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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Gone was the best book in the trilogy. Lisa McMann had an interesting concept: A girl who wakes up in other peoples dreams. But, the books were short, the format was annoying, and on top of that, very few of the characters were likeable. But for some reason, I read all of them.
This is the conclution to the Dream Catcher Series, and I personally wouldn't have written it any other way. If you have not read the first book, the main character, Janie is a dream catcher, which means she falls into other people's dreams. If you have not read the first two books I do not suggest you continue reading this review because it'll spoil them.
In Gone Janie finds out who her father is and begins to learn her choices as a dream catcher. This book is really about Janie's self discovery and making choices for her future. Unlike the first two books this is not a story about Cable and Janie solving a case with the police, this is more of a personal journy for Janie.
Again, I love, love, LOVE Cable. He's just so perfect, he's flawed but he loves Janie so much, and even when they go through tough times they always find a way to make it through.
Janie's mom finally makes a notable appearance in the book and throughout the story you find out why she is so broken.
The ending was very open-ended, but I really like how it was concluded with Janie making a choice.
In Gone Janie finds out who her father is and begins to learn her choices as a dream catcher. This book is really about Janie's self discovery and making choices for her future. Unlike the first two books this is not a story about Cable and Janie solving a case with the police, this is more of a personal journy for Janie.
Again, I love, love, LOVE Cable. He's just so perfect, he's flawed but he loves Janie so much, and even when they go through tough times they always find a way to make it through.
Janie's mom finally makes a notable appearance in the book and throughout the story you find out why she is so broken.
The ending was very open-ended, but I really like how it was concluded with Janie making a choice.
I hate it.... how do you choose die one way or just die the other one but you are going to die anyway... "ugh" is the only word I can think of that would describe the end or this book as whole ¦^\
In comparison to Wake and Fade, pretty disappointing. I didn't find the plot particularly engaging, and at times I actually cringed at how bad the writing was. Maybe McMann was trying to make Janie seem more mature, but I found her to be dull and depressing. There are some parts of the story that could have been written a lot better, such as the parts where Janie has her various mental breakdowns. It feels like not much really happened in the story, and the ending was not emphatic at all. The ending was a huge let down for me.
The final installment in the Dream Catcher trilogy (at least I believe it is. I've yet to hear to the contrary) forces Janie to finally confront the reality of her condition and its implications for her future.
Unfortunately, the book starts post-trial, which means we get to see the a bit of the aftermath of the sting but not any of the action. We know Janie is now pretty well known among her peers for testifying in court and that it was probably difficult for her to do so...but we never got to see it. I wish McMann would release a "between the numbers" type short story or novella to give us a glimpse of that trial and what it took for Janie to go through with it.
The book is very centered around one primary decision which, on the whole, slows the general pace of the novel. On the one hand, I like that Janie finally confronts issues (The Issue?) between her mother and her. On the other hand, it feels like it's come out of nowhere, since Janie's mother barely gets a passing reference in book 2. Still, though, it was something that needed to be addressed, especially with Janie facing a future in which she must either cut and run from her mother or continue to shoulder a burden much too big for one person.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I docked it a star from the other 2 because: I missed the compelling pace of the first few books, and the issue with Janie's mom felt like a "cover my butt" move after Dorothea's absence in book 2.
As for positives, the painful over-use of fragments seems to have calmed back down again in this one, compared to book 2's excess. I think it's also commendable how Janie and Cabe do communicate pretty well, which is a good example for teens. On page 207, she elucidates that they have more than just love: respect, depth, unlselfishness, and understanding. In a world of teen fiction that glorifies love as an uncontrollable hormone rather than a thoughtful action, this depth of a relationship is refreshing. The ending is satisfying and hopeful, which I count on in this genre. I closed the book feeling very proud of Janie.
Unfortunately, the book starts post-trial, which means we get to see the a bit of the aftermath of the sting but not any of the action. We know Janie is now pretty well known among her peers for testifying in court and that it was probably difficult for her to do so...but we never got to see it. I wish McMann would release a "between the numbers" type short story or novella to give us a glimpse of that trial and what it took for Janie to go through with it.
The book is very centered around one primary decision which, on the whole, slows the general pace of the novel. On the one hand, I like that Janie finally confronts issues (The Issue?) between her mother and her. On the other hand, it feels like it's come out of nowhere, since Janie's mother barely gets a passing reference in book 2. Still, though, it was something that needed to be addressed, especially with Janie facing a future in which she must either cut and run from her mother or continue to shoulder a burden much too big for one person.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I docked it a star from the other 2 because: I missed the compelling pace of the first few books, and the issue with Janie's mom felt like a "cover my butt" move after Dorothea's absence in book 2.
As for positives, the painful over-use of fragments seems to have calmed back down again in this one, compared to book 2's excess. I think it's also commendable how Janie and Cabe do communicate pretty well, which is a good example for teens. On page 207, she elucidates that they have more than just love: respect, depth, unlselfishness, and understanding. In a world of teen fiction that glorifies love as an uncontrollable hormone rather than a thoughtful action, this depth of a relationship is refreshing. The ending is satisfying and hopeful, which I count on in this genre. I closed the book feeling very proud of Janie.
I love McMann's style of writing. She uses an incredible economy of words to get enormous amount of emotion across. That said, this was not my favorite in the series and for me she has ended on a sour note. There were options mentioned in the second book that were never brought up in this one. That is one of my pet peeves in writing. An author just simply forgets or wants the reader to forget a story line and that is just not possible. At least if this thread had been explored and then found to be impossible then at least the reader would feel that Janie really had NO options. This was not the case and I found that to be very frustrating.
http://thedairyofabookholic.blogspot.com/2014/01/book-review-gone-some-spoilers.html
I think that this book was really well done, it ties everything up neatly and gives a lot of closure for the characters. I liked how Janie really works through her problems. Even though she never truly finds an answer she is satisfied with, she finds a way to be happy with the people who truly care about her.
full review can be found on my blog, holes In My brain
So here ends our journey with Janie and Cabel, and over the span of the three books I never really well, fell for them. Janie in this book is at a Morton's Fork, or as she adequately says "two equally sucky choices". The author really drew out her dilemma and her decisions, focusing almost exclusively on her.
This leads to the fact that the novel lacks plot. In the sense that I can barely find one, there's the simmering on with the "stranger" which is average at best... I was ambivalent on this because the character development is extremely strong, despite my lack of connection with them. Okay, I'm not making much sense, but basically: lots of character development, very little plot, I found everything so-so.
The writing is something that I hated in the first book but it ended up growing on me.. yay. The style and tone is different and very upfront in a way I found myself liking. Oh, and I still don't get Cabel. Honestly, his unselfishness is pretty impressive, I mean, I don't understand his love for Janie, who is pretty much a bitch to him for 80% of the novel. And Janie's alcoholic mother, Dorothea, can go live in Fictionland Hellhole, I hate her.
I did like the way things wrapped up, although it took 200 pages to get there it was an interesting road anyhow. McMann keeps readers guessing until the very end to find out the ultimate choice made my Janie.
2.5/5 - because this finale is a nice end to the series that I'm surprised I finished. The lack of plot made things slow-moving but it was interesting to delve far into Janie's mind. I admired the writing style, and while I do wish there was more stuff happening, I thought the author managed to keep a reader wanting to know what finally happens to Janie and Cabe. I understand that this series just really wasn't for me but it has huge appeal to others.
So here ends our journey with Janie and Cabel, and over the span of the three books I never really well, fell for them. Janie in this book is at a Morton's Fork, or as she adequately says "two equally sucky choices". The author really drew out her dilemma and her decisions, focusing almost exclusively on her.
This leads to the fact that the novel lacks plot. In the sense that I can barely find one, there's the simmering on with the "stranger" which is average at best... I was ambivalent on this because the character development is extremely strong, despite my lack of connection with them. Okay, I'm not making much sense, but basically: lots of character development, very little plot, I found everything so-so.
The writing is something that I hated in the first book but it ended up growing on me.. yay. The style and tone is different and very upfront in a way I found myself liking. Oh, and I still don't get Cabel. Honestly, his unselfishness is pretty impressive, I mean, I don't understand his love for Janie, who is pretty much a bitch to him for 80% of the novel. And Janie's alcoholic mother, Dorothea, can go live in Fictionland Hellhole, I hate her.
I did like the way things wrapped up, although it took 200 pages to get there it was an interesting road anyhow. McMann keeps readers guessing until the very end to find out the ultimate choice made my Janie.
2.5/5 - because this finale is a nice end to the series that I'm surprised I finished. The lack of plot made things slow-moving but it was interesting to delve far into Janie's mind. I admired the writing style, and while I do wish there was more stuff happening, I thought the author managed to keep a reader wanting to know what finally happens to Janie and Cabe. I understand that this series just really wasn't for me but it has huge appeal to others.