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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. I have not read the previous books in the series. I started with this book as my Mom had owned it when I was young and I remember wanting to read it because I loved the cover. At the time she told me I wasn't old enough. Well I found the book again and I still wanted to know the story behind the pretty cover. If you have read the previous books and want a story about Luke Casteel you won't get it here. He doesn't come until the very end of the book. This book is all about Leigh VanVoreen and coming to Farthy.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is definitely not YA lol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Casteel series has been my introduction to the world of V C Andrews and so as contentious as it is to say it, given this one was not only written by her post-humour ghostwriter, but is also a prequel, Web of Dreams is my favourite of the saga. It just feels so much more fully formed than the previous books, and a complete departure from the truly awful Gates of Paradise. As much as I have come to appreciate Miss Andrews’ child like writing style in its own camp way, I can’t help denying that her successor has bested her in this one, taking her OTT soap opera storylines and elevating them, fully fleshing out the characters and giving them some depth whereas in the previous novels of this series, I feel like the plot points were there but every character felt two dimensional and interchangeable. This book was the first of the series to really properly move me emotionally too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault
This was the first book by Virginia Andrews that I ever read and it's the book that got me hooked! I would say start with the first in the series because I believe that this is the last one. Recommend.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
So obsessed that I’m buying the whole series! I messed up and read the last one first.
Web of Dreams is the prequel and final book in the Casteel series. It opens on Annie and Luke returning to Farthinggale Manor for Troy Tatterton’s funeral. While poking around, Annie finds a diary that belonged to her grandmother, Leigh, and begins to read it. The rest of the book is written in Leigh’s voice (minus the epilogue). When the story begins, Leigh is celebrating her 12th birthday with her mother Jillian and her father Cleave. Jillian is supposed to be a children’s book illustrator, although this is something I never completely buy about her. I feel like she is too selfish, flighty, and shallow to have the patience to create any kind of art. Cleave owns a cruise ship company, which Jillian loved at one point because it made her feel wealthy and important, but the bloom is off that rose and she now yearns for a mansion with a maze – hmm, that is awfully specific.
The book goes on to tell the full story of Leigh, and it ends with Annie flipping through the rest of the blank pages and finding a letter from a PI to Tony, explaining that Leigh died in childbirth. Taren at The Chick Manifesto points out some inconsistencies about whether Tony knew or not, how Jillian got the diary, and even the shortness of time between Heaven and Tom’s birth. The idea that Luke cheated of Leigh when they never even consummated their marriage is one of the things I find saddest in the book, after all the raping. I feel like a lot of the series sets up this idea that Leigh was Luke’s one true love and his loss of her is why he’s such a drunk, and an awful father and husband, yet cheating would make this seem false.
I liked the character of Leigh. After the many versions of Leigh’s story that Heaven and Annie hear throughout the series – she was innocent, she was a manipulative slut – I like ending the series on her own version of the story. I had an easier time getting through this series than I did with the Dollanganger series – none of the books were as boring as If There Be Thorns, but it seems like this series has more rape and incest/inappropriate sexual relations than the Dollanganger series does.
Full recap/review at http://dogearedandwellread.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/web-of-dreams-by-v-c-andrews/
The book goes on to tell the full story of Leigh, and it ends with Annie flipping through the rest of the blank pages and finding a letter from a PI to Tony, explaining that Leigh died in childbirth. Taren at The Chick Manifesto points out some inconsistencies about whether Tony knew or not, how Jillian got the diary, and even the shortness of time between Heaven and Tom’s birth. The idea that Luke cheated of Leigh when they never even consummated their marriage is one of the things I find saddest in the book, after all the raping. I feel like a lot of the series sets up this idea that Leigh was Luke’s one true love and his loss of her is why he’s such a drunk, and an awful father and husband, yet cheating would make this seem false.
I liked the character of Leigh. After the many versions of Leigh’s story that Heaven and Annie hear throughout the series – she was innocent, she was a manipulative slut – I like ending the series on her own version of the story. I had an easier time getting through this series than I did with the Dollanganger series – none of the books were as boring as If There Be Thorns, but it seems like this series has more rape and incest/inappropriate sexual relations than the Dollanganger series does.
Full recap/review at http://dogearedandwellread.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/web-of-dreams-by-v-c-andrews/
V.C. Andrews' ghost writer is definitely a hit or miss. I do think that Web of Dreams is one of his better ones though! All of V.C. Andrews' work gives you that spine chilling, skin crawling, disgust in terms of sexuality but I think this one really hits harder compared to the the later Casteel series' books (after Heaven). Leigh is about 10 years old at the start of this book, and knowing that makes all of the events that happened in this book and the rest of the Casteel series much more harder to bear. I read this story right after I read Heaven, and from what I noticed, there wasn't continuity errors that mess up the timeline and/plot that the ghost writer is notorious for. My favorite aspect of this book is that it makes it very clear that the reader is supposed to sympathize with Leigh. Because you never hear her point of view in the Casteel series, the reader could see Leigh as a toxic and seductive character despite her being 15 years old when she died. The ghost writer makes it very clear though that Leigh is a child, and the most of adults in her life (and in Heaven's) were liars and nothing more.
Over all, this is my second favorite Casteel book and I would say Leigh is one of my favorite V.C. Andrews' characters.
Over all, this is my second favorite Casteel book and I would say Leigh is one of my favorite V.C. Andrews' characters.
This was the last book in the series and I didn’t want it to end. I look forward to reading more from this author.
When I read these novels back in the day I would have given them 3-3.5 STARS and now would say about one Star
I started reading VC Andrews books in the 1991 and stopped about 2003.
I have read:
-Dollanganger Series
-Casteel Series
-Cutler Series
-Landry Series
-Logan Series
-Orphans Series
-Wildflowers Series
-Hudson Series
-Shooting Stars Series
-DeBeers Series
-Broken Wings Series
As a preteen reading these novels was a rebellion and the gothic theme also seemed cool. I stopped reading this author because the novelty wore off, the novels are too formulaic that I could not tell one book from another and gothic aspect was lost.
I started reading VC Andrews books in the 1991 and stopped about 2003.
I have read:
-Dollanganger Series
-Casteel Series
-Cutler Series
-Landry Series
-Logan Series
-Orphans Series
-Wildflowers Series
-Hudson Series
-Shooting Stars Series
-DeBeers Series
-Broken Wings Series
As a preteen reading these novels was a rebellion and the gothic theme also seemed cool. I stopped reading this author because the novelty wore off, the novels are too formulaic that I could not tell one book from another and gothic aspect was lost.