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reaghan527's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
wyll's review
adventurous
medium-paced
2.5
I was willing to forgive the cliche romance tropes of "we can't marry because we're from different social classes" and the inevitable "love triangle" because the plot is interesting but this book lost me entirely at the introduction of entirely unnecessary homophobia. It baffles me that writers create a hugely unique world with no basis in our own, where magic (or magic-adjacent concepts) exist, yet still feel a compulsion to include discrimination like racism or homophobia. Having LGBT characters only to have the entire LGBT aspect of their character center around discrimination (a bisexual woman's father literally threatening to have her lesbian girlfriend killed if they don't stop seeing each other) is NOT representation. It's a mockery of the things we experience in real life and the fact that we can't escape them in fantasy settings is honestly exhausting.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
Livia was born a tunneler. In the Barstadt Empire where dreams prevail and people look to the Dreamer for guidance, tunnelers are the lowest of the low. When it’s discovered Livia is a Dreamstrider, she’s given an opportunity to see her dreams come to fruition.
Livia will be working for the ministry. With her Dreamstriding abilities, Livia is able to infiltrate a person’s consciousness on the dreaming plane, Oneiros, while in the real world her consciousness inhabits the dreamer’s body.
Fast-forward eight years later and Livia is still the only Dreamstrider known to exist. Unfortunately, her talent hasn’t exactly been flawless, and her superiors are quick to remind Livia where she comes from and where she can just as easily go back if she continues on this path. Still, for now, she’s what they have to work with, and even though Livia knows her own shortcomings she never wants to return to the tunnels again.
When a plot against Barstadt is discovered, Livia, her partner Brandt, along with Marez and Kriza (envoys from a neighboring kingdom) will have to work together in order to avoid war. When Marez starts to show Livia what life could be like for her outside of Barstadt, she begins to question all her dreams.
Dreamstrider really reminded me a lot of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone. The heroines from both come from less fortunate backgrounds and discover abilities that put them in a position where they’re somewhat revered. Regardless, though, they still don’t feel like they belong. The difference being that, by the time Dreamstrider begins, Livia has lived with her abilities for years, but the expectations of her superiors are far too high for Livia to ever live up to.
Lindsay Smith gives a great voice to the somewhat cliché mantras ‘believe in yourself’ and ‘don’t give up on your hopes and dreams’. Essentially these are what Livia’s conflicts boil down to throughout the entirety of the story.
Livia’s struggles are mirrored within the love triangle (and I use the term loosely). Livia has had feelings for her partner Brandt practically since the first day they met. Coming from the aristocracy, Brandt represents both Livia’s past and present, everything she associates with failure. She feels unworthy of him, and because of this she will never tell him her true feelings. Then along comes Marez. He’s new and makes Livia think in terms of the future. He makes her feel like she could be worthy of everything she dreams of. Not usually being a fan of the love triangle, if this is the way Lindsay Smith typically handles them, I would read them any day of the week.
Of course, all of Livia’s internal struggles coincide with huge political and spiritual upheaval. Not only is Barstadt on the verge of war, but the dream world is threatened by the awakening of Nightmare. I loved the play on the real and the metaphysical. How dreams are your, literal, dreams, but the Dreamer is also a being of higher power.
I think the dreams aspect of the book was great, since, you know, dreaming is kind of universal. The back-and-forth between reality and Oneiros could have been a mess, but I think Lindsay Smith handles these scenes beautifully. Because of this, we get a story and concept that feels really fresh with Dreamstrider.
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
Livia was born a tunneler. In the Barstadt Empire where dreams prevail and people look to the Dreamer for guidance, tunnelers are the lowest of the low. When it’s discovered Livia is a Dreamstrider, she’s given an opportunity to see her dreams come to fruition.
Livia will be working for the ministry. With her Dreamstriding abilities, Livia is able to infiltrate a person’s consciousness on the dreaming plane, Oneiros, while in the real world her consciousness inhabits the dreamer’s body.
Fast-forward eight years later and Livia is still the only Dreamstrider known to exist. Unfortunately, her talent hasn’t exactly been flawless, and her superiors are quick to remind Livia where she comes from and where she can just as easily go back if she continues on this path. Still, for now, she’s what they have to work with, and even though Livia knows her own shortcomings she never wants to return to the tunnels again.
When a plot against Barstadt is discovered, Livia, her partner Brandt, along with Marez and Kriza (envoys from a neighboring kingdom) will have to work together in order to avoid war. When Marez starts to show Livia what life could be like for her outside of Barstadt, she begins to question all her dreams.
Dreamstrider really reminded me a lot of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone. The heroines from both come from less fortunate backgrounds and discover abilities that put them in a position where they’re somewhat revered. Regardless, though, they still don’t feel like they belong. The difference being that, by the time Dreamstrider begins, Livia has lived with her abilities for years, but the expectations of her superiors are far too high for Livia to ever live up to.
Lindsay Smith gives a great voice to the somewhat cliché mantras ‘believe in yourself’ and ‘don’t give up on your hopes and dreams’. Essentially these are what Livia’s conflicts boil down to throughout the entirety of the story.
Livia’s struggles are mirrored within the love triangle (and I use the term loosely). Livia has had feelings for her partner Brandt practically since the first day they met. Coming from the aristocracy, Brandt represents both Livia’s past and present, everything she associates with failure. She feels unworthy of him, and because of this she will never tell him her true feelings. Then along comes Marez. He’s new and makes Livia think in terms of the future. He makes her feel like she could be worthy of everything she dreams of. Not usually being a fan of the love triangle, if this is the way Lindsay Smith typically handles them, I would read them any day of the week.
Of course, all of Livia’s internal struggles coincide with huge political and spiritual upheaval. Not only is Barstadt on the verge of war, but the dream world is threatened by the awakening of Nightmare. I loved the play on the real and the metaphysical. How dreams are your, literal, dreams, but the Dreamer is also a being of higher power.
I think the dreams aspect of the book was great, since, you know, dreaming is kind of universal. The back-and-forth between reality and Oneiros could have been a mess, but I think Lindsay Smith handles these scenes beautifully. Because of this, we get a story and concept that feels really fresh with Dreamstrider.
cathyatratedreads's review
3.0
In the world of Dreamstrider, a few main countries sit near each other, and the time period is akin to perhaps the late 1800s. In Barstadt, an emperor rules and many of the country's inhabitants aren't even citizens; they dwell in the tunnels under the city. Livia grew up below ground, scraping by and just staying alive, but during her daytime work cleaning for a professor who researches the dream land of Oneiros, Professor Hesse notices she may have a gift he can build on. He introduces her to the wonders of Oneiros, and he is able to teach her to be a dreamstrider, not only capable of going to that alternate world but then finding someone else’s sleeping soul and temporarily taking over that person’s body. She ends up essentially becoming a spy, a unique tool in the country's secret police.
The concept of Dreamstrider is fascinating and the intrigues and politics well crafted. I liked the book pretty well but didn’t completely fall into the story, for some reason. Perhaps I wanted to explore more of the world of Oneiros, its history, the priests in Barstadt who “work” there and help people interpret their dreams, etc. Perhaps Livia’s constant lack of confidence got old. I did enjoy the ending and the changes in Livia’s character. Overall, though, cool concept, pretty well written.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/dreamstrider-clean-young-adult-book-review/
The concept of Dreamstrider is fascinating and the intrigues and politics well crafted. I liked the book pretty well but didn’t completely fall into the story, for some reason. Perhaps I wanted to explore more of the world of Oneiros, its history, the priests in Barstadt who “work” there and help people interpret their dreams, etc. Perhaps Livia’s constant lack of confidence got old. I did enjoy the ending and the changes in Livia’s character. Overall, though, cool concept, pretty well written.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/dreamstrider-clean-young-adult-book-review/
thebibliomaniac's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kupo88's review
3.0
This was a good book, and I'm definitely going to seek out more by the author. However this one just missed the mark of being great.
The premise has an interesting magic system that you can almost believe might be possible in the real world if you don't focus too hard, which helps draw you in and make you want to believe in the premise to see what happens. The book does a great job of keeping itself focused, since it is a standalone story. There are a couple plot points that all get cleaned up nicely without making you feel like anything/anyone was forgotten about.
Your dreams are your powers. Hope is necessary, but not easily come by, and if you try hard enough you can make your own wishes come true.
The premise has an interesting magic system that you can almost believe might be possible in the real world if you don't focus too hard, which helps draw you in and make you want to believe in the premise to see what happens. The book does a great job of keeping itself focused, since it is a standalone story. There are a couple plot points that all get cleaned up nicely without making you feel like anything/anyone was forgotten about.
Your dreams are your powers. Hope is necessary, but not easily come by, and if you try hard enough you can make your own wishes come true.
neethya's review against another edition
4.0
Ich hatte zunächst Schwierigkeiten mit dem Buch. Die Sprache war nicht gerade simpel und die Geschichte auch ziemlich komplex. Zudem hat mich die Liebesgeschichte ein bisschen genervt. Dann hat mich aber die Spannung gepackt und nachdem ich mich in der Welt zurecht gefunden habe, gab es keinen Halt mehr. Ich habe sogar schlecht geschlafen aufgrund der ganzen Alptraum-Problematik!
Die Handlung war perfekt durchdacht und bis zum Ende spitze und voll spannender Wendungen. Sowohl mit der Sprache, als auch mit der Liebesgeschichte konnte ich mich dann doch noch anfreunden und Langeweile kam nun wirklich gar nicht auf.
Die Handlung war perfekt durchdacht und bis zum Ende spitze und voll spannender Wendungen. Sowohl mit der Sprache, als auch mit der Liebesgeschichte konnte ich mich dann doch noch anfreunden und Langeweile kam nun wirklich gar nicht auf.
forsakenfates's review
4.0
I really enjoy Lindsay Smith's writing style and her vision when it comes to stories. This book had many parallels to Sekret in terms of spies and espionage, but this book was a political fantasy espionage book whereas Sekret was more paranormal/magical realism espionage. Dreamstrider was full of amazing imagery and fantastic characters. There was a slight lack of world-building, but for a standalone fantasy book, this is almost expected.
Our main character Livia was so refreshing compared to many other YA heroines. She was flawed in so many ways and not the best or brightest, but still did things herself and attempted to be independent. I also really enjoyed the other characters around Livia, including Vera, Brandt, and even Professor Hesse. They each added to the story and helped explained both what was currently happening and past events. I also appreciated that while there is romance in this book, that is not the focal point (and bonus points for no insta-love). This was more about Livia learning about herself and about protecting her home country.
Other than the deficits in world-building, I did not have any major issues with this book as a whole. The ending seemed a little rushed, but again that is somewhat expected in a standalone. And I know that is not a good excuse but there are so few standalones, especially in fantasy and paranormal genres, that I really do appreciate the books that are.
That being said, I would love another book in this world. It doesn't even have to follow the same characters. I'm just fascinated both by the idea of dreamstriding and the different cultures we are exposed to in this world. You have the Tunnelers and the Barstadt Empire, along with the two neighboring kingdoms.
Our main character Livia was so refreshing compared to many other YA heroines. She was flawed in so many ways and not the best or brightest, but still did things herself and attempted to be independent. I also really enjoyed the other characters around Livia, including Vera, Brandt, and even Professor Hesse. They each added to the story and helped explained both what was currently happening and past events. I also appreciated that while there is romance in this book, that is not the focal point (and bonus points for no insta-love). This was more about Livia learning about herself and about protecting her home country.
Other than the deficits in world-building, I did not have any major issues with this book as a whole. The ending seemed a little rushed, but again that is somewhat expected in a standalone. And I know that is not a good excuse but there are so few standalones, especially in fantasy and paranormal genres, that I really do appreciate the books that are.
That being said, I would love another book in this world. It doesn't even have to follow the same characters. I'm just fascinated both by the idea of dreamstriding and the different cultures we are exposed to in this world. You have the Tunnelers and the Barstadt Empire, along with the two neighboring kingdoms.
kimreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
While I, sadly, didn’t fully connect with this novel as I would have liked to, I do have to admire it for the sheer ambition of its scope. This story set itself after the incredibly complex task of telling a political mystery, set in a fantasy world, where dreams themselves figure so heavily they are practically characters. You know how difficult it is to describe your dream to someone? You can see it so clearly, but when you go to actually tell it it’s impossible? This story features a lot of dreams, and I have to applaud Lindsay Smith for the attempt to capture and convey the weirdness and irreality of them in the context of a story.
Dreamstrider takes place in a fantasy world that is reminiscent of a sort of 17th-18th century Europe. The Barstadt Empire is a nation with a very strict class system. There are the Tunnelers, condemned to live belowground and forever the servants of the upper classes. There is a barely mentioned middle class, presumably of merchants. Then there is the aristocracy, known for the typical aristocratic frivolities: partying, marrying, carrying on the family name, and the like all enjoyed on the backs of the oppressed underclass. Livia was a Tunneler, enduring child labor as a cleaner at a university until an academic brought her into his research. The academic’s experimenting proved successful: Livia became a Dreamstrider, a person who can inhabit another’s body while that person is sleeping. As the only known Dreamstrider, Livia is scooped up by the Barstadt government to work as a spy in exchange for her eventual freedom from the underclass.
Find my full review at The Midnight Garden
Dreamstrider takes place in a fantasy world that is reminiscent of a sort of 17th-18th century Europe. The Barstadt Empire is a nation with a very strict class system. There are the Tunnelers, condemned to live belowground and forever the servants of the upper classes. There is a barely mentioned middle class, presumably of merchants. Then there is the aristocracy, known for the typical aristocratic frivolities: partying, marrying, carrying on the family name, and the like all enjoyed on the backs of the oppressed underclass. Livia was a Tunneler, enduring child labor as a cleaner at a university until an academic brought her into his research. The academic’s experimenting proved successful: Livia became a Dreamstrider, a person who can inhabit another’s body while that person is sleeping. As the only known Dreamstrider, Livia is scooped up by the Barstadt government to work as a spy in exchange for her eventual freedom from the underclass.
Find my full review at The Midnight Garden
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith (2015)
Livia is the only dreamstrider in the Barstadt Empire. Thanks to her special ability to travel into Oneiros, the dream world, Livia can inhabit the bodies of others and access their memories. Both of which make her uniquely suited to work as a spy for her country. Livia's work also gives her the chance to earn her freedom and leave her past as a lower-class tunnel dweller behind. But trouble is lurking and with only her partner Brandt by her side, Livia is uncertain who she can trust as the stakes climb higher.
Dreamstrider is Smith's third novel and a standalone fantasy adventure.
There is a lot to like in this novel. Smith delivers a high-octane novel filled with action, spies, intrigue, and more action. From the prologue on the story is fast-paced with a sense of urgency even before the main plot gets rolling. In terms of creating tension and urging the reader on, Dreamstrider is an absolute winner.
The premise here is also fascinating. Unfortunately, because of the action! and the urgency! throughout the story, many aspects of Livia's world are never properly explained. Why is Livia the only dreamstrider in Barsadt? How can other people show her the world of Oneiros but not do what she does? What kind of world is it that readers are visiting in this novel? All of those questions are answered in only superficial ways throughout the narrative. While moments are evocative and strong, the world building never feels entirely cohesive or complete despite Smith's obvious vision and utterly original fantasy elements.
Another downside of the story starting so fast and the action being so relentless is that it's often hard to get to know Livia and the other characters in the novel or to understand their motivations.
Readers who are able to go along with the basic conceits of the novel without too many questions will be rewarded with a thrilling spy story unlike anything else.
Dreamstrider is a solid spy fantasy that has a lot of unique qualities. It is guaranteed to appeal to readers who like their stories more action-driven than character-driven as well as fans of supernatural espionage, fantasy with a faith-based element (as Barsadt holds dreams sacred), as well as readers who like stories about the dream world. Fans of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson or The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien should take special note and pick up this title.
*A copy this book was acquired from the publisher for review consideration*
Livia is the only dreamstrider in the Barstadt Empire. Thanks to her special ability to travel into Oneiros, the dream world, Livia can inhabit the bodies of others and access their memories. Both of which make her uniquely suited to work as a spy for her country. Livia's work also gives her the chance to earn her freedom and leave her past as a lower-class tunnel dweller behind. But trouble is lurking and with only her partner Brandt by her side, Livia is uncertain who she can trust as the stakes climb higher.
Dreamstrider is Smith's third novel and a standalone fantasy adventure.
There is a lot to like in this novel. Smith delivers a high-octane novel filled with action, spies, intrigue, and more action. From the prologue on the story is fast-paced with a sense of urgency even before the main plot gets rolling. In terms of creating tension and urging the reader on, Dreamstrider is an absolute winner.
The premise here is also fascinating. Unfortunately, because of the action! and the urgency! throughout the story, many aspects of Livia's world are never properly explained. Why is Livia the only dreamstrider in Barsadt? How can other people show her the world of Oneiros but not do what she does? What kind of world is it that readers are visiting in this novel? All of those questions are answered in only superficial ways throughout the narrative. While moments are evocative and strong, the world building never feels entirely cohesive or complete despite Smith's obvious vision and utterly original fantasy elements.
Another downside of the story starting so fast and the action being so relentless is that it's often hard to get to know Livia and the other characters in the novel or to understand their motivations.
Readers who are able to go along with the basic conceits of the novel without too many questions will be rewarded with a thrilling spy story unlike anything else.
Dreamstrider is a solid spy fantasy that has a lot of unique qualities. It is guaranteed to appeal to readers who like their stories more action-driven than character-driven as well as fans of supernatural espionage, fantasy with a faith-based element (as Barsadt holds dreams sacred), as well as readers who like stories about the dream world. Fans of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson or The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien should take special note and pick up this title.
*A copy this book was acquired from the publisher for review consideration*