Insomnia

The Night Walkers #1

by J.R. Johansson

Her eyes saved his life.
Her dreams released his darkness.

After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Romance

351 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

J.R. JOHANSSON is the author of the Night Walkers Series (INSOMNIA, PARANOIA and MANIA) as well as standalone novels, CUT ME FREE, THE ROW and TO THE BONE. Her books have been published in over a dozen languages and more than twenty countries worldwide. She has a B.S. degree in public relations and a background in marketing. She credits her abnormal psychology minor with inspiring many of her characters. She lives in a valley by the mountains where the sun shines 300+ days per year with a hot tub named Valentino.

Reviews

[J.R. Johansson]

This book is unexpectedly creeptastic. It even surprised me, and I wrote it. I can also say with complete bias, that even after reading it approximately 1,247,463 times, I still like it.

That has to mean something, right?

You should read it and let me know. :)

[Brandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

The story is about Parker, who hasn't actually slept in 4 years, and is an invisible bystander to the dreams of the last person he made eye contact with. As things get progressively worse he can only trust his best friend, and his friend's sister, to help him uncover what is wrong with him, and help the girl that he found out he can sleep with (har har).

For such a wholly original idea (to me anyway), this book sure wasn't anything special. I mean, watching the dreams of the last person you made eye contact with?! I've never read a book like that, and I was so hyped up for this one to be amazing, but it's actually the same thing I've read over and over. Spoiled brat MC, absent parent, another with the audacity to care, funny BFF, crush on BFF's sister, and solves the case.

Yay.

Parker annoyed the crap out of me from the get go. He's a selfish, spoiled brat! His father left and his mother actually cares about him which annoys him to no end. He looks like shit and his mother has been looking for/asking about him taking drugs, because why else would he be changing the way he is, but Parker can't handle it: I had enough problems right now. Why did she feel the need to add to them?

"Do you have a better explanation?" She waited a moment before continuing. "Because, believe me, I don't want to find drugs ... but I don't know what else to think."
"I've told you." I shook my head and looked back at her. "I don't sleep well."
She lowered her chin and raised her eyebrows.
"Parker, you sleep all the time."
A hot wave of anger flowed over me. Why did she keep bringing it up? She never believed what I said, anyway. I stood up from the table and turned back toward the hall. "Well then, guess it must be drugs."

His mom forces the issue after this and points out that if it's just sleep then go to the doctor! He breaks down but thinks about how he's been avoiding it because he doesn't want anyone to think he's crazy (eye roll), but I'm thinking, it's been 4 fricken years since he slept and he hasn't already gone crazy?! Of course, the doc also thinks it's drugs and Parker gets all bent out of shape again, but then asks him what happens to people who don't sleep; the doctor tells him how eventually the person would die, and now suddenly Parker has a time limit left on this earth. "The person would become psychotic, experiencing a variety of dangerous psychological symptoms, and then ... well, then the person would die." It wasn't like the doctor told him a person would die in x-amount of time, and considering that Parker hasn't slept in 4 years, I don't get why he kept going on and on about dying fast (he goes on and on throughout the book about how he doesn't have long to live, but yet his whole issue spans months). Just, this whole aspect of the story was dumb to me.

Enter Mia, Finn, and Addie. Finn is his best friend, who always has funny one-liners on his t-shirts (this is relevant only because we get to read what most of them say), and Addie who is his gorgeous sister but Parker can't date for fear of the "brocode", and Mia whose dreams were the first Parker had ever been able to sleep in. When Parker was thirteen he told Finn about how he watches other people's dreams, and naturally Finn didn't believe him, and Parker dropped it, but not before making sure to get all broody about it for the rest of his life. His bitching over how mistreated and misunderstood he was got on every single nerve I have. Another little irritant was Parker saying things like Finn's dreams were the closest I could get to what I thought my own dreams might've been like. He had twelve years worth of dreams before this started, so he aught to know what kind of dreams he had! He is also a fan of judging people on their dreams. One of the hottest cheerleaders wasn't worthy of dating because she once had a crazy dream about her cat, and the most popular kid at school wasn't worth idolizing because he was a "momma's boy." People can't control what they dream about, dickhead.

Having sworn off girls because ...girls were so much work. It wasn't worth wasting the time I had left on them. And at one point Finn asks (sort of) if he wasn't into girls, but guys, and Parker got super pissed off. There was a lot of this girls-are-less-than crap in here too. The boys soccer team was like, the best thing eva, but the girls sucked (but the coaches talked training together). But it was ok because the boys let them practice and taught them some skills. "A few more joint practices, they might stand a chance."

**massive. fucking. eye. roll**

And Parker, who is the co-captain (the most popular kid at school was the captain), thinks he has another ability along with his dream watching, that he refers to as "maneuvering" people. Spoiler alert--it's just paying attention to body language!!! That's it!! He mentions how he uses this ability in soccer and how it makes him like, the best eva, and even the coach was in awe over him always being so awesome. Because nobody else has heard of body language but Parker. I swear every time I had to read about this as if it were special I wanted to punch him.

There's more, but as you can see Parker got on my nerves a great deal. He was a jerk to his mom, but then turned around later and said how she didn't deserve it, he was an ass to his best friend, but later said it wasn't fair, he was crazy with Mia, but turned around and swore to protect her after he put her through hell. Nothing about that made any sense to me. He was being so crazy with Mia, and she was actually afraid of him, but then he makes it his life's mission to protect her because of it?! And in order to protect her, he has to keep stalking her?! It just... whut?!

The big reveal about who the big-bad is wasn't all that surprising in my opinion. We have this big showdown, and afterward everyone fawns over Parker some more, even though Parker had been stalking Mia, he was still the hero. It just didn't work for me.

There's a scene in here in which Parker is watching the dreams of Mia's therapist, and in the dream he kills him by beating his head in with a paperweight. The weight of taking a life--it would always be there. I shit you not, Addie tells him he's not really a murderer. Even though the guy died in real life because of his actions. The way she was justifying that whole thing was sleazy. She squeezed my hand. "Even if you did kill him, you can't change it. All you can do is make sure it doesn't happen again." --What?! Ok, Addie.

Basically, nothing worked for me in this entire book. The writing was very choppy (always having short sentences, repetition, ect), I didn't believe anything, and considered not even finishing it. This might be one of those book that has people either loving it or hating it, but not many in the middle. The idea was amazing, but the execution fell miles too short to make me like it.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0
Le pensé mucho para iniciar este libro por diversas razones, uno que es la primera parte de una trilogía y no estaba segura de querer comprar los que siguen, dos a pesar de que la sinopsis me gustaba no lograba engancharme por completo y tres pensaba que no iba a ser de mi agrado.
La realidad: fue todo lo contrario.
Desde la primera página me encantó la forma de escribir de la autora, la trama, la oscuridad que se mantiene a lo largo de todo el libro me cautivó y los personajes fueron increíbles, hace mucho que no leía una historia que me atrapara de esta manera, el personaje principal me encantó y la verdad es que no puedo esperar a leer su continuación, los cabos sueltos que dejó para lo que sigue fueron muy buenos y acertados. Un universo muy bien hecho que nos da las pistas suficientes para morir por su secuela.

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, I don't quite know what to say. I'm not sure what I think of this one, actually. Surreal, scary, unreal; it's like looking at a René Magritte painting. This book just wreaks havoc with my head. It features an unreliable narrator, and that's what took me for a spin. It was well-written, but there were problems with the plot that could have been solved by a few easy steps. I liked it, but I'm not sure if I loved it.

The concept is interesting and original, the execution is somewhat flawed. It does a good job as a thriller; there were quite a few chilling moments and the terror felt by the characters were well-portrayed. The ending turned out to be a double twist, more conventional than I expected, and then...what I more or less expected. Does this sound vague? Confusing? So is the book. As I said, I'm not quite sure what to think, but I'll try to adequately sum it up.

The plot: Parker is an average high schooler, he's got a geeky best friend, a crush on said-geeky-best-friend's newly maturing little sister, and he leans towards the popular side of the high school food chain due to his soccer-team status. All's good, but he's got a problem: he doesn't sleep and he hasn't slept for four years. Parker sleeps, but he doesn't go into deep REM sleep like the rest of us do when we get more than a couple hours, instead, when he closes his eyes, he dreams through the eyes of the last person with whom he made eye contact. It's been that way for a long time, and as anyone knows, a lack of sleep can literally kill you. They use that as torture in some countries.

Then Parker crashes into Mia. Literally. Then he sleeps, and dreams of her, and then he sleeps. Unlike in other people's dreams, Parker is able to fall asleep in Mia's dreams; he just finds a nice, cozy little place in her dream setting and dozes off, and Parker is soon getting more rest than he has in a long time. Mia becomes a student at his school, and he goes out of his way to make eye contact with her at the end of every day. He is completely obsessed, completely nuts, he does everything he can to meet her, and he effectively becomes a stalker. Parker is first just a creepy kid who likes Mia, then he becomes the stalker who scares the hell out of Mia, so much that she becomes a shadow of herself. She jumps at the slightest movement, she becomes truly frightened of him, and scared for her life. His school life suffers too, as he becomes ostracized by his classmates because thankfully, everyone notices that he is a huge creep. Meanwhile, in real life, Mia is getting threatening messages from someone pretending to be Parker. In his dreams, Parker is increasingly becoming more violent. He has a darkness inside him. Is it Parker who's committing all these atrocities, is it his doppelganger? Or is it someone intent on framing him through his dreams?

The narrator: Parker starts off as a troubled young man with whom we sympathize. Gradually, and the author does this so well, he becomes so ingrained with psychosis due to his lack of sleep and his obsession with Mia that he becomes an unreliable narrator. The frightening things he sees and does in dreams become vague. We're not sure if he is committing these acts or not. The author is female, but she writes a very convincing male voice; this is a first person narrative, and I never questioned the narrator's gender because of certain minor details that he notices. I gradually came to question his reliability as a narrator, due to his atrocious acts, and they are indeed abhorrent and obsessive.

"I’d been doing things I’d never have done before Mia. I was out of control. All week, I couldn’t seem to think of anything but seeing her again. I couldn’t focus in my classes. I’d memorized her schedule, but needed to keep the crumpled paper in my pocket to feel secure. Nothing mattered if I couldn’t find a way to see her.
Was this what addiction felt like?"

He scares the hell out of Mia. She starts off being a friendly, athletic, confident girl. Over time, he turns her into a girl who jumps at every turn, who is scared of walking to her car at night, who carries around pepper spray.

"I looked at Mia, at what my actions had caused. She was broken and it was my fault."

On the one hand, he needs sleep. Parker is truly afraid he will die, and his instincts for survival kicks in. He is torn between scaring Mia, stalking her for that little bit of eye contact, but his survival instincts are battling to override his conscience. He even justifies it to himself.

"No matter how much I hated myself for it, my life was still more important than her fear. She would live through being afraid sometimes."

Parker's characterization and decline is well written and documented. I alternately pitied and hated him, doubted him and sympathized with him.

The other characters were equally well-written. Mia's descent was believable, and as a fellow female, I truly felt bad for her. Finn and Addie were good characters and good friends, and I liked that there were no unnecessary love triangles. This book is a YA thriller/suspense first and foremost.

The structure of the dreams were too smooth to be believable. We've all dreamed before; it's rarely a complete plot. We dream in surreal bits and chunks, moments of this, glimpses of that. It's not entirely untrue to call a dream surreal because it's in bits and pieces that never completely add up to an entire picture that makes sense. Parker's dreams and glimpses into other people's dreams are too plot-filled and unbroken to be realistically deemed dreams. They're more like short skits than anything.

There were some plot holes I felt were easily solved that were left undone for no purpose than to fulfill the plot as the author wanted it to. In the beginning, Parker's mother and doctor accused him of being addicted to drugs, it could have been so much easier to just get a fricking drug test instead of merely protesting his innocence. Similarly, Finn's friends finally believed him when he could have easily proved his honesty from the very beginning. These plot holes didn't subtract from the story overall, but they were a few weak points in an otherwise solid story.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial reaction: I wasn't that impressed with "Insomnia," despite some pretty awesome aspects that were peppered into the story. My primary problem was the protagonist Parker - usually I don't mind unreliable narrators if I can sympathize/empathize with them, but Parker irritated me more times than not. The writing in this didn't really support the storyline that well either, having one too many holes and some expansions that were difficult to buy for me. And I couldn't get the Al Pacino/Robin Williams movie of the same name out of my head while reading this. Hopefully I can go into more detail about it in the full review.

Full review:

"Insomnia," J.R. Johansson's first novel in "The Night Walkers" series, should've been a book that I loved to bits. It had everything that I would appreciate in a story depending on the depicted elements - an unreliable narrator, a chance to explore horrors in a dreamscape environment, an overarching mystery in a supernatural environment. But...there's no easy way for me to say it other than I thought Parker was a *terrible* character to follow. It was very difficult to like him, let alone sympathize with him.

The story revolves around Parker's problem of not being able to dream for 4 years time. He doesn't dream or get restful sleep because, simply by making eye contact with the last person he sees, he can delve into their dreams. It's a pretty cool, but annoying concept as we figure Parker doesn't like the measure at all - he hates being sucked in and worse yet, it's taking a toll on his health.

Enter Mia. Mia's not a big part of the picture, at first. She meets Parker after a rather odd run-in at night, but Parker realizes in his dreams the night following his encounter with Mia that he sleeps. His dreams are peaceful and bring him a calm he hasn't known for four years. Thus, begins the obsessive stalking quest for Parker to figure out why Mia provides him this calm and be around her just so that he can get some measure of relief from his condition.

Of course, this backfires because he is self-centered, needy, and a jerk creeps out everybody around him for his stalker-esque tendencies towards Mia. It doesn't help when there's someone who's actually stalking Mia and everyone believes Parker's the culprit. Parker starts to doubt his own innocence when he blanks out and can't remember much about his activities when people call him out on it.

There are more plotholes and odd turns of this story than a little bit that I could cover, but to give the long and short of it - this was a difficult story to like. Especially considering Parker has very little regard for the people around him. He punches his best friend (who somehow forgives him quickly once Parker reveals his secret condition), he turns on his mother faster than dropping a hot potato, he follows Mia relentlessly and it's way too creepy to watch his obsession with her as it unfolds. I got pieces of his guilt on the latter, but it wasn't enough to counter it being just...meh. =/ The part of it I do give credit to was how you don't really know who the culprit behind all of the threats are until the last possible moment.

I'm not entirely sure if I'm interested enough to see where this series goes, but I didn't feel invested enough in the overarching story and characterizations here. It's purported to be a decent supernatural mystery/horror, but I just didn't see it here - I was more annoyed than thrilled or struck with suspense. I'll say on an end note that it sort of reminded me of "Insomnia" - the 2002 remake movie (I honestly didn't know it was a remake) with Al Pacino and Robin Williams, in that the main character (Pacino) is plagued with insomnia and keeps on with this guilty lie he keeps up, but ultimately it follows him in every action he does. Robin Williams plays the bad guy. Granted, that movie is very different in plot and sequence, but I got deja-vu in places with this story even with the movie being non-supernatural while this one was.

Ah well, random tangent. In sum, I think I'll sit on my hands and wait to see what the next book offers. This I can't recommend strongly because the unreliable narrator isn't strong and very hard to follow, the plot details have too many holes, and it's underdeveloped and not well done despite the intrigue of the idea it follows.

Overall score: 1.5/5

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Flux.

[Steph Sinclair]

OMG! I love this cover. Super creepy. I approve! I can't wait to read this!

[Wendy Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm. I'm not sure about this rating yet; the book started out pretty strong, but after awhile, there were too many logic gaps and convoluted scenarios. It's disappointing to find that what was an interesting psychological thriller (which I thought would have an extremely unusual answer to its mystery) turned out to be a pretty typical, and predictable, thriller after all.

Review to come.

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

RESAÑA COMPLETA POR ACÁ

Muy, muy bueno.
Es retorcido, es enfermizo y por momentos sentís que te volves loco a la par del protagonista. Me gustó que Parker fuera el héroe pero presuntamente también el villano. Muy original.

[Dear Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Flux and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This generous act did not influence my review in any way.

As a person who oftentimes finds herself still awake in the wee hours of the morning, and as someone truly fascinated in the subject of sleep deprivation (having experienced it in my university life once or twice, ahem), it comes as a no wonder that the moment I saw Insomnia by J.R. Johansson on NetGalley, I felt that I just had to have it. Entering the dreams of people you last got eye contact with?! Wicked. Not having a decent sleep for a long time?! Awesome. On the verge of insanity? Hell yeah.

Needless to say, I consumed this book in less than 4 hours, which is quite a record for me, to be honest. This fast consumption isn't because I skimmed the novel, mind you, but it's because everything was just so fast-paced and exciting, I couldn't stop reading, and NO, I DON'T WANT TO STOP READING. Even if it was already 4:00 in the morning. Even if I was already sleep-deprived. Oops.

The best thing about this book is the main male character. Do any of you have any idea how rare it is to have a freaking male character in a YA book? And a likeable one, to boot! Such heroes in a popular genre are far and few between, so for that reason, I already consider this book a gem. Parker Chipp is an endearing yet complex teenager. You know for certain that he's a cool guy - nice, athletic, has a bizarre sense of humor (but funny, nonetheless!), and even thoughtful. I knew from the very start that I'd like him, and his very personal internal narration made it even more easier for me to feel for him, too. Despite being an overall good guy, you can really feel his frustrations and his fears of dying as a result of not being able to sleep, which influenced his recent actions that have directly or indirectly pushed other people away. Throughout the book, I found myself rooting and feeling sorry for all the experiences he had to go through. Heck, I was even angry that he was so misunderstood by others, and honestly, this empathy couldn't have come if it weren't for his likeable voice. I love how the author made him so complex, yet a delight to read at the same time. I reckon he'll be a favorite.

Aside from that, I appreciated the structured storyline. For a book that spans 360 pages, it didn't feel dragging at all, and no chapter felt like a filler. Every chapter had a purpose, as if each contributed to the escalation of events that would lead to the much-coveted finale. The way the dreams were described, the way the little technical stuff were thoroughly explained, and the way the twists and turns were meticulously-weaved -- all of those were a pleasure to read. I kid you not that the flow was very nice, which I didn't really expect coming from a Paranormal YA read (because honestly, most paranormal books I read didn't even come this close to being well-written). I loved how there was a sense of urgency, but the overall pace was steady, making sure that the reader was absorbing everything in while still keeping them at the edges of their seats. The same could be said for the psychological aspect of it. As stated and implied in the synopsis, Parker will undergo a lot of... mental and psychological changes, and his journey to this state, rocky and unfortunate as it was, was very fascinating to read. You know for certain that when he does reach that condition, it didn't just happen from out of nowhere. There were events that led to it, there were reasons, and it took a lot of painful time... and the best part is? I loved every minute and every page. The saying "it gets worse before it gets better" holds true here. His transformation from someone potentially dangerous, to his resisting it, and to his ultimate self-acceptance was a wonderful journey.

I also appreciate the fact that this will be a series. I understand from the very start there were supernatural elements, but a part of me thought that this book could've stood on its own as a stand-alone. The ending kind of implied something... deeper and more complex going on in the background that would ultimately reel poor Parker Chipp in, and for a moment, I felt a tinge of disappointment because one, that would mean I have to wait for the next book to come out, and I tell you I have severe withdrawal problems; and two, I thought its impact would have been more phenomenal as a stand-alone. But hey, I'll be seeing more of Parker Chipp and his awesome personality, so I'll shut up now and be grateful for that instead. :)

But there are reasons why I gave this 4 stars, although I was very tempted to give it 5. For starters, I felt that the climax was very anti-climactic. When it was finally revealed who the bad guy was, I didn't feel any "shock" or "aha! I knew it was him!" or even an "I so didn't see that coming!" It felt as if the whole thing was random. Yes, random. The guy only appeared a handful of times throughout the book, and the lack of foreshadowing or implication of his involvement ultimately backfired, because it left me feeling dull. All it garnered was an "oh... ok?" from me, at best. Sad, I know, because I was expecting a lot!

Overall, this was a fun read. I loved every minute and every page of it, sans the climax. That, I think, needs some work, but essentially, everything is good. Very good, in fact. Can't wait for the next book to come out!

Final verdict: 4/5

Read this and my other reviews over at The Social Potato!

[Zuleeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5 star.

In the barren wasteland of YA (I seriously cannot stand this new wave of New Adult books), this was truly awesome, guys. If only the ending is not so anti-climatic...

As usual, with amazing books, I don't really have much to say but I'll try anyway since I need to convince you to read this!

The book opens up strong, I was quickly thrown into the harsh reality of Parker's world. He couldn't sleep for four years, instead, at night he is forced to watch the dreams of the last person he had made an eye contact with during the day. The sleep deprivation is slowly getting to him, it affects his study, his sport, his relationship with his mother and his friends. Told by Parker's POV, the narration flowed smoothly and convincingly. As someone who is rather given up foods than sleep, I felt for him, I felt for his struggle, I felt how difficult it would be for him to forcefully carry the burden of other people secrets and fear and how he can't share this 'curse' with anybody else.

There were indeed some dull moments, I wished the book was edited better. The romance is very superficial but it was a nice addition to the main plot as well since it isn't cheesy insta love high school romance I was expecting. I didn't get too attached with any of the characters including Parker because I felt overwhelmed with all the questions and seriously guys, I was desperate to know, I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. The build up towards the climax was amazingly written. I really loved it when even though I read it from Parker POV, I couldn't even be sure that Parker is really innocent? Awesome, awesome, awesome!

But the climax! I'm glad that I thought this is a standalone because I swear if I knew there would be more, I wouldn't feel as intense as I did while reading it because just prior to the climax, I really had no clue on how the story would resolve. So with this new knowledge that this book belongs to a series, I kind of understand why the climax is like that, but I still felt a bit disappointed nonetheless.

It's been a long time since I last read a book which I could not stopped reading it. Insomnia is truly a satisfying YA psychological thriller with a paranormal twist.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

DNF Mini review.

There are people who genuinely enjoyed this book. Then there are the few that disliked this to a large extent- one of them being me. The only shining point in this novel was the idea. But look no further as the execution was illogical and far-fetched, also, in no way, shape or form I could relate to the main character. Calling Insomnia a disappointment does not even begin to cover my emotions right now.

Insomnia opens to a illustrative beginning. We are immediately thrown into Parker's world and his perception. He hasn't slept for 4 years properly as he is a Watcher. Someone who is thrown into the dream of the last person he sees before he goes to bed. While his body may rest, his brain doesn't. This whole situation planned seemed so idea for a psychological thriller yet I was hugely astonished to find myself DNFing this due to the lack of development and execution on this area. Moreover, there were far too many logic gaps that I discovered as well as the plot becoming to complex to completely write properly. Like aforementioned, it was far-fetched.

Parker was not the main character I was looking forward to. I could sense the point Johansson was attempting to place forward and make readers sympathise for his misfortune but honestly. His disrespect and stalkerish habits are no help in this criteria. Who the hell goes stalking a girl for good dreams? Desperation could be the reason behind it but, his reactions to everything is so surreally exaggerated. Definitely a difficult character to comprehend and mull over.

Cliché and stereotypical high school situations topped with distasteful romance, this book was definitely not for me. However, try this if you want. But I warned you, the ending is predictable.

[Ricardo Marín · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 / 5

Personajes estúpidos, situaciones absurdas y cero trama. Una completa pérdida de tiempo.

Reseña: http://www.eternamenteentiniebla.com/...

[Mauoijenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting plot.
But nope.
No!

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insomnia by J.R. Johansson

First in The Night Walkers series

4.25 stars

Parker hasn’t slept in four years and after a trip a doctor he starts to suspect that he’ll die soon from lack of it. Instead of sleeping, Parker enters the dreams of the last person he’s had eye contact with. Parker’s tired. Exhausted to the point of death and dealing with other people’s haunting dreams and nightmares, Parker just wants sleep. If he doesn’t sleep he could face psychosis or even death. Then he meets Mia. A stranger whose dreams are calm and Parker is finally able to get sleep in them. As Parker becomes obsessed with making eye contact with Mia and getting sleep he starts to lose friends and his touch with sanity. Everyone thinks he’s crazy and now that Mia has a real stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker. Parker’s been blacking out and after notices strange things he realizes that he might be the monster after all. I was supposed to write this review about a week ago, but I have testing and haven’t been on the computer so I’m just now getting to it. Before I say anything else I’m going to say this. Insomnia is a fantastic debut and if you don’t pick it up you’ll be missing a great psychological thriller. This book is thrilling and I was never bored when reading Parker’s story. I started this book with somewhat medium expectations. I was hoping to be blown away, but wasn’t expecting anything. I’d been let down by the few of the titles I had recently received from Netgalley and wasn’t sure if I would like this. The concept is brilliant and reminds me a little bit of Wake by Lisa McMann, but it’s completely different. If you’re a fan of Wake pick this up. If you’re not pick, Insomnia up anyway because I can honestly say that it is a lot more fleshed out and enjoyable. This book has a very strong concept when it comes to dreams. We have some information, but we don’t know much about Parker and his condition. I think the concept was executed brilliantly and I really enjoyed this book. The opening dream scene even catches your attention and even though I was confused I was sucked in and wanted to know more.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.5

The main male character is Parker. Sometimes I really liked Parker and other times I wanted him to be locked up. Parker is definitely a hard character to like, but he is also easy to sympathize for. Starting Insomnia, I wasn’t sure if I would like Parker. I’ve been reading a lot more YA books with male POVs (usually alternating between male and female, but it still counts in my book) and I wasn’t sure if I would like him. Complete male POVs make me suspicious. Either I’ll really like the book or I’ll hate it. As the story progressed I would really like Parker. When Parker’s with Addie and Finn he is a regular teenager (not exactly but close enough). Once Parker met Mia and started to stalk her I stopped liking him as much. Here’s my biggest problem with Parker, he’s a good guy with good intentions. But that still doesn’t excuse him stalking Mia. You can argue that he’s not stalking her, but I beg to differ. Waiting outside someone’s job just to make eye contact with them is stalking. I eventually thought that he was done stalking Mia, but then he had to bring Finn into it. So while I don’t like the fact that Parker stalked Mia I understand why he did. I just don’t agree with it. Parker is also completely oblivious to Addie and the fact that she likes him. I hate this rule that he kept bringing up about not dating your best friends brother or sister. I think that’s a dumb rule. If my friend has a hot brother chances are I’ll be checking him out. This made up law is irrelevant and goes out the window pretty quickly. Parker, I think, was using this “rule” as a way to not end up committed to anybody. He’s afraid of commitment and I think it has a lot to do with his father.

Swoon Worthy Scale: 4

The main female character isn’t Mia! It’s Addie. I actually really like Addie. She was a great character and I instantly liked her. I think what Parker and her have is completely sweet. There’s this one part, a flashback dream, about Addie and Parker and it was one of my favorite part in the whole book. I don’t want to say a lot about Addie because I think she’s a character that still hasn’t gotten to fully reveal herself, which I hope we get more in the sequel.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 4

The Villain- Mwahahahahahaha
Somethings, especially with this book, are better left a mystery. I love psychological thrillers.

Villain Scale: 4.25

Finn is my favorite character hands down in this book. He’s hilarious and he has such a relieving personality compared to the dark tone of the book. I love characters like Finn and he’s my definite favorite one. Then there’s Mia, who I personally don’t like. I still don’t like her and I think she’s only going to mess up things between Parker and Addie. I don’t want a love triangle and Mia seemed at the end like she decided that Parker was a hero and she wanted a piece.

Character Scale: 4.5

This book has a lot of great things in it. There’s a definite air of fear and a thrill that will leave you on the edge of your seat or bed (depending on where you read). I love the air of mystery sounding Parker’s condition and the psychology that is focused on. I can’t wait for the sequel and what this author brings to the table, because I know I won’t be disappointed.

Plotastic Scale: 4.5

Cover Thoughts: I absolutely love this cover. It is completely creepy and just bone chilling. I love it! I hope the rest of the series has just as amazing covers.

A copy was provided by Netgalley and Flux in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

[Jasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seit vier Jahren kann Parker nicht mehr schlafen. Stattdessen muss er Träume anderer Menschen miterleben. Diese sind oft grausam und erschreckend, da man während des Träumens unterbewusst schlimme Ereignisse verarbeitet. Ein Arzt teilt Parker mit, dass man aufgrund Schlafmangels sterben kann und er weiß das ihm nicht mehr viel Zeit bleibt. Doch plötzlich trifft er auf Mia und ihre Träume sind so friedlich, das er in ihnen Schlaf findet. Parker weiß das es endlich einen Weg gefunden hat um wieder zu schlafen, aber Mia hütet ein dunkles Geheimnis denn sie wird von einem Stalker verfolgt.

Dieses Buch am einem Abend anzufangen, war vielleicht nicht meine beste Idee denn schon nach wenigen Seiten nahm mich die Geschichte gefangen und ich las Kapitel für Kapitel bis ich plötzlich bei der Hälfte war und beschloss das Buch auch gleich zu beenden. Ich musste einfach wissen wie es weitergeht! Die knapp vierhundert Seiten hatte ich aber in nur drei Stunden durchgelesen, da der Schreibstil der Autorin sehr flüssig ist und es mir leicht fiel mich in der Geschichte zu verlieren. Mein Interesse war schnell geweckt und der Spannungsbogen wurde sehr günstig gelegt, da immer wieder spannende Wendungen eingebaut wurden mit denen ich nicht gerechnet habe.

Der Protagonist Parker war mir sehr schnell symphatisch und da ich auch nicht gerade die beste Beziehung mit dem Schlaf habe, konnte ich seine Gedanken sehr gut nachvollziehen. Er ist sehr einfach gestrickt, wirkt aber trotzdem nicht flach. Seine Ecken und Kanten kommen erst im Laufe der Geschichte ans Licht. Sehr liebevoll behandelt wurden auch die zahlreichen Nebencharaktere wie Parkers bester Freund Finn, dessen kleine Schwester Addie, ein paar Schulkameraden und dann natürlich Mia. Sie kommt neu in die Stadt und lebt in einer Pflegefamilie.

Einen besonderen Reiz hatte das hintere Drittel des Buches. Schon zuvor wurde erwähnt das Schlafmangel nicht nur zum Tod, sondern zuerst zu Psychosen führt. Psychosen bedeutet dass man sich Dinge einbildet die es nicht gibt und halluziniert. Genau mit solchen Dingen hat Parker am Ende zu kämpfen und das mitzuerleben, war für mich nicht nur neu sondern auch unglaublich spannend! Was das Ende angeht war ich anfangs erst etwas zwiegespalten, da es fesselnd gestaltet wurde und die Hauptfrage des Buches aufgelöst wurde. Dafür blieben leider einige Nebenfragen offen und zuerst war ich etwas enttäuscht, doch dann habe ich bemerkt dass es sich bei diesem Buch um den Auftakt einer Reihe handelt die im Englischen 'Insomnia' heißt.

~ FAZIT ~
Ein hochspannendes Buch, dessen Verlauf bis zum Ende unvorhersehbar bleibt und mich mit plötzlichen Wendungen immer wieder überrascht hat. Von mir bekommt das Buch alle fünf Sterne, da die Autorin es geschafft hat mich die ganze Nacht zu fesseln und ich erst schlafen konnte nachdem ich das Buch beendet hatte.

[Alvaro Acevedo Barrios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si quieren leer un libro juvenil y sombrío, lean este libro.
No solo tiene una hermosa portada, tambien es un excelente libro.
No dire mucho de este (aunque no hago reseñas), pero es un libro muy frío, oscuro y hermoso para los que les gusta los transtornos y la locura (TENGO PROBLEMAS)

[Maria Lavrador · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posso dizer que foi um livro um pouco estranho. A meio perdi um pouco o interesse mas depois acabei por embalar na história e queria muito saber o final. É o primeiro de uma saga mas sinceramente não se irei ler mais algum...

[Yelania Nightwalker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cuando recién vi este libro me interesó de inmediato, la premisa es excelente y piensas que vas a toparte con un libro lleno de misterio y que te dejará queriendo saber más o sin poder conciliar el sueño en las noches. Pero, para desgracia mía, leerlo fue una completa pesadilla... 

Cuando empezamos a leerlo, que por cierto, es  aburridísimo ese inicio, descubrimos que Parker no ha dormido en cuatro años. 

4 años.

Esa fue la primera alerta amarilla. Es decir, si no logras dormir en tanto tiempo, en el menor de los casos te volverías completamente loco, en el peor, ya estarías muerto... Pero bueno, imaginemos que es plausible que Parker siga vivo (la ciencia es inútil, ya lo dije en Leal). Entonces, el chico ve los sueños de la última persona con la que haya hecho contacto visual y muchos de esos sueños no son bonitos, así que se despierta y está cansado, ojeroso y sin ilusiones... lo cual hace  que su madre piense que está metido en las drogas y el médico que le examina, igual. Yo me pregunto, ¿qué tipo de médico será ese? Si ni siquiera se detiene a observar qué le sucede a uno de sus pacientes y se decanta por la solución más sencilla... pero en fin.

La verdad es que la historia en sí no presenta nada nuevo, está cargado de clichés y cosas sin sentido que da flojera seguir leyendo, lo que es de verdad una pena porque todo pintaba para ser algo muy genial pero la idea fue bastante desaprovechada. Parker me sacaba de mis casillas la mayor parte del tiempo y para ser el protagonista, eso no es algo que me guste encontrar. 

¿Qué más les puedo decir a parte de que la historia está llena de ideas buenas que terminan siendo pésimas, aburridas, inverosímiles, absurdas y demás calificativos? Yo no podía creer que Parker hiciera tantas cosas dado que no ha podido dormir en cuatro benditos años, es absurdo pensar que una persona así tendría la fuerza para jugar futbol, por ejemplo. Digo, yo me he desvelado por trabajo por varios y días y no rindo lo mismo, mi cerebro simplemente o funciona... pero Parker... es una especie de superman. 

Lo único que tenía sentido para mí es que Parker parecía bipolar y dado la falta de sueño, era creíble. 

Si cuando leyeron "Insomnia" pensaron que se encontrarían algo del tipo de INSOMNIA de Stephen King, créanme que este libro está a años luz de llegar a ese punto. Léanlo bajo su propio riesgo. 

[Kenya Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. . .

I wasn't too keen on opening this book. There wasn't a big muscular half naked guy mounting a captivating woman so from the very start I was a bit bored, before I even opened the book.

So I read the first line:

It'd been over four years since I'd really slept, and I suspected it was killing me.

ummmm okay. I'm interested. I'm overjoyed. I decide to read more.

Meet Parker. He hasn't slept in a long time, dude. Why? Because he has a special power that deals with dreams. I don't want to give too much away, but the power allows for such a fun and mysterious adventure. He begins watching one particular girl's dreams.

Okay let's stop for a minute. So at this moment I'm thinking. Meh! This girl is the love interest. They'll fall in love or something. Blah Blah predictable.

Nope. Everything us unpredictable.

There are several threads of plot happening in the book:

1- Why the hell does Parker have this power?

2- Will he die from the power?

3- Why does this girl's dreams helps him get sleep within the dream

4- Who is stalking with the girl? And is it him doing it and he doesn't know it

5- small sub-romantic plot

6- Where's his dad?


I mean. Parker explains that dreams have layers:

One thing I'd learned pretty fast was that all dreams had layers. Like the brain got too bored constructing only one dream at a time. There was always more going on under the surface. My brain tended to drop me in the layer closest to reality

That's how I saw this book, full of layers---yummy ones, mysterious ones, edge-of-your-seat-thriller ones, and yes. . .sweet-awww-love-wrenching ones.

And then at the end. . . I realize that its a series!

YES!!!

[Paula Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok.... partiré diciendo que estoy muy feliz de haber comprado este libro :D!! algunas reseñas me habían hecho dudar pero seguí mi instinto (ok, solo es que me encantaaaaba la portada) y le di una oportunidad y totalmente fui recompensada, si bien no me ha vuelto loca ni me ha hecho replantearme las estrellas de otros libros, este es un libro increíblemente bueno, sigue siendo un Thriller YA, pero esta muy bien hecho. El protagonista es lo suficientemente heroico para que te guste, pero a mismo tiempo es bastante oscuro (es el malo y el bueno en un solo paquete!!), además la forma en que se desarrolla el mismo te hace bastante fácil comprender su situación a la ves que lo compadeces o le temes. El acosador misterioso me encantó, he leído antes estos supuestos thriller juveniles y no siempre funcionan, pero este definitivamente lo hace, por un lado no es obvio, pero tampoco es un misterio resuelto de la nada, el libro te entrega las pistas que te hacen sospechar de él, pero al mismo tiempo te da mil más que te distraen. Además la forma en que se narra hace que te sientas tan loco como Parker, de verdad, y hasta te dan ganas increíbles de dormir (no por aburrido, sino porque parece que el pobre Parcker lo desea tanto :c)
Como sea, como dije, no es el gran descubrimiento del año, pero es un libro MUY BUENO, es muy atrapante y de verdad no podrás de dejar de pensar en él hasta que hayas acabado.

[Renee Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tip for readers of Insomnia: Clear your schedules before beginning this book. DO NOT start reading just before bed if you have to get up early the next morning. And use caution when reading during class or at work.

Guys, this book will grab you and not let go.

J.R. Johansson weaves a story that gets right into your head. It's smart, creepy, chilling, vivid, and exciting. I was truly kept guessing until the end. In fact, I can't wait to read it again and see what I missed!

[Colleen Houck]

Creepy dreams, stalkers, and a great hero with lots of problems. Poor guy! I was on the edge of my seat and feeling a bit crazy like I hadn't slept in a week either. The sweet painting/landscape dreams were as relaxing for me as they were for him. Love the love interest in this book too. She's awesome.

[Carmen]

This sounds like Wake by Lisa McMann... hmm, interesting.

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insomnia es un libro lleno de potencial, pero eso es todo. Comienza de una manera muy sólida e intrigante, pero ésto se va perdiendo poco a poco debido a la repetición de los conflictos, el drama juvenil y el romance mediocre.

Parker Chipp es un Observador. Todas las noches se sumerge en los sueños de la última persona con la que hizo contacto visual. Ésto parece muy atractivo, pero mientras él está presenciando en esos sueños, su cerebro no descansa. Hace cuatro años que viene luchando con éste problema, considerando que pronto lo llevará a la muerte, hasta que un día conoce a Mia y observa sus sueños. En ellos todo es paz, quietud y tranquilidad. En ellos, puede encontrar un lugar para dormir.

Digamos que desde el principio noté una inconsistencia. Se hace hincapié en que si Parker observa los sueños de otro, su cerebro no se apaga nunca completamente y ésto lo llevará a la muerte. Ya sé que ésto es ficción, pero tenemos que considerar que nuestro cerebro nunca se apaga y que durante el sueño se sigue consumiendo energía.

Así y todo, la premisa me gustó, me pareció que era bastante fuerte como para desarrollar más el tema. Las primeras escenas, en las que Parker describe los sueños de otras personas y nos vamos dando cuenta del funcionamiento de la "Observación" fueron muy interesantes y me atraparon completamente.

Sin embargo, luego nos embarcamos en la rutina de secundaria de Parker y sus amigos y nos topamos con algo completamente cómun, que se encuentra en cualquier libro juvenil. Sí, estoy un tanto cansada de todo eso.

Además, si bien no hay triángulo amoroso (pero... ¿podría haberlo en el libro siguiente?), el tratamiento del tema es bastante mediocre. Digamos que Parker está enamorado de alguien pero no puede, por una razón bastante tonta para mí gusto, confesarle su amor y terminar con el drama. Todo es demasiado juvenil, por no decir superficial.

Me gustó que Parker no sea un narrador confiable, que por más que el relato esté en primera persona tengamos que dudar de cada detalle.

Y la gran desilusión fue el final. Creo que lo vi venir desde el primer cuarto del libro. Pero no me refiero a darme cuenta de un detalle. Todo, absolutamente todo, es predecible. Que Jeff iba a terminar siendo el malo, que Calavera Negra tenía que ver con el padre desaparecido de Parker, que su padre probablemente sea Observador y que Jeff iba a terminar lastimando a Finn. Es medio extraño que me dé cuenta de los cuatro hechos principales del final de la historia, es evidente que no es porque soy una gran visionaria, sino porque eran las opciones más obvias que existían. Y eso que hace mucho no leía un thriller y estaba un tanto oxidada...

También, debo mencionar que es demasiado parecido a la película The Machinist por momentos. Pensé que eso le daría unos puntitos más, porque amo la película, pero después de tantas similitudes no es tan divertido.

En fin, tal vez el problema es que esperaba muchísimo más y me decepcionó. Muchas partes de la historia me gustaron, pero en mi opinión tiene unas cuantas fallas.

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

MY THOUGHTS
Every night Parker has other people's dreams and it's slowly killing him. It has been years since he's gotten any rest, until he meets Mia. That night, Parker is able to rest for the first time. After that, Parker becomes obsessive and tries to makes sure that Mia is the last person he locks eyes with in the day. Instead, Mia becomes fearful of Parker and thinks he's a creepy stalker. Things get even worse when she begins to receive death threats and think it's from Parker. Who is terrorizing Mia? And how can Parker tell anyone the truth?

I'm really iffy about reading books dealing with books books dealing with dreams, thanks to a horrible book called Wake. Thankfully, this book did what Wake should have done and the aspect of the dreams was really well-done. It made sure to point out that seeing other dreams was not all happy and dandy. It's very interesting, but not only do you see deep secrets of possible strangers, but Parker never gets to rest. He's a watcher and has to watch the dream, so it's basically like he's awake. This leads to the major plot of the book.

Really, I could understand why Parker did the things he did. He just wanted some long-needed rest, especially after finding out that not resting will kill him very soon. He kind of begins the Mia dreams as just being friends with her, but when Mia begins to get suspicious, he does stalk her. This bothered me because, yeah, I understand why he was during this, but it was turning him into something he was not, as well as freaking everyone out. He was becoming very obsessive and it's no wonder why Mia thought he was after her. It's horrible, but that was how he began to look to her.

The mystery aspect was very interesting and very screw-with-your-mind. The whole dream aspect kind of added a blurred line and add in the fact that Parker is beginning to have 'side effects' to not resting, things get very curious.

Lastly, I would like to mention the supporting characters, Addie and Finn. Finn is Parker's best friend and Addie is Finn's sister. What's really great about these guys is that they helped Parker out when he was spiraling into a black hole. There was a lull where they couldn't really feel like they could trust Parker, Addie especially, but they were fully able to understand why Parker was doing this and wanted to help him make rights with Mia and find out who was really terrorizing Mia. Also, Parker was a really great friend to them both as well!


IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I was not disappointed by this book and I loved the dream aspect! This book does take a very dark turn, but Parker is an interesting narrator and he has really great friends! While the main mystery of this book is over, there are more answers that I need, so I am definitely going to continue this series!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insomnia is a creative story that most people wished were true. Hell, I wish I could be a Night Walker and know what some people dream about! That sounds pretty cool, right? Right? Anyway, the story follows Parker, who has been dealing with this gift/curse for four years now without sleeping a wink until he meets Mia who changes his life forever. The story starts out with a little too much information before most of the characters or past events are introduced. And speaking of the characters, only the main and strong secondary ones really stand out for me. The rest of them are very stiff and choppy, like unfinished thoughts. This makes if hard to give the book a better rating. Still, not a bad start to a series or a bad début either. Nice job, J. R. Johansson.

While reading this, a few things become apparent to readers. First, there are not very many clues to keep us reading. It's as if the author is relying mostly only on the dark, crazy actions of what Parker does to keep the book interesting and mysterious. Second, the novel moves pretty quickly with the more important details and events being rushed or skimmed. I get irritated every time this happens because the important parts happen too quick while the less important fillers are played a lot more slowly. Third, it's apparent that there are a lot of unanswered questions by the end of this. How did Parker become a Night Walker? How come his mom doesn't know/isn't one too? Can anyone become a Night Walker? Although we get some information regarding these questions, I think that there should have been more to keep readers a little more satisfied.

Parker is a crazy, sleep deprived character who I really enjoyed reading about. His creepy, stalker-like tactics to see Mia are wacky and very frightening. Especially when his inner demons take hold and show just how desperate he can be to get what he needs and wants. He's a realistic and unpredictable, I felt like a stalker just reading this! The idea for this is refreshing and new, I love it! Even though the ending is pretty transparent, I wasn't exactly expecting that person to be that person. It's a nice twist to a great book that I recommend to readers who are looking for books that involve dreams and stalker with funny, sarcastic characters you just can't get enough of.

[Kim at Divergent Gryffindor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insomnia was a compelling read in such a manner that I couldn't put down the book. It was gripping and interesting, and I just wanted to read the book as fast as I could because I just had to know what is happening.

This book is memorable for me because this is one of my first mystery books aside from Nancy Drew and others from my childhood. Though I'm not really open to any other genres aside from Contemporary Romance, this book caught my attention and I am really happy that I decided to read it despite earlier doubts.

Actually, while I was reading, couldn't stop myself from telling my friends about it, and I'm proud to say that I got them excited too, and they've been waiting for the publication ever since!

This book opened me up to the mystery genre a bit, and I really recommend this because it's exciting and gripping, and you won't be disappointed! I'm so excited to read the next book!

[Maximiliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insomnia resultó ser un libro de lo más adictivo. Una lectura muy rápida llena de intriga que no podrás soltar hasta llegar a la última página Tiene algunas escenas cargadas de terror que si bien no te quitarán el sueño, te harán desviar la vista del libro por unos segundos. Muy original y bien escrita.
No la valoro con la puntuación máxima porque de vez en cuando tenía unas partes bajas que no me cerraron del todo. Definitivamente leeré la continuación cuando salga porque ese final me dejó muy intrigado...

[Xana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tinha grandes expectativas neste livro.
A início fiquei interessada, mas a meio torna-se repetitivo, sempre a rodar a mesma coisa e só o acabei porque tinha uma suspeita e queria saber como terminava... não me enganei!!
Um livro para um público mais jovem, definitivamente... a mim cansou -me um pouco.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

no tengo mucho para decir de Insomnia :)

entre con expectativas altas como siempre, y aunque no me pareció malo no era lo que esperaba.

siento que es una historia que podría haber ido mas lejos y
que quedo muy llana. igualmente me gusto y hay bastantes descripciones que me gustaron y que ambientaban muy bien la historia.

algo que no me gusto mucho fueron los diálogos, a veces los sentía muy falsos o vacíos, y también me molestaba que Parker fuera tan estupido aunque es entendible porque tiene 16.

algo que me decepciono—mucho—fue el supuesto plot twist. todo el libro me espere un giro grande y siento que la historia cayo en un final muy básico: el típico chico popular que nunca tuve atención de su mama y es un psicopata!

anyways, igualmente me gusto y lo recomiendo como una lectura tranqui sin mucha vuelta o terror.