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amysbooknook's review
3.0
Blog Post: https://amysbooknook.co.uk/2021/04/19/dream-country-by-ashaye-brown-my-review/
“I guess what we’re afraid of doesn’t have to make sense.”
– Ashaye Brown, Dream Country
Dream Country follows the story of the triplet Gods of Dreams (Fanta), Sleep (Theo), and Nightmares (Torres). In their celestial home, far above the mortal realm of Pangaea, the land of these major gods have been split and divided into three contrasting regions, separated by a huge wall of Bone and Ivory. This divide was triggered by the untimely and suspicious death of their mother, the God of Night. With the siblings separated and under suspicion by the minor gods that inhabit their lands, trust is scarce between the trio, and when a young mortal is thrown into the celestial world, causing the paths of the three major gods to interweave once again, the gates of Bone and Ivory separating their lands no longer seem to be as strong as the siblings once thought…
First off, I want to talk about how intricate and beautiful the world building is in this book. Ashaye Brown has created such a wonderfully rich and diverse world, that I truly wish I could visit the lands of Dreams, Sleep, and maybe Nightmares (depending on how brave I am feeling!). Elements of religion and mythology were wonderfully entwined throughout this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of the characters.
The narration follows the perspectives of both Theo and Torres, and the description of their abilities were descriptive and imaginative. While I enjoyed the perspectives and intricacies of the rivalry between the siblings, I did have some difficult connecting with the trio. Fanta was quite cruel and unforgiving, Torres was funny, but seemed too driven and unstable, and Theo relied too heavily on those around him, considering he is one of the three major gods. I found it difficult to really enjoy the characters and their development unfortunately, but that is more of a personal opinion. Just because I didn’t connect with any of the characters, doesn’t mean other readers won’t! I also found the story somewhat lacking in any form a romanticism, and would have thoroughly enjoyed a romantic relationships to be involved.
I truly loved the world building and imagery of Ashaye Brown’s writing, however I did find that the story focused too heavily on world building at times, which caused the plot to feel somewhat slow. The pace did pick up towards the end of the book though and it had a fantastic ending. I had previously thought this book was a standalone novel, but since the story was left on a massive cliffhanger, I am assuming that this will be part of a series, that I am truly looking forward to reading!
Conclusion: Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and world building of this book. The intricate details and back story was wonderfully written, and the language was beautiful in parts! I did find, however, that because I struggled to connect to any of the characters, I wasn’t empathetic or emotionally attached to their individual journeys. The plot was also a bit slowly paced during the middle of this book, but certainly picked up at the end! I would definitely recommend this for readers who are fans of other mythological fantasy reads such as Circe by Madelline Miller.
4/5
“I guess what we’re afraid of doesn’t have to make sense.”
– Ashaye Brown, Dream Country
Dream Country follows the story of the triplet Gods of Dreams (Fanta), Sleep (Theo), and Nightmares (Torres). In their celestial home, far above the mortal realm of Pangaea, the land of these major gods have been split and divided into three contrasting regions, separated by a huge wall of Bone and Ivory. This divide was triggered by the untimely and suspicious death of their mother, the God of Night. With the siblings separated and under suspicion by the minor gods that inhabit their lands, trust is scarce between the trio, and when a young mortal is thrown into the celestial world, causing the paths of the three major gods to interweave once again, the gates of Bone and Ivory separating their lands no longer seem to be as strong as the siblings once thought…
First off, I want to talk about how intricate and beautiful the world building is in this book. Ashaye Brown has created such a wonderfully rich and diverse world, that I truly wish I could visit the lands of Dreams, Sleep, and maybe Nightmares (depending on how brave I am feeling!). Elements of religion and mythology were wonderfully entwined throughout this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of the characters.
The narration follows the perspectives of both Theo and Torres, and the description of their abilities were descriptive and imaginative. While I enjoyed the perspectives and intricacies of the rivalry between the siblings, I did have some difficult connecting with the trio. Fanta was quite cruel and unforgiving, Torres was funny, but seemed too driven and unstable, and Theo relied too heavily on those around him, considering he is one of the three major gods. I found it difficult to really enjoy the characters and their development unfortunately, but that is more of a personal opinion. Just because I didn’t connect with any of the characters, doesn’t mean other readers won’t! I also found the story somewhat lacking in any form a romanticism, and would have thoroughly enjoyed a romantic relationships to be involved.
I truly loved the world building and imagery of Ashaye Brown’s writing, however I did find that the story focused too heavily on world building at times, which caused the plot to feel somewhat slow. The pace did pick up towards the end of the book though and it had a fantastic ending. I had previously thought this book was a standalone novel, but since the story was left on a massive cliffhanger, I am assuming that this will be part of a series, that I am truly looking forward to reading!
Conclusion: Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and world building of this book. The intricate details and back story was wonderfully written, and the language was beautiful in parts! I did find, however, that because I struggled to connect to any of the characters, I wasn’t empathetic or emotionally attached to their individual journeys. The plot was also a bit slowly paced during the middle of this book, but certainly picked up at the end! I would definitely recommend this for readers who are fans of other mythological fantasy reads such as Circe by Madelline Miller.
4/5
josuebookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
acedimski's review
4.0
If you had asked me before I was reading this book which of the three realms - Sleep, Dreams, and Nightmares - I would want to spend time in, I wouldn't have hesitated to answer the one of Dreams! But the deeper I dived into Dream Country, the more I found myself questioning my own answer, questioning the fine line between a Dream and a Nightmare, and the more entranced with the concept of these three.
Dream Country follows the triplet gods of Sleep (Theo), Dreams (Fanta), and Nightmares (Tores) who have been seperated from each other by the Gates of Horn and Ivory ever since the murder of their mother. Each of them being a suspect in the murder, they have come to feel distrust for each other. Until one day, one mortal seems to have the power to destroy the gates and change their worlds.
This book was a ride, everyone! From the very beginning, I was lured into this world, curious about the mysterious death of the All-Mother, and found myself desperately wanting to know all the answers.
We get to meet the worlds of the mortals, Pangaea, the realm of Sleep, Zion, the world of Nightmares, Os Pesadelos, and Dream Country. Each one of them captivated me with their own atmosphere, different magic, and fascinating culture. I loved to see how each realm was not only connected to their god or goddess, but also to each other. I loved to discover their customs, the landscapes, the way of life in the realms, and to find out what minor gods chose to live in which realm.
And in the middle of this amazing world, we have our triplets. Seperated for years. Each dealing with their own realm, their own struggles, and the same question of who is the murderer of their mother. I loved the dynamic between Theo, Fanta, and Tores, and to see how their personalities are connected to their powers and realms, but also how flawed they were. Because the narration follows the perspective of Theo and Tores, it took me longer to warm up to Fanta than to the other two gods. Despite the fact, that the story focuses heavily on the three siblings, I enjoyed that we also got to meet other characters, and the role they play in the gods' lives. Especially Iara became a favorite of mine.
Even though the worldbuilding is broad and in times complex, the story progresses in a fast pace, only slowing down when we learn more of the world and its characters, especially during the middle of the book. What I truly appreciated was the writing of Ashaye Brown, and the beautiful descriptive language that introduced us to the world and religion of the Majority. Particularly the excerpts of the Holy Theologos, the scripts of the religion, were beautifully written, and helped me get transported even deeper into the celestial world, adding a depth to the story, that feels like this is, in fact, a mythological lore of its own.
The reason why I have settled for a four-stars-rating is that I found some answers came too easily to the protagonists. As this world seems to be filled with more mysteries than just the murder of the All-Mother, I wished that they could have stumbled upon a few answers instead of being oblivious to some solution until it became handy for the storyline.
Overall, this is an amazing read with an unique worldbuilding inspired by Kenyan, Brazilian, Caribbean, and Greek mythology and culture that just waits to entrance you.
Thank you to OnWe Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review!
Dream Country follows the triplet gods of Sleep (Theo), Dreams (Fanta), and Nightmares (Tores) who have been seperated from each other by the Gates of Horn and Ivory ever since the murder of their mother. Each of them being a suspect in the murder, they have come to feel distrust for each other. Until one day, one mortal seems to have the power to destroy the gates and change their worlds.
This book was a ride, everyone! From the very beginning, I was lured into this world, curious about the mysterious death of the All-Mother, and found myself desperately wanting to know all the answers.
We get to meet the worlds of the mortals, Pangaea, the realm of Sleep, Zion, the world of Nightmares, Os Pesadelos, and Dream Country. Each one of them captivated me with their own atmosphere, different magic, and fascinating culture. I loved to see how each realm was not only connected to their god or goddess, but also to each other. I loved to discover their customs, the landscapes, the way of life in the realms, and to find out what minor gods chose to live in which realm.
And in the middle of this amazing world, we have our triplets. Seperated for years. Each dealing with their own realm, their own struggles, and the same question of who is the murderer of their mother. I loved the dynamic between Theo, Fanta, and Tores, and to see how their personalities are connected to their powers and realms, but also how flawed they were. Because the narration follows the perspective of Theo and Tores, it took me longer to warm up to Fanta than to the other two gods. Despite the fact, that the story focuses heavily on the three siblings, I enjoyed that we also got to meet other characters, and the role they play in the gods' lives. Especially Iara became a favorite of mine.
Even though the worldbuilding is broad and in times complex, the story progresses in a fast pace, only slowing down when we learn more of the world and its characters, especially during the middle of the book. What I truly appreciated was the writing of Ashaye Brown, and the beautiful descriptive language that introduced us to the world and religion of the Majority. Particularly the excerpts of the Holy Theologos, the scripts of the religion, were beautifully written, and helped me get transported even deeper into the celestial world, adding a depth to the story, that feels like this is, in fact, a mythological lore of its own.
The reason why I have settled for a four-stars-rating is that I found some answers came too easily to the protagonists. As this world seems to be filled with more mysteries than just the murder of the All-Mother, I wished that they could have stumbled upon a few answers instead of being oblivious to some solution until it became handy for the storyline.
Overall, this is an amazing read with an unique worldbuilding inspired by Kenyan, Brazilian, Caribbean, and Greek mythology and culture that just waits to entrance you.
Thank you to OnWe Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange of an honest review!
yve_ma's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
asaelizabeth's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
_cherry_'s review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I’m so confused.
Theo was never that interesting of a character to me so his chapters were annoying to get through.
I liked the book but also I wasn’t wowed by it.
Is Fanta dead? Are all the siblings dead? Is there going to be a second book? I’m just really confused cause I thought this was a standalone😭
Theo was never that interesting of a character to me so his chapters were annoying to get through.
I liked the book but also I wasn’t wowed by it.
Is Fanta dead? Are all the siblings dead? Is there going to be a second book? I’m just really confused cause I thought this was a standalone😭
empressofbookingham's review
3.0
This was quite interesting given once tried a certain book based on mythology and could go past page 15. Not only did I pass page 15 but finished the whole book and I did enjoy.
The world building initially was intense but creatively done. What started as chaos to me, Ashaye soothed me with an explanation of how the world works after a chapter ends. Found this ingenious.
The tale started on a high note but did dip at some point. However it got moving and fast. I loved this about the book. I could have even finished it within one sitting but life.
The narration was in first person and followed the perspectives of both Theo and Torres. While I enjoyed the perspectives and intricacies of the rivalry between the siblings, I did have some difficult connecting with the trio.
Themes of religion, familial trivia and mythology were wonderfully entwined throughout this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction of the main characters. The trio were quite diverse and that added juice. Though I didn't connect with any of the characters.
I'm still looking for that part that has Kenyan elements to this day.
The world building initially was intense but creatively done. What started as chaos to me, Ashaye soothed me with an explanation of how the world works after a chapter ends. Found this ingenious.
The tale started on a high note but did dip at some point. However it got moving and fast. I loved this about the book. I could have even finished it within one sitting but life.
The narration was in first person and followed the perspectives of both Theo and Torres. While I enjoyed the perspectives and intricacies of the rivalry between the siblings, I did have some difficult connecting with the trio.
Themes of religion, familial trivia and mythology were wonderfully entwined throughout this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction of the main characters. The trio were quite diverse and that added juice. Though I didn't connect with any of the characters.
I'm still looking for that part that has Kenyan elements to this day.
halfwildbooks's review
3.0
Hi! You can find HalfWildBooks here for more bookish content!
Thank you Onwe for sending me an ARC of Dreamy Country!! (3.5/5)
Dream Country follows three siblings, Theo, God of Sleep, Fanta, God of Dreams, and Tores, God of Nightmares. They are separated by gates crafted by Horn and Ivory, and animosity keeps them even further apart, with none of them trusting each other since the death of their mother. They all suspect each other, but the truth is, none of them remembers what happened.
Ruling their separate lands has never been easy, but when a newborn baby with the power to destroy the gates appears, the siblings have to decide if they can risk trusting one another to save their world, of it they will use the newborn's power to destroy it.
We follow the perspective of Torres and Theo, getting a glimpse at the strain they are under when ruling each of their lands. I found Torres a very interesting character, but I took me a while to become invested in Theo. He refers to himself as a coward a lot, and while his ambitions are there, he finds it difficult to take action and make decisions, which made his sections feel a little slower to read. Torres, on the other hand, is afraid of his Nightmare abilities but doesn’t hesitate when he knows what he wants. This mix of power and fear made his chapters very entertaining.
Fanta is the third god, and as we never got a perspective from her, I felt somewhat detached from her character. We only see her when her brothers do, and as the God of Dreams, a land that is not all that peaceful, I wish we had got more of an insight into her character.
Each God is blessed with power: to induce sleep, to control dreams, to evoke nightmares. Nightmare was an interesting magic system to explore, especially since Torres was so reluctant to use his power.
The mythology of this world was well done, the excerpts from the Holy Theologos provide a deeper insight into the Kenyan, Brazilian, Caribbean and Grecian lore. We have the mystery of the All-Mother, and practice of the Majority, where mortals have the chance to live beside Gods for five days, a practice which is considered an hour, but limits their lifespan to fourteen years.
I found that the pacing of the book slowed in the middle. We spend a lot of time exploring Dream Country, and while it was insightful to see the world, it felt a little repetitive.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! The concept of having a sibling rivalry and mythology was very entertaining, and I enjoyed how Dream Country was not as peaceful as we expected. This book explores themes of family, trust, ambition and power in a well built world that fantasy readers are sure to enjoy.
Thank you Onwe for sending me an ARC of Dreamy Country!! (3.5/5)
Dream Country follows three siblings, Theo, God of Sleep, Fanta, God of Dreams, and Tores, God of Nightmares. They are separated by gates crafted by Horn and Ivory, and animosity keeps them even further apart, with none of them trusting each other since the death of their mother. They all suspect each other, but the truth is, none of them remembers what happened.
Ruling their separate lands has never been easy, but when a newborn baby with the power to destroy the gates appears, the siblings have to decide if they can risk trusting one another to save their world, of it they will use the newborn's power to destroy it.
We follow the perspective of Torres and Theo, getting a glimpse at the strain they are under when ruling each of their lands. I found Torres a very interesting character, but I took me a while to become invested in Theo. He refers to himself as a coward a lot, and while his ambitions are there, he finds it difficult to take action and make decisions, which made his sections feel a little slower to read. Torres, on the other hand, is afraid of his Nightmare abilities but doesn’t hesitate when he knows what he wants. This mix of power and fear made his chapters very entertaining.
Fanta is the third god, and as we never got a perspective from her, I felt somewhat detached from her character. We only see her when her brothers do, and as the God of Dreams, a land that is not all that peaceful, I wish we had got more of an insight into her character.
Each God is blessed with power: to induce sleep, to control dreams, to evoke nightmares. Nightmare was an interesting magic system to explore, especially since Torres was so reluctant to use his power.
The mythology of this world was well done, the excerpts from the Holy Theologos provide a deeper insight into the Kenyan, Brazilian, Caribbean and Grecian lore. We have the mystery of the All-Mother, and practice of the Majority, where mortals have the chance to live beside Gods for five days, a practice which is considered an hour, but limits their lifespan to fourteen years.
I found that the pacing of the book slowed in the middle. We spend a lot of time exploring Dream Country, and while it was insightful to see the world, it felt a little repetitive.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! The concept of having a sibling rivalry and mythology was very entertaining, and I enjoyed how Dream Country was not as peaceful as we expected. This book explores themes of family, trust, ambition and power in a well built world that fantasy readers are sure to enjoy.