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hannaws's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Dream Country is most definitely something different to read inside the fantasy genre! It is all about these three sibling Gods, all with their own realms (?), no, more like own areas? Well they are divided by the Gates and they all reign their own domains. They are the Gods of Sleep, Dream and Nightmare. Mother being the Night.
But their mother dies which sticks a huge wedge in between the siblings. Will they be able to recover from that or will the world end?
I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book! But this wasn't exactly what I was expecting from it. Sibling rivalry is brought up many times and I really expected there to be such rivalry. Though it ends up being more of ignorance towards each others rather than rivalry. And from that ignorance it escalates straight into "I'm going to kill you", pretty much. They've been living their own lives for many years (can't really remember the exact amount), two of them seeing quickly once a year, other times all of them minding their own business. That can hardly be called rivalry?
The plot was way too slow for my liking. It was dragging along way too long at some parts and to be honest, I did skip read quite along. But I just couldn't keep my attention at the book when it started to take too long for anything to happen. Though there are some quick paced parts that were really good!
I really loved how all the realms where so different from one another. Every sibling have their own followers living in their realms, all of them being different from each others as well. That was really nice to read. Though I would have loved to have a little more time at Zion than what we get out of this book. It gets kind of brushed under the map.
The characters were well made but still not that memorable for me. If I'd have to choose one, I'd take Torres. I really felt bad for him. All he wanted was to be noticed by the others, for them to notice that he is more than the God of Nightmare. Fanta, don't really care about. Theo was pretty much most heard of during this book, yet he was kind of whatever for me too.
There are also many different Minor gods and goddesses in the story which was really fun! They all have their own abilities, areas, to do. For example there is a goddess of Chaos. And those were really fascinating addition for the book. Then there are all kinds of different creatures, animals and kind of people too. So much information packed into 300+ pages that there is a lot to keep up with.
All in all it was a nice little read but it was just too slow paced and dragging for my liking. But I really like the fact of how different this is. How much world building it has and imagination. Amazing.
When I think about this book, first thing that pops in my mind is how one of the characters kept kissing their teeth. And I'm just here trying to figure out how you kiss your own teeth?
But their mother dies which sticks a huge wedge in between the siblings. Will they be able to recover from that or will the world end?
I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book! But this wasn't exactly what I was expecting from it. Sibling rivalry is brought up many times and I really expected there to be such rivalry. Though it ends up being more of ignorance towards each others rather than rivalry. And from that ignorance it escalates straight into "I'm going to kill you", pretty much. They've been living their own lives for many years (can't really remember the exact amount), two of them seeing quickly once a year, other times all of them minding their own business. That can hardly be called rivalry?
The plot was way too slow for my liking. It was dragging along way too long at some parts and to be honest, I did skip read quite along. But I just couldn't keep my attention at the book when it started to take too long for anything to happen. Though there are some quick paced parts that were really good!
I really loved how all the realms where so different from one another. Every sibling have their own followers living in their realms, all of them being different from each others as well. That was really nice to read. Though I would have loved to have a little more time at Zion than what we get out of this book. It gets kind of brushed under the map.
The characters were well made but still not that memorable for me. If I'd have to choose one, I'd take Torres. I really felt bad for him. All he wanted was to be noticed by the others, for them to notice that he is more than the God of Nightmare. Fanta, don't really care about. Theo was pretty much most heard of during this book, yet he was kind of whatever for me too.
There are also many different Minor gods and goddesses in the story which was really fun! They all have their own abilities, areas, to do. For example there is a goddess of Chaos. And those were really fascinating addition for the book. Then there are all kinds of different creatures, animals and kind of people too. So much information packed into 300+ pages that there is a lot to keep up with.
All in all it was a nice little read but it was just too slow paced and dragging for my liking. But I really like the fact of how different this is. How much world building it has and imagination. Amazing.
When I think about this book, first thing that pops in my mind is how one of the characters kept kissing their teeth. And I'm just here trying to figure out how you kiss your own teeth?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
azrah786's review
4.0
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
CW: violence, murder, blood, gore, death, animal death, mentions of sex trafficking, kidnapping/abduction, birth/childbearing
I love a story that involves mythology and this is one unique and highly enjoyable tale.
With influences from Brazillian, Caribbean, Greecian and Kenyan myths and folklore, Dream Country centres around triplet deities - Fanta the Goddess of Dreams, Torres the God of Nightmares and Theo the God of Sleep. Each being a suspect in the murder of the All-Mother they reside in their own celestial realms, separated by the Gates of Horn and Ivory - which is in some way fatal to each of them but also keeps them safe from one another. Their relationship is conflicting and full of pent up mistrust, but when the arrival of a particular mortal threatens the gates and their realms, they are forced to confront each other in order to avert the crisis.
This is a book that will draw you in with its magic and myths and keep you entranced with its whispers of a mystery. The swift pacing and Brown’s absorbing writing eases you into the story as though slipping you into a dream (no pun intended). The similarity in characters and atmosphere did initially give me vibes of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comics, but Dream Country is something totally fresh and new.
The world-building has a simplicity to it but is also beautifully detailed, the ambience and cultures for each of the realms being delightfully distinct. I kind of want to close my eyes right now and try to get a glimpse of Zion, Dream Country and yes even The Mountains myself because the imagery had me in a state of awe. Though I’ve got to say the characters were what intrigued me the most, from the 3 siblings to the various minor Gods/Goddesses of the realms, to the mortals living and dead who passed through. Fanta, Torres and Theo were all beautifully morally complex characters and their clashing personalities and relationships were really fascinating to experience.
I loved that we also got to explore part of the corporeal world and were introduced to the religion that follows the deities - the Majority. The handful of excerpts from the holy book, The Holy Theologos, that were slipped in throughout the book were really clever, both giving an insight into the background of the lore as well as helping to shape the story going forward.
I did find myself getting worried as I was reaching the end because of how little of the book was left and I believe this is a standalone? The story was at its climax, there were things still left unanswered and at first it all felt quite abrupt. However, the more that I think on it the more I appreciate that it’s one of those Inception type endings and I found it quite fitting.
All in all this is a standout debut that will leave you wanting more by the time you reach the final page and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Brown in the future.
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
CW: violence, murder, blood, gore, death, animal death, mentions of sex trafficking, kidnapping/abduction, birth/childbearing
I love a story that involves mythology and this is one unique and highly enjoyable tale.
With influences from Brazillian, Caribbean, Greecian and Kenyan myths and folklore, Dream Country centres around triplet deities - Fanta the Goddess of Dreams, Torres the God of Nightmares and Theo the God of Sleep. Each being a suspect in the murder of the All-Mother they reside in their own celestial realms, separated by the Gates of Horn and Ivory - which is in some way fatal to each of them but also keeps them safe from one another. Their relationship is conflicting and full of pent up mistrust, but when the arrival of a particular mortal threatens the gates and their realms, they are forced to confront each other in order to avert the crisis.
This is a book that will draw you in with its magic and myths and keep you entranced with its whispers of a mystery. The swift pacing and Brown’s absorbing writing eases you into the story as though slipping you into a dream (no pun intended). The similarity in characters and atmosphere did initially give me vibes of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comics, but Dream Country is something totally fresh and new.
The world-building has a simplicity to it but is also beautifully detailed, the ambience and cultures for each of the realms being delightfully distinct. I kind of want to close my eyes right now and try to get a glimpse of Zion, Dream Country and yes even The Mountains myself because the imagery had me in a state of awe. Though I’ve got to say the characters were what intrigued me the most, from the 3 siblings to the various minor Gods/Goddesses of the realms, to the mortals living and dead who passed through. Fanta, Torres and Theo were all beautifully morally complex characters and their clashing personalities and relationships were really fascinating to experience.
I loved that we also got to explore part of the corporeal world and were introduced to the religion that follows the deities - the Majority. The handful of excerpts from the holy book, The Holy Theologos, that were slipped in throughout the book were really clever, both giving an insight into the background of the lore as well as helping to shape the story going forward.
I did find myself getting worried as I was reaching the end because of how little of the book was left and I believe this is a standalone? The story was at its climax, there were things still left unanswered and at first it all felt quite abrupt. However, the more that I think on it the more I appreciate that it’s one of those Inception type endings and I found it quite fitting.
All in all this is a standout debut that will leave you wanting more by the time you reach the final page and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Brown in the future.
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Murder, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Trafficking
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