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A review by smpearce
The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien
3.0
I don’t know how I feel about this book.
On one hand, it definitely kept me reading, and I loved the concept of the reality show school and psychological aspects. The plot was really intriguing and I liked that Rosie became a bit unreliable as a narrator. I didn’t want to put it down. I also appreciated that there didn’t end up being a love triangle, because it seemed there might be at first.
On the other hand, I was left wanting with a lot. I didn’t feel we got to see in depth a lot of things, like the world-building/science. The characters and their relationships were just sort of...there. I didn’t really get a sense of the platonic or romantic chemistries between characters, or much personality to them. Rosie especially felt like she didn’t really fit with her backstory personality wise, and completely changed as a character without any noticeable arc after the first parts. It would have been nice to see her more mature, especially with some of the darker themes (like the sleep harassment and mental health issues). I also would have liked to learn more about Burnham, and I kind of wonder what the story would have been like told from his POV.
Also—am I the only one that doesn’t know what happened at the end? We never really got too much explanation about this subconscious “voice” that she hears, and I’m not sure if Rosie died and left her subconscious behind? Or the other way around? Maybe I’ll do a re-read in case I missed something, but I just didn’t get where this whole “voice” thing came from.
Overall, and interesting read, and I recommend you check it out for yourself! :) I’ll be buying book two, because I need to understand what exactly happened here, and I have hope the characters will become better matured/developed, because the plot was great!
My rating may change with time!
On one hand, it definitely kept me reading, and I loved the concept of the reality show school and psychological aspects. The plot was really intriguing and I liked that Rosie became a bit unreliable as a narrator. I didn’t want to put it down. I also appreciated that there didn’t end up being a love triangle, because it seemed there might be at first.
On the other hand, I was left wanting with a lot. I didn’t feel we got to see in depth a lot of things, like the world-building/science. The characters and their relationships were just sort of...there. I didn’t really get a sense of the platonic or romantic chemistries between characters, or much personality to them. Rosie especially felt like she didn’t really fit with her backstory personality wise, and completely changed as a character without any noticeable arc after the first parts. It would have been nice to see her more mature, especially with some of the darker themes (like the sleep harassment and mental health issues). I also would have liked to learn more about Burnham, and I kind of wonder what the story would have been like told from his POV.
Also—am I the only one that doesn’t know what happened at the end? We never really got too much explanation about this subconscious “voice” that she hears, and I’m not sure if Rosie died and left her subconscious behind? Or the other way around? Maybe I’ll do a re-read in case I missed something, but I just didn’t get where this whole “voice” thing came from.
Overall, and interesting read, and I recommend you check it out for yourself! :) I’ll be buying book two, because I need to understand what exactly happened here, and I have hope the characters will become better matured/developed, because the plot was great!
My rating may change with time!