Shattered Dreams

Midnight Dragonfly #1

by Ellie James

Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn't as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special . She sees visions, and for those she's seen, it's already too late. Trinity arrives on her aunt's doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she's seen. But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica's disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica's ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario. Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Supernatural, Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2011

About the author

Ellie James believes in dreams, destiny, and possibility. A native of south Louisiana, she grew up immersed in legend, surrounded by history and drenched in mystery. She penned her first work of fiction at six, turning to suspense three years later with Jacquie and the Swamp. Even before graduating from the LSU Manship School of Journalism, Ellie always had a tragic poem, tender story, or intriguing mystery for her friends, a trait that has continued as her fascination with danger, adventure, love, and the unexplained has grown.

Ellie now splits her time between exploring story worlds and creating her own adventures with her husband and their two children.

Reviews

[Nafiza · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are little details that jump out at you when you are reading a book. At least, they do to me. And I knew I would have trouble with this book when the author specified that the Grandma was watching "Fox" news' coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Think what you may, my intuition did not prove me wrong in this case. It niggled at my mind, that detail. She could have been watching any news station. There was no need to specify which one but she did and my mind kicked in high gear and off I went analyzing.

Anyway, that little preface aside, I believe the rating quite accurately reflects my reaction to the book. In the following paragraphs, I shall attempt to explain this reaction.

You know how you usually open a YA book with the protagonist or the love interest being the new kid at school? Well, we skip over that part and start up the story about two or three weeks after the fact. I don't know whose idea it was to start it like that and it could have been an innovative way to tackle an old cliche but truth is, it didn't work. Oh my God, it didn't work so much, my left eye twitches every time I think about it. What a beginning does is anchor the reader and let the narrative take shape and hook the reader in. This sudden dunking of a reader into a narrative that is already passionately underway? It makes a reader (me) feel off kilter and this feeling lasts all throughout the book. As though there is a story but events have occurred prior to you reaching the party and now no one's telling you anything about it because they're too busy being melodramatic teenagers. It's frustrating and - okay, if you are going to mention something like an argument and hint that it was a substantial one? Go back and talk about it. Okay? Otherwise there is a huge bowl of "huh" on the table and no one's hungry for that.

Let's talk about characters - actually, there is no characterization. None. Whatsoever. Trinity has no substance to her. No depth. Oh goodness, she drove me nuts. The melodrama, the excessive melodrama is off putting and there are only so many scenes I can take of the protagonist overemoting about things that really do not need that amount of pathos. "You lied to me!" "I hate you!" "How could you?!" Like, seriously? None of the characters are developed. Chase? The love interest may as well be cut out from cardboard and don't make me mention the friends and the "mean girl."

The mythology is not explored. In fact, I have no idea what's going on. She's psychic, yea? She has dreams/visions/etc. So? Why is that such a big deal? I mean, it's not like she's the first heroine in a novel to find out that she has powers and be tortured by them. So what makes her different? Oh apart from the fact that she seems to be continuously getting hurt and not feeling the pain if the scenes occurring after the getting-hurt parts are any indication.

This book has one of the most confused love stories ever. Chase, the lust object of the novel, is in a relationship with the resident mean girl when Trinity appears. And, of course, she's going to fall for him and, of course, he's going to reciprocate and wow, he's sort of a douchebag, But Trinity is more of a douchebag so I guess the match is made in heaven. His ex-girlfriend goes missing and all he wants to do is smooch Trinity. Sensitive, huh? And I have to mention this, being called "Baby" as an endearment and wanting to die because he said "Baby?" Yeah, it's not an indication of true love for me so forgive me if I'm not too impressed by it.

You know how overuse of ellipses make you want to grind your teeth? In this book, it's the overuse of italics. Especially of Trinity's name. For no reason at all. It's Trinity all the time and that's when the tick under my eye got worse.

The plot is scattered and Trinity's blowing hot and cold on Chase is just exhausting. She loves him oh so much and then a little later she's making out with the obligatory third person required to complete this flailing triangle. Even the ending does not clear up the narrative or tie up loose ends in the narrative. Oh and I love how this guy beat up Trinity and the cops were around and not one of them noticing a guy hitting a girl. Nothing happened to him.

Do yourselves a favour. Skip on this one.

[Ddpjclaf · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Received for free through NetGalley*

*Shattered Dreams* is the story of seventeen-year-old Trinity, who, like her deceased mother, gets visions. Both of her parents died when she was a baby and she was raised by her grandmother. After her grandmother's death, she was taken in by her aunt and moved to New Orleans (where her parents were from and where she was born.)

I'd give you the synopsis that I was given that made me want to read this book, but honestly, I felt it was pretty misleading.

The story starts with a neat premise--a group of teenagers trespassing in an abandoned house in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, playing a game of Truth or Dare. I enjoyed this for the first little bit, but then it stretched on way too long (three chapters) and things started to get really confusing. Trinity began having "episodes" which were later (much, much later) revealed to be her "visions". At the time I had no clue what was happening, and that led to utter confusion.

This is what bothered me most about this book. It was an intriguing idea (though not at all original) a girl with psychic powers helps solve a crime...and the backdrop of post-Katrina N.O. was fantastic, but I think the author tried too hard to make this a mystery. Things happened that didn't make any sense and the author just left it there. Never gave us a reason. A good mystery will leave a trail of clues, and we, the reader, are following a few steps behind, but it always feels like the author knows where it's going. This wasn't like that at all. In this story we'd follow the crumbs only to turn around and head in a different direction as soon as it felt like we might learn something. And then we'd never return to the previous almost-reveal. This was beyond frustrating for me. When the story ended it gave one flimsy answer (which was just random and didn't really follow any of the clues) and left us with a million questions. It's okay to leave some questions, but not almost every single one. I just found the conclusion to the mystery to be absolutely unsatisfactory.

The characterization left a lot to be desired. Even though we were seeing this story through Trinity's first person narrative, I can't even start to tell you who she is as a person. All I got to know about her was a.) she has freaky visions, b.) her parents were killed in an accident when she was young and she was raised by her grandmother, c.) her grandma kept secrets from her about her ability and her parents, then died and now she lives with her aunt, d.) she runs away from stuff A LOT e.) she trusts stupidly then doesn't trust the people she should, f.) apparently, she likes a guy named Chase, though she makes out with another guy, then grinds all over yet ANOTHER in a club.

I have no idea what she likes or doesn't like. No idea what her personality is like (besides the fact that she seems like a coward due to the running away) I just felt like I knew things *about* her, but I didn't *know* her. For that reason, I couldn't care less about her.

Chase (the boy she apparently liked) was just strange. I didn't understand his motivations at all. He was always just...there...all the time. It was kind of creepy. For as much time as they spent together, they rarely talked--except to say each others' names a thousand times. I like swooning over the boy, but there was no swooning over Chase. I had no reason TO swoon. There was no character development at all. So, Chase was the quarterback and he was adopted...O--kay...what else? Nothing, that's what else.

None of the other characters made an impression either. I can't even remember most of their names and I just finished this 30 minutes ago. The only character I felt at all intrigued by was Forcade's son, Dylan. He seemed like he had a story--not that we got to see any of it in his two chapters of read time.

I'm just...really frustrated with this book. It had so much potential to be a good read. Great setting. Great mystery. It could have been great. It just...wasn't.

On the technical side, the writing was okay. There were some strange phrasings and the author's style was a bit different than I'm used to, but I didn't mind it so much. Not to say I didn't notice things that annoyed me, I did. It just didn't bother me like the other stuff did.

I hate to just bluntly say it, but I didn't like this book. Not at all. It honestly felt to me like a first draft, not one that had been revised and purchased for publication. I think this could be a great story with several more passes and smoothing and development, but I think, for the most part this is what is being printed.

I don't like being harsh or giving 1 star ratings but I need to be honest about what I thought, especially when I've been given the story for the purpose of a review.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trinity Monsour has recently come to New Orleans to live after the death of her grandmother. The story begins with her going along with a group of kids to a haunted house. Among the group are Chase who is her chemistry lab partner and crush and Jessica who is Chase's former girlfriend who doesn't see herself as an ex. Trinity isn't eager to go into the house because she is sensitive to spirits and has had visions since she was a child. However, she wants to fit in with her new crowd and decides to go inside. She doesn't know that Jessica and her henchwoman Amber are set to play a prank on her. She finds herself locked in a small dark room where visions overtake her. When she is rescued, she decides that Chance knew about the prank and was complicit. She is angry, decides to write him out of her life, and goes home.

She can't avoid Chance completely because they are in classes together but she can certainly try to ignore him. When Jessica "apologizes" by using the "it was only a joke" excuse, she decides to write her off too. So, when Jessica disappears, Trinity is surprised to have visions about her. She isn't sure what to do about them because her grandmother raised her to keep the visions secret. She has to tell her aunt about them who encourages her to go to the police. The problem is that it is just as likely in the mind of the police that Trinity was the one who got rid of Jessica.

As the visions escalate and the police suspicions grow, Chance and Jessica try to track down Trinity's deceased parents. What happened to them is a big mystery in her life and each revelation about them raises as many questions as it answers.

I enjoyed this thriller. It was a bit dated with Jessica's reliance on her BlackBerry and the rebuilding efforts after Katrina not being very far along but the suspense was great and Trinity's struggles with her psychic gifts intriguing.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shattered Dreams by Ellie James is a ghost story that takes place in New Orleans. That was pretty much all I needed to hear to make me want to pick up the book. I love spooky books set in the South! Unfortunately, this book basically failed on every level. I found the plot and characters both utterly ridiculous. I could barely make myself finish – I had to scan through sections of it to make it through.

Before I really get going, I do have to speak positively about the setting. I think post-Katrina New Orleans is showcased very well. There are creepy old mansions and dark corners aplenty, I was very happy with that part of things. Sadly, my good feelings for the book end there.

Trinity moves to New Orleans after growing up with her grandmother in Colorado. When the grandmother dies, she moves to live with her aunt. As she tries to make friends, her life gets pretty complicated when the really scary visions she sometimes had growing up become a lot more frequent. When popular girl Jessica disappears after playing a prank on Trinity, lots of people look at her for the blame. That doesn’t include Jessica’s boyfriend Chase, who pretty much immediately jumps ship and seems to fall for Trinity.

The characters were laughably bad. Emotionally (well, really only relationship-wise), they seemed more like thirty-five year old adults than teenagers. Every time I turned around Trinity and Chase were holding each other and Chase would calmly there-there her as he pulled her into his arms – that immediate intensity came off as very odd. A real class act, that guy. No qualms about becoming involved in a very intense relationship with the girl blamed for making his (very recently ex) girlfriend disappear. Plus, major insta-love alert. Absolutely no character development to make readers understand why they want to be together. No real development otherwise either – I couldn’t tell you anything about Trinity except that she has ghostly visions and likes to whine to Chase about them.

The silliest things kept happening throughout the story. Like for example, Chase offered to help Trinity find out more about her parents, who she knows little to nothing about. He almost immediately has the information about who they are and where they lived – apparently he keeps confidential city records in his back pocket? Then, as they walk up to the creepy abandoned house, he suddenly disappears. Trinity freaks out when she can’t find him and goes running around looking for him. Then, suddenly he is there again and randomly says, “I was adopted as a baby but my parents lied about it and told me I wasn’t.” He then goes on to tell the story about how he discovered this – when they are in a tense situation and Trinity is obviously scared out of her mind. Can you say totally random and out-of-place? I literally laughed out loud in disbelief at the horrible timing.

It has been a long time since I’ve sincerely disliked every single thing about a book. Normally the things I like are plot points I know others will enjoy – but this is one book I recommend everyone pass over. I have already seen positive reviews of it on Goodreads though, so if you were interested in reading it before seeing my review you might look a little further before you completely give up.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed reactions to this book. Parts of it were honestly suspenseful and compulsively readable. Other parts were trying too hard to be mysterious and just wound up confusing. There were a number of passages I went back and re-read, trying to figure out what was going on. Keeping vision apart from reality was somethings a bit of a job, but it was more some of the stylistic and narrative choices, trying to keep readers in the dark as much as possible. Writing a mystery is a fine art, and more than once James veered to the side of not giving enough information for a comprehensive narrative in order to avoid letting readers figure out the ending before the protagonist does.

Character-wise, we also end up with a mixed bag. Trinity herself is a bit of a cipher. With everything that's going on around her, including her dreams and her discovery of her own missing background, the force of her personality gets a bit lost. She spends most of the book confused and letting things happen to her instead of taking control of anything. She's not even motivated enough to go digging into her own history. THe only thing she's ever been told about her own parents is that they died in some sort of incident when she was very young, and while she explains her grandmother was reluctant to talk about it, she doesn't seem to have asked anyone or made any effort to do research on her own. Surely a sixteen-year-old could google their names, especially since she knew the city and approximate date of their deaths.

As for her romantic interest... look, I'll be honest. I really hated Chase. He's supposed to be this dreamboat, but I never warmed up to him. He calls Trinity "baby," he repeatedly ignores her requests to back off, and I found his intensity to be creepy and unsettling. I was actually rooting for him to turn out to be the villain, since it would not only be an interesting plot twist but would justify my hatred for him.

I actually did like a number of the secondary characters, though. Trinity's aunt in particular is interesting, and I kind of wonder if the story would have been more fun if it centred around her instead of Trinity. Her life has been under just as much upheaval by the unexpected arrival of her troubled teenage niece, she was smart and caring and in some cases she knew more about what was going on than the girl with the visions. Maybe if the two of them had worked together more as a team I would have found more to like in this book, but the aunt gets shunted to the side in favour of Chase.

The first two-thirds of the book were full of cliff-hangers, and I had a hard time putting it down. The story moved along at a good pace, and in spite of the occasional bout of confusion, the mysteries built on each other until about the last hundred pages or so, when Trinity decides to wander around aimlessly for awhile, trying to escape her problems. She wanders for quite a long time, avoiding both reality and her visions, and the story crawls to a stop. Unfortunately it never quite recovers from this, even when she finally puts the last piece of the puzzle together and the big hunt for both Jessica and the person who abducted her is on.

Ultimately Shattered Dreams is full of interesting ideas but fails to live up to its own promise. If we spent less time with the alleged love interest and more time actively working on they mystery I might have enjoyed this more, but the constant attempts to keep the reader in the dark were more frustrating than effective.

[~Tina~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the death of her parents and her grandmother, Trinity goes to live with her aunt in New Orleans.
Being the new girl at shcool and hanging out with kids who've known each other their whole lives, Trinity didn't want to seem like a chicken when they brought her to an old house, presumed to be haunted. When a game goes seriously wrong and later Jessica turns up missing, Trinity doesn't have any choice but to come forth and tell what she seen in her dreams. See, Trinity has always been different, what she dreams are things that always comes true. She doesn't understand why she's like this, or at least, not yet....

Shattered Dreams turned out to be a decent read. The writing was good, Ellie James nailed that spooky and eerie flavor throughout the entire book.

I liked Trinity, she's got a pretty freaky ability that I so wouldn't want, but I liked that she helped Jessica out even though she wasn't very nice to begin with. But this book is more then Trinity trying to help find her classmate, it's mostly about her finding the truth about herself and her family. Honestly, the different directions this book would turn made it both intriging and confusing, but it wasn't predictable and it kept me on my toes so I was okay with it.
The only problem I had with the book was Chase. He's a sweet guy, always there to catch Trinity when she falls or comes running back after she pushes him away time after time, but I just didn't buy their relationship. It felt to forced rather then just flowed. No real spark and it felt rather rushed considering they just met.

All in all, this was an okay book. It has a good spin on supernatural abilities. I liked the mysterious surrounding this one and it was actually pretty gripping and creepy at times.

(Arc provided by Netgalley)

[Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shattered Dreams was not at all what I expected. It was ten times better! From the very first page I was hooked and I could not put it down.

Trinity is an awesome main character. She is brave, funny, smart, kind, and (my favorite thing) kind of bad ass. She is not afraid to be disliked by the popular kids at school and she is one of the only people willing to stand up to them. Chase is another amazing character. He is sweet, kind, caring, brave, and willing to stand by Trinity through everything. Trinity's aunt, Sara, is one character I wanted to know more about but I think that will be addressed in the next book. Really, all the characters were fantastic!

The plot is what really gets you hooked though. The story starts off in a supposedly haunted mansion and that was all it took to get me into the story. This book was full of twists and surprises and I was up late into the night reading. The last 100 pages really had me going and I was clueless as to who was good or bad. Best kind of suspense!

The setting also made this book great! The story takes place in New Orleans and while I have never been there, I feel like I have. The imagery in this book is amazing and it only added to the awesomeness. =)

Overall, Shattered Dreams is a must read! I adored this book and I can't wait for the next book in the series. Get your hands on a copy now!

[Lil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before I begin, I feel obligated to say that the synopsis above, taken from Goodreads, is totally misguiding. I thought that I was getting a paranormal romance novel, but the entire thing seemed more like a murder mystery to me. A murder mystery that a girl with paranormal psychic-like powers played a huge part in, but the murder mystery dominated every else. While Trinity's powers were important to the plot, we barely got a back-story to them. There was a decent bit of paranormal occurrences in the story, but there was no explanation behind them. It was odd. But I'd also like to point out that I now have my first ever signed book, which I think is totally cool!

The story begins with Trinity, the new girl in town, playing truth-or-dare in a haunted house in New Orleans. Soon, she finds out that it was a trap, a trick played by evil head cheerleader Jessica and her cohort, Amber. Not long after, Jessica disappears. While her romance with Jessica's ex, Chase, heats up, Amber gets the rumors flying about Trinity and her supposed role in Jessica's disappearance. Jessica did play a mean trick on her, after all, and she was now semi-dating her boyfriend. Isn't it an obvious choice that Trinity played a role in the disappearance? Time begins ticking as more and more people turn their back on Trinity and she works to uncover the mystery surrounding Jessica's disappearance before it's too late.

The plot in this book was decent. It had so much potential to be absolutely amazing. Trinity was a psychic! She could see when people were in danger. If only she shared her gift and joined forces with the police or something. They'd be unstoppable. But instead, she attributes everything supernatural in her life to "dreams" and makes herself seem insane to everyone. Still, the journey her visions took us on was great. Despite all the flaws in the novel--I'll elaborate on them momentarily--I couldn't put the book down and had to see what happened to Jessica and who her abductor was. I had to read to the very last page.

The plot had so many oddities in it. For one, Trinity just accepted the fact that her parents died when she was two. She'd ask questions, and when people would not give her an answer, she'd look the other way. I don't know about you, but that seems strange to me. If I were her, I'd be digging on the Internet until my fingers bled, trying to find the source of their deaths and learn about them. I'd be curious as to why my parents were so quiet in their mourning and barely wanted to allow me, their child, to know of them since they died before I could remember their faces. She just turns her back on something that once meant so much to her like it was nothing. It confused me.

The writing in this novel is choppy. Be warned that if you pick up this novel, you are not reading something that will blow you away. The scenes seemed disjointed. There was no rhyme or reason to some of the things happening, and there were too many side path's that we were led down that were not important to the plot at all. Visions were hard to set apart from reality at some points, too.

The characterization in this novel wasn't the best either. I liked Trinity at times and I didn't at other times. She was so worried about what others thought and constantly had drama in her own head. Since we're reading in her voice, you can imagine that there was a lot of unnecessary drama. Normally, I'd go into deep thought about all the main characters, but I just can't with this novel. Most of the characters were bi-polar. They'd flip like a switch. Sometimes, James attributed this to alcohol. Still, I wouldn't bend over and tackle a girl if I was a star football player just because I was slightly buzzed and ticked off at my girlfriend who happens to be best friends with the girl who I just tackled to the ground. Ugh, don't get me started on this, guys.

I had big problems with Amber, too. She was psychotic, literally. I know it's hard to lose your best friend, but you should mourn her loss instead of spend all of your time spreading false rumors about a girl whose trying to save your best friend. Not to mention the fact that you went out of your way to plant some evidence. I just want to sit here and cough under my breath while declaring her to be a nutcase.

The biggest problem with characterization would be the man who abducted Jessica. You know he's creepy, you know he's got to have some sort of power if he's escaping the cops views and only getting the attention of Trinity, but that's about it. All too quickly does the final showdown ensue. You barely know what he looks like, let alone his name, his background, why he is the way he is and what caused him to abduct Jessica. You know next to nothing about him. He's such a huge part of this novel because he's the one who caused such horrible things to happen, yet his characterization is practically non-existent.

On a positive note, I loved Trinity's Aunt and can't wait to read more about her. If only the two of them teamed up or something. They'd be the dream team, balancing each other out perfectly.

Now, to the romance. I love romance, but I felt like this romance was there for the sake of trying to grab the attention of romance readers, like myself. It was not well thought-out and Trinity spent so much of the story with Chase, doing nothing relating to the mystery. Did I mention he's hot? Well, Trinity did practically every single page. That amazing body, the hidden tattoo's, those blue eyes and dimples, ahhh... so hot! Her thoughts regarding him were so repetitive. Another thing that bugged me is that the romance was just there. It's obvious that Trinity likes Chase for his looks. Chase broke up with the hottest girl in school and has been trying to get with Trinity ever since. There's no back-story to the two of them besides that they're lab partners. It just happens. They take you on no journey! And James' attempts to make Chase seem like a deep character worked sometimes, but just backfired most of the time. They took away too much from the overall murder mystery. Trinity spent half the book running from him or telling him to leave and half of it wishing he'd come back. No matter what she thought, he'd do the opposite. It was frustrating.

And, to add to the whole attempt at bringing romance readers into the story, a love-triangle begins to form. But it happens completely out of nowhere and seems totally unnecessary to the plot. Not to mention that it doesn't start until the reader is about 85%-90% through the book. A little too late, don't you think? I will say this, though. I loved Dylan. His character has more depth to him and he's more intriguing. I want to know what happens between him and Trinity. And that says a lot since we know about Chase since page one and Dylan isn't even there for a solid fourth of the book. And to make me like Dylan even more, he doesn't say "baby" on practically every page of the novel. He's so much less annoying.

So, here's the big question: Will I be reading the sequel? The answer to that question is yes, even though I am in no rush to do so. Why, you may ask, do I plan on reading a sequel to a book that I politely criticized so greatly in this post? It held me captive somehow. Despite all my qualms, I could not put it down because Jessica's story pulls you in the second she disappears. All of the useless side-stories are somewhat bearable, but you keep reading to find out what happens to Jessica. Is she alive or dead? Does Trinity find her in time? Does Trinity find her at all? And most importantly, who is the abductor? But, I am also choosing to read the next book for Dylan. He was introduced so late in this novel and I so greatly want to see what happens with him since I prefer him over Trinity's boyfriend, Chase. I want to see the love triangle ensue and I want to cross my fingers and pray that he comes out victorious.

I am giving this book 2 stars. It has a lot of character development problems and plot holes that need to be fixed. If they are, the novel would have been so much better. Its plot had such promise, but the fact that it can still capture your attention, even with all its flaws, proves to be a vital aspect to any story, which is why I will continue this series whenever I'm in the mood to do so. The sequel, linked below, has a much better response than the prequel. Logic says this is because James figured out her flaws and began to fix them up and improve her skill as a writer when releasing her second novel. We'll see how this works out.

This is a good book to read if you're bored and want something unique. It seems to have a little bit of everything somehow. It has mystery, murder, romance, and paranormal all thrown together to create the novel that is Shattered Dreams.

[Taylah 🏹 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I ever read. From what I can remember, I absolutely fell in love with this story and the characters in it. I’ll forever love this series 🩵

[rameau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reader discretion advised: This isn't going to be pretty. It's going to be a downright nasty review.


At first I though this would be a standard young adult novel about a high school kid growing up, spending way too much time thinking about boys with a hint of what happened to her parents mystery thrown in. And the very beginning seemed to support that hypothesis. I actually thought I'd end up liking this book and how it was written.

Then I started thinking that everyone around the main protagonist was written to be creepy for a reason, and this was actually a psychological study of a breaking mind with a hint of paranormal thrown into the mix. Well, I certainly was wrong again.

In the end, though, it just turned out to be a big mess.

I've read my fair share of crime mysteries, but honestly the thought that this book might be one of those whodunnit novels didn't enter my mind until half way through when I stopped to read a review of this book. Insert an ugly laugh here, because that was my initial reaction.

There's no rhyme or reason to how the characters behave from the characterisation standpoint and there's even less rationality from the mystery viewpoint. There are certain rules all good detective stories seem to follow, and this one fails at all of them.

First of all, our hero or heroine is supposed to be capable of independent thought. I found no evidence to support this hypothesis from the pages I managed to decipher. Trinity Rose appeared to have two thoughts in her head: Chase and woe is me!

Speaking of Chase, he comes across as a creepy stalker type à la Edward Cullen. No, he doesn't watch her sleep, but I'm inclined to think that has more to do with the door code and her aunt actually keeping an eye on T than his conscience.

Then there are the clues. What clues? Only clues I detected were Trinity's dreams or hallucinations, which had very little to do with the actual mystery.

It'd been better if the author had forgotten the mystery altogether, because applying basic logic I was able to successfully deduce the culprit without actually paying any attention to the story between chapter three and thirty-one. He's one of the three people old enough to have commit the original crimes.

Had the author forgone the attempt to mesh together the inane internal chatter of an emerging schizophrenic and a serial killer murder mystery, and had she spent that time to create a truly likeable character with a non-vomit-inducing voice I might have liked this book.

I'm not claiming I would have, but I might have.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Psychics have always fascinated me and psychic murder mysteries are always things I absolutely love. I loved both the psychic and the mystery element about Shattered Dreams. What I didn’t like was the way the characters interacted with each other and their actions.
The psychic part was done absolutely brilliantly. It portrayed Trinity in a light where you could see that she was a psychic but at the same time you couldn’t help but wonder if she was a little bit crazy and the lines between reality and fantasy started to blur together so that you didn’t really know whether Trinity was actually the bad guy in this or if she truly was just having these visions.
As for the mystery part. It was really good too. Was Jessica just playing a prank on people; playing a game? Or did someone nab her? It’s quite hard to tell. I know that I latched onto a certain character and hoped that it was them that was the bad guy. In a way I was right but I was also wrong. I don’t want to spoil anything but you just have to read it to find out.
The one thing that just really irked me about the book was how the characters acted. I felt like in so many of the situations that Trinity was in that she acted in the exact opposite way that I would have. Then there was Chase and his name really suited him because that’s what he did for most of the book. Chase Trinity, chase the past, chase the bad guys. I just found him to be kind of annoying in that sense. Then there was Amber. Now, Amber was meant to be a drama queen and a bitch but she just did it so over the top that I found it really frustrating. There were just so many characters that got to me that it dragged the story down a little bit for me.
Aside from my not liking the majority of the character interactions I was intrigued by a couple of characters and I would like to know a little bit more about them.
Overall, I thought that Shattered Dreams was really good. It was just the characters acting like they do in the cheesy horror movies that annoyed me a little bit. However, the mystery and psychic aspects of the novel really drew me in and they were brilliant; so I’m definitely going to be looking out for the next book in the series.

[Zoey Talbon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erm, I was definitely not on page 203 13 minutes ago . . . Goodreads is getting slow with updates, is it?

Anyway.

If I'm honest, it took me a long time to get into Shattered Dreams. I took ages just to read the first forty pages, and even after that, it was kind of a slow read for me. I think my problem was with the narrator, Trinity. She wasn't a character that I could connect to. At all. I mean, sure, she lusted after a boy who already had a girlfriend, which is perfectly normal, but other than that, I had no ways to connect to her. We didn't learn anything about her interests or hobbies, so there wasn't really anything to connect to.

I also felt like the rest of the characters weren't involved enough, excluding Chase. Of course, the book was supposed to be about the mystery surrounding Jessica's disappearance, etc, and it was, but I felt like too much of the book was centered on Trinity and everything that was going on with her. I wouldn't consider Trinity a whiner, not by any means, but I was fairly annoyed because we didn't get to see much of the other characters.

I have no idea how I felt about Chase. :P He was very helpful and did almost everything he could for Trinity, but sometimes, he just fell flat to me. He was the romantic interest, and it was obvious that Trinity liked him, but he wasn't anything for me to swoon over like I often do with fictional characters.

The writing style saved this book for me. It was simple and easy to understand, yet there were still amazing descriptions of everything. I'm not sure how to say this, but the . . . creepiness bled through, I guess :P James made it believable, and if Trinity was scared, so was I. (Sort of. I don't scare easily.) The only problem I had when it came to the writing style was the italics in the dialogue - there was way too much of it, especially when people said Trinity's name. I felt like every time someone said her name, it was in italics.

Overall: Shattered Dreams was full of suspense and twists I never saw coming. Although I wish some of the other characters had been more involved and I won't be clamboring over people to get the sequel, once you get into it, Shattered Dreams is a good read. 3 stars.

[Book Whales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted @ Book Whales

She can see visions of death…

And it’s up to her to stop them from happening



The book started with a group of friends inside an empty house which is said to be haunted, wherein they started a “harmless” game of Truth or Dare. For everyone, it was just a game, but for Trinity, it’s not. She’s different from any other teenage girls. How so? She can see visions of deaths, and they come true. There she sees an image of one of the girls with her, Jessica, and in that very moment, Trinity knew that it’s not good, thus marking the start of her rather rough life.

I was hooked when I first started reading this, expecting that I’ll read an awesome ghost story, but I was wrong. Honestly, I thought this is a paranormal novel (which involves ghosts), and it turned out to be a murder/mystery story. I don’t have any problems with that because I also love that genre. But I was still disappointed because there are no ghosts! (boohoo!)

Anyway, I still enjoyed reading this. It took me to the edge of my seat as I also try to figure out the mystery, and who could be the culprit. There were parts that instead of reading, I ended up skimming them because well, it was a bit boring for me. I was relieved that this didn’t have a love triangle, but I was wrong (again!). Another love interest has appeared I think at 70% of the book? Or was that 80%? I can’t recall it anymore, but I really prefer the new guy, Dylan, than Trinity’s boyfriend, Chase. There’s just something about Dylan that’s interesting that I can’t quite figure out…yet. And even though he didn’t have much exposure in the book, I already like him a lot.

Overall, this is a fun read for those who love murder/mysteries and to those who enjoyed reading the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Rating:

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exciting, engaging debut novel that will remain with you long after it has been read.

Bestselling US author Ellie James has produced a spectacular sultry thriller that leaves you sleepless…Taut and wrought with spine tingling tension, I was sat rigid to my seat immersed within a darkly sinister love story. Beautifully hypnotic and acutely memorable, this is a teen psychic novel with a supernatural twist and paranormal ambience. Prepare to be dazzled by the intense drama and enchanted by the captivating prose, professing realism and thought-provoking meaning within.

‘I promised never to speak of the things I see…
The things I see happen.
They always happen…
They’re not just dreams, are they?’

Trinity Monsour is in possession of a rare quality, which is both a blessing and a curse. Her haunting dreams and disturbing visions prove more than just nightmares, when a girl whom she dislikes unexpectedly vanishes and is thrown into the path of terrible danger. Within a City of secrets lies the key to Trinity’s gift and as her quest begins to save Jessica, before it is too late, the riddle slowly is unraveled…this is a chilling thriller with an unexpected, shocking twist!

Although a fan of the Young Adult genre I am not usually drawn to thrillers/ horror stories, as I tend to prefer something less spooky which wont have me jumping as I look out the corner of my eye. However, saying this I was pleasantly surprised by this story which is an exquisite tale of love, betrayal and stalking evil perfectly executed. I did not need a light on (as I made sure to read during daylight hours!), and so was able to fully appreciate how well-written this book was as I lost myself within “Shattered Dreams” for several hours, undisturbed. I loved the characters and the inspired plot which was what had captured my interest initially, so as to entice me to read this.

I would definitely recommend this to readers looking for something distinctive, which will linger upon the mind as you never forget such a memorable story.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shattered Dreams had been high on my list to read for a while, so when the opportunity came up to review it, I jumped at the chance and let me say, it really didn't disappointment.

This story surrounds a young girl called Trinity who moves to New Orleans to live with her aunt after the death of her grandma. Trinity appears to be a normal teenage girl, but when a game of truth or dare gets out of hand and a girl disappears, she soon starts seeing visions of the future. As Trinity journeys brings her to discover her heritage, she soon finds herself in more danger than ever.

I really enjoyed Shattered Dreams. It's a paranormal, mystery and romance book all rolled into one and I love this kind of read, because it keeps you on you're toes all the way through. I really loved how the story started, it was gripping and entertaining and the author did a fantastic job introducing all the different characters. I especially loved Trinity, I thought she was strong, brave and full of courage. She helps the one girl whose been horrible to her since she started her new school and the fact that she could over look that, and was still willing to help her, was very admirable. I also really liked the love interest Chase. He clearly likes Trinity and he's willing to go out of his way to help her. Their relationship wasn't instant and I loved that too. However, I am praying that there will be no love triangle between Chase, Trinity and Dylan. I'm kind of sick of this at the moment and I'm hoping there won't be...but I guess we'll see.

The dreams that Trinity had were very vivid and I loved that they were easy to imagine. I have to admit, I did find they were a bit jumpy at times but as the story progress, I found them to even out a little. And I'm very eager to see where Ellie James next takes this story.

Overall, Shattered Dreams was a very enjoyable read and one I can't wait to read more about.

[Addie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Shattered Dreams was just amazing! I wasn’t really expecting anything when I picked this up and I didn’t really know what it was about, but it blew my mind!


Trinity is not your ordinary character. She lost her parents when she was two, but no one tells her how or why. And she barley knows anything of her ancestry or why she has her unexpected visions. Everyone is keeping secrets about her family and heritage from her. Trinity went through a lot in this book and has been growing stronger and stronger because of it. She was admirable whenever she stood up for herself and not care what anyone thought of her. She did sometimes lose her sanity because of the visions, but it’s understandable since we’re reading through her eyes.


Chase was another likable character. He was Jessica’s, the girl who’s missing, ex-girlfriend, and Trinity’s current one. Chase was soft, understanding and protective of Trinity. The moments between them were always so dreamy and just… perfect. Although, it did get a little too mushy for me sometimes with Chase constantly calling her baby and whatnot. The attraction between Dylan and Trinity was kind of confusing… It seemed kind of forced and they were both sending mixed signals.


I loved Ellie’s simple writing style and the mysterious and dark feel of the book. There was not one slow moment and the mystery of Jessica’s disappearance kept me fully engaged. I also loved the New Orleans setting. Many of the characters had lost someone or something meaningful to them because of Hurricane Katrina and it was interesting to feel what it was like with all of those deaths. There were some times towards the ending where it was confusing, but the rest of the book makes up for that.


I recommend this to anyone who loves a great mystery and paranormal book!

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shattered Dreams was all about Trinity Rose who moves in with her aunt after her grandmother died. There, her visions came back—that keeps haunting her—and unravels the secret behind it with the people around her.

I won’t and don’t want to finish it. The story was confusing; it was hard to determine where the visions of Trinity started, what was the real score about her visions and though they explained it in the story it was obscured. They try to explain it bit by bit with every chapter which is not helping in making the story better. At the beginning I thought that the first paragraph was really compelling because it started in a unique way, then it all got weary up to the next chapters.

Its characters was lackluster, mainstream, and the “partner” of Trinity which is--who is it again?—see! I don’t even remember him, because he will not etched in your mind as compared to other leading man. I was more attached to Dylan who’s got some secret about what was going on to Trinity and onto his self. I’d be happier if he’s the “partner” of Trinity…no, I’d be extremely happy if he will not be emotionally involved with Trinity or anyone. Because honestly I don’t like her either, she’s a flirt; she keeps telling her self that she’ll try to keep her feelings with her “partner”. Whose girlfriend is missing, while the two of them calling their selves ‘baby’ which is not a good endearment especially if they saying it many times.

But we requested this so I felt I’m obliged to finish and review it. The only thing that I liked about this book was it got some whodunit going on and Dylan. Over all I’ll give it a 3 star, if you still want to read this it’s your own decision. But decide wisely

[Bailey (IB Book Blogging) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe how long it took me to pick SHATTERED DREAMS up. For one, that cover is gorgeous, and then there's that drew me right in. I wasn't sure what to expect, only that there would be a bit of a paranormal element. I just love it when I am surprised in a novel and James threw in quite a few twists that had me scratching my head. And the boys!!! WOW are they spicy. I think I may have to pack up my things and move to New Orleans if the guys in her book are any indication. You have to pick this one up!

Trinity has taken one heck of a beating in life. Her parents died when she was barely a toddler, she knows next to nothing about them, and she has a "gift" that shows her things that no one else is able to see. On top of that, her grandma recently died and she is sent to New Orleans to live with an aunt that she barely knows. When the mean girl Jessica goes missing, Trinity begins to see things that could lead her to Jessica.

Trinity is a sweet and lost girl who I wanted to be happy. I can only imagine what it would be like to not have any real familial connection. I hurt for all of her hard times, but I hoped for the best after everything she goes through in the book. I felt connected to Trinity and the journey that she was on for a discovery of herself and her past.

Can I just say how lucky Trinity is to have scored a hunk like Chase? He is so swoon worthy and tempting. He and Trinity have a lightning hot connection with each other that ignites off the pages! His support of Trinity is too sweet and I love how he was determined to figure out the truth about her mom and dad. What a guy!

If you haven't yet given SHATTERED DREAMS a shot, you are sure missing out! James is a fantastic writer and I enjoyed every moment of this book!!!

[Mary Chrapliwy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't planned on reading this book right on the heals of the Demon Lover, but it's been calling to me from my Nook.

The description from the Amazon pages leads me to believe this may be the first in a series of books, but it didn't read like a series book until the very last page, which was a confusing one. I'm not so sure I'll be following up to read any book two in the series.

Trinity Monsour lives hidden away in the Colorado hills with her grandmother until she passes away and Trinity ends up living back in the town she was born in with her aunt - New Orleans. She has a bit of trouble fitting in and at the start of the book a group of mean girls plays a trick on her, trapping her in a windowless room in a house haunted by shadows and nightmares. She has had visions in the past, and is startled and afraid of visions that hit her while in the house.

Told in first person point of view, we see what Trinity sees and feel the uncertainty she feels. When the alpha mean girl disappears, Trinity has visions and dreams about her whereabouts, but no one will take her seriously, instead some view her as a suspect in the disappearance. Slowly, through the course of the novel, secrets are revealed. James does a good job building suspense. I enjoy young adult fiction with a strong main character. I would say the only flaw in this story was the lack of strength Trinity displays and her continued inner dialogue about wanting to melt into the arms of the person she has a crush on - it little too heavy on the romance, and a little too light on the frightened heroine. Maybe in book two she'll find a little strength, but I won't be clamoring to read book two.

[Tonyalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

To to honest, this book wasn't on any to read shelves. I stumbled on this book while browsing titles at my library, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be an OK read. I like the spin of Trinity's abilities.

The writing was decent. I wasn't fond of how the story starts though. I felt as if I was jumping to the 3rd or 4th chapter. AND-it was confusing. Through out the story I had to keep going back to re read certain parts. I didn't know which way was up or down, real or vision or dream, which was frustrating, but... GOOD at the same time. I was just as confused as Trinity, and I think that pushed me to continue, so I could figure out what in the blazes was going on.

We also get to see Trinity discover her background. Her parents had died when she was young and she didn't know much about them. She was determined to know anything. My only issue with this; the two didn't flow together. While running around town talking to people in her mothers past, I completely forgot about Jessica. (And to be honest, I thought figuring out her past and family history was a little more interesting then what was happening with Jessica).

I felt the romance was off too. Trinity already had feelings for him going into the story, so I didn't feel that connection that I normally would have, had we seen the first meeting between them and all that. Or even got to know him before he jumped in as a love interest. And at times, his actions were creepy.

All in all, it was OK. I'm going on to read the rest of the series.

[Jasmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trinity is special. She dreams true things, things that are or will be happening...and most of the time they are not good. Trinity comes to live with her aunt in New Orleans after the death of her grandmother. After a foolish prank is pulled on her by Jessica, the mean but popular girl at school, Jessica turns up missing. Trinity has "seen" what is going on, but most won't believe her and the ones that do think Trinity had something to do with it. Trinity has to find a way to save Jessica before it's too late, but there is a deeper plot at work against her that she doesn't see.

Trinity is a great character. Haunted by her past and her present she is looking for answers to so many questions. The urgent one is how she can help Jessica without making it seem even more like she was involved in the disappearance. She is also trying to learn more about her family and the mysterious "gift" she has of seeing things.

Trinity is helped by by her new friend, Chase. Chase used to be Jessica's boyfriend and is also being investigated as a potential part of her disappearance. He has connections and tries to help Trinity find answers to her many questions.

A great story that draws deep on the history of New Orleans, from its historical cemetaries to the wreckage left by Hurricane Katrina. We follow Trinity as she learns about the city of her past and what to expect from her future.

4/5

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok , so the synopsis of the book was interesting enough and made me look forward to reading it but it ended up being a huge disappointment .The starting was decent enough but the transition from normal to mystery was too sudden and too early.There was no gradual development in the intensity and by the time I had read one third of the book everything was way too confusing..!The characters weren't fully developed.
There were far too many loose ends.
Seemed to me like the author just kept compiling random thoughts about the plot but never shaped any of those into a plot.
Throughout the book I found random information and scenes and kept on reading hoping to find a link later on...but I never did find any.

I still couldn't get the following...(those who have read the book would know)

-Emma Watson..?? She hated Trinity's mother because of her son-in-law..?? Why..??

-the scene when they went to visit her mother's cousin,the cat,the knife,the mirror,...the context of it all to the main story ?

- the scene with the tarot and palm reader??

-Who was following her..??Now or throughout her life?? How?? why??

The questions were all there in the book but sadly there were NO answers.I guess the author sort of wanted to create a certain amount of suspense regarding the other books yet to come in the series..but she monumentally failed in hooking me up to the story in the process.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trinity girl, I have three words for you: Chase, who? and DYLAN. Okay that as really four, but the “and” doesn’t count.

Shattered Dreams was a fun filled ride! There are so many twists and turns in this one I wasn’t sure if up was down or down was up! I’m hoping that we get to learn a lot more about Trinity’s abilities in the next novel. There is a next novel, right? I feel like we just started to scratch the surface to Trinity’s ability and her heritage. And of course I want to see how Dylan and his father come into play in the scheme of things.

New Orleans was the perfect backdrop for this mysterious and gripping novel. It definitely had that creepy after taste that fit the book perfectly. I think the setting was almost a character in itself. James paints it beautifully! It makes you seem like you are right there with Trinity.

Trinity was a love hate character for me. I think I struggled with her naivety but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel empathy for her since she’s been cut off from this huge part of her life. I will admit that she did grow on me by the end of the novel.

Great characters, wicked story and a creepy setting… this book is fabulous! And just plain fun to read.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

After her grandmother died, Trinity had to move in with her aunt in New Orleans. We get the usual high school drama here. We have the new girl, the initiation of going into a haunted house (or some other dare in other cases), the good looking boy who is dating the IT/slash mean girl, and minions of the mean girl.

So, this booked is tagged as a fantasy and a paranormal, but for me it feels more like a crimes-mystery type. So Trinity has this ability of being a psychic of sorts and this power helped her in resolving the crime that took place in the story. We will see that this ability was actually a family thing and was inherited from her mom. As we go along, the back story of her parents will unfold and will give more sense to why our heroine is the way she is. Her love interest, Chase, is kinda creepy for me. Not the typical boy next door type. He is extreme, sometimes really cold, sometimes hot. Sometimes he is there for her, sometimes he is not. He gets mood swings like a girl on her period, I should think. I would have preferred a more "boyfriend" material kind of love team.

There were a lot of plot holes in the story, so if you are the type who is meticulous about these things, then this book is not the one for you. I recommend this to someone who wants to read something but would not mind surface only details. Overall, it was an okay read.

[Kyla Sixkiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shattered Dreams offers an intriguing premise and a captivating atmosphere. However, the execution falls short in several areas, hindering its overall appeal.

The narrative is initially gripping, with well-paced action and cliffhangers. However, the pacing slows down significantly in the final third, as Trinity's aimless wandering disrupts the momentum.

The characters are a mixed bag. Trinity, while intriguing, is a somewhat passive protagonist, often letting things happen to her rather than taking control. Chase, her love interest, is a deeply flawed character who can be both charming and manipulative. The secondary characters, particularly Trinity's aunt, are more engaging and offer a refreshing perspective.

The author's attempts to keep the reader in the dark can be frustrating, as they sometimes hinder the narrative's clarity. While the mystery is intriguing, the lack of information can make it difficult to follow the plot.

Despite its flaws, Shattered Dreams has potential. With a more active protagonist and a clearer narrative, it could have been a truly exceptional thriller.

[Anncleire · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Shattered dreams” è uno di quei libri che avevo richiesto e che è rimasto per lungo tempo in attesa di essere letto. Perché? Non lo so, probabilmente perché avevo dimenticato la trama, e perché gli ultimi galley che ho iniziato a leggere non mi sono piaciuti. Quindi ero scettica rispetto a questa storia ma naturalmente mi sono dovuta ricredere.

Trinity ha sedici anni, i suoi genitori sono morti quando ne aveva due ed ha sempre vissuto con la nonna sulle montagne in Colorado, fino a che anche lei la lascia sola. L’unica parente che può accoglierla è Sarah, la sorella del padre, dieci anni più giovane di lui. Trinity si trasferisce quindi a New Orleans che sta rinascendo dopo la disgrazia di Katrina. Qui è difficile per la ragazza ambientarsi e fare amicizia perché i ragazzi si conoscono da sempre e formano un gruppo unito. Una sera però la invitano in una casa abbandonata per spaventarla a morte. E dopo quella sera inizia l’incubo. Jessica, la cheerleader, la regina della scuola è gelosa di lei perché il suo ragazzo storico, Chase, il quarterback della squadra di football l’ha lasciata e prova dei sentimenti per Trinity. Vuole fargliela pagare, ma non si rende che il gioco si ritorce contro di lei. Solo le straordinarie capacità di Trinity riusciranno a salvarla, mentre la ragazza mette insieme i pezzi del suo passato.

La storia è affascinante e il paranormal ha la parte più rilevante, la capacità di Trinity di sognare e vedere cose oscure e mortali è il nucleo del libro, fiancheggiato dalla romance con Chase.
Chase sembra il re della scuola, il padrone assoluto della sua vita che ci viene mostrata all’inizio come perfetta, la vita che ogni adolescente medio vorrebbe avere. Ricco, stupendo, popolare, in gamba, gentile è il ritratto dell’handsome. Ma nel corso della narrazione ci rivela i segreti che nasconde dietro la facciata. I tradimenti e segreti che sempre lo hanno avvolto. Anche lui ha perso molto dopo Katrina e quel senso di perdita che avvolge la città, sembra aleggiare anche intorno a lui. Ma c’è ed è questo ciò che conta, la sua presenza costante al fianco di Trinity, il calore che le dà ad ogni stretta di mano. E anche se sembra allontanarsi, è sempre lì che le tiene dietro offrendo il suo aiuto incondizionato.
Trinity d’altra parte è spaventata e confusa. Prima il rifiuto e poi la verità che le cade addosso come un macigno, la scoperta sulla madre, i misteri, la vita segreta che non avrebbe mai immaginato. Le pietre e le visioni fino all’oscura rivelazione riguardo alla morte dei suoi genitori. La nonna l’ha lasciata sempre all’oscuro e lei si è sempre sforzata di seguire le sue indicazioni anche se tutto le gridava di non farlo. Finalmente al di fuori della sua ombra, continua a scappare e a nascondersi. Non sempre fa la scelta giusta ma in definitiva capisce che può e deve fidarsi, che deve lasciare andare.
Altro personaggio su cui vorrei porre l’attenzione non è né la zia Sarah che pure merita di essere menzionata per la sua fiducia incrollabile in Trinity, il suo amore e il suo credere il lei e il fornire le prime spiegazioni, né Jessica e l’entourage di amici che la circondano e che in un modo o in un altro cercano di fargliela pagare per essersi messi in mezzo, né la sua amica più cara Victoria che ha un ruolo completamente marginale e del tutto trascurabile, visto che le funzioni che di solito svolge la BFF le porta a termina Chase ( la scoperta del segreto, l’accettazione, il sostegno) ma Dylan. Dylan è il figlio di Jim Forcade un detective che aveva collaborato con la madre di Trinity in alcune indagini su persone scomparse. Il ragazzo conosce tutta la storia di Trin e nonostante tutto è lì per salvarle la vita e per sostenerla quando si ritrova da sola a camminare in bilico. Lui è l’altra faccia della medaglia, il mistero, il fascino quell’aria da cane bastonato così coinvolgente che è impossibile restarne indifferenti. Sull’orlo dell’essere un bad boy, e in definitiva non essendolo affatto incuriosisce e spinge Trinity verso di lui anche quando nei suoi pensieri c’è Chase. Assolutamente irrinunciabile. Compare solo nella seconda metà del libro ma fa davvero la differenza. E poi un po’ di competizione fa sempre bene.

Il dettaglio che metto in luce è questo: i gatti. Non dico altro solo che hanno un ruolo importante e misterioso e fanno da tramite ai mondi in cui si muove la protagonista.

La narrazioni in prima persona aiuta la Elder a costruire una storia su più piani, lasciandoci sempre all’oscuro. La macrostoria, cioè quella di Trinity che cerca di scoprire il suo passato e le sue radici e il caso di investigazione riguardante la scomparsa di Jessica. E in tutto questo i sogni, che la conducono alla verità ma che lasciano un velo di confusione incredibile. Spesso durante la lettura ci si perde con la ragazza, non si riesce a capire cosa è vero e cosa no fino alla risoluzione liberatoria e finale.
Le descrizioni sono vive e drammatiche, soprattutto dell’oscurità e quelle delle visioni in cui lentamente veniamo a mettere insieme i pezzi. E la Elder è molto brava a tenerci sempre in sospeso, e a darci le risposte solo nel momento che lei considera giusto.

In uscita a dicembre questo romanzo deve trovarsi sui vostri scaffali e tra i libri da leggere, ricco di azione, dramma e romance e sovrannaturale ha tutte le caratteristiche per essere un ottimo primo capitolo di una serie. Compratelo.

Io intanto ringrazio Netgalley e Macmillan per avermi messo a disposizione una copia in anticipo in cambio di una mia recensione.

[Anya Zhang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never really read any of Ellie James' books, but based on what I've heard about her, this is definitely all her. I did not necessary love the writing style of the book, but the whole plot line was pretty well thought out. This book has a good fantasy rhythm to it, although the whole story had the same plot line as many other teenage girl-problem books. However, the book still managed to turn out pretty well, but I was kind of disappointed by how Ellie James wrote Trinity. But overall, it was a great read!

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A psychic girl who cannot tell if what she sees is real or her "gift." Not a good trait when the girl who just played a nasty trick on you goes missing and the police think your faulty insight to her where-abouts is only because you had something to do with the disappearance. This novel is filled with strange characters and false friends so you don't know where to turn or what to think. It kept me guessing which I like.

[Sxperimental Mauritius · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok book for a debut novel.
"All the memories taunted, and thoughts teased. I tried to separate reality from fantasy from ...nightmare. But Clarity evaded me."
Yes that was about it...most of the book was lies...uncertainty and taking wrong turns to find that missing girl. Sigh! Dylan saved the book for me. If he didn't pop up at 3/4 of the book I would have gave up. Now I'm intrigued and got the two next books because of Dylan.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick and Dirty: The writing and characterization of the protagonist are strong, but there are confusing holes in the plot at times.

Opening Sentence: “I heard this place is like . . . haunted.”

The Review:

I enjoyed reading this book for the poetic descriptions and the strong protagonist voice. Trinity has had a different childhood than most of the teenagers her age, growing up orphaned and homeschooled by her grandmother a thousand miles away from her closest family member. After her grandmother dies, Trinity moves to New Orleans, where her parents grew up, to live with her Aunt Sara. Right off the reader is able to get a feel for the kind of person Trinity is. She accepts the challenges in her life, and works to overcome her troubles. She doesn’t fit in very well at school, but feels a close connection to her lab partner, Chase. Not only is her life difficult in the normal sense, but Trinity also seems to have inherited her mother’s gift of psychic visions. These visions increase in frequency and accuracy, and they could help save the life of the girl who treated Trinity poorly.

Trinity is smart, strong willed, and funny. I enjoyed reading her, and her voice really came out through the pages. Some novels have apathetic narrators, but not Trinity. She is driven by emotions and the need to know the truth, which propels the story forward. She knows almost nothing about her parents and their deaths, and starts to slowly uncover the truth as she explores mysterious New Orleans for her parent’s past. The reader finds out information as Trinity does, and the need to know what happened kept me reading until the end.

The book focuses mainly on Trinity, but she is not the only character, of course. Her Aunt seems nice enough, but we don’t see much interaction with who Sara really is. Ellie James does not really focus on character development for anyone else, but the reader must also remember that this is the beginning of a series, so Shattered Dreams may just be an introduction to the characters around Trinity. The one person she has the most interaction with is Chase Bonaventure, who is the ex-boyfriend of Jessica, the girl who went missing. Chase is described as likable, attractive, and athletic. Beyond liking Trinity and spending a lot of time with her, we really don’t find out much about who he is as a person. She has an indescribable attraction for him, and he is protective of her fairly quickly, but the relationship between the two does not go into much more detail than that. Maybe we will see more of who Chase is in later books.

For me, finding out what happened to Jessica and Trinity’s parents kept me reading until the end. This book is definitely a paranormal mystery since Trinity experiences clairvoyant dreams that could lead the police to find Jessica if they would take her suggestions seriously. We see the friction between the paranormal and the normal when Trinity is not believed by the police, but is suspected of having something to do with the disappearance in the first place. Anyone who reads paranormal novels knows how difficult relations are between those in power and those who know more because of their gifts.

The plot jumps around a bit between what Trinity dreams about, what actually happens, and what Trinity finds out about her family’s past. The story telling was a bit disjointed, but the descriptive imagery and mystery helped tie the book together. The ending was a bit confusing, but it functions as a cliffhanger for the next novel. I think Shattered Dreams was a good start, and I’m interested to see where this series goes.

Notable Scene:

Open door number one; open door number two. Life was about choices. Take a different path–dream a different dream. Even the road not taken led somewhere.

I’ll never know what would have happened if I’d just turned and walked away.

But I’m never good at that.

Determined not to buckle, I stepped deeper into the room–and saw. Lightening flashed in from a cloudless sky, replacing shadows with a harsh silver light. And in that one cruel flash, everything came into horrible focus. Filth littered the warped wood floor. Some kind of greasy grime coated the windows. Dark copper smeared against the walls. And on the mattress, something really red.

A single pink flip-flop lay upside down.

A cell phone in the corner.

On the bed . . .

I gasped. A girl lay limp as a rag doll, long legs barely covered by short denim shorts. And the hair, long, dark–

I recoiled, tried to breathe. My throat burned. My chest hurt–

“Jesus.”

I grabbed onto the oath, the familiar voice, used it to pull me back. Somehow I managed a forceful blink, returning the shadows to the room and revealing everything exactly as it had been: Jessica and Amber crouched among the candles by the mattresses, a scowling Drew a few steps away, Bethany hovering close to Chase, Pitre beside me. They all stared as if I was crazy.

There’d been no lightening. Not for them.

Only for me.

The Midnight Dragonfly Series:

1. Shattered Dreams

2. Broken Illusions

FTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Griffin provided me with a copy of Shattered Dreams. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.