Scan barcode
A review by ecandrews0
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
3.0
Alright, first off, SPOILERS MIGHT BE CONTAINED IN THIS REVIEW. I'll post a spoiler alert before any spoilers, but you have been warned.
Okay, so Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox. This is the second book in the Dreamhunter duet.
Overall, this was a pretty decent series. The plot is extremely fresh and original. I've never read any other books that involve catching dreams as a commodity. The whole idea of the Place, with only a few people being allowed in, was very intriguing, and that's what drew me to these books in the first place.
But now, the problems with the series.
The biggest problem I had: I felt NO emotional connection WHATSOEVER with these characters. To be perfectly honest, I really didn't care what happened to them. The character development happened so quickly that it felt as if characters were just changing overnight. I think Laura could have been a really interesting character if she was more relatable. Actually that would have been true for anybody… I just really didn't give a dang about what happened to any of these characters. The only exception was ***SPOILER ALERT*** the fire during the "coming-out ball", or whatever it was called. ***END SPOILER*** That scene was written so well that for the first (and only) time, I actually cared about what was happening with the characters.
Next problem: Nown. Nown was a really creative and clever idea. I mean, a sandman made by her singing? That's pretty cool. But he was just kind of… there. I don't really know how to explain it, but it felt like he just kind of appeared out of nowhere and suddenly became a key character. I never felt like Nown and his past selves were ever really explained, even at the end. Maybe that's how he was intended to be, but I wish that maybe his existence had been rounded out a little bit? Or maybe just explained more about this ability that apparently only the Hames have? I'm not really sure what I wanted with Nown…
Last problem (that I'm going to write about, anyways): The romance. THIS WAS THE MOST OUT-OF-THE-BLUE ROMANCE I HAVE EVER READ. I'm still unclear as to what exactly happened. I mean, did they just start working together and suddenly like each other or what? I don't think this was necessarily intended to be a romance novel, but I feel like if you're going to add romance in there, at least develop it a little. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like they were just suddenly… in love… with nothing particularly leading up to it. I just wish maybe a little more time would have been spent on their relationship.
Alright, enough with the bad stuff. Here's what I enjoyed about the series.
The plot was so freaking original. Seriously. If you're looking for something fresh that you haven't read before, these are definitely some books to try. Some of it is a little confusing, but it all (mostly) makes sense in the end.
I also liked how there would be some random little event that didn't quite make sense (especially in the first book), but then a few chapters later, you see that it was actually really important. That was kind of cool for me.
The ending was a real twist!!! I don't know, I definitely didn't see it coming. It's kind of the opposite of what you would expect, at least after finishing the first book.
Overall, I'd give this series a 3.2 out of 5 stars. The plot was very original and enjoyable, and I was really surprised by the twist ending. But I didn't enjoy the series as much as I would have if there had been some character development, some more thought into the romance, and a little more explaining. Maybe if this had been a trilogy instead of just a duet?
Okay, so Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox. This is the second book in the Dreamhunter duet.
Overall, this was a pretty decent series. The plot is extremely fresh and original. I've never read any other books that involve catching dreams as a commodity. The whole idea of the Place, with only a few people being allowed in, was very intriguing, and that's what drew me to these books in the first place.
But now, the problems with the series.
The biggest problem I had: I felt NO emotional connection WHATSOEVER with these characters. To be perfectly honest, I really didn't care what happened to them. The character development happened so quickly that it felt as if characters were just changing overnight. I think Laura could have been a really interesting character if she was more relatable. Actually that would have been true for anybody… I just really didn't give a dang about what happened to any of these characters. The only exception was ***SPOILER ALERT*** the fire during the "coming-out ball", or whatever it was called. ***END SPOILER*** That scene was written so well that for the first (and only) time, I actually cared about what was happening with the characters.
Next problem: Nown. Nown was a really creative and clever idea. I mean, a sandman made by her singing? That's pretty cool. But he was just kind of… there. I don't really know how to explain it, but it felt like he just kind of appeared out of nowhere and suddenly became a key character. I never felt like Nown and his past selves were ever really explained, even at the end. Maybe that's how he was intended to be, but I wish that maybe his existence had been rounded out a little bit? Or maybe just explained more about this ability that apparently only the Hames have? I'm not really sure what I wanted with Nown…
Last problem (that I'm going to write about, anyways): The romance. THIS WAS THE MOST OUT-OF-THE-BLUE ROMANCE I HAVE EVER READ. I'm still unclear as to what exactly happened. I mean, did they just start working together and suddenly like each other or what? I don't think this was necessarily intended to be a romance novel, but I feel like if you're going to add romance in there, at least develop it a little. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like they were just suddenly… in love… with nothing particularly leading up to it. I just wish maybe a little more time would have been spent on their relationship.
Alright, enough with the bad stuff. Here's what I enjoyed about the series.
The plot was so freaking original. Seriously. If you're looking for something fresh that you haven't read before, these are definitely some books to try. Some of it is a little confusing, but it all (mostly) makes sense in the end.
I also liked how there would be some random little event that didn't quite make sense (especially in the first book), but then a few chapters later, you see that it was actually really important. That was kind of cool for me.
The ending was a real twist!!! I don't know, I definitely didn't see it coming. It's kind of the opposite of what you would expect, at least after finishing the first book.
Overall, I'd give this series a 3.2 out of 5 stars. The plot was very original and enjoyable, and I was really surprised by the twist ending. But I didn't enjoy the series as much as I would have if there had been some character development, some more thought into the romance, and a little more explaining. Maybe if this had been a trilogy instead of just a duet?