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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
When their once happy parents had divorced, Andrea and her younger brother Francis had been devastated by it. Then Francis disappeared and was never found. It's been three years now and Andrea, 12. still hasn't come to terms with it, unable to accept that her funny brother, who was so full of life, could really be gone for good and blaming herself for his disappearance. And now, her parents want Andrea to go through Francis' belongings in the garage and chose a few things to keep so they can let the rest go and hopefully move on with their lives.
But Andrea isn't ready for that, and instead of going through Francis' stuff, she grabs her bike and rides off after dinner, heading to the park where she and her brother used to play and into the surrounding forest. There, in the dirt, Andrea finds an old flyer for a place called Reverie, a place where visitors can forget their troubles.
Thinking this is just the escape she needs, Andrea is surprised to find it is still around. At the gate, a young girl greets her, telling her that Reverie is always there for those who need it, for any child who desperately needs escape, and the cost of admission is merely one dream or a memory, in Andrea's case it is the memory of the day Francis disappeared. Inside the circus, Andrea finds it is a magical place. There are shops that sell anything you could want, plenty of treats to be had and tents full of attractions, though the girl at the gate warns Andrea not to spend too much time in the Nightmare tent.
Andrea immediately makes friends with Penny Periwinkle, a girl oddly dressed and with dark circles under her eyes as if she needs to sleep. But Penny is an old hand at Reverie and introduces Andrea to all the best places. But there is one tent that Andrea feels oddly drawn to called Root River, though Penny steers her away from it.
The next morning, waking up in her room, Andrea needs to be reminded that Francis is gone, but why can't she now remember the night he disappeared? Realizing she has to return to Reverie, she finds what she needs in her pocket to go back. Sure enough, Andrea finds herself back at this magical circus, at the dream tent called Rood River. And after going through it, she is convinced that Francis had found his way to Reverie at some point, and his price of admission was the recurring nightmare in the tent called Root River. And if that is the case, Andrea is convinced that Francis is still alive, trapped somewhere in Reverie. But Reverie is controlled by the Sandman, a mysterious person who carries the dreams of children around in his umbrella, and whom Andrea is sure isn't who he appears to be. She soon realized that as long as the Sandman holds their dreams and nightmares, the children are trapped in an endless night in Reverie. Will Andrea be able to outsmart the Sandman, find Francis if he really is there, and bring him home?
The Circus of Stolen Dreams is a debut novel for Lorelei Savaryn and it really kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Through all kinds of twists and turns, Savaryn builds a dream world subtly making what appears to be a welcomed oasis from one's waking pain into a nightmare that feels harder and harder to escape, as Andrea quickly discovers. It is a story that begins ordinarily enough but quickly turned into a fantasy thriller, and I can genuinely say, the Sandman is truly the stuff of nightmares.
I really enjoyed reading this book. There a lot to discover if you read carefully. For example, there is a nice bit that connects the end of the book to the beginning, but you'll have to read it to find it, and it will leave you wondering if this book really is fantasy or reality fiction. Either way, it's really a terrific read, one that has been compared to Neil Gaiman's Coraline or Katherine Arden's Small Spaces. They certainly all have that same creepy otherworldly vibe to them.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley
But Andrea isn't ready for that, and instead of going through Francis' stuff, she grabs her bike and rides off after dinner, heading to the park where she and her brother used to play and into the surrounding forest. There, in the dirt, Andrea finds an old flyer for a place called Reverie, a place where visitors can forget their troubles.
Thinking this is just the escape she needs, Andrea is surprised to find it is still around. At the gate, a young girl greets her, telling her that Reverie is always there for those who need it, for any child who desperately needs escape, and the cost of admission is merely one dream or a memory, in Andrea's case it is the memory of the day Francis disappeared. Inside the circus, Andrea finds it is a magical place. There are shops that sell anything you could want, plenty of treats to be had and tents full of attractions, though the girl at the gate warns Andrea not to spend too much time in the Nightmare tent.
Andrea immediately makes friends with Penny Periwinkle, a girl oddly dressed and with dark circles under her eyes as if she needs to sleep. But Penny is an old hand at Reverie and introduces Andrea to all the best places. But there is one tent that Andrea feels oddly drawn to called Root River, though Penny steers her away from it.
The next morning, waking up in her room, Andrea needs to be reminded that Francis is gone, but why can't she now remember the night he disappeared? Realizing she has to return to Reverie, she finds what she needs in her pocket to go back. Sure enough, Andrea finds herself back at this magical circus, at the dream tent called Rood River. And after going through it, she is convinced that Francis had found his way to Reverie at some point, and his price of admission was the recurring nightmare in the tent called Root River. And if that is the case, Andrea is convinced that Francis is still alive, trapped somewhere in Reverie. But Reverie is controlled by the Sandman, a mysterious person who carries the dreams of children around in his umbrella, and whom Andrea is sure isn't who he appears to be. She soon realized that as long as the Sandman holds their dreams and nightmares, the children are trapped in an endless night in Reverie. Will Andrea be able to outsmart the Sandman, find Francis if he really is there, and bring him home?
The Circus of Stolen Dreams is a debut novel for Lorelei Savaryn and it really kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Through all kinds of twists and turns, Savaryn builds a dream world subtly making what appears to be a welcomed oasis from one's waking pain into a nightmare that feels harder and harder to escape, as Andrea quickly discovers. It is a story that begins ordinarily enough but quickly turned into a fantasy thriller, and I can genuinely say, the Sandman is truly the stuff of nightmares.
I really enjoyed reading this book. There a lot to discover if you read carefully. For example, there is a nice bit that connects the end of the book to the beginning, but you'll have to read it to find it, and it will leave you wondering if this book really is fantasy or reality fiction. Either way, it's really a terrific read, one that has been compared to Neil Gaiman's Coraline or Katherine Arden's Small Spaces. They certainly all have that same creepy otherworldly vibe to them.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley
“Never you mind at the moment, because this is how you pick a dream… Tell me, have you ever wanted to do something you never thought you’d get a chance to do in real life? Something that would require magic, or the impossible?” P40
In Reverie, children can pick any dream they want, to feel good, or a nightmare, to feel the thrill of escape. But what happens when you’ve been in a dream for years or even decades? Can you leave Reverie? And who is the Sandman? Really?
“(My sister) She died very young. So I created a tent filled with my Margaret in all her favorite places, in all the ways I knew her best. You see, I am in Reverie to remember.” P 115
Yet, what Reverie was meant to be for visitors was not meant to be permanent.
“If we stay in Reverie forever, we’ll never know what would happen if we didn’t run away from the hard parts. By avoiding the sadness, we lose the chance to live the good parts of life, too.” P 260
It is a love letter to kids who have lives that sometimes feel like nightmares, who might like to escape and not return. To kids who feel alone without true friends, who have lost siblings or have had parents who fight or divorce. Life has lots of hard moments, but in them, there is also good.
In Reverie, children can pick any dream they want, to feel good, or a nightmare, to feel the thrill of escape. But what happens when you’ve been in a dream for years or even decades? Can you leave Reverie? And who is the Sandman? Really?
“(My sister) She died very young. So I created a tent filled with my Margaret in all her favorite places, in all the ways I knew her best. You see, I am in Reverie to remember.” P 115
Yet, what Reverie was meant to be for visitors was not meant to be permanent.
“If we stay in Reverie forever, we’ll never know what would happen if we didn’t run away from the hard parts. By avoiding the sadness, we lose the chance to live the good parts of life, too.” P 260
It is a love letter to kids who have lives that sometimes feel like nightmares, who might like to escape and not return. To kids who feel alone without true friends, who have lost siblings or have had parents who fight or divorce. Life has lots of hard moments, but in them, there is also good.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a page turner for me. I absolutely enjoyed the first half of the book and didn’t want to put it down. The second have was equally enjoyable but a bit harder for me to plow through - maybe I didn’t want it to end.
I would love to know more about the other children and the time periods they came from. I thought the ending was satisfying.
I picked this book up on a whim and I am so glad I did. I really enjoy YA and middle grade books.
I would love to know more about the other children and the time periods they came from. I thought the ending was satisfying.
I picked this book up on a whim and I am so glad I did. I really enjoy YA and middle grade books.
Everyone else in Andrea’s life has decided three years is long enough to grieve, and even though she doesn’t feel the same, it’s not like she has much choice in the matter. She hasn’t had much choice in anything since her brother Francis went missing. But when a mysterious flier advertising a “Land of Dreams” where you can forget your troubles literally smacks her in the face, Andrea decides it’s time to take matters into her own hands.
Much in the vein of a modern day, eerie Peter Pan, this story will haunt your dreams in the best possible way. I’ll be sharing it with young fans of The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, The Night Gardener, and (more recently) Paola Santiago and the River of Tears.
Much in the vein of a modern day, eerie Peter Pan, this story will haunt your dreams in the best possible way. I’ll be sharing it with young fans of The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, The Night Gardener, and (more recently) Paola Santiago and the River of Tears.
This was pretty fast-paced although it had a bit of an old-fashioned children's lit vibe, with Alice in Wonderland atmosphere in particular. However, I found the writing a bit simplistic, even for middle grade, and the characters somewhat lacking in depth and roundedness. There was also a very heavy Message feeling to a lot of the text, as if it was more concerned with Teaching A Lesson regarding how to deal with sadness and trauma to the point where it overshadowed story.
Perhaps this is just a case of me being outside the target audience and this will appeal to young people, and I can certainly see that I'm an outlier in terms of the reviews here, but I found it a fairly poorly constructed and saccharine.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Perhaps this is just a case of me being outside the target audience and this will appeal to young people, and I can certainly see that I'm an outlier in terms of the reviews here, but I found it a fairly poorly constructed and saccharine.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Philomel Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s been three years since Andrea’s parents got divorced. Three years since Andrea lost her shadow, her younger brother Francis. Three years since he disappeared in the middle of the night. Tired of people’s pity and her own guilt, Andrea goes on a bike ride one night and encounters a mysterious circus: Reverie. Children come to Reverie for two reasons: to remember or to forget. The price of a ticket is either a dream or a memory, and Andrea knew exactly which memory she wanted forgotten. Reverie welcomes her with the scent of popcorn and candy, and the promise of endless fun. There are tents everywhere, each containing different dreams...and some nightmares. The children in Reverie with their odd clothes from all different eras and purple lines under their tired eyes seem like they’re having fun, but something’s not quite right. Is Reverie really a land of dreams or is there something sinister going on? If only Andrea could remember what she had forgotten.
This was such an excellent middle-grade read. It’s a story about a child wanting an escape reminiscent of stories like Alice in Wonderland and Coraline. What particularly stood out for me about the this book is that it portrays children as living intricate lives with their own hardships and complex emotions. This book explores themes of family, grief, loss, coping, and moving on. I think that it has such a lovely message: that we are not alone in our struggles and that life is worth living fully even with its difficult parts. Reverie is supposed to be a place that offers reprieve from the struggles of daily life, and this is a book that if I read this as a child would have offered me exactly that and would have made me feel less alone. I will definitely be recommending this title to the kids in our public library.
It’s been three years since Andrea’s parents got divorced. Three years since Andrea lost her shadow, her younger brother Francis. Three years since he disappeared in the middle of the night. Tired of people’s pity and her own guilt, Andrea goes on a bike ride one night and encounters a mysterious circus: Reverie. Children come to Reverie for two reasons: to remember or to forget. The price of a ticket is either a dream or a memory, and Andrea knew exactly which memory she wanted forgotten. Reverie welcomes her with the scent of popcorn and candy, and the promise of endless fun. There are tents everywhere, each containing different dreams...and some nightmares. The children in Reverie with their odd clothes from all different eras and purple lines under their tired eyes seem like they’re having fun, but something’s not quite right. Is Reverie really a land of dreams or is there something sinister going on? If only Andrea could remember what she had forgotten.
This was such an excellent middle-grade read. It’s a story about a child wanting an escape reminiscent of stories like Alice in Wonderland and Coraline. What particularly stood out for me about the this book is that it portrays children as living intricate lives with their own hardships and complex emotions. This book explores themes of family, grief, loss, coping, and moving on. I think that it has such a lovely message: that we are not alone in our struggles and that life is worth living fully even with its difficult parts. Reverie is supposed to be a place that offers reprieve from the struggles of daily life, and this is a book that if I read this as a child would have offered me exactly that and would have made me feel less alone. I will definitely be recommending this title to the kids in our public library.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-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
Very sweet, emotional, and at times heart-breaking. A great middle-grade story full of love and loss and learning to live in an imperfect world.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was not my favorite. While the writing was easy enough to follow, you could definitely tell that the target readers were middle-grade. And yet the book was still incredibly dark, and as a mother, the idea of a child going missing for three years was horrifying. I was never a huge fan of borderline horror, so I'm not sure I would have liked this any better as a younger reader.