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Dream Walker #1
Dreamfire
Joshlyn Weaver has always lived with a big secret. Ordinary kids spend their free time going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and searching on the internet.
But for her, an evening at home usually means entering people's dreams. For many generations, her family has been part of a very powerful and very secretive society of dream walkers. Tasked with the responsibility of lowering the world's general anxiety — which only leads to war and strife in the waking world — their job has always been to stop nightmares before they go too far.
By stopping nightmares while sleeping, they help to stop nightmares in real life.
But when an ancient feud within the dream walker society resurfaces right when a seemingly unconnected series of very strange and very scary events start occurring during her dream walks, Josh finds herself in a race against time. The one true dream walker has never been known. Could she be the one?
But for her, an evening at home usually means entering people's dreams. For many generations, her family has been part of a very powerful and very secretive society of dream walkers. Tasked with the responsibility of lowering the world's general anxiety — which only leads to war and strife in the waking world — their job has always been to stop nightmares before they go too far.
By stopping nightmares while sleeping, they help to stop nightmares in real life.
But when an ancient feud within the dream walker society resurfaces right when a seemingly unconnected series of very strange and very scary events start occurring during her dream walks, Josh finds herself in a race against time. The one true dream walker has never been known. Could she be the one?
368 pages, Hardcover
First published February 24, 2015
27 people are currently reading
3433 people want to read
About the author
Kit Alloway
4 books104 followersKIT ALLOWAY lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her family and four very small dogs.
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April 17, 2015
"THERE HAS TO BE A BOOK TWO. THE STORY CANNOT END HERE."
This was my mantra upon finishing this book. And boy, did I keep on repeating this with much fervor and passionate flailing. I mean, guys. GUYS. I found a 5 star book. THIS IS NOT A DRILL: I FOUND A 5 STAR BOOK. Where's the confetti?! Where are the champagne?! WE NEED A GODDAMN CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN OVER HERE.
I am getting goosebumps all over my skin as I type this. I don't even know how I'm going to review this book in the most logical, coherent way possible. I usually write my reviews in a calculated, objective (with a tint of emotional bias) manner, but right now, I don't think that is possible. Warning: I may repeat the words awesome, fantastic, excellent, sublime, amazing, magnificent, epic many times. SAYING ALL OF THOSE WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR THIS BOOK.
Basically? This book is awesome. It's written so, so well that my mind is still so blown away at how amazingly thought-out everything here is. The plot, the characters, the development, the romance, the world-building, the complexity of human relationships, EVERYTHING. I loved how realistic they all felt - the feelings, the dialogue, the characters themselves - I found them so real and genuine that my heart really ached for them, that I wished I were there with them because I could see them as real people, not as fictional characters with personalities that feel forced. It was all just so natural.
Take the world-building for example. Basically, in this world, there is another realm where all dreams take place - all the happy dreams, all the nightmares, and this realm plays a big part in the world's balance as a whole. If there are too many nightmares going on, it would mean the end of both worlds. That's where Dream Walkers like Josh come in, people who have been resolving nightmares for generations. It may sound really simple, and you may be thinking, "Meh, that doesn't sound complex at all."
But this book will prove you wrong because the book really sets the world extensively with scientific explanations (that do not make you dizzy) and dream theories (that do make sense in-world). It may feel slow because of this, though (which seems to be the complaint of many reviewers), and I wouldn't blame you if it feels to you that way if you read this, but for me, it was never a problem because the writing made up for it. The writing was so delicious to consume. I just loved how smooth and lyrical the narration was, and how it effectively gave life to the story and to the characters effortlessly.
Speaking of characters, can I just say that I love how Josh was so realistic and flawed at the same time? She was seen as the best of her generation, being able to resolve nightmares 88% of the time and with such ease and efficiency; but deep inside she was so insecure and plagued by guilt of a death that happened in the past that she thought was her fault. And these flaws were shown so realistically - she would be praised for her skills, and she would put walls around her and then think that if she were, what happened in the past wouldn't have happened. She would get away from a dire situation, and she would berate herself for letting it happen in the first place. And best of all - it never felt overwhelming. It never felt contrived. They were all handled so sensitively, resolved gradually and realistically, and they even compliment the storyline at the same time.
And my GOD, WILL. WILL KANSAS. The love interest was just so bloody amazing. He's an average joe who suddenly finds himself all mixed in affairs he never knew existed, and he handles them all like a champ. He is sweet, laid-back, kind, sensitive to the problems of the people around him, and has demons of his own. I loved how he was such a genuine partner to Josh, how he complimented her aggressive, reckless nature with his cautiousness and compassion. I loved how even though he was the love interest, his "development" with Josh never took center stage - they were all in the background and even moved alongside the real storyline. It made me yearn for scenes with both of them even more.
Long story short: Will Kansas is my current book boyfriend, and he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. MORE MALES LIKE HIM, PLEASE?!?!?!
I know I've talked about this book in length already. I just can't get enough of this book, if you haven't noticed yet. If you loved The Diviners by Libba Bray, you'll definitely want this because that's the feel I got from this book. But even if you don't know that book, you guys definitely need to read this. It's just so beautifully and masterfully written.
This was my mantra upon finishing this book. And boy, did I keep on repeating this with much fervor and passionate flailing. I mean, guys. GUYS. I found a 5 star book. THIS IS NOT A DRILL: I FOUND A 5 STAR BOOK. Where's the confetti?! Where are the champagne?! WE NEED A GODDAMN CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN OVER HERE.
I am getting goosebumps all over my skin as I type this. I don't even know how I'm going to review this book in the most logical, coherent way possible. I usually write my reviews in a calculated, objective (with a tint of emotional bias) manner, but right now, I don't think that is possible. Warning: I may repeat the words awesome, fantastic, excellent, sublime, amazing, magnificent, epic many times. SAYING ALL OF THOSE WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR THIS BOOK.
Basically? This book is awesome. It's written so, so well that my mind is still so blown away at how amazingly thought-out everything here is. The plot, the characters, the development, the romance, the world-building, the complexity of human relationships, EVERYTHING. I loved how realistic they all felt - the feelings, the dialogue, the characters themselves - I found them so real and genuine that my heart really ached for them, that I wished I were there with them because I could see them as real people, not as fictional characters with personalities that feel forced. It was all just so natural.
Take the world-building for example. Basically, in this world, there is another realm where all dreams take place - all the happy dreams, all the nightmares, and this realm plays a big part in the world's balance as a whole. If there are too many nightmares going on, it would mean the end of both worlds. That's where Dream Walkers like Josh come in, people who have been resolving nightmares for generations. It may sound really simple, and you may be thinking, "Meh, that doesn't sound complex at all."
But this book will prove you wrong because the book really sets the world extensively with scientific explanations (that do not make you dizzy) and dream theories (that do make sense in-world). It may feel slow because of this, though (which seems to be the complaint of many reviewers), and I wouldn't blame you if it feels to you that way if you read this, but for me, it was never a problem because the writing made up for it. The writing was so delicious to consume. I just loved how smooth and lyrical the narration was, and how it effectively gave life to the story and to the characters effortlessly.
Speaking of characters, can I just say that I love how Josh was so realistic and flawed at the same time? She was seen as the best of her generation, being able to resolve nightmares 88% of the time and with such ease and efficiency; but deep inside she was so insecure and plagued by guilt of a death that happened in the past that she thought was her fault. And these flaws were shown so realistically - she would be praised for her skills, and she would put walls around her and then think that if she were, what happened in the past wouldn't have happened. She would get away from a dire situation, and she would berate herself for letting it happen in the first place. And best of all - it never felt overwhelming. It never felt contrived. They were all handled so sensitively, resolved gradually and realistically, and they even compliment the storyline at the same time.
And my GOD, WILL. WILL KANSAS. The love interest was just so bloody amazing. He's an average joe who suddenly finds himself all mixed in affairs he never knew existed, and he handles them all like a champ. He is sweet, laid-back, kind, sensitive to the problems of the people around him, and has demons of his own. I loved how he was such a genuine partner to Josh, how he complimented her aggressive, reckless nature with his cautiousness and compassion. I loved how even though he was the love interest, his "development" with Josh never took center stage - they were all in the background and even moved alongside the real storyline. It made me yearn for scenes with both of them even more.
Long story short: Will Kansas is my current book boyfriend, and he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. MORE MALES LIKE HIM, PLEASE?!?!?!
I know I've talked about this book in length already. I just can't get enough of this book, if you haven't noticed yet. If you loved The Diviners by Libba Bray, you'll definitely want this because that's the feel I got from this book. But even if you don't know that book, you guys definitely need to read this. It's just so beautifully and masterfully written.
January 19, 2016
“Your nightmares follow you like a shadow, forever. ”
-----Aleksandar Hemon
Kit Alloway, an American debut author, pens her very first YA fantasy novel, Dreamfire that happens to be the very first book in the Dreamfire series. The series unfolds the life of a teenage dream-walker who walks tens and thousands of nightmares of common people to save them from the fear of the nightmare grasping them forever. This is a no-ordinary story of a very ordinary teenager walking the dreams and nightmares and how heroically gives up her life to protect the Dream world to maintain the balance in the universe, while dealing with her own mistakes and problems.
Synopsis:
Joshlyn Weaver has always lived with a big secret. Ordinary kids spend their free time going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and searching on the internet.
But for her, an evening at home usually means entering people's dreams. For many generations, her family has been part of a very powerful and very secretive society of dream walkers. Tasked with the responsibility of lowering the world's general anxiety — which only leads to war and strife in the waking world — their job has always been to stop nightmares before they go too far.
By stopping nightmares while sleeping, they help to stop nightmares in real life.
But when an ancient feud within the dream walker society resurfaces right when a seemingly unconnected series of very strange and very scary events start occurring during her dream walks, Josh finds herself in a race against time. The one true dream walker has never been known. Could she be the one?
Josh is an average 17-year old girl who is trained at a tender age to be a dream-walker to resolve nightmares of common people thus restoring balance between the Dream World as well as The World, where we live in. At 17, every dream-walker follows a common ritual where they receive a scroll predicting their future. But this world of Dream is not that perfect, if you let the fear of the nightmare catch you, you might get caught up in the Dreamfire, or else stuck up in the dream of some human being forever. But when this dream world is threatened to wake up the True Dream Walker as per the legend, Josh along with her apprentice, Will and her friend, Haley, opens up a way to this threatening part of the dream to save her people as well as to protect the Dream World from being destroyed. Will she be able to protect it?
The author's writing style is fantastic and considering this is the author's debut book, the writing as well as the story building felt like it came out from the minds of some seasoned YA fantasy author. The world building is intricately done with lots of minute details, which I agree is bit slow, but it is necessary for the readers to gradually seep into the heart of the story.
The author has even used simple diagrams as well as Venn Diagrams to explain the difference between The World we live in as well as the Dream World and how one can traverse from one world to another and many more dream-walking legends and theories. The narrative style is eloquent and quite free-flowing, and has been kept easy for the readers to easily sync into the story.
The characters are all very well developed, especially the main character and her apprentice- Josh and Will. I must say, these two characters are bound to leave a lasting impression in the minds of the readers even after the end of the story. Josh and Will are very simple and average teens, but has a lot of determination and strength and will power to achieve extraordinary goals, even if they have to fight for it, they would rather do it. The secondary characters like Deloise, Windsor, Whim, etc are also quite strongly developed and are very real with their emotions, dialogues and demeanor. The romantic angle between Josh and Will is featured with lots of emotions and the readers can easily comprehend with this young teenage love.
Honestly, Dreamfire incited a fire within me to know more what happens next to Josh, Will and her family and friends, when the story ended with a cliffhanger. And I can't wait to read Dreamfever, the next book in the series.
In short, the book is not at all dreamy or silent as the name suggests, instead it is one hell of a roller coaster ride filled with actions, drama and evil men lurking in the nightmares, and even Hitler too!!
Verdict: A YA series that you definitely need to shelve as well as read!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Kit Alloway, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
-----Aleksandar Hemon
Kit Alloway, an American debut author, pens her very first YA fantasy novel, Dreamfire that happens to be the very first book in the Dreamfire series. The series unfolds the life of a teenage dream-walker who walks tens and thousands of nightmares of common people to save them from the fear of the nightmare grasping them forever. This is a no-ordinary story of a very ordinary teenager walking the dreams and nightmares and how heroically gives up her life to protect the Dream world to maintain the balance in the universe, while dealing with her own mistakes and problems.
Synopsis:
Joshlyn Weaver has always lived with a big secret. Ordinary kids spend their free time going to the movies, hanging out with friends, and searching on the internet.
But for her, an evening at home usually means entering people's dreams. For many generations, her family has been part of a very powerful and very secretive society of dream walkers. Tasked with the responsibility of lowering the world's general anxiety — which only leads to war and strife in the waking world — their job has always been to stop nightmares before they go too far.
By stopping nightmares while sleeping, they help to stop nightmares in real life.
But when an ancient feud within the dream walker society resurfaces right when a seemingly unconnected series of very strange and very scary events start occurring during her dream walks, Josh finds herself in a race against time. The one true dream walker has never been known. Could she be the one?
Josh is an average 17-year old girl who is trained at a tender age to be a dream-walker to resolve nightmares of common people thus restoring balance between the Dream World as well as The World, where we live in. At 17, every dream-walker follows a common ritual where they receive a scroll predicting their future. But this world of Dream is not that perfect, if you let the fear of the nightmare catch you, you might get caught up in the Dreamfire, or else stuck up in the dream of some human being forever. But when this dream world is threatened to wake up the True Dream Walker as per the legend, Josh along with her apprentice, Will and her friend, Haley, opens up a way to this threatening part of the dream to save her people as well as to protect the Dream World from being destroyed. Will she be able to protect it?
The author's writing style is fantastic and considering this is the author's debut book, the writing as well as the story building felt like it came out from the minds of some seasoned YA fantasy author. The world building is intricately done with lots of minute details, which I agree is bit slow, but it is necessary for the readers to gradually seep into the heart of the story.
The author has even used simple diagrams as well as Venn Diagrams to explain the difference between The World we live in as well as the Dream World and how one can traverse from one world to another and many more dream-walking legends and theories. The narrative style is eloquent and quite free-flowing, and has been kept easy for the readers to easily sync into the story.
The characters are all very well developed, especially the main character and her apprentice- Josh and Will. I must say, these two characters are bound to leave a lasting impression in the minds of the readers even after the end of the story. Josh and Will are very simple and average teens, but has a lot of determination and strength and will power to achieve extraordinary goals, even if they have to fight for it, they would rather do it. The secondary characters like Deloise, Windsor, Whim, etc are also quite strongly developed and are very real with their emotions, dialogues and demeanor. The romantic angle between Josh and Will is featured with lots of emotions and the readers can easily comprehend with this young teenage love.
Honestly, Dreamfire incited a fire within me to know more what happens next to Josh, Will and her family and friends, when the story ended with a cliffhanger. And I can't wait to read Dreamfever, the next book in the series.
In short, the book is not at all dreamy or silent as the name suggests, instead it is one hell of a roller coaster ride filled with actions, drama and evil men lurking in the nightmares, and even Hitler too!!
Verdict: A YA series that you definitely need to shelve as well as read!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Kit Alloway, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
March 9, 2015
This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!
So you’re probably wondering what I ended up doing with Dreamfire with it’s slow and draggy pace. I was about halfway through until I started skimming, but I’m glad I didn’t DNF it because the ending was satisfying.
The setting was really interesting. Dream walkers are trained to enter nightmares and to resolve or end their dreams to reduce the dreamers’ anxiety. The dream walkers operate as a secret society with their own rituals, such as inducting people into the society when they turn 17, having extremely long names and having a scroll that can tell their future. Witnessing people’s nightmares was a weird and wonderful experience, featuring albino koalas, trapped souls in a canister, trench coat pursuers and reconstructions of world war II.
It took me a long time to warm to the book though, as it gets bogged down with lengthy and complicated explanations on dream theory. A lot of this detail wasn’t really necessary to the overall plot and made the book crawl at a staggering pace. I struggled to stay interested all the way through and ending up skimming the book partway through. The book does pick up towards the end, especially when it starts exploring the villain’s world and Josh’s past – I just wish it didn’t take so long to get there.
Many secondary characters are introduced in quick succession at Josh’s 17th birthday, and it was hard for me to pick up their names, especially since most of them are related to her in some way. Even the character names were hard to grasp with interchanging male/female names – Josh as the female main character and Haley as a male character.
Once I warmed up to the characters though, I started to appreciate them. Josh is a reserved, cold and damaged character who is incredibly talented with dream walking. She’ll constantly put herself down throughout the book and prevent herself from getting close to others, because she blames herself for her boyfriend’s death. Seeing her dedication to saving people from their nightmares, her family and friends care for her, and hearing about her past trauma, added depth to her character. She was cold and difficult to connect to for a reason, and seeing her from Will’s point of view helped.
As Josh’s apprentice, Will really helped Josh to open up and overcome her PTSD. He’s warm, friendly and emotionally aware, thanks to all the self help books he’s read. It was interesting to see how he picked up on the emotional side of things, in contrast with Josh’s talent, by counselling people in their nightmares. Where Josh contributed with her strength, training and ability, Will also had something to offer with his emotional awareness and ability to calm others.
The other secondary characters were also interesting, particularly Haley, the identical twin of Josh’s ex-boyfriend. It looked like he was coping with his twin’s death by pretending to be him which was really creepy.
I was this close to DNFing Dreamfire, but I’m glad I didn’t. I got a satisfying resolution and ended up appreciating the characters and the plot once I reached the final page. The pacing was slow and draggy, with lengthy scientific explanations that went over my head. But it is so much more than just a paranormal book, as the main character deals with trauma from her past, the responsibility of dream walking and some pretty interesting dilemmas.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
So you’re probably wondering what I ended up doing with Dreamfire with it’s slow and draggy pace. I was about halfway through until I started skimming, but I’m glad I didn’t DNF it because the ending was satisfying.
The setting was really interesting. Dream walkers are trained to enter nightmares and to resolve or end their dreams to reduce the dreamers’ anxiety. The dream walkers operate as a secret society with their own rituals, such as inducting people into the society when they turn 17, having extremely long names and having a scroll that can tell their future. Witnessing people’s nightmares was a weird and wonderful experience, featuring albino koalas, trapped souls in a canister, trench coat pursuers and reconstructions of world war II.
It took me a long time to warm to the book though, as it gets bogged down with lengthy and complicated explanations on dream theory. A lot of this detail wasn’t really necessary to the overall plot and made the book crawl at a staggering pace. I struggled to stay interested all the way through and ending up skimming the book partway through. The book does pick up towards the end, especially when it starts exploring the villain’s world and Josh’s past – I just wish it didn’t take so long to get there.
Many secondary characters are introduced in quick succession at Josh’s 17th birthday, and it was hard for me to pick up their names, especially since most of them are related to her in some way. Even the character names were hard to grasp with interchanging male/female names – Josh as the female main character and Haley as a male character.
Once I warmed up to the characters though, I started to appreciate them. Josh is a reserved, cold and damaged character who is incredibly talented with dream walking. She’ll constantly put herself down throughout the book and prevent herself from getting close to others, because she blames herself for her boyfriend’s death. Seeing her dedication to saving people from their nightmares, her family and friends care for her, and hearing about her past trauma, added depth to her character. She was cold and difficult to connect to for a reason, and seeing her from Will’s point of view helped.
As Josh’s apprentice, Will really helped Josh to open up and overcome her PTSD. He’s warm, friendly and emotionally aware, thanks to all the self help books he’s read. It was interesting to see how he picked up on the emotional side of things, in contrast with Josh’s talent, by counselling people in their nightmares. Where Josh contributed with her strength, training and ability, Will also had something to offer with his emotional awareness and ability to calm others.
The other secondary characters were also interesting, particularly Haley, the identical twin of Josh’s ex-boyfriend. It looked like he was coping with his twin’s death by pretending to be him which was really creepy.
I was this close to DNFing Dreamfire, but I’m glad I didn’t. I got a satisfying resolution and ended up appreciating the characters and the plot once I reached the final page. The pacing was slow and draggy, with lengthy scientific explanations that went over my head. But it is so much more than just a paranormal book, as the main character deals with trauma from her past, the responsibility of dream walking and some pretty interesting dilemmas.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
February 2, 2015
This review has also been posted on The Social Potato
Actual Rating 3.5
When I first read the blurb for this book, all I could think of was how awesome it would be to read a book that was about a secret society of dream walkers and I have to say… I was definitely let down in that department. It isn’t so much about a secret society of dream walkers as it is about the characters and the development they undergo over the course of the book. What I am trying to say is that this book was not wanted it to be but it was still a great read. I mean I did stay up until 4:30 A.M. to finish it (I am cray).
Josh is a good female lead. I refrain from saying great just because she beat herself up too much over things. She'd beat herself over the smallest things and it bothered me. I can see why she would beat herself up but she always took stretched it. It seemed as though the fact that everyone had a tendency to let her off the hook made it so that she had to be harsher on herself. I understand that but at the same time, I didn't like it.
That aside, Josh was likeable and it was easy to cheer for her considering everything she had gone through. I liked how determined she was but her best quality, at least in my opinion, was that she always apologized when she did something wrong. She would sometimes make decisions without taking into account the affect it had on other people but she ALWAYS apologized once she realized that that was wrong (and it didn't take her long to realize that). It was an admirable quality and it made it easier to like her even though she could be a little shit at times.
Will was the love interest of the book and it took me a while to warm up to him. I think it’s because he accepted everything so easily and that made it somewhat ridiculous. He walks into their house without requiring more than minimal convincing on their part. What if they were serial killers? That’s kind of scary! I can understand his willingness to believe because the family actually did the introducing someone to a whole new world in an appropriate manner. My problem was that he was way too quick to adjust to the family itself considering Will had never really interacted with Josh or ‘the gang’ before.
Their romance wasn’t as great as it could have been either. I think it’s downfall was how quickly things progressed at the end of the book. I loved how the author took her time developing their relationship throughout the book. She didn’t focus on their attraction but instead on building a relationship based on friendship and I loved those moments where they supported each other. But then things just went from one point to another too quickly and I was left feeling confused and a little robbed of experiencing a great romance.
One of my favorite things about this book were the secondary characters. I may not have liked every single one of them and I especially had a problem with Windsor but in the end, the author just did a great job with them. They are a lovable cast and super supportive and if I had to ask for anyone to watch my back, it would be this fantabulous bunch. Speaking of favorites (I know we were’t), Haley totally won the show for me and if I could hug him and reassure him, I totalllllly would.
My other favorite aspect of this book was the world the author had built. There aren’t nearly enough books about dreamwalkers out there (or books that actually focus on the dreamwalking bits) and this was so great when it came to that. The author told (or rather showed) us a lot of things about this world. My only problem was that we didn’t get nearly enough of the politics aspect or the secret society aspect which was why I ended up feeling a tad let down.
The plot was also wonderfully developed and I thought the author paced it just right, building up the climax fantabulously. What I didn’t like was the ‘twist’ the author decided to throw in. I feel like we didn’t need that in this book. I get that it opens up possibilities for a sequel but at the same time, I feel like there are so many other ways to set up for a sequel than doing something like that. I cannot say more about it without spoilers so I won’t but yeah.
I think one of the things this book did well was the way the villain was developed, or I should say the main villain. Pergerine, her grandfather is somewhat of a villain as well but he seemed too extreme to me and I didn’t like him. This isn’t meant to be a spoiler of course since throughout the book, it’s obvious that her grandfather is a little shit and the main character knows that (and promotes that idea). That said though, the main villain is set up wonderfully.
All in all, this was a fantastic read and one I would encourage anyone who is looking for something new in the paranormal genre to read. It may not be perfect but it has a lot of things going for it and it’s exciting and fun.
Actual Rating 3.5
When I first read the blurb for this book, all I could think of was how awesome it would be to read a book that was about a secret society of dream walkers and I have to say… I was definitely let down in that department. It isn’t so much about a secret society of dream walkers as it is about the characters and the development they undergo over the course of the book. What I am trying to say is that this book was not wanted it to be but it was still a great read. I mean I did stay up until 4:30 A.M. to finish it (I am cray).
Josh is a good female lead. I refrain from saying great just because she beat herself up too much over things. She'd beat herself over the smallest things and it bothered me. I can see why she would beat herself up but she always took stretched it. It seemed as though the fact that everyone had a tendency to let her off the hook made it so that she had to be harsher on herself. I understand that but at the same time, I didn't like it.
That aside, Josh was likeable and it was easy to cheer for her considering everything she had gone through. I liked how determined she was but her best quality, at least in my opinion, was that she always apologized when she did something wrong. She would sometimes make decisions without taking into account the affect it had on other people but she ALWAYS apologized once she realized that that was wrong (and it didn't take her long to realize that). It was an admirable quality and it made it easier to like her even though she could be a little shit at times.
Will was the love interest of the book and it took me a while to warm up to him. I think it’s because he accepted everything so easily and that made it somewhat ridiculous. He walks into their house without requiring more than minimal convincing on their part. What if they were serial killers? That’s kind of scary! I can understand his willingness to believe because the family actually did the introducing someone to a whole new world in an appropriate manner. My problem was that he was way too quick to adjust to the family itself considering Will had never really interacted with Josh or ‘the gang’ before.
Their romance wasn’t as great as it could have been either. I think it’s downfall was how quickly things progressed at the end of the book. I loved how the author took her time developing their relationship throughout the book. She didn’t focus on their attraction but instead on building a relationship based on friendship and I loved those moments where they supported each other. But then things just went from one point to another too quickly and I was left feeling confused and a little robbed of experiencing a great romance.
One of my favorite things about this book were the secondary characters. I may not have liked every single one of them and I especially had a problem with Windsor but in the end, the author just did a great job with them. They are a lovable cast and super supportive and if I had to ask for anyone to watch my back, it would be this fantabulous bunch. Speaking of favorites (I know we were’t), Haley totally won the show for me and if I could hug him and reassure him, I totalllllly would.
My other favorite aspect of this book was the world the author had built. There aren’t nearly enough books about dreamwalkers out there (or books that actually focus on the dreamwalking bits) and this was so great when it came to that. The author told (or rather showed) us a lot of things about this world. My only problem was that we didn’t get nearly enough of the politics aspect or the secret society aspect which was why I ended up feeling a tad let down.
The plot was also wonderfully developed and I thought the author paced it just right, building up the climax fantabulously. What I didn’t like was the ‘twist’ the author decided to throw in. I feel like we didn’t need that in this book. I get that it opens up possibilities for a sequel but at the same time, I feel like there are so many other ways to set up for a sequel than doing something like that. I cannot say more about it without spoilers so I won’t but yeah.
I think one of the things this book did well was the way the villain was developed, or I should say the main villain. Pergerine, her grandfather is somewhat of a villain as well but he seemed too extreme to me and I didn’t like him. This isn’t meant to be a spoiler of course since throughout the book, it’s obvious that her grandfather is a little shit and the main character knows that (and promotes that idea). That said though, the main villain is set up wonderfully.
All in all, this was a fantastic read and one I would encourage anyone who is looking for something new in the paranormal genre to read. It may not be perfect but it has a lot of things going for it and it’s exciting and fun.
March 10, 2015
Dreamfire was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I loved the cover and the concepts of dream walking was so intriguing to me. For the most part, the ideas were very well executed by the author. I found myself really enjoying the scenes where Joshlyn transported herself into people's nightmares to save them. What the book didn't impress me at was the characterization and the pacing. I never really got a full hold of Josh's character. I think I wanted to know her on a much deeper level. As for the pacing issues, Dreamfire had the tendency to be very slow and that ultimately bored me from time to time. That being said, by the end, the book did get better and I was excited about all the revelations. I did want a little more oomph from the story. Overall, I was satisfied with the book, but I was definitely expecting something more exciting.
January 23, 2016
This book was good! The action, world building and romance sequences were very well written and easy to get into. I love the idea of dream walkers it was a breathe of fresh air! It kept me so entertained and I loved all the characters! The plot was interesting and I feel like this book opened the doors for a great trilogy to come! I can't wait to read more of this world!!
March 13, 2017
March 7th 2017: 2nd reread in progress. Already loving it again.
My interview with Kit Alloway!
http://aprillelegacy.com/2016/01/17/a...
3rd July - Okay I can't stop thinking about this book so I'm updating it to 5 stars
This book needs more attention. Loved it, will be keeping an eye on this author.
My interview with Kit Alloway!
http://aprillelegacy.com/2016/01/17/a...
3rd July - Okay I can't stop thinking about this book so I'm updating it to 5 stars
This book needs more attention. Loved it, will be keeping an eye on this author.
August 19, 2020
Okay, since this is a spoilery review, I might as well begin with the things I liked about this teen-fantasy debut. The concept of Will not being Josh's fated apprentice was a big win for me, even though later in the novel it was derailed by Old Ben's lie of the existence of an apprentice in the first place. Um, that's about it? It was a perfectly fine book, and well done for a debut, but I know that I read it at the wrong time to fully appreciate and enjoy it as I have come across a lot of different books that have tackled similar issues better.
I really enjoyed the concept, but there were a few issues I had with the particular devices Alloway used. The first hundred pages or so were FILLED with heavy-handed exposition, a lot of it flying over my head until it was actually needed. While the romance between Josh and Will was inevitable, there was no lead up to their romantic pairing. Perhaps this is just a personal fault, as I love a good yearning couple. Instead, they felt like really good, solid friends. ALSO, not only were there too many characters - to the point where Alloway needed to include a character list preceding the first page - but the characters' names were either too similar or too gender-diverging. Yes, unisex names are a thing, but the number of times I confused Josh with Will is too high to mention. And Whim and Windsor's names were too similar, so when there were ensemble scenes, my mind just got caught up in a frenzy. But hey, that could just be me and my quarantine-riddled brain.
OH. AND DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THAT 'TRUE DREAM WALKER' BUSINESS. *sighs*
Okay, so look, I get it. The main character should be special in some way in order to compel the audience to follow their story. I was totally fine with Josh being uber-talented in the Dream, because she put in the work and practised and whatever. What I didn't like was how her prophecy was revealed to be her embodying the 'True Dream Walker' because it then undermines the hard work and specialness of the character that was all earned on her own merit. If it's fate, it was bound to happen anyway, against all odds, so what was the point in learning how hard she worked for it? And then, when you have that fate reveal paired with her character trait of toxic humility, it just leaves a gross aftertaste in your mouth, one that reeks of Chosen Ones of times before.
Will I continue the series? Yes, because I can't let my cousin down, my favourite cousin who preached the series as one of her favourites. I must see it through now. But after that novel, I can't see what else is in store for its future books, apart from exploring her newly-revealed 'fate' and a deepening rivalry with her President Snow-esque grandfather.
I really enjoyed the concept, but there were a few issues I had with the particular devices Alloway used. The first hundred pages or so were FILLED with heavy-handed exposition, a lot of it flying over my head until it was actually needed. While the romance between Josh and Will was inevitable, there was no lead up to their romantic pairing. Perhaps this is just a personal fault, as I love a good yearning couple. Instead, they felt like really good, solid friends. ALSO, not only were there too many characters - to the point where Alloway needed to include a character list preceding the first page - but the characters' names were either too similar or too gender-diverging. Yes, unisex names are a thing, but the number of times I confused Josh with Will is too high to mention. And Whim and Windsor's names were too similar, so when there were ensemble scenes, my mind just got caught up in a frenzy. But hey, that could just be me and my quarantine-riddled brain.
OH. AND DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THAT 'TRUE DREAM WALKER' BUSINESS. *sighs*
Okay, so look, I get it. The main character should be special in some way in order to compel the audience to follow their story. I was totally fine with Josh being uber-talented in the Dream, because she put in the work and practised and whatever. What I didn't like was how her prophecy was revealed to be her embodying the 'True Dream Walker' because it then undermines the hard work and specialness of the character that was all earned on her own merit. If it's fate, it was bound to happen anyway, against all odds, so what was the point in learning how hard she worked for it? And then, when you have that fate reveal paired with her character trait of toxic humility, it just leaves a gross aftertaste in your mouth, one that reeks of Chosen Ones of times before.
Will I continue the series? Yes, because I can't let my cousin down, my favourite cousin who preached the series as one of her favourites. I must see it through now. But after that novel, I can't see what else is in store for its future books, apart from exploring her newly-revealed 'fate' and a deepening rivalry with her President Snow-esque grandfather.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2021
ok so LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS! the world building was extraordinary! I was never confused and the book even had graphs and charts to help explain. what other books actually have charts to explain everything while fitting it into the plot? the characters were extremely well thought out and had a lot of depth and background. Will had A LOT of parental issues and insecurities. and Josh. Josh had so much pain and insecurities and I feel so bad for her. her mom died and then her bf slept with her friend and then he died, then haley was acting like Ian, Winsor refused to talk to her, got an apprentice, her grandma died, her friends got attacked, one of her freinds r in a come, almost died MULTIPLE times, the Ian FREAKING DIED AGAIN, then she confessed her love for Will. so yeah.... a lot.
will is freaking amazing and I love him so much. this entire book was just so so great.
AND THEN WILL AND JOSH FINALLY GOT TOGETHER! MY HEART FREAKING EXPLODED!
thanks for reading!!
I hope u have a SPLENDID day!! 💜💜
Because cabbage was all Feodor had left of Ian.
Ian was a vegetable.
"And because I'm in love with you." she blurted out, and will's head snapped up.
"I can't believe I just said that."
"No, it's-"
"Completely inappropriate-"
"it's not-"
"Because you're my apprentice, and I think you might legally be my brother now and-"
"Josh stop. Do you think I don't feel exactly the same way about you? Because I swear I do."
^ OMG THEY R JUST SO FREAKING ADORABLE!
will is freaking amazing and I love him so much. this entire book was just so so great.
AND THEN WILL AND JOSH FINALLY GOT TOGETHER! MY HEART FREAKING EXPLODED!
thanks for reading!!
I hope u have a SPLENDID day!! 💜💜
Because cabbage was all Feodor had left of Ian.
Ian was a vegetable.
"And because I'm in love with you." she blurted out, and will's head snapped up.
"I can't believe I just said that."
"No, it's-"
"Completely inappropriate-"
"it's not-"
"Because you're my apprentice, and I think you might legally be my brother now and-"
"Josh stop. Do you think I don't feel exactly the same way about you? Because I swear I do."
^ OMG THEY R JUST SO FREAKING ADORABLE!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2015
This review first appeared on Readers in Wonderland
DREAMFIRE was such an interesting book to read. I mean, it’s about Dreamwalkers, people who enter nightmares and help resolve them. Add in some villains and character conflicts to the dream lore and you have a nice little novel there. It was the perfect thing to keep me entertained while I had no internet for a few days (the struggles).
The plot of DREAMFIRE is quite slow to build. Most of the first half of the novel is introducing you to the hundreds of characters (there are so many and they all have strange names), the dreamwalker society, and the dream lore itself. We learnt a lot of things as Will, the new apprentice, did which was probably the best way to do it because there was a lot of info to digest. At the same time, hints are dropped about past character conflicts and the new threat to the dream world of the main plot. The information overload did feel a little overwhelming at first, but as we moved through into the greater plot and connections started being made, DREAMFIRE became very interesting (and there were some great little twists/plot developments I didn’t expect). Speed does pick up at the end, but overall DREAMFIRE isn’t an action packed, fast paced novel.
Being slow paced usually means character driven in my head. Looking back after finishing, I can see all the character development that went on, but when I was reading it didn’t feel like much was happening with them. Sure, they had their past drama to deal with, but all the emotions that came with that sometimes seemed extreme and came out at random places. It didn’t help that none of the characters really intrigued me. Aside from dreamwalking they were pretty boring. The exception being Haley who is fascinating for spoilery reasons.
The villains are another exception to the boring characters. They are so, so intriguing and I’m sad more time wasn’t developing them. Though there are hints that we haven’t seen the last of them. They have the potential to be some of the creepiest, most villainous villains I’ve ever read in fiction and I am excited. Especially after that epilogue.
Flat characters meant I never really felt the tension or appeal of the slow burn romance, though some of the late scenes near the end were nice. Not a lot of time is spent on the romance either, plot and world building are the main focus points of DREAMFIRE. And there was a lot of emotional baggage the characters had to deal with before they were even ready to consider romance so I’m glad it isn’t a massive part of DREAMFIRE.
DREAMFIRE never blew me away, but is was an enjoyable read. (I read it after a five star read. It had a lot to live up to) I loved the dream lore and the walking through nightmares, and the villains who could have been developed more and played bigger roles in the plot of this first book, which really just set a lot of things up for the sequels. The only thing that really let me down was that most of the characters were meh, though they did start to show more personality as the story moved on. I would like to read the rest of the sequels when they come out because I have the feeling everything is going to get bigger and better from here. I’d recommend DREAMFIRE to people looking for an interesting new YA paranormal read that won’t emotionally traumatize you.
DREAMFIRE was such an interesting book to read. I mean, it’s about Dreamwalkers, people who enter nightmares and help resolve them. Add in some villains and character conflicts to the dream lore and you have a nice little novel there. It was the perfect thing to keep me entertained while I had no internet for a few days (the struggles).
The plot of DREAMFIRE is quite slow to build. Most of the first half of the novel is introducing you to the hundreds of characters (there are so many and they all have strange names), the dreamwalker society, and the dream lore itself. We learnt a lot of things as Will, the new apprentice, did which was probably the best way to do it because there was a lot of info to digest. At the same time, hints are dropped about past character conflicts and the new threat to the dream world of the main plot. The information overload did feel a little overwhelming at first, but as we moved through into the greater plot and connections started being made, DREAMFIRE became very interesting (and there were some great little twists/plot developments I didn’t expect). Speed does pick up at the end, but overall DREAMFIRE isn’t an action packed, fast paced novel.
Being slow paced usually means character driven in my head. Looking back after finishing, I can see all the character development that went on, but when I was reading it didn’t feel like much was happening with them. Sure, they had their past drama to deal with, but all the emotions that came with that sometimes seemed extreme and came out at random places. It didn’t help that none of the characters really intrigued me. Aside from dreamwalking they were pretty boring. The exception being Haley who is fascinating for spoilery reasons.
The villains are another exception to the boring characters. They are so, so intriguing and I’m sad more time wasn’t developing them. Though there are hints that we haven’t seen the last of them. They have the potential to be some of the creepiest, most villainous villains I’ve ever read in fiction and I am excited. Especially after that epilogue.
Flat characters meant I never really felt the tension or appeal of the slow burn romance, though some of the late scenes near the end were nice. Not a lot of time is spent on the romance either, plot and world building are the main focus points of DREAMFIRE. And there was a lot of emotional baggage the characters had to deal with before they were even ready to consider romance so I’m glad it isn’t a massive part of DREAMFIRE.
DREAMFIRE never blew me away, but is was an enjoyable read. (I read it after a five star read. It had a lot to live up to) I loved the dream lore and the walking through nightmares, and the villains who could have been developed more and played bigger roles in the plot of this first book, which really just set a lot of things up for the sequels. The only thing that really let me down was that most of the characters were meh, though they did start to show more personality as the story moved on. I would like to read the rest of the sequels when they come out because I have the feeling everything is going to get bigger and better from here. I’d recommend DREAMFIRE to people looking for an interesting new YA paranormal read that won’t emotionally traumatize you.
April 3, 2015
Originally reviewed on The Escapist.
***
Rating: 4.5
*This review is based on advance reading ecopy. There might be some changes with the finished copy.
Dreamfire is a rare gem you couldn't find at the top of the world. I saw this when I was browsing Macmillan's catalog and I am in awe after reading the blurb. I thought I wouldn't have an opportunity to read it due to time constraint. I tried my luck on Edelweiss and search for it and saw it was ready for download. No need requesting! Lucky I am indeed.
There's a secret society hidden from the reality of the World. A society wherein the people dreamwalk on a person's dream--mostly on nightmares to resolve the dreamer's fears or end the nightmare. The seventeen year-old main character, Joshlyn Weaver, was shown to be plain and sullen due to a painful past, but talented in dreamwalking. Everything about Josh has something to do with the story as I realized after reading, and it added depth to the overall.
Dreamfire seem to start in the middle of a story that's why I had a hard time getting to it at first and tried to digest to heaviness of their world. But when the heaviness wore off and I started to learn more about the Dream, dream-walking, and Josh's world, I found myself enjoying each page. I really liked that Dreamfire has unique story and world-building. The book was told in third perspective--like other books---but the words and narration seem to make the book more distinct. The pacing was a bit slow at first but it didn't felt like I have to drag myself to read it, because it's interesting enough.
I really liked Dreamfire. The Dream world-building was crafted beautifully. It was imaginative, unpredictable, bitter, and sweet. A tale of strength, friendship, fears, love, and loss. You wouldn't feel that the story was concealed within the real world because it felt like a high fantasy. This book has different kinds of physical and emotional adventure. It was full of painful and exciting scenes that had me wanting for more.
*Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin forthe review ecopy in exchange of an honest review!
***
Rating: 4.5
*This review is based on advance reading ecopy. There might be some changes with the finished copy.
Dreamfire is a rare gem you couldn't find at the top of the world. I saw this when I was browsing Macmillan's catalog and I am in awe after reading the blurb. I thought I wouldn't have an opportunity to read it due to time constraint. I tried my luck on Edelweiss and search for it and saw it was ready for download. No need requesting! Lucky I am indeed.
There's a secret society hidden from the reality of the World. A society wherein the people dreamwalk on a person's dream--mostly on nightmares to resolve the dreamer's fears or end the nightmare. The seventeen year-old main character, Joshlyn Weaver, was shown to be plain and sullen due to a painful past, but talented in dreamwalking. Everything about Josh has something to do with the story as I realized after reading, and it added depth to the overall.
Dreamfire seem to start in the middle of a story that's why I had a hard time getting to it at first and tried to digest to heaviness of their world. But when the heaviness wore off and I started to learn more about the Dream, dream-walking, and Josh's world, I found myself enjoying each page. I really liked that Dreamfire has unique story and world-building. The book was told in third perspective--like other books---but the words and narration seem to make the book more distinct. The pacing was a bit slow at first but it didn't felt like I have to drag myself to read it, because it's interesting enough.
I really liked Dreamfire. The Dream world-building was crafted beautifully. It was imaginative, unpredictable, bitter, and sweet. A tale of strength, friendship, fears, love, and loss. You wouldn't feel that the story was concealed within the real world because it felt like a high fantasy. This book has different kinds of physical and emotional adventure. It was full of painful and exciting scenes that had me wanting for more.
*Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin forthe review ecopy in exchange of an honest review!
November 16, 2019
I read this in 2017... 3.5 stars
November 1, 2017
Link: https://holedupinabook.blogspot.com/2...
This was by far, one of the longest trilogy I have read in a very long time. It’s not that the books were long but they felt very in depth as in each page felt as if was loaded with a lot of information and a lot of text. On my average, I’ll take around 2-3 days to finish a book but these pretty much took me a week at the minimum for each book so it completely ruined my reading schedule (sorry Emily! LOL). However, I still trudged on because I did find this series fascinating and certainly unique. I’ve read another series about dream walkers (not them specifically but people in the series had this unique ability), Diviner series, so it was interesting to see another take on this.
In this series, apparently dream walking was a whole society. It didn’t take any sort of special skills as long as you were born into a family who dream walked and apparently there were a lot of people who dream walked. So rather than it being some sort of unique ability, it was quite easy to simply train someone to become a dream walker (i.e. Josh’s apprentice who was a random kid from school originally). That being said, dream walking was still dangerous and you really had to train hard to become good at it because unlike the dreamers whose subconscious is in the dreams, the dream walkers body/soul is also there as well so any injuries incurred in the dream scape would also be in real life. This mean that someone can die while dream walking. Anyways, that’s the short origin for the story which I think is vital to understand before I really delve into the characters/plot.
Josh, the main character, is actually a female so don’t be confused because I was at first. She was super anal about a lot of things but that’s because she knew the dangers involved with dream walking. So she was very strict with her apprentice, Will. In general, I liked her as a character because I found her to be really confident, smart, and great with pressure and stress. Also, she had a good foundation with her friends and family. However, that completely flew out the window during the second book where I then found her to be…I don’t want to say, untrustworthy, but she could no longer rely on her friends. She took everything upon herself with the whole Feodor incident and became rather sneaky in trying to become stronger and more powerful. And then that led to a whole lot of problems. Thankfully, she got a reality check so by the third book, she was more normal again. I did enjoy reading about her struggles and her change from someone who tried to rely on herself (aka in book two) versus someone who learned to rely more on her friends/family and as a collective whole, make a decision. She definitely grew more wise and mature by the end of the series.
The other characters all played a major role in the plot development – Will, Deloise, Whim, Ian, Haley, Winsor and even Feodor. I think without the lot of them or if even one of them was missing, this book would not have been the same. They all matured and changed a lot throughout the series and that was most evident with Will, Haley and Feodor. Right from the beginning, I liked Will – he seemed like the average Joe but was considerate, charming and an overall great guy. So when this incident occurred and he freaked, it was kind of understandable. He was thrust into a life that he didn’t expect and he was trying to deal with it the best that he could. And by the last book, he matured a lot and realized what was actually important to him. Haley was the weirdo of the group. He was the quiet one and usually didn’t have too much of an input. Honestly, he was the one who trailed after his twin’s shadow but I think he grew up a lot and became more comfortable with himself and that really showed. The biggest surprise was definitely Feodor. I did not expect the ending to play out the way that it did with him. I 100% expected him to go back to where he belonged but that did not happen at all. But he also changed a ton so it was kind of understandable why Josh made her decision the way that she did. Not that many people would have the same level of compassion like her.
The plot was very interesting – there were a lot of ups and downs scattered throughout the books. A lot of action occurred too specifically in the first and the last book. I felt that the second book was really just a connector between the other books. I mean, without it, it wouldn’t have worked out but it didn’t do much in terms of plot building. It was really more for character development.
Overall, I did enjoy the series. It just took me a shit ton of time to finish it. However, if you enjoy books that are on the realistic fantasy side with some scattered magical things occurring, then these books would be for you.
This was by far, one of the longest trilogy I have read in a very long time. It’s not that the books were long but they felt very in depth as in each page felt as if was loaded with a lot of information and a lot of text. On my average, I’ll take around 2-3 days to finish a book but these pretty much took me a week at the minimum for each book so it completely ruined my reading schedule (sorry Emily! LOL). However, I still trudged on because I did find this series fascinating and certainly unique. I’ve read another series about dream walkers (not them specifically but people in the series had this unique ability), Diviner series, so it was interesting to see another take on this.
In this series, apparently dream walking was a whole society. It didn’t take any sort of special skills as long as you were born into a family who dream walked and apparently there were a lot of people who dream walked. So rather than it being some sort of unique ability, it was quite easy to simply train someone to become a dream walker (i.e. Josh’s apprentice who was a random kid from school originally). That being said, dream walking was still dangerous and you really had to train hard to become good at it because unlike the dreamers whose subconscious is in the dreams, the dream walkers body/soul is also there as well so any injuries incurred in the dream scape would also be in real life. This mean that someone can die while dream walking. Anyways, that’s the short origin for the story which I think is vital to understand before I really delve into the characters/plot.
Josh, the main character, is actually a female so don’t be confused because I was at first. She was super anal about a lot of things but that’s because she knew the dangers involved with dream walking. So she was very strict with her apprentice, Will. In general, I liked her as a character because I found her to be really confident, smart, and great with pressure and stress. Also, she had a good foundation with her friends and family. However, that completely flew out the window during the second book where I then found her to be…I don’t want to say, untrustworthy, but she could no longer rely on her friends. She took everything upon herself with the whole Feodor incident and became rather sneaky in trying to become stronger and more powerful. And then that led to a whole lot of problems. Thankfully, she got a reality check so by the third book, she was more normal again. I did enjoy reading about her struggles and her change from someone who tried to rely on herself (aka in book two) versus someone who learned to rely more on her friends/family and as a collective whole, make a decision. She definitely grew more wise and mature by the end of the series.
The other characters all played a major role in the plot development – Will, Deloise, Whim, Ian, Haley, Winsor and even Feodor. I think without the lot of them or if even one of them was missing, this book would not have been the same. They all matured and changed a lot throughout the series and that was most evident with Will, Haley and Feodor. Right from the beginning, I liked Will – he seemed like the average Joe but was considerate, charming and an overall great guy. So when this incident occurred and he freaked, it was kind of understandable. He was thrust into a life that he didn’t expect and he was trying to deal with it the best that he could. And by the last book, he matured a lot and realized what was actually important to him. Haley was the weirdo of the group. He was the quiet one and usually didn’t have too much of an input. Honestly, he was the one who trailed after his twin’s shadow but I think he grew up a lot and became more comfortable with himself and that really showed. The biggest surprise was definitely Feodor. I did not expect the ending to play out the way that it did with him. I 100% expected him to go back to where he belonged but that did not happen at all. But he also changed a ton so it was kind of understandable why Josh made her decision the way that she did. Not that many people would have the same level of compassion like her.
The plot was very interesting – there were a lot of ups and downs scattered throughout the books. A lot of action occurred too specifically in the first and the last book. I felt that the second book was really just a connector between the other books. I mean, without it, it wouldn’t have worked out but it didn’t do much in terms of plot building. It was really more for character development.
Overall, I did enjoy the series. It just took me a shit ton of time to finish it. However, if you enjoy books that are on the realistic fantasy side with some scattered magical things occurring, then these books would be for you.
February 24, 2016
Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
Dreamfire is an interesting YA debut that mixes a little bit of fantasy, a little bit of romance, and a little bit of action to create a gorgeous story with meaningful characters and a plot that will leave you wondering what’s really going on in your own dreams.
“‘When a nightmare triggers one of a dreamer’s deepest fears, we call the fear dreamfire. It has a different feel to it, and if someone gets caught in it, they almost never manage to pull themselves out again.'"
Dreamfire has an original plot, one that is nicely executed, as well. Our main character, Josh, is a seventeen year old dream walker – she and her family (and a small community of other dream walkers) help to solve nightmares of people around the world. They do this by entering the dream portal through an archway (Josh and her family have one in the basement of their apartment building, which they share with other families), working to solve whatever the dreamer is having a nightmare about, and then exiting the dream through the archway again. It’s a pretty cool idea, and I have to give the author a round of applause for coming up with something so interesting.
On Josh’s seventeenth birthday, she is presented with her scroll, like everyone else in the dream walker community when they turn seventeen. This scroll is essentially their own prophecy – and they can choose whether or not they want to open it. Josh chooses not to, but later finds out that her scroll says that she is to receive an apprentice. Josh is horrified at the thought of having to teach someone else the ways of dream walking, but she cannot change it, so she goes with it. When she meets Will, she is sort of upset that it isn’t another boy from school, but she accepts it and begins teaching him.
As time goes by, the two of them develop a friendship, even if it is based on dream walking and it seems that Will’s feelings are deeper than Josh’s. Josh is slow to open up to anyone, especially after what happened to her ex boyfriend, Ian, but Will is always there for her in case she needs him.
After they discover two strange men in the dream world – who seem to be hooking up a gas mask to the dreamer and since they can alter the dream, it’s obvious that they aren’t actually part of the dream themselves, but real people in the dream world, Josh, Will, and Josh’s family and friends set out to try and stop them and solve the mystery of what is really going on in the dream world.
There is a slight romance in this book, and it isn’t really an in-your-face kind of romance, either. It’s not even really a secondary part of the plot…it’s way back there in the background, but it has more than enough sweetness to it to make you enjoy it.
“He’d been thinking that he was so tired, so sad, and so tired of listening to Josh beat herself up and that kissing her was as close as he could get to saying ‘Shut up, I don’t care what you’ve done, I think you’re amazing.'”
Dreamfire did take a me a while to read…and I mean a while – like almost two weeks. I don’t know why, either. I really enjoyed the story (even the incredibly odd names the characters had), but I think it might have been a tad longer than it needed to be. A LOT of attention was put into detail, and while that wasn’t a bad thing, it did make the book seem like it took a bit longer to read. I didn’t really connect to Josh as much as I would have liked, but the supporting characters are all interesting and easy to enjoy reading about, so it kind of evened out on that aspect. I just found Josh to be whiny and kind of annoying with it at times (although she did lose her mother and ex-boyfriend, so yeah, her life is bound to be a little unhappy).
I will say that the dream segments are amazing. Some of them are just downright creepy and will have you on the edge of your seat. Kit Alloway has a real talent for writing, and this book does a great job to showcase those skills.
Dreamfire is an interesting YA debut that mixes a little bit of fantasy, a little bit of romance, and a little bit of action to create a gorgeous story with meaningful characters and a plot that will leave you wondering what’s really going on in your own dreams.
“‘When a nightmare triggers one of a dreamer’s deepest fears, we call the fear dreamfire. It has a different feel to it, and if someone gets caught in it, they almost never manage to pull themselves out again.'"
Dreamfire has an original plot, one that is nicely executed, as well. Our main character, Josh, is a seventeen year old dream walker – she and her family (and a small community of other dream walkers) help to solve nightmares of people around the world. They do this by entering the dream portal through an archway (Josh and her family have one in the basement of their apartment building, which they share with other families), working to solve whatever the dreamer is having a nightmare about, and then exiting the dream through the archway again. It’s a pretty cool idea, and I have to give the author a round of applause for coming up with something so interesting.
On Josh’s seventeenth birthday, she is presented with her scroll, like everyone else in the dream walker community when they turn seventeen. This scroll is essentially their own prophecy – and they can choose whether or not they want to open it. Josh chooses not to, but later finds out that her scroll says that she is to receive an apprentice. Josh is horrified at the thought of having to teach someone else the ways of dream walking, but she cannot change it, so she goes with it. When she meets Will, she is sort of upset that it isn’t another boy from school, but she accepts it and begins teaching him.
As time goes by, the two of them develop a friendship, even if it is based on dream walking and it seems that Will’s feelings are deeper than Josh’s. Josh is slow to open up to anyone, especially after what happened to her ex boyfriend, Ian, but Will is always there for her in case she needs him.
After they discover two strange men in the dream world – who seem to be hooking up a gas mask to the dreamer and since they can alter the dream, it’s obvious that they aren’t actually part of the dream themselves, but real people in the dream world, Josh, Will, and Josh’s family and friends set out to try and stop them and solve the mystery of what is really going on in the dream world.
There is a slight romance in this book, and it isn’t really an in-your-face kind of romance, either. It’s not even really a secondary part of the plot…it’s way back there in the background, but it has more than enough sweetness to it to make you enjoy it.
“He’d been thinking that he was so tired, so sad, and so tired of listening to Josh beat herself up and that kissing her was as close as he could get to saying ‘Shut up, I don’t care what you’ve done, I think you’re amazing.'”
Dreamfire did take a me a while to read…and I mean a while – like almost two weeks. I don’t know why, either. I really enjoyed the story (even the incredibly odd names the characters had), but I think it might have been a tad longer than it needed to be. A LOT of attention was put into detail, and while that wasn’t a bad thing, it did make the book seem like it took a bit longer to read. I didn’t really connect to Josh as much as I would have liked, but the supporting characters are all interesting and easy to enjoy reading about, so it kind of evened out on that aspect. I just found Josh to be whiny and kind of annoying with it at times (although she did lose her mother and ex-boyfriend, so yeah, her life is bound to be a little unhappy).
I will say that the dream segments are amazing. Some of them are just downright creepy and will have you on the edge of your seat. Kit Alloway has a real talent for writing, and this book does a great job to showcase those skills.
November 11, 2014
This book and I had a a love hate relationship.
In the beginning I was like
Then it got much better and by the end I was like
Basically the pros and cons align with the progression of the book.
The Beginning
The book jumps right in. We find out about the Dream and Josh's apprentice, Will, and it's all great... but everything is so darn serious and it lacks finesse. In the first five pages you find out that her boyfriend died, she is estranged from her former best friend, and her mom died making a portal to the Dream.
Woah there... slow down and maybe add a little subtly. Showing not telling? It's as if she just had too much to say so she rushes the exposition to get to the story. A little character development was also lacking in the opening chapters and I found I couldn't grasp the seriousness of the whole book or understand why Josh was so upset at having an apprentice.
So many things are mentioned that have no importance later in the book, it seems to just be filling the void of the beginning with unimportant details. The male for a female names and vice versa threw me at first, too... but you get used to it.
Not to worry though... bearing the beginning is all worth it and I acknowledge it was necessary. It could have been less painful, but necessary.
The Rest
After a somewhat lacking beginning, the book picked it up! No longer were there awkward sentences like"knee deep in very cold water" that were all over the first chapters. In the rest of the book, Kit Alloway finds her voice and tells an enthralling story with the right balance of action, drama, and romance.
Everything I didn't like in the beginning was fixed. No longer where they walking from dream to dream without character development. And all of those "secrets" that it seemed Alloway spills right in the beginning are just a scratch at the surface of much deeper and thought out workings.
I loved the idea, the pain of the characters seemed real, and I was drawn in to reading the entire last 3/4 of the book in one night. The book is simply enthralling and I sat watching the story unfold with rapture. The characters were easy to like, (Will <3) and their relationships were so complex, but completely and utterly realistic.
It twisted and turned and left me loving the book.
However
I didn't like how bits and pieces of the book had loose ends and the epilogue only added a vague curtain to the whole resolution... because I want to know what else happens!!! I don't want to leave the Dream. Kit Alloway, you better get to writing: I need a sequel.
My final thoughts:
I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because the beginning was just so difficult to get through. It was worth it though: a great, entertaining read!
Thank you to Goodreads and St. Martin's Griffin for giving me an advanced reading copy for my honest review, I loved it!
In the beginning I was like
Then it got much better and by the end I was like
Basically the pros and cons align with the progression of the book.
The Beginning
The book jumps right in. We find out about the Dream and Josh's apprentice, Will, and it's all great... but everything is so darn serious and it lacks finesse. In the first five pages you find out that her boyfriend died, she is estranged from her former best friend, and her mom died making a portal to the Dream.
Woah there... slow down and maybe add a little subtly. Showing not telling? It's as if she just had too much to say so she rushes the exposition to get to the story. A little character development was also lacking in the opening chapters and I found I couldn't grasp the seriousness of the whole book or understand why Josh was so upset at having an apprentice.
So many things are mentioned that have no importance later in the book, it seems to just be filling the void of the beginning with unimportant details. The male for a female names and vice versa threw me at first, too... but you get used to it.
Not to worry though... bearing the beginning is all worth it and I acknowledge it was necessary. It could have been less painful, but necessary.
The Rest
After a somewhat lacking beginning, the book picked it up! No longer were there awkward sentences like"knee deep in very cold water" that were all over the first chapters. In the rest of the book, Kit Alloway finds her voice and tells an enthralling story with the right balance of action, drama, and romance.
Everything I didn't like in the beginning was fixed. No longer where they walking from dream to dream without character development. And all of those "secrets" that it seemed Alloway spills right in the beginning are just a scratch at the surface of much deeper and thought out workings.
I loved the idea, the pain of the characters seemed real, and I was drawn in to reading the entire last 3/4 of the book in one night. The book is simply enthralling and I sat watching the story unfold with rapture. The characters were easy to like, (Will <3) and their relationships were so complex, but completely and utterly realistic.
It twisted and turned and left me loving the book.
However
I didn't like how bits and pieces of the book had loose ends and the epilogue only added a vague curtain to the whole resolution... because I want to know what else happens!!! I don't want to leave the Dream. Kit Alloway, you better get to writing: I need a sequel.
My final thoughts:
I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because the beginning was just so difficult to get through. It was worth it though: a great, entertaining read!
Thank you to Goodreads and St. Martin's Griffin for giving me an advanced reading copy for my honest review, I loved it!
February 23, 2015
I was very excited to read this book, because I was pretty sure it was going to be scary---because, HELLO, nightmare dream warriors!
It isn't scary, and it took me a little bit of time to get into it (basically, I read the first 60 pages or so over the course of three days and then the other 300-ish pages over the course of about three hours). Once I got involved in the plot, in other words, things were a lot better for me.
I liked Josh immediately. She's loyal and clever, but she's also one of those people who doesn't let many people in. (Okay, anyone. She doesn't let anyone in.) So the news that she's going to get an apprentice...well, it's not great or welcome news.
You can probably guess what happens.
Be patient with this book, and you'll learn that it's a fun few hours of your time. Also the absolute ending has me wanting to read a sequel. I'm pretty sure it's actually the best and most chilling setup ever.
It isn't scary, and it took me a little bit of time to get into it (basically, I read the first 60 pages or so over the course of three days and then the other 300-ish pages over the course of about three hours). Once I got involved in the plot, in other words, things were a lot better for me.
I liked Josh immediately. She's loyal and clever, but she's also one of those people who doesn't let many people in. (Okay, anyone. She doesn't let anyone in.) So the news that she's going to get an apprentice...well, it's not great or welcome news.
You can probably guess what happens.
Be patient with this book, and you'll learn that it's a fun few hours of your time. Also the absolute ending has me wanting to read a sequel. I'm pretty sure it's actually the best and most chilling setup ever.
March 6, 2015
A brilliant read, especially after the slump of mediocre books I've been reading lately. It is fast paced with prett cool characters and a fascinating plot. There were very few things I didn't like about it! I thought maybe Josh was too hard on herself and that Will could have used a bit more depth, and that perhaps the last few chapters were expanded on a bit more as they felt a little rushed. However I have a sneaky suspicion - and desperate hope - that there will be a sequel and these issues will be dealt with.
On the whole it was a great read and I highly recommend it!
On the whole it was a great read and I highly recommend it!
June 17, 2016
FOUR STARS(June 16, 2015) : This book was amazing! I know the author and I am so proud of her work! The beginning half may be a little slow but the second half can be easily knocked out in a day
FIVE STARS( June 16, 2016): Okay so the first time I read this book it was really good but I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning because I hardly understood any of the technical dream walker like concepts. But this time I totally got into it when learning about the junta and Dreamfire and stuff. It's funny because I read it like exactly a year ago.
FIVE STARS( June 16, 2016): Okay so the first time I read this book it was really good but I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning because I hardly understood any of the technical dream walker like concepts. But this time I totally got into it when learning about the junta and Dreamfire and stuff. It's funny because I read it like exactly a year ago.
January 7, 2016
Well, I admit it had my interest for a time being. But the story is boring, I don't like the characters, and did I mention I was bored? Josh's supposedly "best" friend is a bitch, Will is just...not interesting, Josh is annoying, and I could go on and on.
So basically, I didn't like the book in the least.
So basically, I didn't like the book in the least.
Read
May 9, 2015I just can't with this book. I didn't get far because the writing wasn't something I enjoyed. This was my second attempt so think I'll just call this one a DNF and admit it doesn't work for me.
May 30, 2025
This is one of those books you wish more people knew about
March 2, 2015
Review to come
June 27, 2022
Dreamfire is a book about trust, romance, secrets, and a bit of mystery mixed in. The story focuses on Josh, who is part of a community full of people who can go into people's nightmares (a place called the Dream) and resolve them. The plot focuses on the fact that Josh receives an apprentice, an outsider who she has to train to become a dream walker, one of those from the community. Together, they have to solve a problem that could threaten to ruin the Dream.
This book is interesting, because it keeps readers on the hook for a very long time and slowly reveals information as it goes on. One thing I loved was the dynamic between the characters. Josh was so secretive while Will was a very open character. Each character had their own relation to another character, which made the story more interesting.
However, I didn't like the tangle of names that I had to remember. There were a lot of relatives that quickly became very confusing. I found myself flipping back in the book a lot just to find who in the world was the character I was reading about. Even though the storyline was amazing, I personally think that the story could be better with less characters.
Besides that, this story was amazing, and I was hooked on it till the end. It was suspenseful the entire time, making the mystery all the most interesting and making the entire story more cohesive.
This book is interesting, because it keeps readers on the hook for a very long time and slowly reveals information as it goes on. One thing I loved was the dynamic between the characters. Josh was so secretive while Will was a very open character. Each character had their own relation to another character, which made the story more interesting.
However, I didn't like the tangle of names that I had to remember. There were a lot of relatives that quickly became very confusing. I found myself flipping back in the book a lot just to find who in the world was the character I was reading about. Even though the storyline was amazing, I personally think that the story could be better with less characters.
Besides that, this story was amazing, and I was hooked on it till the end. It was suspenseful the entire time, making the mystery all the most interesting and making the entire story more cohesive.
February 6, 2018
This is a Goodreads firstreads win!
Josh is a very talented Dreamwalker who receives an apprentice (Will) on the night of her 17th birthday. Josh has a lot of doubts about herself and blames herself for the death of her ex Ian.
Will does not come from a Dreamwalker family and has lived in the county system. He now has to get used to this new world and having a family.
The Dream World and our World are threatened by two men in trench coats. Can Josh and her friends stop them in time?
It took me a long time to get into the book, but when I reached the halfway point it became really interesting. I felt that Josh was very angsty and self-loathing about the death of Ian. Everyone is fixated on Ian throughout the whole book, which was kind of annoying. Even though this isn't an amazing book I would like to read the next two books in the series.
Josh is a very talented Dreamwalker who receives an apprentice (Will) on the night of her 17th birthday. Josh has a lot of doubts about herself and blames herself for the death of her ex Ian.
Will does not come from a Dreamwalker family and has lived in the county system. He now has to get used to this new world and having a family.
The Dream World and our World are threatened by two men in trench coats. Can Josh and her friends stop them in time?
It took me a long time to get into the book, but when I reached the halfway point it became really interesting. I felt that Josh was very angsty and self-loathing about the death of Ian. Everyone is fixated on Ian throughout the whole book, which was kind of annoying. Even though this isn't an amazing book I would like to read the next two books in the series.
May 16, 2019
2.5 stars
“Her eyes closed and she let the Dream come to her, this Dream that had been her second home, her playground....”
I have to say, it had interesting concept going for it. You know- dream walking and fixing nightmares. But the story itself was....not that great. The characters were not that interesting.
Josh is basically heartbroken and sad because of Ian her ex boyfriends death and doesn’t want an apprentice but gets one cuz of her scroll that is supposed to tell her how her future will play out.
And she basically treats the apprentice- Will like trash the ENTIRE time. Like I get you are not in the best state but you don’t have to attack him for everything. Half the time she’s just shouting or physically harming him.
“I know that-“ he began, and before he could finish, Josh hurled the journal at him.
It hit him in the forehead, hard, and then fell to the floor in a rustling of pages.
I didn’t really connect with any of the other characters either. They all are like shadows in the background so I never remembered their names.
The plot itself though is actually not too bad- it has twists in it that could make it good. It’s just that everything else distracts you from it and slows down the pace by a lot.
“Her eyes closed and she let the Dream come to her, this Dream that had been her second home, her playground....”
I have to say, it had interesting concept going for it. You know- dream walking and fixing nightmares. But the story itself was....not that great. The characters were not that interesting.
Josh is basically heartbroken and sad because of Ian her ex boyfriends death and doesn’t want an apprentice but gets one cuz of her scroll that is supposed to tell her how her future will play out.
And she basically treats the apprentice- Will like trash the ENTIRE time. Like I get you are not in the best state but you don’t have to attack him for everything. Half the time she’s just shouting or physically harming him.
“I know that-“ he began, and before he could finish, Josh hurled the journal at him.
It hit him in the forehead, hard, and then fell to the floor in a rustling of pages.
I didn’t really connect with any of the other characters either. They all are like shadows in the background so I never remembered their names.
The plot itself though is actually not too bad- it has twists in it that could make it good. It’s just that everything else distracts you from it and slows down the pace by a lot.
October 25, 2020
I am really torn if I want to continue with this series. On one hand, it is a great premise with great mythology and characters that you do get invested in. There's a whole secret society ruled by a junta and a comprehensive set of rules to dream walking. On the other hand, Josh is a teenager and acts like it many times. Yes, yes, it is a young adult novel you'll say. The teenage drama is always that part I like least from ya books. It doesn't take away too much from the story in this one. The book is a slow start (it has a LOT of world-building to do), but it does take off in directions that were unexpected. I am curious about the next book. Since it wouldn't have to lay the foundation, it may be a smoother read. The book is recommended if you enjoy shows like Supernatural and Charmed. It's a new way of fighting supernatural monsters.
March 10, 2022
I have never been much of a reader. But I had decided to begin this series as a goal to get through a book over the summer. I could not put it down... I went from not touching a book in months, to reading around 4 hours a day. This book includes many different plot twists that I was not expecting. While reading I gained strong connections with all of the characters. Alloway had me rooting for some characters and absolutely hating others. I loved it. I felt like I was watching a film while I reading this book. Even though I am still not big on reading, this book series has given me a new appreciation of books. This book has the perfect balance of fantasy, action, and romance. Also my FAVORITE, the book has very epic character growth. PLEASE read this book, think that you will love it just as much as I did.
October 17, 2019
This was a good book I would recommend. It was a bit confusing at times, especially with the set of twins that looked alike. This book had a lot of twist and turns that I was not expecting. I liked the book of parts including the descriptions of what everyone looked like. This book is also about nightmares and people going into them, which I find terrifying. Including some of the nightmares where whatever they were fighting, got larger. Over all this is a really great book to read, especially if you are a fan of fiction books that could be true in a way.
September 28, 2021
A spoiler free review in random thoughts:
Josh is a good character, flawed and believable.
Will is such a good dude.
Is Haley really Ian?
Is Josh the true Dream Walker?
This book is kinda slow.
But I also like it enough to stick with it.
Unsure if I want to read the next one.
I hope Feodor comes back.
Josh is a good character, flawed and believable.
Will is such a good dude.
Is Haley really Ian?
Is Josh the true Dream Walker?
This book is kinda slow.
But I also like it enough to stick with it.
Unsure if I want to read the next one.
I hope Feodor comes back.
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