builds up the before mentioned anticipation of finding out what'll happen next!
Overall, Anna Undreaming is a very original story, that captures the meaning of fighting through a reality you're not sure exists, in order to create a better life for yourself! The world crafted through the pages of this book really made me want to get lost in it and the ending left me hungry for more! I absolutely fell in love with Anna and how real she felt, which made it so much easier to connect with her as a character and follow the journey she embarked on! Highly recommend it to fans of dark Fantasy, ready to enter a world they've never experienced before!