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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
I really wanted to like this a whole lot more than I did, but the writing just wasn't good enough. The book relied too much on telling us what was happening and the plot was unevenly paced. Disappointing.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
No
I doesn't help that I am not the intended audience for this book, but I felt like this book just made no sense. While the idea is a very familiar dystopia story, I do appreciate that the dreambending adds an interesting element. I just wish that Ronald Kidd hadn't rushed the ending. We get what feels like a very detailed exploration of these characters and their world. They are fun, silly, brilliant and of course children. Kidd knows how to write their perspective and create a engaging world, but then for the climax it feels like the ball is dropped. I kept waiting for something big to happen but it just felt like Kidd pulled the punches. Why not have Jeremy show music to the whole City in a dream? Or start playing music in the City itself? Kidd was going in a revolutionary direction and stopped maybe because he thought middle-schoolers couldn't handle it.
I don't know that I would recommend this book. It is not bad but it is not really good either. There are better books for children to read.
I don't know that I would recommend this book. It is not bad but it is not really good either. There are better books for children to read.
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretty predictable book, but I think middle school students would find it interesting.
Fun book, you probably won't remember it beyond its premise. The style and actual writing are nothing great, but the concept is interesting, if woefully underdeveloped overall. It's a fun potato chip dystopian book.
I was very disappointed in this book. The idea behind it is fascinating, but it was not well carried out. The characters are underdeveloped and unrelatable and the plot is slow and rather boring sometimes.
Rating: 1.5 stars
Review: I almost did not finish Dreambender, but I struggled through anyway so that I could clearly articulate what I disliked about the book from the perspective of having heard the author out to the end before making my judgment. From the beginning of the story, Dreambender failed to impress me. Almost immediately after starting the book I could not only determine the book’s main theme, but I could predict exactly how the book would end with unfortunate accuracy. Rather than weaving the book’s themes about the power of music and dreaming throughout the story so that the themes subtly influenced every aspect of the plot, Ronald Kidd screamed the themes from every sentence so that I as the reader was left feeling frustrated and annoyed. The book’s premise showed only slight originality, with a dystopian future that relied heavily on Global Warming and a strange version of the biblical Flood. Additionally, the writing style itself lacked artistry, and, despite being told from two different perspectives, the characters all sounded the same and underwent simplistic character journeys. I wanted to like Dreambender when I picked it up at the library, but the sheer quantity of problems with the story made me liking the book next to impossible.
Review: I almost did not finish Dreambender, but I struggled through anyway so that I could clearly articulate what I disliked about the book from the perspective of having heard the author out to the end before making my judgment. From the beginning of the story, Dreambender failed to impress me. Almost immediately after starting the book I could not only determine the book’s main theme, but I could predict exactly how the book would end with unfortunate accuracy. Rather than weaving the book’s themes about the power of music and dreaming throughout the story so that the themes subtly influenced every aspect of the plot, Ronald Kidd screamed the themes from every sentence so that I as the reader was left feeling frustrated and annoyed. The book’s premise showed only slight originality, with a dystopian future that relied heavily on Global Warming and a strange version of the biblical Flood. Additionally, the writing style itself lacked artistry, and, despite being told from two different perspectives, the characters all sounded the same and underwent simplistic character journeys. I wanted to like Dreambender when I picked it up at the library, but the sheer quantity of problems with the story made me liking the book next to impossible.
Review originally published 19 February 2016 at Falling Letters. I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
Oh dear. This was not a good book. I wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't an ARC. Thankfully now the remainder of my year's reading should all be uphill from here!
The story falls extremely short of the copy description, which seems full of potential. Unfortunately there is nothing more to the story. All aspects (world building, character development, prose, etc.) lack any substance. There's no purpose, explanation or motivation to anything. It's like something written by a 12 year old. (I say this recognizing features of my own 12 year old style.) I couldn't believe I was actually reading a school teacher info dump that attempted to explain everything about dreambending while showing how gifted one of the MCs is. That whole weird, awkward introduction to dreambending exemplifies many of the issues I have with this book. I had so many questions (not the good kind you want to have while reading). Why is Jeremy questioning, why are they starting dreambending suddenly, how did they get to this point, etc. Throughout the novel I was always asking 'What, why, what, why is this happening?'
There's nothing really holding the narrative together. I felt there were a lot of random 'WTF why is that happening now' moments. The story feels very disjointed, with nothing really happening. The conclusion is especially eye rolling, with the 'conflict' fizzling away and everybody becoming friends with little convincing.
The prose and dialogue is very blah and basic, predictable in a way. For example: "“Try it,” he said. “It’s good.” I eyed it and decided it probably was, if you were a beaver. I didn’t want to be rude, though, so I nibbled the edge of it. Amazingly, he was right." Amazingly! -.-
The characters all clearly demonstrate the concept of 'one dimensional'. Protagonists Callie and Jeremy are 'different' and 'special', questioning the world around them with absolutely no reason for doing so. Whenever one made a 'wise' comment, I rolled my eyes and thought "Puh-lease, where would you get that from?" Nothing differentiates them from cardboard characters. The other characters, such as Callie's 'city friends' and the kids living in Between, also read as caricatures constructed solely to drive the thin plot.
Finally, the foundation of the dystopia make no sense. Music and personal feelings caused 'the Warming' because people were too focused on themselves? This seems to me a silly shallow argument, with no basis in reality, being the opposite of what I've experienced - such people are generally more in tune with nature and their environment. It's the ones with no interest in art and only interest in profits that you might say are driving 'the Warming'. Everyone (aside from our 'special' characters) are scared of music and art for no substantial reason.
The Bottom Line: There's nothing here worth your time. Sounds like Kidd's [book: Night on Fire] is a book you should check out instead.
Oh dear. This was not a good book. I wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't an ARC. Thankfully now the remainder of my year's reading should all be uphill from here!
The story falls extremely short of the copy description, which seems full of potential. Unfortunately there is nothing more to the story. All aspects (world building, character development, prose, etc.) lack any substance. There's no purpose, explanation or motivation to anything. It's like something written by a 12 year old. (I say this recognizing features of my own 12 year old style.) I couldn't believe I was actually reading a school teacher info dump that attempted to explain everything about dreambending while showing how gifted one of the MCs is. That whole weird, awkward introduction to dreambending exemplifies many of the issues I have with this book. I had so many questions (not the good kind you want to have while reading). Why is Jeremy questioning, why are they starting dreambending suddenly, how did they get to this point, etc. Throughout the novel I was always asking 'What, why, what, why is this happening?'
There's nothing really holding the narrative together. I felt there were a lot of random 'WTF why is that happening now' moments. The story feels very disjointed, with nothing really happening. The conclusion is especially eye rolling, with the 'conflict' fizzling away and everybody becoming friends with little convincing.
The prose and dialogue is very blah and basic, predictable in a way. For example: "“Try it,” he said. “It’s good.” I eyed it and decided it probably was, if you were a beaver. I didn’t want to be rude, though, so I nibbled the edge of it. Amazingly, he was right." Amazingly! -.-
The characters all clearly demonstrate the concept of 'one dimensional'. Protagonists Callie and Jeremy are 'different' and 'special', questioning the world around them with absolutely no reason for doing so. Whenever one made a 'wise' comment, I rolled my eyes and thought "Puh-lease, where would you get that from?" Nothing differentiates them from cardboard characters. The other characters, such as Callie's 'city friends' and the kids living in Between, also read as caricatures constructed solely to drive the thin plot.
Finally, the foundation of the dystopia make no sense. Music and personal feelings caused 'the Warming' because people were too focused on themselves? This seems to me a silly shallow argument, with no basis in reality, being the opposite of what I've experienced - such people are generally more in tune with nature and their environment. It's the ones with no interest in art and only interest in profits that you might say are driving 'the Warming'. Everyone (aside from our 'special' characters) are scared of music and art for no substantial reason.
The Bottom Line: There's nothing here worth your time. Sounds like Kidd's [book: Night on Fire] is a book you should check out instead.
Callie Crawford is a computer. Everyone is assigned a job, Keeper, Catcher, or Computer. She is not exactly happy but knows no other life. Across Between, live the Dreambenders, a small handful of people who possess a rare genetic gift to enter, and change, people's dreams. They are kept a secret from the society and are used to remove anything bad from the minds of the City citizens. Jeremy lives among them and shows great potential. But, one night he comes across a dream that he just can't bear to change: Callie's, and she is singing. Jeremy is banned from bending dreams and decides to leave to go to the city and meet the singer. He shows her his life and she shows him hers. They start to grow closer, while uncovering secrets that the society meant to be kept covered.
I thought that this book was good but did not have enough detail and was written poorly. The plot moved to fast almost like it was summarizing the story instead of telling it fully. I would not recommend this book, but it is not necessarily bad.
I thought that this book was good but did not have enough detail and was written poorly. The plot moved to fast almost like it was summarizing the story instead of telling it fully. I would not recommend this book, but it is not necessarily bad.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I would give it 4.5 stars if I could. I thought both of the lead characters, Callie and Jeremy, were interesting and engaging. Some of the minor characters could have been developed a little bit more, but Leif, Dorothy, and Eleesha in particular were intriguing. I noticed some readers were critical of the writing style. I'm inclined to disagree because I thought it was age appropriate for middle school readers. I thought the plot flowed well and had some interesting concepts to it. I prefer books with engaging, fast-paced plots in addition to well developed characters, so this one hit the spot for me. As an educator, I thought it was appropriate for grades 4-8. I think it's a little mature for 3rd graders and a little too young for 9th graders, so 4-8 grade is a good sweet spot. My only major criticism is that the end was abrupt and seemed rushed. I liked many aspects of the ending, but I still had unanswered questions, although I thought that was partly intentional. Overall, I thought it was a very well done middle grades Dystopian novel. I want to teach it in my 7th grade Humanities class, as it fits well theme wise.