Helpful Score: 1
I really wanted to enjoy this book. I even pre-ordered it (something I typically don't do with a brand new series until I download a sample), but I couldn't resist after reading the synopsis about dreaming and dragons. I love fantasy of all types...high fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk, etc. But I'm really tired of vampires, werewolves, witches, demons, fallen angels and other overused mythical groups. So, I'm always on the lookout for a book that features unique or under-used character types.
Our main girl here...Vivian...is an ER doctor by day and a Dreamshifter by night, which means she's able to travel the world of dreams. Sounds good, yes? I thought so too. Then I started having issues with Vivian. She's not exactly what I'd call a strong female character. A lot of the time she walks around like she's spaced out and has an annoying habit of losing her clothes for no apparent reason. She seems to accept a lot of the stuff that happens to her with relative passivity...like, "Oh, I'm a Dreamshifter. So, that's why I've always had crazy dreams. Ok." There were many times I felt like shaking her and saying, "Snap out of it!" She also makes several poor decisions. She falls for the villain's tricks several times, but luckily for her (and it has to be luck, because it certainly wasn't her proactive tendencies), things work out.
And the men in her life? Well, I wasn't too impressed with either of them. I had trouble supporting Zee 100% because I wasn't sure which version of him I was supposed to root for. Zee? Or Warlord, his Dreamworld alter ego? I found it odd that Vivian could readily accept Warlord as Zee, even though the only thing they had in common was their looks. And Vivian's ex-boyfriend, Jared (and his Dreamworld alter ego, Gareth) were just disgusting. Both of them were abusive control-freaks. The romance was another area Vivian seems to accept with placidity. There weren't a lot of sparks between her and Zee. Zee is supposed to have loved Vivian for years after constantly seeing her in his dreams, but I never felt convinced that Vivian cared a whole lot about Zee. I mean, how could she? She just met him and then didn't have a lot of interaction with him for the rest of the book.
Like I said, I had high hopes for this book. It had a unique plot and an interesting world, but fell flat for me. I wouldn't classify this as urban fantasy, but I wouldn't classify it as high fantasy either. It's more of a regular modern fantasy with Vivian finding out she has an interesting heritage and is an heir/protector of the Dreamworld.
Perhaps, you'll like this book more than I did. But I suggest you do what I didn't...either download a sample of the book first before buying, check it out from your local library, or wait for someone (like me) to list their copy to trade. :-)
Our main girl here...Vivian...is an ER doctor by day and a Dreamshifter by night, which means she's able to travel the world of dreams. Sounds good, yes? I thought so too. Then I started having issues with Vivian. She's not exactly what I'd call a strong female character. A lot of the time she walks around like she's spaced out and has an annoying habit of losing her clothes for no apparent reason. She seems to accept a lot of the stuff that happens to her with relative passivity...like, "Oh, I'm a Dreamshifter. So, that's why I've always had crazy dreams. Ok." There were many times I felt like shaking her and saying, "Snap out of it!" She also makes several poor decisions. She falls for the villain's tricks several times, but luckily for her (and it has to be luck, because it certainly wasn't her proactive tendencies), things work out.
And the men in her life? Well, I wasn't too impressed with either of them. I had trouble supporting Zee 100% because I wasn't sure which version of him I was supposed to root for. Zee? Or Warlord, his Dreamworld alter ego? I found it odd that Vivian could readily accept Warlord as Zee, even though the only thing they had in common was their looks. And Vivian's ex-boyfriend, Jared (and his Dreamworld alter ego, Gareth) were just disgusting. Both of them were abusive control-freaks. The romance was another area Vivian seems to accept with placidity. There weren't a lot of sparks between her and Zee. Zee is supposed to have loved Vivian for years after constantly seeing her in his dreams, but I never felt convinced that Vivian cared a whole lot about Zee. I mean, how could she? She just met him and then didn't have a lot of interaction with him for the rest of the book.
Like I said, I had high hopes for this book. It had a unique plot and an interesting world, but fell flat for me. I wouldn't classify this as urban fantasy, but I wouldn't classify it as high fantasy either. It's more of a regular modern fantasy with Vivian finding out she has an interesting heritage and is an heir/protector of the Dreamworld.
Perhaps, you'll like this book more than I did. But I suggest you do what I didn't...either download a sample of the book first before buying, check it out from your local library, or wait for someone (like me) to list their copy to trade. :-)
