Reviews

Dreamscape: Saving Alex by Kirstin Pulioff

laureltree13's review

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2.0

Alex is moving sooner than she thought, and not only is her old life threatened with the move; she might lose her best friend, Natalie, and homecoming date/crush, Brian, because of it. And, unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing she can do about it. In fact, she hadn't even been asked until the plans had already been a go.
As a last hurrah, Alex and Natalie get together for a sleepover the night before the big move. After a bit of packing, and reminiscing; Natalie surprises Alex with an old, childhood favourite: a video-game hidden in the back of her closet.
Dreamscape.
It's late, and even though Natalie has fallen asleep, Alex decidedly pops the game in to play. It brings back the nostalgic memories she hasn't felt in years- then another feeling takes over, as the game begins sucking her in.
Literally.

Now, deposited into her favourite game world (a mix between Zelda and Mario) Alex is forced to play her way through the familiar levels to the mysterious final level. A level she'd never been able to reach before- and that was when her life wasn't on the line.


Review:
The book was alright. I mean, the premise is quite original with the whole medieval/Zelda and Mario culminating to create a unique world thing, (Both of which I'd played on an Nintendo 64 in the '90's.) which may have been why I enjoyed it a bit more than I found it to be worth.
I could look past the few grammatical errors; the fact that the MC was annoying, and too whiny for my liking; a few scenes causing an involuntary, awkward twinge inside me, only if to find out what happens, and if she'll ever reach the end of the game. If she'll ever return home, and what will be waiting for her when she does.
Having said that, it was at least interesting enough to keep me going.

*I was sent this book for my honest review.

amethystbookwyrm's review

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3.0

Thanks to Netgalley and Pikko’s House for giving me this book to review.

Dreamscape: Saving Alex is a fun YA fantasy book with adventure, action and romance. This book had a cool concept as I enjoy video games but it did not grab me in the first half of the book but it did pick up in the second half. I liked and enjoyed the world, even if it was a bit unoriginal and I wish it had more gaming elements to it.

I was not a fan of Alex in the beginning as she was whinny, annoying and full of angst but I understood as I bet if I was in her position when I was her age I would have acted the same, if not worse. But she does grow and develop during the book. Arrow is a natural leader who is loyal and protective.

Though I guessed it would happen I was not a fan of the ending and I hope that if there is a sequel it will get a better ending. I would recommend Dreamscape: Saving Alex to fans of Nexis by A L Davroe and The Dark Realm by Anthea Sharp.

This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm

maureensbooks89's review

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4.0

The thing that immediately became clear after I started reading this book, is that Kirstin Pulioff has an great writing style. Her writing is easy to read, and makes you want to keep reading. She was able to create this world where I just couldn’t get enough of and although I had my doubts I really enjoyed this book.
The characters are well developed, and although I felt like some parts of the story where a little rushed I can’t think of a thing I would change about this book.

The character I loved the most in this book was definitely Arrow. I loved how he was this leader but could also be very sweet. I’m just a terrible romantic and I couldn’t read enough about Arrow and Alex.
Although Alex was the main character, I didn’t like her character as much as I did the rest. I can’t really tell you why I didn’t like Alex so much.. but I just didn’t feel a connection with her from the very beginning on.

Overall this book was a really fun read, it was well developed, had some great characters and above all it’s a very unique story. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of fantasy and games.

nightingale's review

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1.0

Okay, so I received this as an ARC from netGalley.

I loved the concept.

Girl gets sucked into her favorite video game and is stuck there.

First of if I was to get sucked into my favorite video game (Pokemon) and my first thought was this is a dream. I would not want to wake up immediately.



No! I'm going to go and find me a...scratch that I would go and catch them all!


My reaction VS Alex's reaction.



Alex immediately wants to wake up. Immediately wants to go back after complaining through the entire first 3 chapters how she just wants to escape and how she hates her life.

I would have been able to keep reading but the writing style was too hard to follow.

Everything was overly descriptive. The characters were a bit unrealistic. I just could not read further than chapter 4.

Snow

shanbreads's review

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5.0

Received for review from netgally in exchange for an honest review

I was engaged from the very first page—though I’ll admit that at first, Alex wasn’t high on my list of favorite characters. She whined and pouted and was so full of teenage drama and angst that I’m surprised she didn’t lay on the floor and throw a tantrum. I hated her mother even more, so I was willing to side with the teen. Throughout the book there was a wide array of characters with different personalities, some that I liked, some that I didn’t, and some that fooled me and forced me to change my opinion of them. Alex was definitely one of those. She grew throughout the story at a natural pace, and before I knew it, she was a pretty spectacular person. I adored her. The only person I liked more, was Arrow.

Technically speaking, the story was exceptionally well written. I didn’t run into any obvious typos or errors, no grammatical fumbles or awkward sentences. The pace moved steadily along at a nice pace, and I lost track of time. For six hours, I got sucked into Alex’s world, and I didn’t come up for air until the end of the story. The book was filled with grand adventures and quests, colorful characters, daring battles, deadly traps, and a heartbreaking romance. I couldn’t have asked for more.

My only complaint was the ending… because I really, REALLY wanted just one more chapter… or, you know, a continuation of the book. Why is this not a series?

Overall, I loved the book. If you like YA Fantasy and you’re looking for a fun book filled with crazy adventure, hijinks, and a bit of a romantic subplot, I would urge you to pick up this book and give it a try. It’s going on my keeper shelf… and then I’m going to hand it to my daughter. There’s some mild gore/violence/romance involved

eternity21's review

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4.0

Synopsis: Alexis Stone's family is moving far away from her current home. She is 16 and unhappy about it. Her best friend Natalie is helping her and they stop to play an old console game that they loved called Dreamscape. It is all pretend right? Alex gets pulled into the game and now has to become the Golden Hero and has to save the Queen. But it is not all fun and games anymore it is real. You can get hurt and it is hard to know who to trust. She allies herself with Arrow who helps her learn about Lockhorn and the dangers that lurk around every corner.

My View: Alex starts out in the story to be a bit of a brat. She learns a lot about the "real world" and what really is important. She grows quite a bit in the story to a character you are rooting for.

This book is a safe book for younger readers as it has no sexual content. Some kissing but that's about it.

I was given this book for free for an honest opinion and review
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