Thursday, July 10, 2014

Review: Dream On by M. Kircher

Dream On
by M. Kircher

 
Blurb:
 
Seventeen-year-old dreamwalker, Em, might have to choose—leave her mother forever in the dreamworld or save the life of hot, rebel Gabe.

Emily Dal Monte and her mother, Lily, are special. They’re humans with a glitch in their genetic code that allows them to explore the fantastic, and often terrifying, world of their dreams for as long as they choose to remain asleep. But when Em’s father is killed in a tragic accident and her distraught mother loses herself more and more in the dreams of her crumbling mind, Em is forced to support the two of them the only way she knows how, by writing down her mother’s amazing dreams and selling them as books. Enter Gabriel Sobel, the punk newcomer at Em’s high school who realizes Em is the daughter of his favorite, reclusive author. Gabe can’t figure out why Em keeps brushing him off and makes it his mission to find out what’s really going on at the Dal Monte household. He stumbles upon their shocking family secret just as Lily takes a turn for the worse. It’s up to Em, Gabe, and one very nosy book editor to hop from one extraordinary dream to the next, to find Lily and convince her to wake up before she loses her mind…and before Em loses her first chance at love.
 
Rating:  4/5 Stars
 
Review:
 
I've always had a deep interest in dreams, be it my own dreams or the dreams of others, so I was especially excited to get my hands on this book.

One part of the story I found extremely interesting was Em's relationship with her mother. Their relationship shared many qualities with the relationship between an alcoholic/addict and their child. Em was overly responsible, even completing her mother's work just to receive the paychecks needed in order to survive. Em did not make friends in order to protect her family's secret from the general public. Em did not answer personal questions in order to prevent herself from implicating her family in any unnecessary attention, again, protecting her family's secret. So many aspects of their relationship pointed me in this direction, and honestly? Although her mother wasn't addicted to drugs or alcohol, this is the type of relationship they had. She had an unhealthy addiction to her dreams, trying to hold on to the memory of her dead husband. Honestly, I can't say that I blame her, I would quite possibly do the same thing were I to loose my husband, but poor Em got caught in the destruction of her family.

I found the fact that Gabe blackmailed Em into telling her his secret very un-hero-like, but I appreciated the fact that the author recognized this flaw of character and allowed the reader a glimpse into Em's mind to see her working out this conflict in her head. I feel that Em's a highly mature character for a 17 year old girl to be so forgiving of Gabe's aggressive behavior and still choose to trust him.

I feel my favourite part of this entire story are the dreams themselves. I found them very vivid and completely ridiculous, as my own dreams are. I loved the fact that Em was able to logically realize that she was currently in a dream, but still felt as though everything was real. I have this feeling a lot when I have nightmares.

Overall I really thought this was a fun book and I would recommend it to any paranormal reader.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

I believe that stories can change the world. I also believe that teens and young adults have eyes that are open and ears that are awake to the thrumming life hidden deep within great books. I write YA fiction because I'm in love with the truth and beauty of a skillfully woven tale and because I want generations of young people to hold tight to the vastness of their potential--indeed, the potential that lies waiting in all of us. The world is ours for the making.
No matter who you are, you have the power to do great things.
Happy reading!
-- M. Kircher

I'd love to hear from you! Connect with me below:
mkircher.com
melissakircher83@gmail.com
Twitter - @MKircher83
Facebook - /mkircher83
 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment