Review on The Dreamwalker Diaries #1 Fifteen

Ashling Campbell seems like your average fifteen year old girl, except that she is a dreamwalker. Every night, she dreams about witnessing the public execution of her future self, where black eyed monsters have taken over the town. After breaking her dream catcher, Ash is no longer just a spectator in her dreams, and is able to astral project into the body of her thirty year old self. With the help of her future friends, Ash must find out as much information about the future as possible, and do everything she can in the present day to prevent this future from happening. Every action she takes in the present can have a huge impact on the future, and it's up to Ash to make the right decision and save her future self.

The idea of dream walking was interesting to me. I terrified myself as a child by watching Nightmare on Elm Street, but the idea of dreams having consequences in the real world has always interested me, so I was excited to start reading this book. I find lucid dreaming interesting, so combining this with the Nightmare on Elm Street idea made for an interesting story.

I felt that the characters were somewhat cliché, and could have come straight out of any cheesy teen movie. It was obvious who was meant to be the do no wrong protagonist, the nerdy best friend and the beautiful spoilt girl who we're all meant to hate. I was hoping that the characters would go outside of their comfort zones and break their stereotype, but sadly each character stuck to it for the entire novel. I initially felt that there had to be more to Nadette than being a rich, spoilt brat, but I disliked her more and more as the novel went on, and was surprised by the big reveal of who she was in the future. Although I didn't find the characters from fifteen year old Ash's life very original, I did enjoy the characters from her future, especially her future boyfriend Coop, who continuously risks his life to keep Ash safe. I loved the friendship between Ash and Tate, and was extremely disappointed when Ash started to develop romantic feelings for him. I would love to one day find a YA book where a strong friendship like theirs could remain strictly platonic on both sides.

Although I was initially able to keep up with the plot, I found it got a little confusing when it turned all out inception, and Ash started to have dreams within dreams. The use of italics was a clever way to show the reader when Ash was awake and when she dreamwalking, but I felt that going back to the normal font when she was still inside a dream was confusing, and I found myself wondering if she was awake or dreamwalking.

Figuring something out before the character does always tends to annoy me, and I had figured out who the Jumlin was way in advance of Ash's realization, so having to keep reading until she figured things out was quite tedious. I did enjoy the Jumlin story line however. I'm a huge fan of mythological supernatural creatures, so taking a legend and making it reality is always interesting to me. However, although the majority of the plot didn't surprise me, I was shocked to find out the true identity of Dr Dietz at the end of the novel. Although it was obvious he was not meant to be at the lab, as no one else who worked there knew him, I did not expect.

I overall enjoyed this book and loved the story line. I would love to read the sequel to find out if Ash is able to fix both her present and her future. I recommend it to fans of Supernatural and Doctor Who.

You can purchase 'Fifteen' HERE

Review on 'Theo and the Forbidden Language'

Theo is an ordinary rabbit, at least, that's what the residents of Willago think. After becoming the apprentice of Father Oaks, not only does Theo learn the art of healing, but also something far more forbidden. Theo becomes an omatje, a word catcher who is able to understand written language. Deemed long ago as sorcery, his fellow rabbits imprison him after finding out his secret. That is until he is rescued by a bear named Brune. Theo learns that bigger things are happening outside Willago, where humans are pacifying the animals, removing their ability to think and talk for themselves. With the help of Brune and the Princess Indigo, Theo must travel with his companions in an attempt to save his fellow animals, but Theo must keep the biggest secret of his life, or risk his friends turning against him.

I always enjoy reading fantasy stories that involve talking animals, and this book was no exception. I loved the idea of reading being a forbidden language, as it seemed like the animals had been brainwashed to stop them from making themselves smarter. Stories with an animal protagonist are usually intended for young children, but I loved that even though the majority of the characters were animals, the novel was overall quite dark, with themes of death, imprisonment and starvation. I l thought Theo was a brilliant protagonist, as although he was a fat little rabbit who had lived a peaceful life and had no idea how to use a sword, he took everything in his stride and was willing to step outside of his comfort zone to help the other animals. It also showed that being an efficient fighter is not enough to win a battle, and that knowledge is power.

Indigo was one of my favourite characters as she is a strong female warrior, and teaches Theo that just because they're rabbits doesn't mean that they can't be efficient fighters. As rabbits are usually prey, I loved the idea of a rabbit being able to fight creatures twice their size. Indigo is both fierce and patient, and I loved that although they were tired after travelling all day, she still took the time to teach him how to use a sword.

Although I loved Theo, Brune, Indigo and Manneki, I felt that there were too many characters for me to keep up with, and found myself forgetting the species of certain minor characters. As the books target audience ranged from middleschoolers to teenagers, I feel as if this could be a problem for them also, and think that less minor characters would have made the story easier to understand.

I found the pace of the story to be quite slow in places. The majority of the novel is a journey, and I found that at certain points, little was happening to push the main plot forward. However, there were certain sub-plots that I was eager to find out the reason behind them, such as what the tortoise shell that Theo was given was for. I loved that the story built up to a huge battle, and it was easy to get lost in the story once the action was underway. This last section of the novel was action packed, and it was easy to get lost in the story and feel like I was part of the battle. The author portrayed the feelings of the armies perfectly, which is something that is usually only touched upon briefly in battle sequences. The terror of the army knowing they were going to lose was portrayed perfectly, and I loved that even the pacified horses were too scared to go on the attack.

I recommend this book to fans of Watership Down and Lord of the Rings, and anyone who loves to read fantasy stories.

Theo and the Forbidden Language can be purchased HERE

Review on 'Crow Boy'

After the sudden break up of his parents, Tom Afflick finds himself being forced to move from his hometown of Manchester to Edinburgh to live with his mother and her new boyfriend. Tom misses his old friends, and despises his classmate, who bullies him relentlessly. When Tom goes on a school trip to Mary King's close, he gets transported to 1645 where the plague is terrorising the streets of Edinburgh. After Tom gives a young girl dying from the plague some antibiotics, the plague doctor decides to take Tom on as his apprentice. However, the doctor is not all that he seems, and charges his patients a large sum of money for his visits. Tom must show the doctor as the fraud he really is, while dealing with the most important matter of all, how is he going to get back to his own time?

I thought this was a really clever and interesting story. I enjoy both historical and fantasy novels, so putting both of these genres together was brilliant. I loved that the story was set in Mary King's Close, as putting a fantasy story into a location where the plague had actually happened in real life was a unique idea, as the majority of fantasy books are also set in a fictional location. Tom was an interesting character who seemed to quickly adapt to the situation he was in, as although he was getting thrown from 1645 back into an alternate reality of his own time and back again, he only ever seemed to be out of the loop of what was going on for a few moments. I also loved Morag, as she was a no nonsense type of character, and although she seemed skeptical about Tom's time travel story, she became a good friend to him and tried to understand what was going on with him.

I found parts of the story to be quite confusing. Although I loved the alternate reality with his parents, and certain aspects of 1645 blurring into it, I felt that the alternate reality of Tom arriving at the close on his school trip to not make much sense. I liked the idea of Tom being able to see things that his parents, who actually belonged in that reality couldn't, but I personally felt that it made no sense for Missie Grierson to be in an alternate reality with him and for other people belonging in that reality to also be able to see her.

Throughout the novel there is the on going question of “Is this really happening, or is it going on inside of Tom's head?” What we get told from a young age is to never write “it was all a dream,” and I found myself worrying that this terrible cliché would happen and ruin an overall great novel. I find this ending to be quite lazy on an authors part, so I was glad that some proof of it actually happening was given in the last couple of pages. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Fans of Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz will definitely love this book. 

You can purchase Crow Boy HERE

Review on Foundation #1 Pieces Of Me

Peyton Lane has struggled with her weight her whole life. She has never been popular, and has definitely never been in a relationship before. However everything changes after Peyton creates a rock band with her friends. Suddenly Peyton is popular, and has the confidence to turn her life around. With her new found popularity, Peyton is thrown into a difficult decision, who should she give her heart away to? After the boy she has had a crush on for years takes a sudden interest in her along with his twin brother and one of the members from her favourite band, Peyton must make the right decision.

I initially loved Peyton and the fact an overweight girl who wore glasses was the protagonist of a love story. With a small group of friends and having no boys who were interested in her, I could easily relate with my own experience of high school. I found the start of the novel with her initial meeting with Jace quite frustrating, as I thought it was obvious what was going on, but it took Peyton a lot longer to figure out what I had known from the start. I loved Jace and the fact that he wanted to get to know Peyton despite his popularity. I liked that Peyton pushed herself to lose weight so that it would make her happier, but what I disliked was the fact that the boys only became interested in her romantically once she had lost weight and started to wear contact lenses. As a glasses wearer myself I love the rare occasions when I come across a character who wears glasses, but as is often the case when a character goes through a change to make themselves more appealing, the glasses are always one of the first things to go. I look forward to the day when I find a book where glasses aren't seen as unattractive, but unfortunately this wasn't the one to change that.

Although I loved that Peyton was becoming more confident due to her weight loss and success with the band, I found myself overall disliking her more as the story progressed. I felt as if she was accepting any male attention she received just because she had boys who were interested in her. This was apparent with her relationship with Jax, who had relentlessly bullied her, and suddenly seemed to change his tone and became interested in dating her. I was disappointed that she decided to agree to go on a date with him after all the humiliation he had put her through.

Even though I didn't dislike him as much as I disliked Jax, I still wasn't a huge fan of Colton. Although he had known her for years, he suddenly became interested in her after she had lost weight. To me this seemed like he was only interested in her because he found her physically attractive, and I was frustrated that Peyton didn't see this too and went along with it.

I thought Noah was a sweet character, but I felt that he was better as a good friend for Peyton. I loved their friendship and was really hoping that they didn't develop romantic feelings for each other, so I was slightly disappointed when he got thrown into the mix of potential love interests too. I also found it quite unrealistic that she would go from never having kissed a boy to thinking about potential relationships with four boys who were all interested in her. Love triangles can sometimes seem realistic, but love pentagons seem a little too far fetched.

The only boy who gave her the time of day before she lost weight and set up her band was Jace, so to me he seemed like the obvious choice from the start. Although he was still far from perfect, Jace seemed to me from the start to be the best choice. I loved that he liked Peyton before she lost weight, but the fact that he cared more about his popularity than admitting his feelings for her sooner. It made me wonder if he would still have pursued her if she had not lost the weight and gained popularity.

I liked the ending as Peyton finally seemed to be in a place where she was happy with her life. After the struggles she goes through at the start of the novel and being self conscious about her body I was glad she was finally accepting herself. I loved that Jace didn't seem to care about her imperfections but decided to help her be more comfortable in her own skin. Although I wasn't as invested in the characters as I would have liked to have been it was still an overall enjoyable read.

Pieces Of Me can be purchased HERE

Review on 'Dragon Dodgers'

Enrig's dream has always been to be a Runner, so when a group of Runners who call themselves Dragon Dodgers arrive in his town, Enrig can not pass up the opportunity to join them on their quest. However, Enrig soon finds out that the Dodgers, lead by Captain Targon plan on attempting to kill a dragon, the prize being ten thousand spades if they succeed. Captain Targon agrees to let Enrig accompany the group on their mission, but not everything goes to plan.

I accepted to review this book on a whim as it involved dragons, and as anyone who reads my reviews regularly will know, I love dragons. I thought this novella had a great start, as anything that starts out with a great tragedy to force the protagonist into making a decision is always a brilliant way to start off a story. I did however find that the action lagged towards the middle. The novella is a journey story similar to Lord of the Rings, with an ultimate goal at the end. Although the journey would have been perfect for a full length novel, I felt that it dragged on a little too much for a novella, as the main action happened in the last ten pages. I felt there needed to be less build up and more action, as the journey felt more like it should have belonged in a novel.

I thought Enrig was a great protagonist, as although Captain Targon made his goal of becoming a runner difficult, he remained persistent, eventually wearing Targon down enough to agree to accept him onto the team. I also loved that he refused to be called a liar, and faced dangerous consequences to prove to his companions that he had told them the truth.

I loved the ending of the book and found it really shocking as it was the last thing that I was expecting to happen. I'm usually able to tell where a plot is going, and often correctly guess how a story will end, but with Dragon Dodgers I had not expected it to end the way it did at all. I would love to see how Enrig's journey as a runner continues in future novellas. As the series is also expanding into novels, I would also be interested in reading those too. I would recommend this series for fans of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

You can purchase Dragon Dodgers HERE

Review on 'Our Wild and Precious Lives'

When their father is stationed at a base in Werteim, Tom and Melly Mcarron must adapt to their new temporary home in 1960 Cold War Germany. Although apprehensive about leaving their American home, Tom and Melly create strong bonds of love and friendship with the other teenagers on base, something that the majority of the teens parents have never truly known. However, tensions in Berlin are rising, and with the construction of the Berlin wall, the teenagers worry that this will bring about a third World War. With an abusive father who served in World War II and the Korean war, and a war bride mother, Tom and Melly struggle to find a love that their parents never had, and hope to find some sort of stability in their ever changing lives.

I loved that this novel was set during the Cold War and found the setting interesting. Tom and Melly are both likable characters, and their bond of pure unconditional love for each other is something you don't often find between fictional siblings.I loved Melly's feistiness, but also thought she was quite spoilt at times, such as when she complained to her mother about the dress she had made for her looking too similar to her friends. The siblings don't get on with their parents, with their father often physically abusing Tom and their mother doing nothing to stop it, so I felt that his strong bond with Melly was important, as she is the only person he can truly talk to about it.

Although I disliked their father, I loved reading the back story provided for him, as it showed that he was once not as heartless as he seemed to be in the present day. I also love reading war stories, so I enjoyed reading about his time fighting in World War II. I also enjoyed that his time in the Korean war was mentioned, as novels often focus on the World Wars, but not lesser known ones such as the Korean war.

I immediately loved LJ, an army brat living on the same base as Tom and Melly. I felt that he was an important friend to Melly, and I loved that although he had romantic feelings for Melly, he never tried to force a relationship, and remained a loyal friend to her even after she started to date Wes. I initially disliked Wes, but warmed up to him when it became clear that he genuinely did like Melly, and wasn't just carrying out his fathers orders. I felt that Wes was a brave character, and I loved that he ended up defying his father and not allowing him to control his life.

Although I loved most of the characters, I did feel that there were too many minor characters, and often got confused over who they were when they came up. I also felt that there were too many abbreviations, as although they were all explained, I found myself forgetting what certain ones meant and having to go back to check. I loved that the book spanned over the course of three years, but I personally thought that school dances were mentioned too often. I'm not fully aware of the American high school system, so I don't know if they would truly have that many dances, but I felt that other aspects of school life could have been shown more instead, such as seeing more interaction with their school friends inside classes rather than continuous dances and sports games.

The ending of the novel was both shocking and heartbreaking, and I felt great sympathy for the pain that the characters had to endure. It definitely was not a happy ending, so I’d recommend to avoid this book if you are looking for a happily ever after. However I overall loved the book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good YA historical novel.

Our Wild and Precious lives can be purchased HERE