Scan barcode
srtoups's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
athanatos_books's review against another edition
3.0
It was alright, I couldn't put it down because it reminded me of the Heathers. The ending however is the reason it went from 4-3 stars. I couldn't grasp the ending and felt as though it should have a sequel (which it doesn't) it was a drop off ending which I hate.
thebooknerdscorner's review against another edition
3.0
"Sleeper" is a the story of a girl that suffers from REM Sleep Behavior Disorder that causes her to act out her dreams in the physical world. One night at a sleepover, Sarah almost strangles Gigi in her sleep. When Sarah takes part in a clinical trial to test a new drug called Dexid, things go from bad to worse as she realizes that she has special abilities in the dream world which allow her to abuse reality in unpredictable ways. . .
Upon picking up "Sleeper" at the library, I honestly thought it looked like a horrible book. But when I began to read it, I was relieved that the book was actually quite interesting. Half school story and half sci-fi thriller, "Sleeper" is a unique book unlike any that I have read before. It did remind me of a book that I read recently called "Dead Girl" by Kerrie Faye (which I highly recommend), due to the themes about overthrowing the mean girls and taking revenge against those who wronged you.
I thought that dreamscape that Sarah enters is really interesting. Between the strange abilities that she wields and the mysterious Burners, monsters that are trying to stop her from using said abilities, it is an interesting place to be. The way that the drug Dexid enhanced her powers also made logical sense, even if it wouldn't be possible in the real world. The stakes surrounding her abilities were quite high and this it really got my heart pounding as the book progressed.
Another thing I like about this one is how we meet the love interest, Wes. Literally on page three, Sarah meets him in one of her dreams. I'm also going to add that he was shirtless. I mean, it was pretty obvious from the initiation that he was the other half of the romantic pairing in this one, and I thought it was such a fun way to meet him. Wes himself on the other hand, is much less likable. Early on in this book I thought maybe he had potential, but the original scene you meet him in is much closer to his true colors, which was quite honestly a bummer for me. I wanted to like him, but he was a bit overbearing from the get-go.
The biggest problem I had with this one was the theme of revenge. Stories that are centered around revenge tend to make my stomach crawl, especially when they are in a realistic setting rather than a fantastical one. The schemes that Sarah and Wes come up with to get revenge on their school's worst mean girls actually made me want to puke. Luckily, Sarah begins to question the morality of what they are doing, which gives the theme a more positive twist. I still have mixed feelings on it in the long run, though.
Overall, "Sleeper" is a chilling sci-fi thriller that had my heart pounding and my stomach turning. I'm not the biggest fans of thrillers, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It could have been much more eloquent at times and was spattered with often cheesy pop culture references, but for the most part it was a decent story line with a decent cast of characters. I think that I enjoyed this one enough to recommend it to those who enjoy high intensity science fiction with a touch of dark romance.
Upon picking up "Sleeper" at the library, I honestly thought it looked like a horrible book. But when I began to read it, I was relieved that the book was actually quite interesting. Half school story and half sci-fi thriller, "Sleeper" is a unique book unlike any that I have read before. It did remind me of a book that I read recently called "Dead Girl" by Kerrie Faye (which I highly recommend), due to the themes about overthrowing the mean girls and taking revenge against those who wronged you.
I thought that dreamscape that Sarah enters is really interesting. Between the strange abilities that she wields and the mysterious Burners, monsters that are trying to stop her from using said abilities, it is an interesting place to be. The way that the drug Dexid enhanced her powers also made logical sense, even if it wouldn't be possible in the real world. The stakes surrounding her abilities were quite high and this it really got my heart pounding as the book progressed.
Another thing I like about this one is how we meet the love interest, Wes. Literally on page three, Sarah meets him in one of her dreams. I'm also going to add that he was shirtless. I mean, it was pretty obvious from the initiation that he was the other half of the romantic pairing in this one, and I thought it was such a fun way to meet him. Wes himself on the other hand, is much less likable. Early on in this book I thought maybe he had potential, but the original scene you meet him in is much closer to his true colors, which was quite honestly a bummer for me. I wanted to like him, but he was a bit overbearing from the get-go.
The biggest problem I had with this one was the theme of revenge. Stories that are centered around revenge tend to make my stomach crawl, especially when they are in a realistic setting rather than a fantastical one. The schemes that Sarah and Wes come up with to get revenge on their school's worst mean girls actually made me want to puke. Luckily, Sarah begins to question the morality of what they are doing, which gives the theme a more positive twist. I still have mixed feelings on it in the long run, though.
Overall, "Sleeper" is a chilling sci-fi thriller that had my heart pounding and my stomach turning. I'm not the biggest fans of thrillers, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It could have been much more eloquent at times and was spattered with often cheesy pop culture references, but for the most part it was a decent story line with a decent cast of characters. I think that I enjoyed this one enough to recommend it to those who enjoy high intensity science fiction with a touch of dark romance.
kilcannon's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know what possessed me to buy this YA dreck at a Dollar Tree.
kaylakaotik's review
2.0
This book was just flat out uncomfortable.
Sleeper left a bad taste in my mouth. Ignoring all the stuff I would normally have an issue with (instalove, underdeveloped characters, lack of world building, etc.), there's the glaring issues of sexual assault and an abusive relationship.
The abusive relationship was, at least in a way, acknowledged. The sexual assaults, on the other hand, weren't. If these two issues were handled differently, this could have been a pretty decent read. As it was, I was left disappointed.
* This book was received via Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
Sleeper left a bad taste in my mouth. Ignoring all the stuff I would normally have an issue with (instalove, underdeveloped characters, lack of world building, etc.), there's the glaring issues of sexual assault and an abusive relationship.
The abusive relationship was, at least in a way, acknowledged. The sexual assaults, on the other hand, weren't. If these two issues were handled differently, this could have been a pretty decent read. As it was, I was left disappointed.
* This book was received via Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
victorianvalkyrie's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
1.0
Wow, I had really high hopes for this novel. The synopsis had me hooked and I was ready to dive head first into a seriously amazing psychological thriller. But...unfortunately, that’s not what I got. I don’t want to bash this book, as it had a lot of potential to be a truly fascinating plot, but it didn’t seem to be worth my time. This novel really had a lot of problems: the characters weren’t relatable, the plot moved way too slow, and the entire thing just felt really...awkward, weird, and wrong.
[Content Warnings]
Sexual- Two sexual assaults (not really that graphic, but I also skimmed one of them, so please check other reviews for more detail); multiple scenes of graphic kissing; a scene in which a boyfriend becomes physically “violent” with his girlfriend (she is angry and he holds her down until she calms down, but she doesn’t ever tell anyone about his violence with her, which I find unrealistic and also wrong. But this scene is not sexual, at least not that I caught.); the MC’s boyfriend threatens her multiple times in multiple different ways (not overtly explicit and not all of his threats are sexual); and a few in passing comments about a sex tape (not explicit or graphic).
Profanity- I would say this has a decent amount of language. It’s not completely terrible, but it is pretty frequent. Mostly just your standard go to’s: both b words, both d words, the f-word, and probably others that I’m forgetting.
Substance abuse- There’s a medicine called Dexidnipam (Dexid) and the two main characters become addicted to it and ramp up their doses, against their parents or their doctors knowledge. There’s threats involving alcohol, but there is never any on-page drinking.
Disturbing- Fairly graphic description of monsters called Burners; a fight scene (not too graphic); and a scene in which a boyfriend grabs his girlfriend’s wrist and she thinks it will bruise (not sexual nor does it lead to anything sexual).
[Content Warnings]
Sexual- Two sexual assaults (not really that graphic, but I also skimmed one of them, so please check other reviews for more detail); multiple scenes of graphic kissing; a scene in which a boyfriend becomes physically “violent” with his girlfriend (she is angry and he holds her down until she calms down, but she doesn’t ever tell anyone about his violence with her, which I find unrealistic and also wrong. But this scene is not sexual, at least not that I caught.); the MC’s boyfriend threatens her multiple times in multiple different ways (not overtly explicit and not all of his threats are sexual); and a few in passing comments about a sex tape (not explicit or graphic).
Profanity- I would say this has a decent amount of language. It’s not completely terrible, but it is pretty frequent. Mostly just your standard go to’s: both b words, both d words, the f-word, and probably others that I’m forgetting.
Substance abuse- There’s a medicine called Dexidnipam (Dexid) and the two main characters become addicted to it and ramp up their doses, against their parents or their doctors knowledge. There’s threats involving alcohol, but there is never any on-page drinking.
Disturbing- Fairly graphic description of monsters called Burners; a fight scene (not too graphic); and a scene in which a boyfriend grabs his girlfriend’s wrist and she thinks it will bruise (not sexual nor does it lead to anything sexual).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
kathydubs's review against another edition
3.0
I received Sleeper as a free giveaway. The story centers on a girl, Sarah, who has REM sleep disorder that causes her to thrash around in her sleep and potentially harm others in the vicinity. The story opens with such a case happening at a sleepover, where Sarah harms her friend, who coincidentally is the most popular girl at school. The aftermath of the attack leaves Sarah stranded socially, with just her best friend at her side. At the same time, Sarah meets Wes, a boy she recognizes from her dream the night of the sleepover attack. As Sarah starts a trial for a new drug, Drexid, that will help keep her still as she sleeps, she runs into Wes again in her dreams. Both have REM sleep disorders and both are trying out Drexid. Through the novel, Sarah and Wes discover the power that this experimental drug affords them, such as entering other dreamer's bodies and being able to control what they do in the real world. They carry out a number of revenge plots, most for Sarah's benefit, but when Wes wants to up the anty, things take a turn. Sarah attempts to distance and even end her relationship with Wes as he grows even more addicted to Drexid, but his abusive boyfriend tendencies come out as he effectively begins to stalk her. The novel climaxes with a showdown int he dream word.
Overall this novel was an intriguing read. It wasn't your usual teen novel, which I appreciated. The plot sets this book apart from others. It also develops a complex world and alternative relative in a short number of pages, which impressed me. My only critical feedback for this novel is that the explanation for the phenomenon we see occurring in the story is jargon heavy when explained, and even in layman's terms it is difficult to follow. As an older reader, I understand some of the brain science behind it, but I wonder if I would have as a teen. I also found it confusing to understand the situation with the burners at the end, and that required a bit of a reread. Overall, this is a solid read.
Overall this novel was an intriguing read. It wasn't your usual teen novel, which I appreciated. The plot sets this book apart from others. It also develops a complex world and alternative relative in a short number of pages, which impressed me. My only critical feedback for this novel is that the explanation for the phenomenon we see occurring in the story is jargon heavy when explained, and even in layman's terms it is difficult to follow. As an older reader, I understand some of the brain science behind it, but I wonder if I would have as a teen. I also found it confusing to understand the situation with the burners at the end, and that required a bit of a reread. Overall, this is a solid read.