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theloveofinches's review
4.0
excellent. I had a hard time wading through all the details necessary to make this happen in one book. it was certainly impressive. the concept blew me away. I wish the ending didn't feel as message-y, but it fit well enough with the rest of the story to make sense.
bayy245's review
4.0
Rate: 3.5
What I liked: This was a really interesting and original concept. I had high expectations going in. I loved the characters, most were dynamic, and the interactions between them were real and reminded me of some of my friends/people I know. They seemed like they leapt off the page, real reactions and interactions. The main character was flawed but her flaws made her real, not that perfect chosen one bullcrap that's so often overused lately. I loved how easy it was to connect to the characters and pick out people from my own life that would fit these people. It was a beautiful world filled with beautiful, complex people.
What I didn’t like: I spent like 99% of this book confused. Some of it was good confusion. But after a point I just got frustrated. I’m not sure at all how the Dreamworld really works or how any of it really works. I understand keeping things secret or building up suspense for a big reveal but a reader can’t completely be left in the dark, and that’s how I felt. But then again I'm extremely impatient.
Maybe my expectations were too high, I just really felt cheated. I’m not sure if I’ll be picking up the second one, but knowing my need for answers I probably will.
What I liked: This was a really interesting and original concept. I had high expectations going in. I loved the characters, most were dynamic, and the interactions between them were real and reminded me of some of my friends/people I know. They seemed like they leapt off the page, real reactions and interactions. The main character was flawed but her flaws made her real, not that perfect chosen one bullcrap that's so often overused lately. I loved how easy it was to connect to the characters and pick out people from my own life that would fit these people. It was a beautiful world filled with beautiful, complex people.
What I didn’t like: I spent like 99% of this book confused. Some of it was good confusion. But after a point I just got frustrated. I’m not sure at all how the Dreamworld really works or how any of it really works. I understand keeping things secret or building up suspense for a big reveal but a reader can’t completely be left in the dark, and that’s how I felt. But then again I'm extremely impatient.
Maybe my expectations were too high, I just really felt cheated. I’m not sure if I’ll be picking up the second one, but knowing my need for answers I probably will.
lsoccer12's review
3.0
Although I was confused through most of the book, I couldn't put it down. The world was new, the voice fresh, and the cover absolutely gorgeous.
Despite the "happy ending", I still felt that the heroine never grew or improved: she had this amazing power but was still docile and submissive through the whole book.
Despite the "happy ending", I still felt that the heroine never grew or improved: she had this amazing power but was still docile and submissive through the whole book.
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I was a little apprehensive when starting this book-it's a lot at first, with political intrigue and espionage mixed with fantasy. I haven't read anything like this in a while and it took a bit to adjust to the pacing that such a book tends to have. That's ultimately why it's getting the rating it has. While I ended this book with an appreciation for the overall story, it took until about halfway through for me to really get engrossed.
There were other quibbles I had with the story. The other spies aside from Livia that are mentioned in the story didn't feel well developed enough for me to care about them at all. They were mentioned often enough but I kind of view them with the same indifference you would view an NPC in a video game. I would have liked them, and Livia's relationship with them, to be more fleshed out, as I think the dynamics there could have been very interesting.
Livia herself, honestly, could have been more fleshed out-we get multiple mentions of her family (her half siblings, her mother) but that's it. We don't get to see those relationships play out-they're just offhand thoughts she has throughout the book. Her backstory does not get explored in the manner that I think it deserved. This society that she lives in is really tragic and exploitative for anyone not in its upper echelons, and she has experienced that firsthand. While that isn't fully ignored it's not dealt with in a way that I think really matches the severity of what the world-building of the story lays out.
Ultimately, I do appreciate that this is a standalone and the full plot was able to get wrapped up in one book. It's intriguing, but I don't know that I would have continued had everything not been resolved.
I was a little apprehensive when starting this book-it's a lot at first, with political intrigue and espionage mixed with fantasy. I haven't read anything like this in a while and it took a bit to adjust to the pacing that such a book tends to have. That's ultimately why it's getting the rating it has. While I ended this book with an appreciation for the overall story, it took until about halfway through for me to really get engrossed.
There were other quibbles I had with the story. The other spies aside from Livia that are mentioned in the story didn't feel well developed enough for me to care about them at all. They were mentioned often enough but I kind of view them with the same indifference you would view an NPC in a video game. I would have liked them, and Livia's relationship with them, to be more fleshed out, as I think the dynamics there could have been very interesting.
Livia herself, honestly, could have been more fleshed out-we get multiple mentions of her family (her half siblings, her mother) but that's it. We don't get to see those relationships play out-they're just offhand thoughts she has throughout the book. Her backstory does not get explored in the manner that I think it deserved. This society that she lives in is really tragic and exploitative for anyone not in its upper echelons, and she has experienced that firsthand. While that isn't fully ignored it's not dealt with in a way that I think really matches the severity of what the world-building of the story lays out.
Ultimately, I do appreciate that this is a standalone and the full plot was able to get wrapped up in one book. It's intriguing, but I don't know that I would have continued had everything not been resolved.
lostinagoodread's review
4.0
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
Well this book definitely had an interesting concept, I'm not too sure on all my feelings about the story, while I was truly taken with everything that was happening, I think I felt lost a couple of times too. But this story intrigued me a lot, the idea that there is a team trying to get political information through people's dreams... Lindsay Smith had a unique idea and truly brought a story that is full of intrigue, drama and even some romance.
Livia has worked hard to become a great dreamstrider, though there have been difficulties in her past she has worked through them and is one of the best talents so that she is able to work as a spy for the Barstadt Empire. There is a lot of tension throughout the story, Livia and her partner are having some issues and when a new opportunity arises for Livia with a neighbouring kingdom that has come to help them with their assignment, she begins to debate starting anew. Livia has a huge crossroad, one that could be very dangerous, and she is already playing a dangerous game in her job. She is very dedicated though and you can see that she truly regrets her past mistakes and she works hard to make up for them. The other problem for Livia is that she is trying to live up to what people say about her being the best, she doesn't want to look bad to those she looks up to the most in her life and it makes her that much more dedicated to what she does.
I really enjoyed the dream sequences, it was very high fantasy and yet so adventurous as well. The dream world added in some extra danger to the world, at times I kind of felt like there were two different storylines happening in the book, and that confused me sometimes, but by the end I was able to put everything together. I actually enjoyed the dangerous dream story a bit more, Livia is still growing and learning a lot throughout the novel and I always love a book where the main character still has things to understand, there is this rising arc to the story.
There is a lot of world building that and it Lindsay Smith takes her time bringing the reader into the Dreamstrider world, but if you stick through it the story is very well done and I can say it is always interesting. The story has a little bit of everything that will bring in readers from all genres, it's a fun story with a great fantasy world and also mixed into a realistic world with political drama. Definitely give this book a go.
Well this book definitely had an interesting concept, I'm not too sure on all my feelings about the story, while I was truly taken with everything that was happening, I think I felt lost a couple of times too. But this story intrigued me a lot, the idea that there is a team trying to get political information through people's dreams... Lindsay Smith had a unique idea and truly brought a story that is full of intrigue, drama and even some romance.
Livia has worked hard to become a great dreamstrider, though there have been difficulties in her past she has worked through them and is one of the best talents so that she is able to work as a spy for the Barstadt Empire. There is a lot of tension throughout the story, Livia and her partner are having some issues and when a new opportunity arises for Livia with a neighbouring kingdom that has come to help them with their assignment, she begins to debate starting anew. Livia has a huge crossroad, one that could be very dangerous, and she is already playing a dangerous game in her job. She is very dedicated though and you can see that she truly regrets her past mistakes and she works hard to make up for them. The other problem for Livia is that she is trying to live up to what people say about her being the best, she doesn't want to look bad to those she looks up to the most in her life and it makes her that much more dedicated to what she does.
I really enjoyed the dream sequences, it was very high fantasy and yet so adventurous as well. The dream world added in some extra danger to the world, at times I kind of felt like there were two different storylines happening in the book, and that confused me sometimes, but by the end I was able to put everything together. I actually enjoyed the dangerous dream story a bit more, Livia is still growing and learning a lot throughout the novel and I always love a book where the main character still has things to understand, there is this rising arc to the story.
There is a lot of world building that and it Lindsay Smith takes her time bringing the reader into the Dreamstrider world, but if you stick through it the story is very well done and I can say it is always interesting. The story has a little bit of everything that will bring in readers from all genres, it's a fun story with a great fantasy world and also mixed into a realistic world with political drama. Definitely give this book a go.
pagesplotsandpints's review
3.0
Initial Impressions 8/2/15: I'm so sad I didn't love this one. The whole time I just kept hoping for more world-building to help establish more about Oneiros, the Dreamer, and Nightmare but the plot kept progressing and I still didn't feel like I had a grip on the whole concept of the book.
The pros: I loved the dream world. I really enjoyed the interactions there and the mechanics of how dreamstriding worked. It was interesting to see how special Livia's gift was and how the details progressed. SOME of the characters were really dynamic. I guess I really enjoyed the ones that made their presence known. Edina and Vera were really great and I kind of loved Marez and Kriza. Brandt and Livia were fairly decent characters and I did like the tension between them.
The cons: I just really needed more world-building, when it comes down to it. Could be a personal preference but I just wanted to know so much more about this world before the plot took off. There was a prologue which provided some details of Livia's life before she started dreamstriding and while I appreciate the fact that the book didn't need to spend an inordinate amount time setting everything up, I think it would have benefitted from spending a bit more time establishing exactly what this fantasy world was and how it worked. I didn't really know what the Dreamer and the Nightmare were or how they fit into the world and dictated societal and religious rules.
The combination of a sort of science-fiction aspect like delving into dreams and the setting in a fantasy world felt like a bit much. I adore both concepts and ideas but they didn't quite seem to mesh well. I supposed they could have but I didn't feel like enough time was spent with either concept to really establish them individually and then really bring them both together. I felt sort of thrown into dreamstriding and into the fantasy world in which the book was set and didn't quite feel grounded in either.
I felt abruptly introduced to characters as well. I knew that Livia was important of course being the main character but I wished I could have known a bit more of her past aside from the short prologue. I also felt like I was just thrown into meeting Edina and Vera and wished I could have gotten to know them a bit better before they became more crucial to the plot.
The plot was interesting but I also still wasn't quite hooked throughout the book. The book felt a bit long and I just wish things had shaped up a bit differently. Again, this could all just be a personal preference since I haven't really read any other reviews for the book yet. I'm curious to see what everyone else has to say! I thought the concept was just fantastic but the execution didn't quite work out for me.
Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 9/7/15: I’ve been so excited for DREAMSTRIDER since I first heard about the book and the concept so this was a book I didn’t want to wait too long to read. I was in a particularly picky mood and wanted something totally different when I started it and I will say that I think DREAMSTRIDER fit that bill for the most part but overall, it was a bit of a choppy read for me.
The book is a sort of mash-up between science-fiction and fantasy to me. Livia is a dreamstrider — a person who can inhabit someone’s body by delving into the depths of their subconscious — and the concept of dreamstriding felt very sci-fi to me. I suppose it could be more fantasy since it’s not an actual science and more of an ability, but it was reminiscent of what the characters could to in Inception (although it is quite different) so it felt more like a mash-up of genres rather than just fantasy. The book also takes place in a fantasy world which actually sort of reminded me of the worlds in The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows so the overall feel for me was mostly fantasy-based, but I do think I had a hard time separating myself from that science-fiction feel or rather, I don’t think I really felt grounded in either science-fiction or fantasy and I had a hard time blending the two when it should have felt like a natural part of the world and totally seamless.
The concept and the world were both incredibly interesting but overall, I really wished both of them had been a bit more developed. I loved the idea of dreamstriding but I wish there had been more of an introductory phase or an earlier explanation — and same for the world-building as well. This was another book where I wish I had more explanation earlier on in the book instead of introducing large concepts rather quickly. It wasn’t really a bad thing but I think getting a better grip on the feel and the setting right of the bat would have helped me fall into the book as a whole much easier. I struggled more with understanding the backstory and the sort of mythology of it all (Mythology? Religion? History? They all kind of seem to be one in the same here) and I really would have benefited from having more knowledge of The Dreamer, Nightmare, and Oneiros much earlier in the book. It was really interesting once hints were dropped, things were learned, and the characters began digging but it sometimes it was hard to understand why things were important without knowing what the foundation of this fantastical world was.
I did really enjoy the dreamworld of Oneiros. It was so visually appealing and incredibly interesting and I liked exploring that world with Livia. I do wish I had understood more about it’s construction but at the same time, it’s a dreamworld so things are not quite so concrete there. I also actually wanted to spend much more time exploring everything about it!
Livia was a hard character for me to connect to for some reason and I seemed to have that issue with most of the characters, actually. She was the main character so of course the reader spends the most time with her and yet I never quite got a grasp on her personality or how I felt about her. I also wanted so much more out of any of the secondary characters because I felt like they were quickly introduced and all of a sudden it was like I was supposed to know them. I kept confusing two girls until I finally got more of their backstories and was able to keep them apart. I did enjoy Brandt but again, wanted to see him have even more interactions with Livia. He kept flitting in and out and I couldn’t get a grip on their relationship. I knew what it was supposed to be but never felt it myself.
Marez was the one stand-out character for me. I do love a scoundrel and he was always sharp-tongued and quick-witted. I actually sort of loved him and maybe he was supposed to be a little bit of a question mark but I enjoyed that. I liked that his presence was questionable but he really pushed Livia to get outside of her shell and drop some of her guard.
Somehow this book was 400 pages and yet I had trouble with the development of everything and really wanted to be so much more grounded in each concept and each character. I’m not sure exactly how since it was already a slightly hefty novel for YA (not too bad but 400 pages starts to toe the line of a longer book) but I couldn’t help but feel like I needed more plot, more explanation, more world-building, and more character development. The pacing started to feel like it was dragging towards the middle and right before the end so I found my mind wandering instead of being sucked into the pages. Maybe it was just a personal issue but I had trouble making those connections and this was a book whose concept should have struck chords with me all around.
The pros: I loved the dream world. I really enjoyed the interactions there and the mechanics of how dreamstriding worked. It was interesting to see how special Livia's gift was and how the details progressed. SOME of the characters were really dynamic. I guess I really enjoyed the ones that made their presence known. Edina and Vera were really great and I kind of loved Marez and Kriza. Brandt and Livia were fairly decent characters and I did like the tension between them.
The cons: I just really needed more world-building, when it comes down to it. Could be a personal preference but I just wanted to know so much more about this world before the plot took off. There was a prologue which provided some details of Livia's life before she started dreamstriding and while I appreciate the fact that the book didn't need to spend an inordinate amount time setting everything up, I think it would have benefitted from spending a bit more time establishing exactly what this fantasy world was and how it worked. I didn't really know what the Dreamer and the Nightmare were or how they fit into the world and dictated societal and religious rules.
The combination of a sort of science-fiction aspect like delving into dreams and the setting in a fantasy world felt like a bit much. I adore both concepts and ideas but they didn't quite seem to mesh well. I supposed they could have but I didn't feel like enough time was spent with either concept to really establish them individually and then really bring them both together. I felt sort of thrown into dreamstriding and into the fantasy world in which the book was set and didn't quite feel grounded in either.
I felt abruptly introduced to characters as well. I knew that Livia was important of course being the main character but I wished I could have known a bit more of her past aside from the short prologue. I also felt like I was just thrown into meeting Edina and Vera and wished I could have gotten to know them a bit better before they became more crucial to the plot.
The plot was interesting but I also still wasn't quite hooked throughout the book. The book felt a bit long and I just wish things had shaped up a bit differently. Again, this could all just be a personal preference since I haven't really read any other reviews for the book yet. I'm curious to see what everyone else has to say! I thought the concept was just fantastic but the execution didn't quite work out for me.
Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 9/7/15: I’ve been so excited for DREAMSTRIDER since I first heard about the book and the concept so this was a book I didn’t want to wait too long to read. I was in a particularly picky mood and wanted something totally different when I started it and I will say that I think DREAMSTRIDER fit that bill for the most part but overall, it was a bit of a choppy read for me.
The book is a sort of mash-up between science-fiction and fantasy to me. Livia is a dreamstrider — a person who can inhabit someone’s body by delving into the depths of their subconscious — and the concept of dreamstriding felt very sci-fi to me. I suppose it could be more fantasy since it’s not an actual science and more of an ability, but it was reminiscent of what the characters could to in Inception (although it is quite different) so it felt more like a mash-up of genres rather than just fantasy. The book also takes place in a fantasy world which actually sort of reminded me of the worlds in The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows so the overall feel for me was mostly fantasy-based, but I do think I had a hard time separating myself from that science-fiction feel or rather, I don’t think I really felt grounded in either science-fiction or fantasy and I had a hard time blending the two when it should have felt like a natural part of the world and totally seamless.
The concept and the world were both incredibly interesting but overall, I really wished both of them had been a bit more developed. I loved the idea of dreamstriding but I wish there had been more of an introductory phase or an earlier explanation — and same for the world-building as well. This was another book where I wish I had more explanation earlier on in the book instead of introducing large concepts rather quickly. It wasn’t really a bad thing but I think getting a better grip on the feel and the setting right of the bat would have helped me fall into the book as a whole much easier. I struggled more with understanding the backstory and the sort of mythology of it all (Mythology? Religion? History? They all kind of seem to be one in the same here) and I really would have benefited from having more knowledge of The Dreamer, Nightmare, and Oneiros much earlier in the book. It was really interesting once hints were dropped, things were learned, and the characters began digging but it sometimes it was hard to understand why things were important without knowing what the foundation of this fantastical world was.
I did really enjoy the dreamworld of Oneiros. It was so visually appealing and incredibly interesting and I liked exploring that world with Livia. I do wish I had understood more about it’s construction but at the same time, it’s a dreamworld so things are not quite so concrete there. I also actually wanted to spend much more time exploring everything about it!
Livia was a hard character for me to connect to for some reason and I seemed to have that issue with most of the characters, actually. She was the main character so of course the reader spends the most time with her and yet I never quite got a grasp on her personality or how I felt about her. I also wanted so much more out of any of the secondary characters because I felt like they were quickly introduced and all of a sudden it was like I was supposed to know them. I kept confusing two girls until I finally got more of their backstories and was able to keep them apart. I did enjoy Brandt but again, wanted to see him have even more interactions with Livia. He kept flitting in and out and I couldn’t get a grip on their relationship. I knew what it was supposed to be but never felt it myself.
Marez was the one stand-out character for me. I do love a scoundrel and he was always sharp-tongued and quick-witted. I actually sort of loved him and maybe he was supposed to be a little bit of a question mark but I enjoyed that. I liked that his presence was questionable but he really pushed Livia to get outside of her shell and drop some of her guard.
Somehow this book was 400 pages and yet I had trouble with the development of everything and really wanted to be so much more grounded in each concept and each character. I’m not sure exactly how since it was already a slightly hefty novel for YA (not too bad but 400 pages starts to toe the line of a longer book) but I couldn’t help but feel like I needed more plot, more explanation, more world-building, and more character development. The pacing started to feel like it was dragging towards the middle and right before the end so I found my mind wandering instead of being sucked into the pages. Maybe it was just a personal issue but I had trouble making those connections and this was a book whose concept should have struck chords with me all around.
amyjoy's review against another edition
3.0
This was fine and fairly entertaining, though not worth the $5 in late fees I'll be paying for it.
I wish I could remember who recommended this or where I saw it that I immediately borrowed it through my library's Link+ service.
I wish I could remember who recommended this or where I saw it that I immediately borrowed it through my library's Link+ service.
itisnotdaisy's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75