Grave of Lost Dreams

by Daniel Santos

Over the years, Hue’s love for his mother fades as she gives all her attention to his abusive stepfather. But one day, he snaps, giving a violent end to his oppression. Desperate to escape his troubled life, he races through a heavy blizzard, vanishing without a trace. About an hour later, Sofia embarks on a late-night drive with her mother, only to be caught in a devastating crash. After the chaos, both teenagers awaken in the desolate town of Twin Peaks—a nightmarish realm that creates a personalized hell according to the transgressions of every arrival. With their paths converging, Hue and Sofia realize that their only hope for survival lies in uniting their strengths while building a sense of trust. Only then can they break away from the sinister forces that hold them captive. Together, they must unravel the town's dark secrets while facing their own.

Genres: Mystery

207 pages, Paperback

First published February 29, 2024

About the author

My name is Daniel Santos and I'm a young adult fiction author. August 2022, marks the month I released my debut novel which went on to win Silver in Literary Titan, and first place for teen fiction in Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards. This is only one in many more to come.

Reviews

[Monique Rosenbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to Say I wasn't thrilled with this book. It sounded promising but was a letdown. The two MC spent much of the time walking around in this blizzard town, not getting much done, and questioning/arguing with each other. One minute they are super nice helpful and seconds later they don't want to answer or help the other. Both personalities were more childish and "poor me" than their ages. They both have parent problems so that's to blame for all their issues.
The cult was very vague. It goes like this -There's a leader, she might of started the town, because there's pics of her at a young age in a book. she has robed cultists that do her bidding, there are monsters of some sort, child sacrifice mentioned to save people or the town but no explanation of why that will save everyone, other than it didn't work previously so hey let's try again with the girl/ghost that was already sacrificed before?! Bad people apparently turn into monsters, good people or saved people become ghosts or dogs?! The ghosts don't seem free then but there's only one ghost really mentioned. They maybe get reincarnated into dogs when saved?!
Seems that's the thought at the end.
Book needs to be edited again and some things removed or explained better that make zero sense. For example "Female MC unlocks door to male MC cell and walks in AFTER he has changed into a monster, yet the next chapter she speaks of seeing him change into monster and how it affects her". Another one "female MC (younger) is outside sitting on porch waiting for her Dad, dad is drunk and female MC has to help him unlock door with his key for him". Why is the door locked if this child came outside to wait for her Dad to show up?
I don't even know how many things I highlighted that weren't great or seemed to make any sense, fit into it when I reading this this book but it was a lot.
Thank you to BookSirens for this ARC to read and review.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A plot immersed in fantasy and magic realism, with touches of horror and suspense, where two strangers see themselves lost in a hostile, frozen environment, from where getting out might not be entirely viable.

Hue is tormented by his broken relationship with his mother, whom he believes has chosen his stepfather over him. While escaping from his house, he's caught in an intense snowstorm that makes him disappear without a trace.

Sophie, has a terrible emotional relationship with her mother, preferring her fun dad to her serious, nagging mom. 

During one of their heated arguments, on the way to family therapy, a red eyed woman crosses their path, right in front of their car, making them to swerve and crash. 

When Sophie finally wakes up, she's all alone in a very different place from where she was before, and there are no signs of her mom, anywhere she looks. 

Both Hue and Sophie are on a weird town, called Twin Peaks, that serves as a kind of hellish purgatory. Leaving from there will prove itself a challenge. 

Confronted with their sins, and tormented by the red eyed woman, with obscure motives, they will fight for their survival and to return to their reality. But will they be able to do so?

The plot has few details I would've loved to know more about: a bit more about Hue and Sophie's lives before their uncanny situation - we only got bits and pieces-, about the red eyed woman, who she was, why she turned evil, what motivated her obsession and the creation of her cult, the monsters/ghosts/dogs...

It lacked a bit of depth, but it's overall a good premise, since it uses a fantasy world to approach several complicated topics, such as the adaptation to a new family context, divorce, abuse, violence, wrong perception, the dangers of a cult, the weight of blame and anger, the need of understanding, acceptance and forgiveness. 

I've received this ARC from BookSirens, and this is my voluntary, honest review

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by the author and holly molly was it good!

This is a thriller/horror book. It follows Hue and Sofia both non related but going through simular problems in their life. Hue is struggling with the meaning of love and what that is like after his mom decided to give all her attention and love to his abusive stepfather. One day he has had enough and snaps, leaving in a heavy storm he vanishes with no trace Sofia and her mom are out for a late drive when they end up in a car crash. But when she awakens she finds her self in a different place than she remembers.

Both Sofia and Hue fin themselves in a town named Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks is a personalized hell that causes both Sofia and Hue to repent for their sins and bad doing. They soon realize that they need to team up if they ever hope to get out of that crazy town. But will it be enough?

This book will have you on the edge of your seat wanting more. It is for sure a roller coaster and has you guessing what is going to happen next. I 100% recommend this book if you are a fan of thriller/horror books.

Thank you book-sirens and the author for sending me this book for free for an honest review. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Anne Bollmann (Annelise Lestrange) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*~. I received an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.~*

The premise for this book was highly interesting. Two teenagers swept into another realm right after tragedy strikes them, and now they must find a way to go back to reality as we know it while escaping the forces that brought them there.

Hue and Sofia both come from broken homes, so it was natural for them to distrust each other. Nevertheless, over a handful of dangerous situations, they became friends. Sofia is the real protagonist, despite the blurb, and her strength is their hope.

While it was nice to see the author showing us that everybody has a good and a bad side, I felt Sofia and Hue too boxed inside their personalities. When it seemed they were finally getting along, they snapped at each other over the silliest things. I had a hard time feeling their grow through the plot.

Also, I expected something bigger for the mystery reveal. The big villain and the final escape back to the real world disappointed me; it wasn't bad, but the author promises us so much more with this dazzling plot that I felt let down as I finished it.

Thank you once again to Daniel Santos and Bookspout for my review copy!

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't too much of a premise, only that Hue and Sofia are in the car with their mothers and after crashing, they find themselves instantly in Twin Peaks. The chapters switch perspectives so while they are yet to meet, they are aware of each other's presence which makes for good continuity. Sofia is the first to realise Twin Peaks is a place where her version of hell has come alive while Hue reflects on his tortuous memories and physically expresses his emotions. Eventually, Hue and Sofia meet and they work together to survive. There are plenty of characters along the way but Hue and Sofia are the only two who are consistent. This is a plot-driven story with plenty of activities.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jacquetta Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would read it again and may soon. I loved the story of two lost teens, their search, the mystery, the horror, the fear and the love that was found.
While sad, it was a good sad, a satisfying sad but I loved every bit of it.
An accident, snow, voices, people seen who aren't there. The teens past making them take a second look at how it all really was and what could fix it. And it was fixed in a way, a way that was different but it was fixed. We all have regrets when we look back at times in our lives
I enjoyed Grave of Lost Dreams by Daniel Santos and I will be keeping up with this author. If you love terror/horror, you will love this book also, it was like, welcome to the Twilight Zone.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An immersive, intriguing story which gave me The Dark Tower vibes re Stephen King, Grave of Lost Dreams centered around two main characters of Sofia and Hue and their intertwining journey to a place known only as "Twin Peaks".

A lady with malevolent intent meets them both at different points in their lives and is unnerving in both her appearance as well as her demeanour. (However, there is more to this lady and the monsters within Twin Peaks than meets the eye).

This was an enjoyable fantasy adventure story with horror/supernatural and dark religious elements.

[Amanda S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being that this is a new author to me, I had not had any expectations for this book. However, I was a bit disappointed. The conversations felt forced, they didn't seem to flow very well. There are many things in the book that don't make sense. The main characters spend most of the book just arguing with each other and it got old. I was left with so many questions. The details of the cult were iffy at best. There is so much potential in this book. It just needs a bit more finessing.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to this story. A pretty normal life turned into a fight for survival. For two teenagers this is the case. What seems like a dream world is far from pleasant. Crazy people, crazy monsters and a wicked snow storm. What force has brought Hue and Sofia to this strange place and how do they get back to the real world. Such a great read. I really enjoyed this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jeffrey S. Kuehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave of Lost Dreams by Daniel Santos
Received as ARC. Hue and Sofia find themselves battling for their life’s in a strange town Twin Peaks( no relation) that they are being told to repent for sins. Both have rough times at home with their mothers. But here they need to come and unite to stop cultists. Is this their redemption from past faults?

[Kristin Keele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysterious, intense, deep. Lost in a world outside their normal reality. Hue finds Sofia and they work together to find out how to leave this town and get back to their normal life. I found this story to be engrossing from start to finish. I enjoyed the way the characters were written and the story is a quick read. I received this ARC from BookSirens, which I read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me wanting to read more to figure out what the outcome was going to be. I definitely want to know more about the dream world not knowing more makes it a bit harder to follow the story or makes me want another book to help explain it. overall a well written book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rhonda Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very suspenseful read that will grab ahold of you from the start and not release you until you finish the last page. Whisked away to a strange world, Hue and Sophie mist come together to find their way back to reality. Bizarre read that has the characters trying to identify their sins to survive.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Aziza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book.

[Vera Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting read. It met the expectations I created.

I liked the premise and the way the author structured it.

I recommend

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling read full of surprises

[Elle and the Haunted Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t absolutely in love with this book, some of it was lackluster but I will say that I did enjoy the main characters and some of the world building was super strong.