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jasoncjoyner 's review for:
Dreamlander
by K.M. Weiland
Where do we go when we dream?
Who hasn't asked that question? In author K.M. Weiland's latest fantasy Dreamlander, she takes an intriguing twist on an everyday occurrence and spins an epic tale of two worlds and righting wrongs.
Chris Redston is an underachieving writer in Chicago dealing with the loss of family in a car accident, except for his alcoholic father. Life is troubling enough, but now he is having dreams of a beautiful woman who rides up on a horse, warns him away, then shoots him between the eyes. And he's got a stalker leaving messages that show he knows far too much about Chris's life.
In the realm of Lael, the princess Allara is a Searcher, the chosen one to find and protect the Gifted, a person from the other side who comes once a generation to help in time of great need. Her situation is very rare as she dealt with a Gifted as a child, a man who almost sacrificed Lael in a treasonous act before he was killed. Most Searchers only have one Gifted, but now a new one is due to appear. Allara is scared of her previous failure and doesn't want a repeat of that event. If she can chase the new Gifted away, it will be for the best.
Chris confronts his stalker and is introduced to a psychologist who promises to rid him of the dreams forever. All he needs to do is sleep and it will be taken care of for him. Little does Chris know that the psychologist is Mactalde, a vanquished conqueror from Lael who is trying to return and exact his vengeance on Allara and her people.
The other bad news is that by bringing someone across the dreamland boundary, Chris has upset both worlds. If he can't correct the imbalance, both worlds will crumble under cataclysm.
Now Chris must stay alive on Earth and train in Lael with Allara, the warrior princess who tried to keep him away, in order to defeat Mactalde and save two worlds.
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The premise may seem complicated, but it is entertaining and skillfully handled by Ms. Weiland. Chris and Allara are complicated heroes who battle internal demons along with their foes in Lael. The fish-out-of-water aspect of Chris crossing into a new world has been done many times, but she keeps it fresh and intriguing throughout the story. There are impressive layers in the plot, in most of the characters, and in the twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense.
The back and forth between Earth and Lael doesn't get confusing and plays an important factor in the story. Chris's friends in our world think he's going crazy, and he's forced to quickly assimilate a new world's culture and ways to effectively repair the damage he's wrought. There was a point about 3/4th the way through when I wondered if the story could have been trimmed by one battle sequence. By the time I reached the end I changed my mind and had forgotten my potential concern.
This was the first book I've read by K.M. Weiland. I've read a lot of fantasy, and I found Dreamlander to be a very entertaining read that kept me coming back and wanting more. I will definitely be watching for more by this author.
Disclaimer: I was sent an advance copy in exchange for a fair review.
Who hasn't asked that question? In author K.M. Weiland's latest fantasy Dreamlander, she takes an intriguing twist on an everyday occurrence and spins an epic tale of two worlds and righting wrongs.
Chris Redston is an underachieving writer in Chicago dealing with the loss of family in a car accident, except for his alcoholic father. Life is troubling enough, but now he is having dreams of a beautiful woman who rides up on a horse, warns him away, then shoots him between the eyes. And he's got a stalker leaving messages that show he knows far too much about Chris's life.
In the realm of Lael, the princess Allara is a Searcher, the chosen one to find and protect the Gifted, a person from the other side who comes once a generation to help in time of great need. Her situation is very rare as she dealt with a Gifted as a child, a man who almost sacrificed Lael in a treasonous act before he was killed. Most Searchers only have one Gifted, but now a new one is due to appear. Allara is scared of her previous failure and doesn't want a repeat of that event. If she can chase the new Gifted away, it will be for the best.
Chris confronts his stalker and is introduced to a psychologist who promises to rid him of the dreams forever. All he needs to do is sleep and it will be taken care of for him. Little does Chris know that the psychologist is Mactalde, a vanquished conqueror from Lael who is trying to return and exact his vengeance on Allara and her people.
The other bad news is that by bringing someone across the dreamland boundary, Chris has upset both worlds. If he can't correct the imbalance, both worlds will crumble under cataclysm.
Now Chris must stay alive on Earth and train in Lael with Allara, the warrior princess who tried to keep him away, in order to defeat Mactalde and save two worlds.
---
The premise may seem complicated, but it is entertaining and skillfully handled by Ms. Weiland. Chris and Allara are complicated heroes who battle internal demons along with their foes in Lael. The fish-out-of-water aspect of Chris crossing into a new world has been done many times, but she keeps it fresh and intriguing throughout the story. There are impressive layers in the plot, in most of the characters, and in the twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense.
The back and forth between Earth and Lael doesn't get confusing and plays an important factor in the story. Chris's friends in our world think he's going crazy, and he's forced to quickly assimilate a new world's culture and ways to effectively repair the damage he's wrought. There was a point about 3/4th the way through when I wondered if the story could have been trimmed by one battle sequence. By the time I reached the end I changed my mind and had forgotten my potential concern.
This was the first book I've read by K.M. Weiland. I've read a lot of fantasy, and I found Dreamlander to be a very entertaining read that kept me coming back and wanting more. I will definitely be watching for more by this author.
Disclaimer: I was sent an advance copy in exchange for a fair review.