Monday, March 30, 2015

Review: Dream a Little Dream

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM
The Silver Trilogy #1
Kerstin Gier
Paranormal Young Adult
Henry Holt
336 pages
Available April 14th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yep, Liv’s dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially this one where she’s in a graveyard at night, watching four boys perform dark magic rituals.

The really weird thing is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They’re classmates from her new school in London, the school where’s she’s starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But they seem to know things about her in real life that they couldn’t possibly know, which is mystifying. Then again, Liv could never resist a good mystery. . . .


MY THOUGHTS
Dream a Little Dream is a bit darker than its cover suggests, the whimsy and vibrancy of the depicted dream sequence but a small moment in this tale compared to the prominent shadow of a possible demonic threat. (It should be noted that I wrote this review a while back with the original cover in mind, though it does still apply somewhat.) While the story itself has serious themes, Ms. Gier's sense of humor is present and accounted for, bringing a smile to our faces as we attempt to sort out just what Liv has gotten herself into with the young men at her new school. There's an ease to Ms. Gier's writing style that causes the pages to turn in rapid succession, drawing us in and holding our attention throughout until we find ourselves staring at the inside back cover far sooner than expected.

Liv is someone with whom it's easy to settle in, quick with a sarcastic quip and first (along with younger sister Mia) to roll her eyes at some of the sheer ridiculousness perpetrated by those at Frognal Academy for Boys and Girls. She's not one to swoon over the quartet of physical perfection that is Arthur, Jasper, Henry and Grayson, instead she calls them out on their insincere flirting, corrects them when they get her name wrong and mentally pokes fun at them when they allow the reactions of the other girls to stroke their egos. She does require the suspension of disbelief in one particular area though, diving headfirst into the dream/demon happenings with shockingly little thought as to the potential repercussions of meddling in supernatural affairs. Granted, she doesn't believe in the supernatural and therefore assumes her participation in the boys' rituals is harmless, but regardless of whether or not demons do in fact exist, we can't help but wish she might give her involvement the gravity it deserves.

Her lack of sound decision making with regard to the paranormal aspect aside, Liv is a thoroughly enjoyable young woman with a hilarious relationship with younger sister Mia. Mia is a highlight despite her relatively minor role, the sweetness of her young face always belied by the things that come out of her mouth, and we can do nothing but smile every time she appears on page. Overall, Dream a Little Dream is a fun start to this series, and while it's a little light on answers to our many questions regarding the dream world and the possible demon responsible for it, it's easy to free ourselves from those tangles and simply enjoy a well-told story.

Rating: 4/5

Find Kerstin


This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

24 comments:

  1. I know about the name of the author but I haven't read any of her books. I confess that I'm curious now about this one. It sounds a bit different and it's quite intriguing. thanks for the discovery!

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  2. Without those rose petals it would have been dark, I did not really expect that much darkness from the cover

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  3. OOoh nice review! I feel conflicted over the cover change myself. I thought the first one was fun and light hearted, while the new one does have a more serious tone! Still like them both!

    This sounds like an intriguing read for sure! I still want to read her first trilogy as well! So much to read, so little time to read them all! Great review!

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  4. I am totally intrigued by the premise...love the sound of a dream world and the setting of a London school really hooks me in as well. This is a new-to-me books, so thanks for putting this one on my radar. Great review, Jenny!

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  5. Liv sounds like a great girl and I think I would enjoy her for the most part. I don't know how I would feel about her lack of thinking when it comes to the supernatural elements though. I do like that this series is simultaneously humorous and dark!
    Wonderful review, Jenny!

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  6. You always write such beautiful reviews Jenny, I love reading them. :)
    Wonderful job on this!!

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  7. I LOVE that cover and Liv sounds like a great character!

    I hadn't heard of this book before.

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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  8. Characters that act rashly or don't think things through tend to get on my nerves. Glad to hear that you were able to overcome that here.

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  9. I am glad you enjoyed this one, I have it scheduled sometime in May I think. I am looking forward to finally trying this author, and I will try and be patient when I don't get all the answers.

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  10. So happy you enjoyed this one! I wasn't expecting a dark story from that cover, and I'm really looking forward to reading it and meeting Liv and Mia. Lovely review!

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  11. This is such a fun read! I loved Liv and her little sis Mia! :)

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  12. I have dream a little dream oming up for review soon. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one.

    Great Review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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  13. I reall like the second cover - it gives the impression of darkness and beauty. I've had my eye on this one for some time now and glad you enjoyed it, Jenny! The dreamworld is what caught my attention - I'm curious, was there any romance blooming? Liv and Mia sound wonderful, and those boys delightful and cocky.
    Thanks for the fabulous review :)

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  14. The old cover didn't match the story (from what I read in the summary) at all! It was too cutesy and childish so I'm really glad they changed it. I like this new one a lot. This is the first review I've read of this book so I'm glad to see you liked it!

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  15. Hm... I might have passed on this one but it really sounds good. I would probably be like you and want her to take it seriously but as long as it didn't frustrate you too much, it probably won't me. Plus, it makes sense if she doesn't believe in it. Yea, I do think I need to check out this book.

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  16. I can't lie, you've piqued my interest with all the talk of 'darkness' and stuff. I'm sort of dying to get my hands on this one now. i love how the cover gives off this beautiful play of beauty in darkness. I'll have to check this one out!

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  17. Now I have the song Dream a Little Dream in my head. Huh, yeah, the original cover is beautiful and I like it a lot more, but gives off a young and sweet vibe. I'm always interested in dark though!

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  18. I am quite intrigued about this book, even if I'm still not sure if I'm gonna add it to the wish list or not... but your review and the new cover are tipping the scales in its favor!
    Great review Jenny!

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  19. I so like reading books that lets you forget about time. You know, the kind that before you know, you're halfway through the book. I really must check out this author some time.

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  20. This sounds like such a charming start to a new series, Jenny! I think I'm going to wait to see how the series progresses before I pick it up but it's definitely on my radar. Wonderful review, dear! :)

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  21. Great review Jenny! I loved reading your thoughts on the story.

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  22. I only heard about this book myself a few days ago. And I have to say, I have fallen head over heels in love with that gorgeous cover DD: I want it now. I love sarcastic characters as well - we always go along well together. So this sounds like one I will enjoy.

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