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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow! This book was so bad, it was great! I just can't believe anyone would be as stupid as Leigh and her mom were. No way, Jose. (Although I guess you don't read V.C. Andrews for its realism!)
"My stepfather wants to paint nude pictures of me and makes inappropriate remarks. Is that normal?" "Yes, Leigh. He's an artist. And artists have to paint nude people. Particularly my 14-year-old daughter."
Ugh. I think Leigh should have taken karate lessons. Then she could've taken care of sleazy Tony AND mommy dearest!
"My stepfather wants to paint nude pictures of me and makes inappropriate remarks. Is that normal?" "Yes, Leigh. He's an artist. And artists have to paint nude people. Particularly my 14-year-old daughter."
Ugh. I think Leigh should have taken karate lessons. Then she could've taken care of sleazy Tony AND mommy dearest!
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Another V.C. Andrews novel done! And, uhm. Hoo, boy. Where to begin? Web of Dreams started off promising but quickly slipped off course and tossed itself into a very disappointing pattern. It's not the worst Andrew Neiderman as V.C. Andrews offering, but it certainly isn't the best--or even a good one. As important as it was to go back to the beginning--to see Leigh, Heaven's mother, and her life before she passed away at such a young age.
This was, likely, based upon notes that were left behind V.C. Andrews before her death. However, like Gates of Paradise and any other V.C. Andrews book that came next, it was penned by her ghost writer: Andrew Neiderman. While he doesn't always hit the mark, there are times when Andrews seemingly pulses in the narrative. Web of Dreams isn't one of those books.
Readers will clearly be able to see the difference in tones between the two authors, as always. Web of Dreams, however, is certainly better than Neiderman's modern offerings and was one of his earliest releases. So, I am a bit more lenient towards it than others. (Even if I'm not a fan of the novel, per se.)
Firstly, this book suffers very deeply in its incoherent storytelling and the many inconsistencies from the main set of novels. It certainly keeps true to the tone and history better than other books, but it still feels choppy. Second, I experienced Web of Dreams through audiobook form and for reasons I cannot fathom, the narrator basically whispered her way through the whole story. Ugh. I wish I were exaggerating. Alas, I'm not, and Web of Dreams failed to hit the right marks in so many ways.
Much like Heaven and Annie, Leigh begins her journey in purely innocent territory. She is ordinary, but flawed. What sets her apart from both Heaven and Annie is, of course, her upbringing and the path that life takes her before her untimely death. Web of Dreams sets the stage for ties and similarities between the three young women, and the tragedies each face, but of the three Leigh is one of the most sympathetic.
Web of Dreams follows the same roads and plot-twists that the prior books in the series approached. In the case of this novel, it tries too hard to cram so much into one book. This stunts the growth in a way that is similar to Gates of Paradise--it feels unkempt and thrown together on a whim rather than well-thought out. The general story arches are all startling and trashy in that addictive, V.C. Andrews way, but they never fully pan out in a way that makes for thoroughly engaging reading.
Hating Tony is as easy as ever. Loving Troy, too, feels like second nature. (And I love seeing Troy as a child. It feels very full circle and, honestly, him and Leigh are the only characters I give a shit about in Web of Dreams.) And, in spite of knowing that it wouldn't last or work out for her, I wanted so badly for Leigh to receive a happily ever after and felt myself rooting for her from the start.
The bad news is with so many recycled plotlines, unanswered questions and inconsistencies, I was unable to enjoy Web of Dreams like I'd wanted to. Between all the books in the Casteel saga, I can't decide if I disliked Web of Dreams or Gates of Paradise most of all.
Gone is the V.C. Andrews horrific charm, and in its place is a pale imitation of it. At the end of the day, so many things felt unnecessary and underdeveloped. (Such as the last act of Leigh's life from the day she meets Luke Casteel, marries him, and until she gives birth to Heaven.) Web of Dreams wasn't a complete waste, and fills in some of the finer plot-points, but it certainly felt like a novel that didn't need to be produced.
Another V.C. Andrews novel done! And, uhm. Hoo, boy. Where to begin? Web of Dreams started off promising but quickly slipped off course and tossed itself into a very disappointing pattern. It's not the worst Andrew Neiderman as V.C. Andrews offering, but it certainly isn't the best--or even a good one. As important as it was to go back to the beginning--to see Leigh, Heaven's mother, and her life before she passed away at such a young age.
This was, likely, based upon notes that were left behind V.C. Andrews before her death. However, like Gates of Paradise and any other V.C. Andrews book that came next, it was penned by her ghost writer: Andrew Neiderman. While he doesn't always hit the mark, there are times when Andrews seemingly pulses in the narrative. Web of Dreams isn't one of those books.
Readers will clearly be able to see the difference in tones between the two authors, as always. Web of Dreams, however, is certainly better than Neiderman's modern offerings and was one of his earliest releases. So, I am a bit more lenient towards it than others. (Even if I'm not a fan of the novel, per se.)
Firstly, this book suffers very deeply in its incoherent storytelling and the many inconsistencies from the main set of novels. It certainly keeps true to the tone and history better than other books, but it still feels choppy. Second, I experienced Web of Dreams through audiobook form and for reasons I cannot fathom, the narrator basically whispered her way through the whole story. Ugh. I wish I were exaggerating. Alas, I'm not, and Web of Dreams failed to hit the right marks in so many ways.
Much like Heaven and Annie, Leigh begins her journey in purely innocent territory. She is ordinary, but flawed. What sets her apart from both Heaven and Annie is, of course, her upbringing and the path that life takes her before her untimely death. Web of Dreams sets the stage for ties and similarities between the three young women, and the tragedies each face, but of the three Leigh is one of the most sympathetic.
Web of Dreams follows the same roads and plot-twists that the prior books in the series approached. In the case of this novel, it tries too hard to cram so much into one book. This stunts the growth in a way that is similar to Gates of Paradise--it feels unkempt and thrown together on a whim rather than well-thought out. The general story arches are all startling and trashy in that addictive, V.C. Andrews way, but they never fully pan out in a way that makes for thoroughly engaging reading.
Hating Tony is as easy as ever. Loving Troy, too, feels like second nature. (And I love seeing Troy as a child. It feels very full circle and, honestly, him and Leigh are the only characters I give a shit about in Web of Dreams.) And, in spite of knowing that it wouldn't last or work out for her, I wanted so badly for Leigh to receive a happily ever after and felt myself rooting for her from the start.
The bad news is with so many recycled plotlines, unanswered questions and inconsistencies, I was unable to enjoy Web of Dreams like I'd wanted to. Between all the books in the Casteel saga, I can't decide if I disliked Web of Dreams or Gates of Paradise most of all.
Gone is the V.C. Andrews horrific charm, and in its place is a pale imitation of it. At the end of the day, so many things felt unnecessary and underdeveloped. (Such as the last act of Leigh's life from the day she meets Luke Casteel, marries him, and until she gives birth to Heaven.) Web of Dreams wasn't a complete waste, and fills in some of the finer plot-points, but it certainly felt like a novel that didn't need to be produced.
Wow! This book was so bad, it was great! I just can't believe anyone would be as stupid as Leigh and her mom were. No way, Jose. (Although I guess you don't read V.C. Andrews for its realism!)
"My stepfather wants to paint nude pictures of me and makes inappropriate remarks. Is that normal?" "Yes, Leigh. He's an artist. And artists have to paint nude people. Particularly my 14-year-old daughter."
Ugh. I think Leigh should have taken karate lessons. Then she could've taken care of sleazy Tony AND mommy dearest!
"My stepfather wants to paint nude pictures of me and makes inappropriate remarks. Is that normal?" "Yes, Leigh. He's an artist. And artists have to paint nude people. Particularly my 14-year-old daughter."
Ugh. I think Leigh should have taken karate lessons. Then she could've taken care of sleazy Tony AND mommy dearest!
After struggling through the last two books of the Casteel series, I was reluctant to start this one. However I wanted to re-read the whole series and I had to see it through to the end. When I first read Web of Dreams I was in my teens and I loved it mainly for the fact that the main character has the same name as I do, same spelling and everything. To my great surprise unlike me no one ever misspelled or said Leigh VanVoreen's name wrong (at least I don't think they did) and that alone was a reason to enjoy the book. The older me went into this story more reluctant. As I said I had a tough time with Fallen Hearts and Gates of Paradise. While not my favourite book any more, I have to say that Web of Dreams was still quite enjoyable. It certainly brought out emotions in me and when you get angry at, or upset with fictional characters the book can't be all bad. I despised Jillian, hated Tony for being such a creep from the moment we meet him (why was his hair dark in this book, it was blonde in all the other books?), was charmed by Troy and found like I liked my namesake character. It took guts for her to decide to leave everything and go live with her grandmother. It took even more guts to go and live in a remote shack in the mountains with people you don't know, no water, heat or electricity and an outhouse after living in one of the grandest homes in the country. I loved Luke but still wonder what turned him into the cruel person he was in Heaven. Maybe he saw Tony when he looked at her and that's why he hated her, or else he just felt resentful that Heaven really wasn't his daughter. It was nice to see younger versions of Annie and Toby. I was disappointed in Leigh's father Cleave and how he virtually abandoned her when she needed him the most. The part about Jillian having an affair before her marriage and Leigh's father being someone else was ridiculous and didn't really need to be in the story at all. Needless to say the whole series has been a sort of roller coaster, the first two books were amazing, Heaven has become a favourite, the next two not so great and it ended on a decent note with a truly sweet romance between Leigh and Luke, so I think in the end it was worth re-reading all five books again.
My favorite of the Casteel series. Loved reading about Leigh and her wonderful relationship with a 5 year old Troy. Between Leigh's wretched mother and horrible attack by Tony, you were rooting for Leigh to get away. Also was surprising to see how different Luke was from his characterization in Heaven. Just tired of all the deaths.
Plot:
This is a re-read for me. I've read this book several times, mostly in high school and college. I was obsessed with V.C. Andrews, her books, and her characters. I decided I missed reading her books and decided I would re-read this series again.
This one tells the story of Leigh and how the events in all of the other books came to be. While Tony has painted his own version of events, they are much different from Leigh's POV. Even though I knew the basic plot from earlier readings, there were a lot of things I had forgotten. I enjoyed the plot overall though I did find the idea of this being a diary that Tony knew about a bit flimsy as it doesn't really mesh well with the previous books. Leigh's actions do but not Tony's. Why would he deliberately let his daughter and Troy fall in love? He genuinely seemed to love his brother at least.
Setting:
Most of the book is set at Farthy though Leigh also later goes to the Willies/Winnerow.
Characters:
I didn't remember liking Leigh nearly as much as I liked her during this re-read. While she has a much different life than her daughter, Heaven, does, it's also full of dark twisted things. My heart ached for the poor girl. Her life started off great and then everything began to fall apart. And then Tony Tatterton and her mother completely shattered her. They might as well be responsible for her death at the end. It was easy to see where Heaven got her spirit from because there were many instances in which Leigh had a steely resolve. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to this poor girl if things had turned out differently.
My perception of Jillian was also different, but maybe that's because it's so clear that she is a narcissist. While I still think a story from her POV would have been interesting, I also despised her. It also seems like Jillian wanted Tony to go after Leigh as well, which is super sick. Ugh. I got so tired of hearing her complain about her beauty, too. Her turmoil over being unable to lose four pounds was also annoying.
Then there's Tony Tatterton, who seems OK at first but slowly reveals himself to be super creepy. It would have been awesome to see how he came to be that way. I believe it had to do with a girl he loved who died when they were teenagers, but I'm not even sure how someone comes to live with such denial about the awful things they do. I hated him too.
Little Troy is so adorable and his childhood really helps explain why he is the way he is later on. He was the only one at Farthy that I felt sorry for when Leigh left.
Leigh's father, Cleave, started off decent but turned out to be just as bad when it came to ignoring his daughter's feelings. I feel like maybe he guessed somehow that she really wasn't his or maybe Jillian finally told him or he just kept her away because she reminded him of Jillian but still, to ignore her was awful. I especially hated when he married Mildred Pierce and basically let her run the show.
I liked Leigh's best friend at Winterhaven, Jennifer, and thought her boyfriend, Joshua, was decent.
Luke Casteel was actually likeable, though the idea of him fooling around with Sarah kept floating around in my mind whenever he was with Leigh. While his dislike of Heaven makes more sense, it's still really sad and a shitty thing to do. Ironically Luke was the one to name her, too.
And while she wasn't a real person, I felt "Angel", Leigh's doll, played a significant role. I liked that Leigh confided and felt like the doll was connected to her.
It was also nice to see a younger Toby and Annie Casteel.
Relationships:
Leigh's relationship with her mother was really sad to read about. As a daughter of someone with NPD, it was easy to emphasize with Leigh.
Leigh's relationship with her father and the way it changes was also sad.
I thought Leigh's relationship with little Troy was adorable. Also liked her friendship with Jennifer.
And while I felt Luke and Leigh rushed into marriage way too fast, I do feel like she was a good influence on her and I liked that he tried to make her happy as much as he could with his means. I just also wish that Leigh hadn't felt so in debt to him that she didn't want to voice any concerns that might trouble him, like her pregnancy pains toward the end.
Writing/Voice:
One of the better ghostwritten books. Leigh's voice was strong and pretty similar to Heaven's voice, but in a different way.
Ending:
The ending is already expected given the previous books and that I've read this a few times already, but it seemed especially sad this time.
Overall, I liked this one better than I remember liking it in the past. 5 stars! Dark Angel is still my favorite, followed closely by Heaven, and this one takes the 3rd spot. Then Fallen Hearts and Gates of Paradise. Overall one of the best and solid series!
I decided to do a VCA Recap with this book like I did with previous books. If you do not mind spoilers and want to check it out, go here: https://jncahill.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/vca-recaps-web-of-dreams-part-1/
This is a re-read for me. I've read this book several times, mostly in high school and college. I was obsessed with V.C. Andrews, her books, and her characters. I decided I missed reading her books and decided I would re-read this series again.
This one tells the story of Leigh and how the events in all of the other books came to be. While Tony has painted his own version of events, they are much different from Leigh's POV. Even though I knew the basic plot from earlier readings, there were a lot of things I had forgotten. I enjoyed the plot overall though I did find the idea of this being a diary that Tony knew about a bit flimsy as it doesn't really mesh well with the previous books. Leigh's actions do but not Tony's. Why would he deliberately let his daughter and Troy fall in love? He genuinely seemed to love his brother at least.
Setting:
Most of the book is set at Farthy though Leigh also later goes to the Willies/Winnerow.
Characters:
I didn't remember liking Leigh nearly as much as I liked her during this re-read. While she has a much different life than her daughter, Heaven, does, it's also full of dark twisted things. My heart ached for the poor girl. Her life started off great and then everything began to fall apart. And then Tony Tatterton and her mother completely shattered her. They might as well be responsible for her death at the end. It was easy to see where Heaven got her spirit from because there were many instances in which Leigh had a steely resolve. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened to this poor girl if things had turned out differently.
My perception of Jillian was also different, but maybe that's because it's so clear that she is a narcissist. While I still think a story from her POV would have been interesting, I also despised her. It also seems like Jillian wanted Tony to go after Leigh as well, which is super sick. Ugh. I got so tired of hearing her complain about her beauty, too. Her turmoil over being unable to lose four pounds was also annoying.
Then there's Tony Tatterton, who seems OK at first but slowly reveals himself to be super creepy. It would have been awesome to see how he came to be that way. I believe it had to do with a girl he loved who died when they were teenagers, but I'm not even sure how someone comes to live with such denial about the awful things they do. I hated him too.
Little Troy is so adorable and his childhood really helps explain why he is the way he is later on. He was the only one at Farthy that I felt sorry for when Leigh left.
Leigh's father, Cleave, started off decent but turned out to be just as bad when it came to ignoring his daughter's feelings. I feel like maybe he guessed somehow that she really wasn't his or maybe Jillian finally told him or he just kept her away because she reminded him of Jillian but still, to ignore her was awful. I especially hated when he married Mildred Pierce and basically let her run the show.
I liked Leigh's best friend at Winterhaven, Jennifer, and thought her boyfriend, Joshua, was decent.
Luke Casteel was actually likeable, though the idea of him fooling around with Sarah kept floating around in my mind whenever he was with Leigh. While his dislike of Heaven makes more sense, it's still really sad and a shitty thing to do. Ironically Luke was the one to name her, too.
And while she wasn't a real person, I felt "Angel", Leigh's doll, played a significant role. I liked that Leigh confided and felt like the doll was connected to her.
It was also nice to see a younger Toby and Annie Casteel.
Relationships:
Leigh's relationship with her mother was really sad to read about. As a daughter of someone with NPD, it was easy to emphasize with Leigh.
Leigh's relationship with her father and the way it changes was also sad.
I thought Leigh's relationship with little Troy was adorable. Also liked her friendship with Jennifer.
And while I felt Luke and Leigh rushed into marriage way too fast, I do feel like she was a good influence on her and I liked that he tried to make her happy as much as he could with his means. I just also wish that Leigh hadn't felt so in debt to him that she didn't want to voice any concerns that might trouble him, like her pregnancy pains toward the end.
Writing/Voice:
One of the better ghostwritten books. Leigh's voice was strong and pretty similar to Heaven's voice, but in a different way.
Ending:
The ending is already expected given the previous books and that I've read this a few times already, but it seemed especially sad this time.
Overall, I liked this one better than I remember liking it in the past. 5 stars! Dark Angel is still my favorite, followed closely by Heaven, and this one takes the 3rd spot. Then Fallen Hearts and Gates of Paradise. Overall one of the best and solid series!
I decided to do a VCA Recap with this book like I did with previous books. If you do not mind spoilers and want to check it out, go here: https://jncahill.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/vca-recaps-web-of-dreams-part-1/
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.
Great end to the Casteel Family Saga! Great story, great characters, highly recommend if you enjoy these types of books :)
HOWEVER, if you're doing the audio to this book: This is a whispery narrator, which I don't enjoy......at all lol Be warned!
HOWEVER, if you're doing the audio to this book: This is a whispery narrator, which I don't enjoy......at all lol Be warned!