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Beautiful Dreamer
15-year-old Ruta finds herself trapped in the Sleepverse’s Citadel where her many Selves gather at night; a place that no Dreamer has visited before. For her Selves, the Citadel is paradise. For Ruta, it’s a nightmare she can’t escape from. Someone is holding her hostage in a perpetual sleep state, and she needs to find out why before their nefarious plan comes to fruition.
It’s supervillains versus girl power in a dimensional tug of war where it’s up to Ruta and a group of stellar young ladies to save the universe with their combination of wits, compassion, and fantastical skills. Ruta will find her way home with the help of her amazing Selves.
*This action-packed science fiction/superhero light novel includes 24 unique chapter images.
It’s supervillains versus girl power in a dimensional tug of war where it’s up to Ruta and a group of stellar young ladies to save the universe with their combination of wits, compassion, and fantastical skills. Ruta will find her way home with the help of her amazing Selves.
*This action-packed science fiction/superhero light novel includes 24 unique chapter images.
- GenresScience Fiction
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 3, 2025
909 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa L. Krauss
9 books49 followersFor more on Vanessa's literary works and art, visit http://www.vlk249.com
Vanessa Krauss is a Vancouver, Canada resident who loves creating characters and worlds through art and literature. Published works include: the Fatality series, Thin (JMS Books, LLC), Beautiful Dreamer, and multiple short stories with Aberrant Literature and Poe Boy Publishing. Vanessa's overall brand is weird and speculative fiction.
Vanessa Krauss is a Vancouver, Canada resident who loves creating characters and worlds through art and literature. Published works include: the Fatality series, Thin (JMS Books, LLC), Beautiful Dreamer, and multiple short stories with Aberrant Literature and Poe Boy Publishing. Vanessa's overall brand is weird and speculative fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 7, 2025
A light-hearted but not unserious, high-action imaginative adventure for younger readers, with a wholly original sci-fi concept.
I'll attempt to explain the basics of the core setting without any real spoilers: In our world, we dream. In every other of tens of thousands of alternate realities, we don't, but when we dream in our reality we are actually projecting our consciousness onto our counterpart in one of those other realities. Dream of flying? You are actually in the mind of a version of you who can fly in another dimension. Have a nightmare? It's bad news and all too real for another you.
And what if you could meet with these other selves? When they sleep, they exist in a shared space, countless versions of the same person living together for 8 hours a day. We dreamers don't travel to that space ... until one does.
As I was reading, I found myself thinking, "This works really well as a light novel." I then checked the book description and saw that it is indeed self-described as a light novel. So, success! It captures that style perfectly. I don't typically read light novels, nor am I the target audience for this book, but I believe it hits all the right notes for a shojo manga-styled book. (Full disclosure: I had to look up the term "shojo". I know the concept but it's not part of my standard repertoire.) I found that the text strongly evoked manga-like images at each beat.
What I enjoyed most thematically was the exploration of all the different aspects of self, especially in teenagedom. Ruta interacts with many versions of herself, many of them focused on different parts of her personality and interests, many of them utterly alien to herself. It speaks to the process of discovering yourself and embracing the fact that everyone is wildly variable and complicated, and it's that diversity of self that creates strength, both internally and communally.
** The author provided me an ARC and I am leaving this review at my own discretion.
I'll attempt to explain the basics of the core setting without any real spoilers: In our world, we dream. In every other of tens of thousands of alternate realities, we don't, but when we dream in our reality we are actually projecting our consciousness onto our counterpart in one of those other realities. Dream of flying? You are actually in the mind of a version of you who can fly in another dimension. Have a nightmare? It's bad news and all too real for another you.
And what if you could meet with these other selves? When they sleep, they exist in a shared space, countless versions of the same person living together for 8 hours a day. We dreamers don't travel to that space ... until one does.
As I was reading, I found myself thinking, "This works really well as a light novel." I then checked the book description and saw that it is indeed self-described as a light novel. So, success! It captures that style perfectly. I don't typically read light novels, nor am I the target audience for this book, but I believe it hits all the right notes for a shojo manga-styled book. (Full disclosure: I had to look up the term "shojo". I know the concept but it's not part of my standard repertoire.) I found that the text strongly evoked manga-like images at each beat.
What I enjoyed most thematically was the exploration of all the different aspects of self, especially in teenagedom. Ruta interacts with many versions of herself, many of them focused on different parts of her personality and interests, many of them utterly alien to herself. It speaks to the process of discovering yourself and embracing the fact that everyone is wildly variable and complicated, and it's that diversity of self that creates strength, both internally and communally.
** The author provided me an ARC and I am leaving this review at my own discretion.
June 29, 2025
4th book from Author Krauss I’ve read and another creative gem. The premise for this book is there are 90,000 dimensions in the universe with each one holding a persona of Beautiful Dreamer’s lead character (Ruta), who can view these persona’s lives in her dreams. This power makes her unique and targeted, setting the stage for the storyline and drama, lots of drama both emotional and physical. I won’t give more detail but will say it’s a creative, fun, and easy read.
If you’ve read Krauss’s creative Fatality Trilogy, you should like Beautiful Dreamer. If haven’t read, may want to try that as well…
If you’ve read Krauss’s creative Fatality Trilogy, you should like Beautiful Dreamer. If haven’t read, may want to try that as well…
April 3, 2025
Fall into this fantastical dream by Vanessa Krauss. A story that truly captures the unreality of a dream with the same kind of commitment to its internal logic as stories like James and the Giant Peach, and the grand scale of the Spiderverse.
I won't go into the story, because so much of this really is in the journey itself, but I had a lot of fun with this one.
I won't go into the story, because so much of this really is in the journey itself, but I had a lot of fun with this one.
March 24, 2025
Wearing its influences on its many sleeves, most of which are part of Spiderverse t-shirts.
Sometimes we don’t want big, shocking twists and intricate worldbuilding. Sometimes just a damn fun delivery of an entertaining concept is more than enough. ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ has you covered. You know exactly what you are getting from his book from reading the blurb, but where as it might not surprise you in plot, it does have plenty of surprises in execution. A teen girl finds herself trapped in a dreamworld that turns out to be super real and under threat from a multiverse load of a supervillain with an evil scheme to which she is, of course, the key. Yet also she is surprisingly powerless to counter and has to rely on her better selves and come to accept that. To greatly simplify it, this book is that stand out Spider Society chase scene from ‘Across The Spiderverse’ made accessible for the non-spidey, non-SF fans. Honestly though, that’s leaving a lot out. This is no pale imitation. It firmly establishes its own world and rules, and takes the adventure from a different angle then you might be used to and throws in practical life skills that can genuinely be useful for young people to learn. All you need is your curiosity and willingness to have a fun time with this book.
The story starts at a fast pace, and after a first act of mystery, in which a bunch of questions we truthfully want the answers to is placed in our laps, we are thrust into a race for survival, expertly paced and full of relatable scenes of self doubt and struggle without ever seeming like an annoying angsty teen, which is a hell of an achievement when the MCs only characteristics are being an angsty teen. Nothing else really stands out about her but that works for the story in the same way that the MC of ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ did but here we spend a lot more time with the alternate Selves and the consequences for their lives as she comes to terms with her position in the grand scheme. It’s hugely relatable. The only tool the heroine has to answer the questions is her dreams--each a world in a multiverse--and the lives of her dream Selves within them. Each one is either ordinary like her, but with a slightly different life path, or they have a superpower that comes in handy before the story is done. The concept is intriguing; it’s familiar enough to appeal and know if you are going to enjoy it, but it comes with a fresh take that kept me hooked through the book. And while it does lack in crystal clear definition exactly how the Sleepverse works, our own ideas and contemplation easily fill in any gaps. That is to say, it does not interfere or take from the story in any way. In fact, I found myself expanding on the world in my head, wondering how differently society would have developed with everyone knowing about the Sleepverse in some realities, people accepting dreams as windows into parallel universes. I love a good mind puzzle. Similarly, though the villains’ plan is never clearly outlined and is built on an assumption swiftly realised. I can see readers considering this a flaw, but any exposition about this would be superfluous to the focus of the story which is the heroine’s self realisation. It doesn’t matter how they are going to do what they are going to do. All that matters is we know it’s bad and the characters we care about should run from it. It’s all a vehicle for her journey.
It’s worth noting that another strong draw that kept pulling me through is the pictures heading each chapter. Yeah, I’m a simple person, but it is fun to see how the characters are depicted, and then I read on to see how that picture related to the story. And so on, and so on until bed claimed me or the book ended. And when it did I had a lot to think about.
It’s a broad introduction to SF concepts for people who haven’t been into it before, and yet intriguing enough for those who have to enjoy at the drop of a hat. I powered through it in two days, and only stopped because bedtime of real life responsibilities got in the way. It’s a little creepy in parts but always fun. The writing is brief and blunt, in lore I would have liked to see expanded to satisfy my curiosity, but this makes a lean story that brings something new and intriguing to the tired ole multiverse genre.
Disclaimer: The reviewer received an advanced signed copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Sometimes we don’t want big, shocking twists and intricate worldbuilding. Sometimes just a damn fun delivery of an entertaining concept is more than enough. ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ has you covered. You know exactly what you are getting from his book from reading the blurb, but where as it might not surprise you in plot, it does have plenty of surprises in execution. A teen girl finds herself trapped in a dreamworld that turns out to be super real and under threat from a multiverse load of a supervillain with an evil scheme to which she is, of course, the key. Yet also she is surprisingly powerless to counter and has to rely on her better selves and come to accept that. To greatly simplify it, this book is that stand out Spider Society chase scene from ‘Across The Spiderverse’ made accessible for the non-spidey, non-SF fans. Honestly though, that’s leaving a lot out. This is no pale imitation. It firmly establishes its own world and rules, and takes the adventure from a different angle then you might be used to and throws in practical life skills that can genuinely be useful for young people to learn. All you need is your curiosity and willingness to have a fun time with this book.
The story starts at a fast pace, and after a first act of mystery, in which a bunch of questions we truthfully want the answers to is placed in our laps, we are thrust into a race for survival, expertly paced and full of relatable scenes of self doubt and struggle without ever seeming like an annoying angsty teen, which is a hell of an achievement when the MCs only characteristics are being an angsty teen. Nothing else really stands out about her but that works for the story in the same way that the MC of ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ did but here we spend a lot more time with the alternate Selves and the consequences for their lives as she comes to terms with her position in the grand scheme. It’s hugely relatable. The only tool the heroine has to answer the questions is her dreams--each a world in a multiverse--and the lives of her dream Selves within them. Each one is either ordinary like her, but with a slightly different life path, or they have a superpower that comes in handy before the story is done. The concept is intriguing; it’s familiar enough to appeal and know if you are going to enjoy it, but it comes with a fresh take that kept me hooked through the book. And while it does lack in crystal clear definition exactly how the Sleepverse works, our own ideas and contemplation easily fill in any gaps. That is to say, it does not interfere or take from the story in any way. In fact, I found myself expanding on the world in my head, wondering how differently society would have developed with everyone knowing about the Sleepverse in some realities, people accepting dreams as windows into parallel universes. I love a good mind puzzle. Similarly, though the villains’ plan is never clearly outlined and is built on an assumption swiftly realised. I can see readers considering this a flaw, but any exposition about this would be superfluous to the focus of the story which is the heroine’s self realisation. It doesn’t matter how they are going to do what they are going to do. All that matters is we know it’s bad and the characters we care about should run from it. It’s all a vehicle for her journey.
It’s worth noting that another strong draw that kept pulling me through is the pictures heading each chapter. Yeah, I’m a simple person, but it is fun to see how the characters are depicted, and then I read on to see how that picture related to the story. And so on, and so on until bed claimed me or the book ended. And when it did I had a lot to think about.
It’s a broad introduction to SF concepts for people who haven’t been into it before, and yet intriguing enough for those who have to enjoy at the drop of a hat. I powered through it in two days, and only stopped because bedtime of real life responsibilities got in the way. It’s a little creepy in parts but always fun. The writing is brief and blunt, in lore I would have liked to see expanded to satisfy my curiosity, but this makes a lean story that brings something new and intriguing to the tired ole multiverse genre.
Disclaimer: The reviewer received an advanced signed copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
September 25, 2025
I personally give this story 3 stars. But I also recognise it was written with a specific audience in mind, and I don’t fit in that audience. So I gave it an extra star to offseat my own bias/mismatch.
Over all, I had mix feelings. On the one hand I found the world very imaginative. I particularly enjoyed the very beginning when he first arrived in the Citadel. But that enjoyment wained somewhat after spending some time there. The ever ponderous side within me couldn’t help but think this was an amazing idea that didn’t really go the way I would’ve liked it to. But that’s just me. Over all, I think it’s pretty damn impressive that someone created this world, period.
Story wise, it’s aimed at a younger audience, and that shows. And that’s where it ultimately kinda looses me. Nothing wrong with it. It’s a solid piece of work. Just not something I go out of my way to read.
End note. I very much liked that final scene.
Over all, I had mix feelings. On the one hand I found the world very imaginative. I particularly enjoyed the very beginning when he first arrived in the Citadel. But that enjoyment wained somewhat after spending some time there. The ever ponderous side within me couldn’t help but think this was an amazing idea that didn’t really go the way I would’ve liked it to. But that’s just me. Over all, I think it’s pretty damn impressive that someone created this world, period.
Story wise, it’s aimed at a younger audience, and that shows. And that’s where it ultimately kinda looses me. Nothing wrong with it. It’s a solid piece of work. Just not something I go out of my way to read.
End note. I very much liked that final scene.
April 3, 2025
Sweet dreams are made of...
90,000 interconnected teenage versions of a girl named Ruta. In a dimension populated by dreams she has had all her life, our protagonist finds themselves in a dream they can't wake up from. Without the bait-and-switch or lack of consequence from some multiverse or "it was all a dream" stories, Beautiful Dreamer keeps the stakes feeling legit.
With humor, twists, animal encounters, and fun the plot takes you on a wild ride through a dreamland that connects everyone with some really cool results.
90,000 interconnected teenage versions of a girl named Ruta. In a dimension populated by dreams she has had all her life, our protagonist finds themselves in a dream they can't wake up from. Without the bait-and-switch or lack of consequence from some multiverse or "it was all a dream" stories, Beautiful Dreamer keeps the stakes feeling legit.
With humor, twists, animal encounters, and fun the plot takes you on a wild ride through a dreamland that connects everyone with some really cool results.
June 2, 2025
What a truly inventive Sci-Fi story! It has a bonkers plot (in a good way) that keeps you engaged and is just plain fun to read. I really feel like Krauss just allowed her imagination to go wild and did not hold back and I think it paid off! What a great read!
Also, I should mention that the cover has an awesome 80s vibes that reminded me a little bit for the cover for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (look that up if you don't know what I'm referring to). Book has no problem wearing its influences on its sleeves and it works. Pick this one up!
Also, I should mention that the cover has an awesome 80s vibes that reminded me a little bit for the cover for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (look that up if you don't know what I'm referring to). Book has no problem wearing its influences on its sleeves and it works. Pick this one up!
June 3, 2025
Very original and light hearted. It's a great read!
March 18, 2025
This is a lighthearted fantasy novel with a good premise. The main strength of this novel is how imaginative it is and the originality of the premise.
When we dream, we create different versions of ourselves based on the different kinds of dreams we have. There may be a "you" that floats because you dream of floating. There may be a "you" that is a great fighter because you dream of fighting.
Now, what if you can interact with all these versions of yourself? This is the story and it's somewhat amusing.
A lot of the beginning of the story is spent expounding on the world rather than real action taking place. This may feel a little draggy for those who like their stories pacier, but the world is pretty interesting and it is necessary to explain this kind of story as the idea is unusual.
The protagonist is a teenager and the language very much shows that.
There are a LOT of "selves" to keep track of and it can be a bit difficult. It's interesting too, and I feel the author had a lot of fun creating all these different characters, and you can feel the enthusiasm for these different variants coming through in the writing, but sometimes I wanted to feel more strongly about a few key characters rather than the bigger cast. There were also a few little bits and pieces that didn't quite make sense, but then this is a dream universe and when do dreams make sense?
Then we meet another character who has lots of 'selves' so even more characters!
I felt there were some opportunities where dream selves could given us a bit more insight into the protagonist to give us a fuller picture of her and made her a stronger character. That would be an interesting thing about a dream universe. There were also some little bits of language and style that could have been a bit tighter and smoother but all up it was a very fun, imaginative action and fantasy romp.
When we dream, we create different versions of ourselves based on the different kinds of dreams we have. There may be a "you" that floats because you dream of floating. There may be a "you" that is a great fighter because you dream of fighting.
Now, what if you can interact with all these versions of yourself? This is the story and it's somewhat amusing.
A lot of the beginning of the story is spent expounding on the world rather than real action taking place. This may feel a little draggy for those who like their stories pacier, but the world is pretty interesting and it is necessary to explain this kind of story as the idea is unusual.
The protagonist is a teenager and the language very much shows that.
There are a LOT of "selves" to keep track of and it can be a bit difficult. It's interesting too, and I feel the author had a lot of fun creating all these different characters, and you can feel the enthusiasm for these different variants coming through in the writing, but sometimes I wanted to feel more strongly about a few key characters rather than the bigger cast. There were also a few little bits and pieces that didn't quite make sense, but then this is a dream universe and when do dreams make sense?
Then we meet another character who has lots of 'selves' so even more characters!
I felt there were some opportunities where dream selves could given us a bit more insight into the protagonist to give us a fuller picture of her and made her a stronger character. That would be an interesting thing about a dream universe. There were also some little bits of language and style that could have been a bit tighter and smoother but all up it was a very fun, imaginative action and fantasy romp.
March 20, 2025
BEAUTIFUL DREAMER by Vanessa L Krauss is a highly original, fast paced science fiction novel that teenagers will adore.
The story centres on Ruta, whose vivid dreams turn out to be more than she could have ever imagined. At night her Selves convene in the mysterious Citadel, and Ruta's sudden appearance there threatens everything.
This fascinating world opens up to the reader as Ruth's comes to terms with the reality of her dreaming self, and pits her and her new friends against villainous forces.
It's refreshing to read a well written novel for this age group that also has a bit of heart and while an entertaining read it has some serious themes and some heartfelt moments.
Highly enjoyable!
August 6, 2025
A fun, whimsical story about a girl on the weirdest adventure of her life. Ruta and her Selves were so much fun to follow through the citadel, I absolutely adored each and every one of them.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews