Name: Dreamfall
Rating: 3.818181818181818 (11 reviews)
ISBN: 9780062429872

Amy Plum

Dreamfall

"Remarkable, riveting, disorienting and dark." —Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series A Nightmare on Elm Street meets Inception in this gripping psychological thriller from international bestselling author Amy Plum. Seven teenagers who suffer from debilitating insomnia agree to take part in an experimental new procedure to cure it because they think it can’t get any worse. But they couldn’t be more wrong. When the lab equipment malfunctions, the patients are plunged into a terrifying dreamworld where their worst nightmares have come to life—and they have no memory of how they got there. Hunted by monsters from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they’d rather keep buried, these seven strangers will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears. And if they can’t find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up. Dreamfall is perfect for fans of dark and edgy young adult novels from authors like Danielle Vega, Natasha Preston, Kendare Blake, and Madeleine Roux. It is the first book in a spine-tingling duology full of action, suspense, and horror that's sure to keep readers on the edge of their seat until the very last page.

laura

I thought this book was super intreasting. I wish I felt a bit more connected to the characters throughout the novel. I wanted a little bit more from the characters and wanted to connect to them more. I really did like the action scene and the world building in this book. I really did like the 3 POV and am excited to see if we get different POV in book 2. I wish the world building at points was clearer especially towards the end. I really hope to get to read book 2 soon.

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[death, gore, sleep disorders, depression, suicidal tendencies, PTSD, eating disorder, mental health stigmatization, psychosis (hide spoiler)]

This book was a yes but also a no. While I wouldn't straight up call this book problematic, it did jump on a lot of horror/mental health cliches that made me not so happy. But it was also heaps of fun. 

By far, this is not a unique storyline: getting trapped in a dreamscape that involves running away from nightmares and maybe/maybe not dying has been done before. However, if you are like me and enjoy cheesy, slasher-feeling, YA horror stories (see 
  There's Someone Inside Your House
) then you will probably still get a kick out of this book. 



  
    “When working with an unknown situation, you have to identify known factors and work within their boundaries.”
  


The pacing of this book is really well done. There is action and suspense and all that dark horror story goodness, but that's not to a detriment of a minimal storyline. There is a lot to figure out: if you die in the nightmare do you die in real life? what's with 'the void'? who are these people trapped together really? what's with that monster that keeps turning up? There is plenty to think about and keep you interested in the story.

And this isn't as cheesy as I was expecting. Sure it's got plenty of cliches (and not all good ones, more on that later) and it's less terrifying and more "yeah people are probably going to die and there are a few corpses thrown in but I'm not at all scared". But all in all, I found the book engaging all the way through and finished it up in just a day. 



  
    "They’ll be shocking us into normalcy.
Yes, I’m scared. But if this is what I have to do to be able to sleep again, I’m ready to sign my life away."
  


Okay, so what are these issues that I keep talking about then? 

Well, a lot of the characters present with different physical and mental health disorders. They all have insomnia and other sleep-related disorders, and several also identify with PTSD, anorexia, depression, and suicidal tendencies. And while I wasn't expecting these to be heavily discussed or looked into, there were times in which they probably could have been addressed with more sensitivity.

One line that stood out to me was when the MC, Cata, is thinking about the other teenagers involved in the story: 
  "I'm not sure they're 100% normal"
. This directly aimed at their mental and/or physical well-being and can we please just agree that the 'normal' label is trash?

And then there is (view spoiler)[the psychopath plot twist. One, did it have to be a plot twist? Two, just because someone is an alleged murderer doesn't mean it is mental health related and vice versa. There are plenty of people who are diagnosed anti-social disorder AKA psycho/sociopath that are not running around plotting murders. It's just an old/sad/worn-out and damaging trope and I'm really hoping it's addressed with sensitivity in the sequel. (hide spoiler)]

All in all though, I enjoyed this book. I am a sucker for books written in the YA slasher style and I do want to read more of them. I will be picking up Neverwake and no doubt you guys will hear my thoughts when that happens.


blog •  trigger warning database • more links

Happy reading! ❤

Isabella Stocka

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILER


I had this book pre-ordered for months and just days before I should receive mine I won a signed copy.

I couldn't wait in which world Plum would take me this time. Once more I was suprised by the world she created. Plums books are unique and different from the stories that are on the market right now.

The book tells the story about teenagers from the age of 13 to 19 which suffer from insomnia. A special treatment should help them but something got wrong and they are stuck in their dreamworld hunted by their nightmares,. However, they don't have to face them by themself because somehow they are bound and actually meet in their dreamworld which they call dreamfall.
For me it was a mix of the movie Matrix and the Netflix show Sense 8.
The reader gets to know a bit of every characters background and begins to understand what lies behind their nightmares. 
Once more Plum created unique characters of the kind I haven't read anywhere else about.
Unfortunately the book is too short to explore every detail I would wish for.
One thing for is sure: I can't wait for the second Volume!

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

*reaches ending* WHAT?! You're kidding, right? Ha! Okay. 
I need that second book NOW!!!!

Dreamfall

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