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Sarah Midnight #1
Sueños Secretos
Otra vez es la Era de los demonios.
A sus diecisiete años, Sarah Midnight nunca ha tenido una vida normal, ella y su familia esconden un secreto inimaginable: sus padres son cazadores de demonio; forman parte de una red de Familias Secretas que juraron proteger el mundo. Pero cuando estos mueren misteriosamente, llega a su vida su enigmático primo Harry, quien le oculta su verdadero origen...
Sarah Midnight solo tiene una misión: soñar con los demonios y deshacerse completamente de ellos, pero ¿cómo podrá sobrevivir y continuar con la misión de sus padres si la dejaron sin conocimiento y sin habilidades para cazar a los seres ocultos?
A sus diecisiete años, Sarah Midnight nunca ha tenido una vida normal, ella y su familia esconden un secreto inimaginable: sus padres son cazadores de demonio; forman parte de una red de Familias Secretas que juraron proteger el mundo. Pero cuando estos mueren misteriosamente, llega a su vida su enigmático primo Harry, quien le oculta su verdadero origen...
Sarah Midnight solo tiene una misión: soñar con los demonios y deshacerse completamente de ellos, pero ¿cómo podrá sobrevivir y continuar con la misión de sus padres si la dejaron sin conocimiento y sin habilidades para cazar a los seres ocultos?
438 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2012
71 people are currently reading
1352 people want to read
About the author
Daniela Sacerdoti
34 books377 followersDaniela Sacerdoti is a mother and a writer. Born in Naples, but brought up in a small village in the Italian Alps, she lives near Glasgow with her husband and sons. She steals time to write when everyone has gone to bed, or before they wake up. She’s a Primary teacher, but she chose to be at home with her children. She loves being with her boys, reading anything she can get her hands on and chatting with her girlfriends. But she also adores being on her own, free to daydream and make up stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
May 24, 2012
This story had a lot of potential but turned out to be another goopy mess of angst-ridden romance disguised as YA fantasy. When I first heard of this book it sounded a lot like Supernatural, except the protagonist is a girl. Since I’m a fan of the show, I thought, cool! This sounds really good! I really want to read this! The cover is pretty awesome, too!
Most promising was the summary which never even hinted at a love interest, giving me hope that it was going to be all about Sarah Midnight kicking ass, flaunting girl powah and being awesome in general. This was me, all happy and excited to discover this “gem”:
The first scene was pretty cool! I liked it! Sarah Midnight used some awesum speshul powers and seemed badass. Kind of. I was somewhat discouraged by the crappy writing style but, you know, crappy writing doesn’t always merit a bad story. Most of the time. Right?
In retrospect, this is all I have to say to myself:
Then the love interest, Harry, made an appearance and I forgot the crappy writing because I was all
He has a sad and tragic past, of course. Hot guys in YA lit always come with that because apparently it merits an insightful and considerate character. It just wouldn’t do to have a scorching hot guy be as shallow as a pond, would it?
Imagine my surprise! and disappointment! when Harry takes a page out of the Sucky Paranormal YA Handbook and begins to stalk Sarah from point A to B to C to D to E to… well, you know how the alphabet works (to quote Katherine from TVD, who is actually a badass). Dear Harry, if you were 10 on the scale of hotness, you just plummeted to -10.
His reason for doing this is to protect Sarah from the scary little demons that want to kill her; apparently she doesn’t actually know how to protect herself because her parents never taught her how. You guys, that’s totes badass! It means even without any training she was still able to kill that demon in the first scene! That is so cool!
So in short, the story uses Sarah’s supposed inexperience as a lame plot device in order to have Harry hang around her in Edward-esque creepy stalker fashion. It’s a poor excuse because as we saw in the first scene, Sarah is more than capable of taking care of herself. Harry, this is all I have to say to you:
Of course, she does let him follow her around. Everywhere. Literally. To shopping, to school, to her house, bathroom, basement, kitchen, living room, bedroom… (though they never actually do the deed. Perhaps the only saving grace this book has.) Oh well, I guess that’s normal enough behavior in YA these days.
I think the fact that she doesn’t tell Harry to get the heck out of her life says something about Sarah’s character as well, don’t you think?
Then comes the part where the plot vanishes and the romance invades with REINFORCEMENTS! What kind of reinforcements, you ask? Well, for one Sarah and Harry are supposed to be first cousins, so if they get together it would actually be some form of incest, but only Harry knows he’s not really Sarah’s cousin because the real Harry got killed by the eeeeeviiillll people who are in league with the little demons. But before he died, he gave Sean (Fake Harry’s real name) the speshul task of protecting Sarah so she doesn’t die the same way.
Naturally, Fake Harry develops feelings for Sarah and so does she, but both are unable to act on them because you know, there’s the whole (fake) incest thing.
Of course, Fake Harry could just tell her Real Harry is dead, but that would remove all the angst and the forbidden love angle and that would make things. Really. Boring. So for roughly 65% of the book we get to watch Sarah and Fake Harry tiptoe around each other in a melodramatic dance of soap-opera-like proportions. All wrapped up in a neat little package of really. Bad. Writing.
Oh, wey, here’s another boy. Another love interest. It's a love triangle.
Somewhere along the way Sarah completely shucks off her badassness as if it’s some kind of disease to her femininity (I’ve come to realize she was never truly a badass in the first place) and becomes a dopey little thing that faints far too many times for my liking, for no other reason I can see other than to have Fake Harry stare at her and worry over her in his Edwardian creeper style.
You see, I’ve finally figured out the point of Sarah. She’s supposed to be one of those heroines with supah awesum speshul powerz who is a bastion for everything good and pure and who can vanquish anyone and anything if they get in the way of the greater good. Only, those powers mysteriously disappear as soon as Prince Charming enters the picture and the heroine transforms into a star-struck airhead whose sole purpose of existence is to have that hunk of man meat assert his possessiveness over her.
In short, she’s weak and useless and stupid and an insult to girls everywhere. Are the girls who are like Sarah supposed to be role models? As a teenager, am I supposed to like reading about this kind of heroine? Is this archetype supposed to be something I aspire to become?
In other news...
What’s that? Is it a bird? Is it an airplane?
No, it’s the PLOT! Long time no see, buddy.
Because it had the definitive air of being stuffed in there at the last minute, the plot is rushed, weird and filled with WTF and LOL moments. Prime example: Fake Harry’s identity gets outed by Sarah’s arch-nemesis and Sarah, living up to the TSTL label, chooses to cut all ties with him. Good riddance, I say, because he’s a positive creep. Even so, the reasoning for her decision makes me want to bang my head against the wall because she chooses to take her arch-nemesis’ word at face value that he murdered Real Harry. TSTL indeed.
Moving on. Since I was so close to the end, I decided I might as well finish this entertaining trainwreck even though at this point I was beyond caring and was pretty much
In short, Dreams comprises of the formulaic storyline behind the majority of sucky paranormal YA: love triangle + ridiculous characters + lots of angst + suckily explained magic + barely there plot.
I have no idea why I didn’t DNF this. To be honest, though, this story wouldn’t be so ridiculous if it had been written in such a way that I didn’t feel like LOLing every other page. That, at least, might have raised it from a one-star to a two-star rating.
And... yeah. That concludes most of my feelings on the subject of this abomination. After all that negativity you might think me strange for wanting to pick up the sequel, but I still think this series has the potential to redeem itself—somewhat. If Fake Harry/Sean can get over his stalkerish tendencies and the plot can make an effort to assert itself more strongly and the writing can improve just a tiny teensy bit and Sarah realizes she can be both feminine and badass… well, this might just have a chance.
Holy moly, I just realized how insanely impossible that list of demands is. Hmm, yeah, no, I’ve changed my mind. Definitely not reading the sequel.
Most promising was the summary which never even hinted at a love interest, giving me hope that it was going to be all about Sarah Midnight kicking ass, flaunting girl powah and being awesome in general. This was me, all happy and excited to discover this “gem”:
The first scene was pretty cool! I liked it! Sarah Midnight used some awesum speshul powers and seemed badass. Kind of. I was somewhat discouraged by the crappy writing style but, you know, crappy writing doesn’t always merit a bad story. Most of the time. Right?
In retrospect, this is all I have to say to myself:
Then the love interest, Harry, made an appearance and I forgot the crappy writing because I was all
He has a sad and tragic past, of course. Hot guys in YA lit always come with that because apparently it merits an insightful and considerate character. It just wouldn’t do to have a scorching hot guy be as shallow as a pond, would it?
Imagine my surprise! and disappointment! when Harry takes a page out of the Sucky Paranormal YA Handbook and begins to stalk Sarah from point A to B to C to D to E to… well, you know how the alphabet works (to quote Katherine from TVD, who is actually a badass). Dear Harry, if you were 10 on the scale of hotness, you just plummeted to -10.
His reason for doing this is to protect Sarah from the scary little demons that want to kill her; apparently she doesn’t actually know how to protect herself because her parents never taught her how. You guys, that’s totes badass! It means even without any training she was still able to kill that demon in the first scene! That is so cool!
So in short, the story uses Sarah’s supposed inexperience as a lame plot device in order to have Harry hang around her in Edward-esque creepy stalker fashion. It’s a poor excuse because as we saw in the first scene, Sarah is more than capable of taking care of herself. Harry, this is all I have to say to you:
Of course, she does let him follow her around. Everywhere. Literally. To shopping, to school, to her house, bathroom, basement, kitchen, living room, bedroom… (though they never actually do the deed. Perhaps the only saving grace this book has.) Oh well, I guess that’s normal enough behavior in YA these days.
I think the fact that she doesn’t tell Harry to get the heck out of her life says something about Sarah’s character as well, don’t you think?
Then comes the part where the plot vanishes and the romance invades with REINFORCEMENTS! What kind of reinforcements, you ask? Well, for one Sarah and Harry are supposed to be first cousins, so if they get together it would actually be some form of incest, but only Harry knows he’s not really Sarah’s cousin because the real Harry got killed by the eeeeeviiillll people who are in league with the little demons. But before he died, he gave Sean (Fake Harry’s real name) the speshul task of protecting Sarah so she doesn’t die the same way.
Naturally, Fake Harry develops feelings for Sarah and so does she, but both are unable to act on them because you know, there’s the whole (fake) incest thing.
Of course, Fake Harry could just tell her Real Harry is dead, but that would remove all the angst and the forbidden love angle and that would make things. Really. Boring. So for roughly 65% of the book we get to watch Sarah and Fake Harry tiptoe around each other in a melodramatic dance of soap-opera-like proportions. All wrapped up in a neat little package of really. Bad. Writing.
Oh, wey, here’s another boy. Another love interest. It's a love triangle.
Somewhere along the way Sarah completely shucks off her badassness as if it’s some kind of disease to her femininity (I’ve come to realize she was never truly a badass in the first place) and becomes a dopey little thing that faints far too many times for my liking, for no other reason I can see other than to have Fake Harry stare at her and worry over her in his Edwardian creeper style.
You see, I’ve finally figured out the point of Sarah. She’s supposed to be one of those heroines with supah awesum speshul powerz who is a bastion for everything good and pure and who can vanquish anyone and anything if they get in the way of the greater good. Only, those powers mysteriously disappear as soon as Prince Charming enters the picture and the heroine transforms into a star-struck airhead whose sole purpose of existence is to have that hunk of man meat assert his possessiveness over her.
In short, she’s weak and useless and stupid and an insult to girls everywhere. Are the girls who are like Sarah supposed to be role models? As a teenager, am I supposed to like reading about this kind of heroine? Is this archetype supposed to be something I aspire to become?
In other news...
What’s that? Is it a bird? Is it an airplane?
No, it’s the PLOT! Long time no see, buddy.
Because it had the definitive air of being stuffed in there at the last minute, the plot is rushed, weird and filled with WTF and LOL moments. Prime example: Fake Harry’s identity gets outed by Sarah’s arch-nemesis and Sarah, living up to the TSTL label, chooses to cut all ties with him. Good riddance, I say, because he’s a positive creep. Even so, the reasoning for her decision makes me want to bang my head against the wall because she chooses to take her arch-nemesis’ word at face value that he murdered Real Harry. TSTL indeed.
Moving on. Since I was so close to the end, I decided I might as well finish this entertaining trainwreck even though at this point I was beyond caring and was pretty much
In short, Dreams comprises of the formulaic storyline behind the majority of sucky paranormal YA: love triangle + ridiculous characters + lots of angst + suckily explained magic + barely there plot.
I have no idea why I didn’t DNF this. To be honest, though, this story wouldn’t be so ridiculous if it had been written in such a way that I didn’t feel like LOLing every other page. That, at least, might have raised it from a one-star to a two-star rating.
And... yeah. That concludes most of my feelings on the subject of this abomination. After all that negativity you might think me strange for wanting to pick up the sequel, but I still think this series has the potential to redeem itself—somewhat. If Fake Harry/Sean can get over his stalkerish tendencies and the plot can make an effort to assert itself more strongly and the writing can improve just a tiny teensy bit and Sarah realizes she can be both feminine and badass… well, this might just have a chance.
Holy moly, I just realized how insanely impossible that list of demands is. Hmm, yeah, no, I’ve changed my mind. Definitely not reading the sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2015
The world setting and some of the ideas about magic and demons in this book are somewhat decent and interesting (that's the only reason I finished reading the book), however I really can't stand the Mary Sue Special Snowflake Heroine (barely a chapter can go by without the author telling me how beautiful and special the heroine is) and the love triangle.
Plus, despite having supernatural powers, the heroine is goddamn useless, she needs her love interests to pull her out of danger *for an entire freaking book*.
Last but not least, the heroine's parents did nothing to prepare her to fight demons or at least protect herself even though *it is what their family has always been doing for generations*; and the heroine's cousin Harry , why wouldn't he do that? Because of REASONS!
Somehow this book reads like a bad mixture of Twilight and Hush, Hush. *groans*
Plus, despite having supernatural powers, the heroine is goddamn useless, she needs her love interests to pull her out of danger *for an entire freaking book*.
Last but not least, the heroine's parents did nothing to prepare her to fight demons or at least protect herself even though *it is what their family has always been doing for generations*; and the heroine's cousin Harry , why wouldn't he do that? Because of REASONS!
Somehow this book reads like a bad mixture of Twilight and Hush, Hush. *groans*
August 30, 2012
Uhm, wow. I'm not sure I have words for how hilariously bad this book was, lol. The writing reads like an 11-year-old's SPN/Twilight crossover fanfic with name replacements, all the characters hail from someone's very special My First Mary Sue And Friends doll collection, and the "plot" is like an instructional manual for Destiny-Enforced Teenage Demon Hunting, embracing every cliché imagineable along the way. Important points include "Describe your special shining hair and special brilliant eyes and special intuitive specialness at least once per page, in great detail," "Use words like MY POWERS and DARKNESS WILL FALL and ALL ALONE and DOOM and DANGER as often as you can" and "Fighting the forces of darkness is pointless unless it'll get you a boyfriend," etc. etc.
All of which could be great fun if it was done on purpose to riff on the genre a bit, because honestly, the genre can take some riffing. The fact that we're obviously supposed to take this mess of tired tropes, barely even one-dimensional characters and cringey prose seriously is what's really sad. Read something else, anything else.
All of which could be great fun if it was done on purpose to riff on the genre a bit, because honestly, the genre can take some riffing. The fact that we're obviously supposed to take this mess of tired tropes, barely even one-dimensional characters and cringey prose seriously is what's really sad. Read something else, anything else.
April 12, 2017
An hour later from my last update, means 1:am, here I am telling you how much I like this book.
I wasn't expecting much from this book, it gave me a lot of Shadowhunter-vibes and the prologue was screaming "trashy YA!!"
But this was basically a gift and I was really curious.
I read half of the book the first day, and today, a day later I literally finished it in a couple of hours. It's quite addictive!
Sarah can be described as the typical ya heroine, with a great responsibility, she doesn't know what to do or how to do it, and she is very scared and angry about this whole stuff that was throw at her all of sudden. But then when you read more about her, you see that she had been trying to accept her reality for a long time ago, that she tryed to be strong and that she failed a lot. That's when you start to realized that she is different in some way.
She has this horrible ability that used to helped her parents since she was a kido, and because of that she developed anxiety.
This is the first time I read a ya book when the heroine was ill because of her ability. Sarah didn't discover she was a midnight and immediately solved all the holes and became the most successful demon hunter, she was in that life for years, she was active but not in action and that broke her.
She was scared, she didn't know what to do and she didn't want to end up dead, so she did the best she could by herseld until Harry/Sean came into her life. And even then, she was scared, she needed help and she wasn't scared of asking for it.
But at the end she was just a teenager and she made mistakes, keeps secrets and things get a little bit out of control.
Now, Harry/Sean, I really like him. He was this strong, sassy, funny, cool guy that was just living his life until one day Harry Midnight appeared and changed everything.
He decided to follow him and suddenly he got trapped in the whole demon era thing.
He was just amazing, I really love reading from his POV, he was really worried about Sarah, he was scared, but he didn't let that fear stick in the way and he protected her.
Even when I think that she should showed us more about the time they spent together, I think that their relationship was really cute, it didn't felt to rushed or to dramatic.
The plot in this book is simply amazing, the whole world building, the demons, all the families and the secret community was really good developed and let us wanting to know more about the process and how is that they end up being corrupted by the Valaya. It has great characters and also really good villains.
BUT, my only issue with this book, the one that doesn't allow me to give this book a higher rating is the writing style. I don't know if it is the traduction or not, but those rushed conversations at some points of the book just let me thinking why I was reading it in first place.
She has this chapters, which are quite some, where she writes really good, and I loved reading those ones, it was clear, straight to the point and the dialogues were funny, they felt real and you could feel the awkwardness, fear, horror, stress that Sarah or somebody else was living in that moment. But in other parts the conversations where too rushed, some feelings were just out of nowhere and well, that writing, not so good.
That was my only isuue with this book.
It's a YA paranormal book and it's normal that it suffers from some troops, like she being gorgeous and feeling lost in the world, her friends, that feeling of being "in love for the first time" and also that other "guy"(don't think about a love triangle, its way more complicated than that). But even whit all of that the book was still pretty amazing. Besides, these books take place in Scotland? Do I need to say more?
I have the next one and I'm absolutely gonna start it... In a couple of hours. I'm really tired right now.
4.0 Stars.
I wasn't expecting much from this book, it gave me a lot of Shadowhunter-vibes and the prologue was screaming "trashy YA!!"
But this was basically a gift and I was really curious.
I read half of the book the first day, and today, a day later I literally finished it in a couple of hours. It's quite addictive!
Sarah can be described as the typical ya heroine, with a great responsibility, she doesn't know what to do or how to do it, and she is very scared and angry about this whole stuff that was throw at her all of sudden. But then when you read more about her, you see that she had been trying to accept her reality for a long time ago, that she tryed to be strong and that she failed a lot. That's when you start to realized that she is different in some way.
She has this horrible ability that used to helped her parents since she was a kido, and because of that she developed anxiety.
This is the first time I read a ya book when the heroine was ill because of her ability. Sarah didn't discover she was a midnight and immediately solved all the holes and became the most successful demon hunter, she was in that life for years, she was active but not in action and that broke her.
She was scared, she didn't know what to do and she didn't want to end up dead, so she did the best she could by herseld until Harry/Sean came into her life. And even then, she was scared, she needed help and she wasn't scared of asking for it.
But at the end she was just a teenager and she made mistakes, keeps secrets and things get a little bit out of control.
Now, Harry/Sean, I really like him. He was this strong, sassy, funny, cool guy that was just living his life until one day Harry Midnight appeared and changed everything.
He decided to follow him and suddenly he got trapped in the whole demon era thing.
He was just amazing, I really love reading from his POV, he was really worried about Sarah, he was scared, but he didn't let that fear stick in the way and he protected her.
Even when I think that she should showed us more about the time they spent together, I think that their relationship was really cute, it didn't felt to rushed or to dramatic.
The plot in this book is simply amazing, the whole world building, the demons, all the families and the secret community was really good developed and let us wanting to know more about the process and how is that they end up being corrupted by the Valaya. It has great characters and also really good villains.
BUT, my only issue with this book, the one that doesn't allow me to give this book a higher rating is the writing style. I don't know if it is the traduction or not, but those rushed conversations at some points of the book just let me thinking why I was reading it in first place.
She has this chapters, which are quite some, where she writes really good, and I loved reading those ones, it was clear, straight to the point and the dialogues were funny, they felt real and you could feel the awkwardness, fear, horror, stress that Sarah or somebody else was living in that moment. But in other parts the conversations where too rushed, some feelings were just out of nowhere and well, that writing, not so good.
That was my only isuue with this book.
It's a YA paranormal book and it's normal that it suffers from some troops, like she being gorgeous and feeling lost in the world, her friends, that feeling of being "in love for the first time" and also that other "guy"(don't think about a love triangle, its way more complicated than that). But even whit all of that the book was still pretty amazing. Besides, these books take place in Scotland? Do I need to say more?
I have the next one and I'm absolutely gonna start it... In a couple of hours. I'm really tired right now.
4.0 Stars.
June 16, 2012
Originally posted @ Book Whales
“Don’t let them roam”
The first time I saw Dreams on Goodreads. I was captured by the cover. The girl with dark hair in a seemingly dreamy state, made me want to read this book. Not only is the cover beautiful but the story as well. Dreams will satisfy your thirst for adventure, mystery and paranormal cravings.
The story is about Sarah Midnight, an orphan who was suddenly thrust into a world full of secrets and danger. She has a special power called “The dark water” and she has dreams that foretell what will happen in the future. Her dreams come true and are plagued by demons. She was forced to fight off evil without proper training due to her sheltered life. Harry, her long lost cousin suddenly appeared to help her. Together, the two aid each other in defeating the demons. Who is that pale boy that visits her dreams? Will she be able to fulfill her promise to her parents to protect the world against evil? You have to read this book to find out.
The world building is astonishing! It is dark themed. I love how the author vividly describes the “Dark Water” and the demons. I didn’t have a hard time picturing them in my head. I find the book very cinematic. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book will be turned into a comic. I enjoyed the graphical descriptions and the scenarios that made my heart pumped fast. The pacing is good too! There were no dull moments there. The author also has the talent to keep the readers engrossed. I literally wanted to squeeze the book for answers. Who is Leaf? Why does Sarah feel connected to him? I really can’t wait to read book two.
The characters are interesting and well made. Each of them has their own individuality. I connected to them easily since they are very realistic. They were also described pretty well. Sarah is my favorite character in this book. Her parents had died, yet I find her strong and courageous. Her parent’s death did not hinder her to her responsibilities; despite the fact that she was not given proper training to handle her gifts. Her stubbornness and flaws made me like her more. As for the handsome Harry, I also find him likable. I love his personality and his drive to take care of Sarah. His commitment to his job as a gamekeeper awed me. I find him interesting and old fashioned. The fact that he likes teas and soap operas made me laugh. The story is written in different POVs. You get to see what happened in the past and what each character are thinking. I like how I see the story in a transparent way. No more guessing what each of them are really thinking. There are more characters in the story that I like. I will leave them to you to find out.
As for the love angle, Daniela did a great job. I was torn between Harry and Leaf! There were loads of scenes that gave butterflies in my stomach. The very dedicated Harry and dependable Leaf –sigh- It is hard to decide between two hot guys.
Overall, this book is an excellent read. I recommend this book to action and paranormal lovers. A great read for a first time author. I will definitely keep an eye on this series.
Ratings:
“Don’t let them roam”
The first time I saw Dreams on Goodreads. I was captured by the cover. The girl with dark hair in a seemingly dreamy state, made me want to read this book. Not only is the cover beautiful but the story as well. Dreams will satisfy your thirst for adventure, mystery and paranormal cravings.
The story is about Sarah Midnight, an orphan who was suddenly thrust into a world full of secrets and danger. She has a special power called “The dark water” and she has dreams that foretell what will happen in the future. Her dreams come true and are plagued by demons. She was forced to fight off evil without proper training due to her sheltered life. Harry, her long lost cousin suddenly appeared to help her. Together, the two aid each other in defeating the demons. Who is that pale boy that visits her dreams? Will she be able to fulfill her promise to her parents to protect the world against evil? You have to read this book to find out.
The world building is astonishing! It is dark themed. I love how the author vividly describes the “Dark Water” and the demons. I didn’t have a hard time picturing them in my head. I find the book very cinematic. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book will be turned into a comic. I enjoyed the graphical descriptions and the scenarios that made my heart pumped fast. The pacing is good too! There were no dull moments there. The author also has the talent to keep the readers engrossed. I literally wanted to squeeze the book for answers. Who is Leaf? Why does Sarah feel connected to him? I really can’t wait to read book two.
The characters are interesting and well made. Each of them has their own individuality. I connected to them easily since they are very realistic. They were also described pretty well. Sarah is my favorite character in this book. Her parents had died, yet I find her strong and courageous. Her parent’s death did not hinder her to her responsibilities; despite the fact that she was not given proper training to handle her gifts. Her stubbornness and flaws made me like her more. As for the handsome Harry, I also find him likable. I love his personality and his drive to take care of Sarah. His commitment to his job as a gamekeeper awed me. I find him interesting and old fashioned. The fact that he likes teas and soap operas made me laugh. The story is written in different POVs. You get to see what happened in the past and what each character are thinking. I like how I see the story in a transparent way. No more guessing what each of them are really thinking. There are more characters in the story that I like. I will leave them to you to find out.
As for the love angle, Daniela did a great job. I was torn between Harry and Leaf! There were loads of scenes that gave butterflies in my stomach. The very dedicated Harry and dependable Leaf –sigh- It is hard to decide between two hot guys.
Overall, this book is an excellent read. I recommend this book to action and paranormal lovers. A great read for a first time author. I will definitely keep an eye on this series.
Ratings:
February 9, 2015
Excellent Part One to the Sarah Midnight trilogy. Glad I already have the other two on my pile. Great if you love YA magical mayhem. Full review to follow.
October 10, 2014
Tengo que ser sincera y diré que no esperaba nada de este libro y eso ayudo a que me sorprendiera mucho. Me ha encantado la historia de Sarah, los personajes y todo mundo. Ya quiero leer la segunda parte de la trilogía!
Reseña Completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2014/0...
Video-Reseña: http://youtu.be/FouBQD8G5aI
Reseña Completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2014/0...
Video-Reseña: http://youtu.be/FouBQD8G5aI
June 16, 2015
Es más un 4,5/5.
Lo primero que se me viene a la cabeza ahora mismo es: QUIERO. LEER. EL. SIGUIENTE. LIBRO. YA. ¿Qué tienen los autores con los cliffhangers justo en la última página, ah?
Me encantaron las historias de Sarah Midnight, "Harry Midnight", las Familias Secretas, las Valaya (en pocas palabras, gente mala) y la Sabha.
El libro se sitúa en Escocia, un lugar intrigante en sí mismo, y cuenta la historia de Sarah, una chica que ha quedado huérfana recientemente porque sus padres eran cazadores de demonios. Una vez ellos mueren, Sarah se ve arrastrada a un mundo de sombras que no conoce y debe enfrentarse a un peligro que no sabía que existía. Porque, claro, ella sabía que sus padres eran cazadores, pero no tiene idea de que hay más Familias Secretas dedicadas a la caza, ni sabe que hay gente perversa en los Consejos y diferentes facciones que deben acabar con los herederos de dichas Familias.
En medio de todo este lío, aparece un personaje misterioso -no tanto para los lectores, porque en los primeros capítulos nos explican quién es- ante Sarah. Es "Harry Midnight", quien dice ser su primo. Sarah, en medio de la deriva emocional en la que está, confía en él inmediatamente y se vuelven muy cercanos, empiezan a construir una relación bastante especial.
¿Y qué decir de Harry? Es tremendamente encantador, su historia de fondo es bastante triste y entiendo por qué empieza a querer tanto a Sarah. Él, aunque no lo admita, también está un poco a la deriva y... sí, díganme cursi, pero siento que Sarah y Harry son un ancla para el otro, se mantienen en la realidad, lejos de recuerdos y pasados dolorosos.
Hay muchísimos otros personajes intrigantes como los demás Guardabosques, los otros Herederos o los miembros de la Valaya escocesa, pero hay uno que es difícil de ubicar: Otoño. Este hombre aparece en los sueños de Sarah -porque su papel dentro de la Familia Midnight es el de Soñadora, es decir, quien ve en sus sueños a los demonios o los sucesos que pueden pasar en un futuro cercano- y la deja encantada. Es misterioso, apuesto y, bueno, la salva un par de veces en la vida real de los ataques de demonios.
La dualidad en las personalidades de Otoño y de Harry y la confusión de Sarah, no solamente por saber qué chico es bueno o real, sino por empezar a entender el mundo de demonios y de cazadores en el que se ve arrojada sin ninguna preparación es lo que hacen del libro algo muy interesante, adictivo y rápido de leer. Si bien por la descripción se podría pensar que es similar a Cazadores de Sombras, una vez lo lees te das cuenta de que no es así. Son mundos totalmente distintos y hay problemas y escenarios que no podríamos ver en los libros de Cassandra Clare.
Si no le pongo cinco estrellas al libro es porque creo que le faltó un pelín de acción. Sentí que Harry y Sarah se pasaban mucho tiempo en la casa, pero tampoco me molesta del todo porque, en el fondo, las escenas que allí se desarrollaron fueron muy necesarias para mantener la atmósfera del libro.
Lo primero que se me viene a la cabeza ahora mismo es: QUIERO. LEER. EL. SIGUIENTE. LIBRO. YA. ¿Qué tienen los autores con los cliffhangers justo en la última página, ah?
Me encantaron las historias de Sarah Midnight, "Harry Midnight", las Familias Secretas, las Valaya (en pocas palabras, gente mala) y la Sabha.
El libro se sitúa en Escocia, un lugar intrigante en sí mismo, y cuenta la historia de Sarah, una chica que ha quedado huérfana recientemente porque sus padres eran cazadores de demonios. Una vez ellos mueren, Sarah se ve arrastrada a un mundo de sombras que no conoce y debe enfrentarse a un peligro que no sabía que existía. Porque, claro, ella sabía que sus padres eran cazadores, pero no tiene idea de que hay más Familias Secretas dedicadas a la caza, ni sabe que hay gente perversa en los Consejos y diferentes facciones que deben acabar con los herederos de dichas Familias.
En medio de todo este lío, aparece un personaje misterioso -no tanto para los lectores, porque en los primeros capítulos nos explican quién es- ante Sarah. Es "Harry Midnight", quien dice ser su primo. Sarah, en medio de la deriva emocional en la que está, confía en él inmediatamente y se vuelven muy cercanos, empiezan a construir una relación bastante especial.
¿Y qué decir de Harry? Es tremendamente encantador, su historia de fondo es bastante triste y entiendo por qué empieza a querer tanto a Sarah. Él, aunque no lo admita, también está un poco a la deriva y... sí, díganme cursi, pero siento que Sarah y Harry son un ancla para el otro, se mantienen en la realidad, lejos de recuerdos y pasados dolorosos.
Hay muchísimos otros personajes intrigantes como los demás Guardabosques, los otros Herederos o los miembros de la Valaya escocesa, pero hay uno que es difícil de ubicar: Otoño. Este hombre aparece en los sueños de Sarah -porque su papel dentro de la Familia Midnight es el de Soñadora, es decir, quien ve en sus sueños a los demonios o los sucesos que pueden pasar en un futuro cercano- y la deja encantada. Es misterioso, apuesto y, bueno, la salva un par de veces en la vida real de los ataques de demonios.
La dualidad en las personalidades de Otoño y de Harry y la confusión de Sarah, no solamente por saber qué chico es bueno o real, sino por empezar a entender el mundo de demonios y de cazadores en el que se ve arrojada sin ninguna preparación es lo que hacen del libro algo muy interesante, adictivo y rápido de leer. Si bien por la descripción se podría pensar que es similar a Cazadores de Sombras, una vez lo lees te das cuenta de que no es así. Son mundos totalmente distintos y hay problemas y escenarios que no podríamos ver en los libros de Cassandra Clare.
Si no le pongo cinco estrellas al libro es porque creo que le faltó un pelín de acción. Sentí que Harry y Sarah se pasaban mucho tiempo en la casa, pero tampoco me molesta del todo porque, en el fondo, las escenas que allí se desarrollaron fueron muy necesarias para mantener la atmósfera del libro.
March 17, 2012
I really loved this book! It reminded me alot of Buffy actually; a girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders, friends with secrets, mortal dangers etc. my biggest annoyance being the 'ending', which really is much more of a pause in the story than anything else. I'm really excited to see some Scottish teen fiction, published by a Scottish publisher that is completely mainstream, accessible and not too full of cliches. Just have to wait for number 2 now...
January 13, 2022
Es un buen libro y fácil de leer pero su final es malísimo, le daría 3 estrellas pero la mayor parte fue bueno
June 20, 2012
3.5 Stars
Dreams is a story about Sarah Midnight; a seventeen-year-old girl who is grieving over the loss of her parents. Over the past few years Sarah has lost everyone close to her because of the family’s history. The Midnights are a legacy family, which means they fight demons from a secret world – one that’s very dangerous. Sarah was always left in the dark about her family’s fight but that didn’t stop the dreams. She has dreams that guide her to kill the evil demon’s but recently her dreams have been all jumbled, and now she’s struggling to make head or tails of them. But when the arrival of her long lost cousin; Harry, suddenly everything is becoming that much clearer…..but can see really trust Harry? And can they defeat the evil before it gets them?
I’d never heard of this book before I was asked to review and I was pleasantly surprised that it was being published by a UK publishers, and secondly that the book itself was based in the UK. It’s an automatic win for me because I’ll do anything to help out a UK book. But not only that, the blurb for the book really intrigued me, it sounded like something I’d love, so of course, I jumped at the chance to read it. Now after reading, I’m definitely a fan of this author’s work. Daniela Sacerdoti has definitely got the knack for good story telling. She’s created something unique, dark and heart-breaking and it all works well together.
The story itself was dangerous and thrilling. It was very creepy and the descriptions of the demons were quite gruesome and all very imaginable. With the story being told in a third person narrative, we get to see a lot of different characters take their own journeys. At first, I’ll admit I was put off with the different characters/point of view changes, but once I really got into the story, I started enjoying it and I felt every change fit the story perfectly. It gave me a lot of insight into the story that I wouldn’t have got, if the story was told just by Sarah. So overall, it worked really well. I did feel the story had a slow start and it takes a while for you to fully understand the legacy story and the role’s the Midnight’s play but still, it was an enjoyable journey but a little bit slow.
The relationships between the characters were very enjoyable. Sarah and Harry have a deep connection and although they are cousins, everything isn’t as it seems, so be prepared for a shocking storyline. I loved Harry – he really cares for Sarah and although he’s trying to do the right thing because of the job he was given, it’s hard not to love Sarah. And then there’s Leaf. I’m not sure about him. The chapters from his point of view gave me the impression that he’s hiding something and he isn’t who he says he is. Sarah clearly cares for him but if it’s a choice between Harry and Leaf, then I’m all Team Harry!
Overall, Dreams is a good debut novel and I think Daniela Sacerdoti has set the ending up very well for the second book in the series. Although it’s a killer of an ending, I bet it will be worth it!
Dreams is a story about Sarah Midnight; a seventeen-year-old girl who is grieving over the loss of her parents. Over the past few years Sarah has lost everyone close to her because of the family’s history. The Midnights are a legacy family, which means they fight demons from a secret world – one that’s very dangerous. Sarah was always left in the dark about her family’s fight but that didn’t stop the dreams. She has dreams that guide her to kill the evil demon’s but recently her dreams have been all jumbled, and now she’s struggling to make head or tails of them. But when the arrival of her long lost cousin; Harry, suddenly everything is becoming that much clearer…..but can see really trust Harry? And can they defeat the evil before it gets them?
I’d never heard of this book before I was asked to review and I was pleasantly surprised that it was being published by a UK publishers, and secondly that the book itself was based in the UK. It’s an automatic win for me because I’ll do anything to help out a UK book. But not only that, the blurb for the book really intrigued me, it sounded like something I’d love, so of course, I jumped at the chance to read it. Now after reading, I’m definitely a fan of this author’s work. Daniela Sacerdoti has definitely got the knack for good story telling. She’s created something unique, dark and heart-breaking and it all works well together.
The story itself was dangerous and thrilling. It was very creepy and the descriptions of the demons were quite gruesome and all very imaginable. With the story being told in a third person narrative, we get to see a lot of different characters take their own journeys. At first, I’ll admit I was put off with the different characters/point of view changes, but once I really got into the story, I started enjoying it and I felt every change fit the story perfectly. It gave me a lot of insight into the story that I wouldn’t have got, if the story was told just by Sarah. So overall, it worked really well. I did feel the story had a slow start and it takes a while for you to fully understand the legacy story and the role’s the Midnight’s play but still, it was an enjoyable journey but a little bit slow.
The relationships between the characters were very enjoyable. Sarah and Harry have a deep connection and although they are cousins, everything isn’t as it seems, so be prepared for a shocking storyline. I loved Harry – he really cares for Sarah and although he’s trying to do the right thing because of the job he was given, it’s hard not to love Sarah. And then there’s Leaf. I’m not sure about him. The chapters from his point of view gave me the impression that he’s hiding something and he isn’t who he says he is. Sarah clearly cares for him but if it’s a choice between Harry and Leaf, then I’m all Team Harry!
Overall, Dreams is a good debut novel and I think Daniela Sacerdoti has set the ending up very well for the second book in the series. Although it’s a killer of an ending, I bet it will be worth it!
May 19, 2012
We start Sarah’s story at James and Anne’s funeral. Her maternal aunt, Juliet, is staying at Sarah’s family home. Juliet has no idea of the secret activities the Midnight family are involved with. The plan is for Sarah to move in with her aunt. With good timing, in walks Sarah’s cousin, Harry Midnight.
Sarah has had no training from her parents, she does not know the truth behind the hunting. Straight away Sarah is forced to use her power for the first time (with Harry by her side) and from that moment, they are a team trying to save her.
We learn the mythology of the demons and hunters through different characters involved in protecting humanity. There is a hierarchy and reasons behind everything. Their stories are woven through the time the reader spends with Sarah and Harry. New information is given from them all the way through the story so the reader is eager to find out more about why the demons are managing to slip through the time stream and into this world. (The connection between human and demon reminded me of Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials Trilogy). There are some really interesting concepts in this mythology! It is very well crafted.
Sarah’s character is so believable. Neglected by her parents while they are off hunting every night, waking up after the terrors of her dreams with no-one there, she’s developed her own way to cope with the anxiety and fear. Not able to get close to even her best friend because of the life they live, she truly has been alone. Her developing feelings for Harry (by the way, there is more to Harry than he’s led Sarah to believe) while also under the spell of an enigmatic ‘male’ in her dream world leads to a very unusual love triangle! This series is targeted at the Young Adult audience and the romance is pitched at just the right level. Innocent and poignant.
I loved it that I didn’t know where the story would take me next. Would I be fighting the humans/demons who had killed Sarah’s parents or would I be in Louisiana or the Alps hiding or even in a dream? Despite being written in the first person it was easy to switch between the action.
There is much I thoroughly enjoyed in Dreams – the Dark Arts, the herbs, the spells, the elementals and the sigils; the different powers the secret families have; the mythology. The scenes are all apt with the theme of the story – darkness, storms, basements, physical endurance and isolation.
Dreams is fast-paced with new levels being introduced at every turn. Betrayal (from 20 years ago), deception, romance, magic and intrigue. The story ends with threads beginning to come together and the seemingly ending of one … and I just know there’s more to the cat than meets the eye. I want to find out if I’m right!
I would like to thank Janne Moller from Black & White Publishing for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sarah has had no training from her parents, she does not know the truth behind the hunting. Straight away Sarah is forced to use her power for the first time (with Harry by her side) and from that moment, they are a team trying to save her.
We learn the mythology of the demons and hunters through different characters involved in protecting humanity. There is a hierarchy and reasons behind everything. Their stories are woven through the time the reader spends with Sarah and Harry. New information is given from them all the way through the story so the reader is eager to find out more about why the demons are managing to slip through the time stream and into this world. (The connection between human and demon reminded me of Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials Trilogy). There are some really interesting concepts in this mythology! It is very well crafted.
Sarah’s character is so believable. Neglected by her parents while they are off hunting every night, waking up after the terrors of her dreams with no-one there, she’s developed her own way to cope with the anxiety and fear. Not able to get close to even her best friend because of the life they live, she truly has been alone. Her developing feelings for Harry (by the way, there is more to Harry than he’s led Sarah to believe) while also under the spell of an enigmatic ‘male’ in her dream world leads to a very unusual love triangle! This series is targeted at the Young Adult audience and the romance is pitched at just the right level. Innocent and poignant.
I loved it that I didn’t know where the story would take me next. Would I be fighting the humans/demons who had killed Sarah’s parents or would I be in Louisiana or the Alps hiding or even in a dream? Despite being written in the first person it was easy to switch between the action.
There is much I thoroughly enjoyed in Dreams – the Dark Arts, the herbs, the spells, the elementals and the sigils; the different powers the secret families have; the mythology. The scenes are all apt with the theme of the story – darkness, storms, basements, physical endurance and isolation.
Dreams is fast-paced with new levels being introduced at every turn. Betrayal (from 20 years ago), deception, romance, magic and intrigue. The story ends with threads beginning to come together and the seemingly ending of one … and I just know there’s more to the cat than meets the eye. I want to find out if I’m right!
I would like to thank Janne Moller from Black & White Publishing for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2012
This was a very lovely read that catched me from the beginning! Dark, sometimes terrifying and with a glimpse of romance, Dreams is the first book by Daniela Sacerdoti I've ever read, and I've found it intriguing and very well constructed. The articulated plot turns around a lot of characters, using both first person and second person, giving a lot of different and interesting points of view.
The story is about Sarah Midnight, a seventeen years old girl with a huge weight on her shoulders since her thirteenth birthday: she can see Demons in her Dreams, real Demons which his family has always hunted. Now that her beloved parents died, Sarah have to face her heavy heritage and learn all that being a Mindingt means.
Sarah hasn't been trained by her parents, she doesn't know that a terrifying war between good and evil is raging around her; that someone is determinate to break the rivers of time and let the Demons roam in the human world and, of course, she doesn't know that this sick plan includes Sarah's death. Here comes Harry, her long lost cousin, very protective and misterious, with his own web of contacts and his powerfull skills as hunter and a lot of secrets to hide.
Alone and scared, Sarah will find her only friend in Harry, that seems to be ready to lose his own life to protect her.
Forbidden but naive, the relation between Sarah and Harry is very captivating and grows stronger at every heart beat.
The taste of impossible love and incredible desire will sneak in your heart, satisfying the romance need, while a lot of Demons, Spells and Magic will make the Paranormal lovers happy.
Sarah is well builded character, whom feelings are palpable and very believable. She's affected by Obsessive–compulsive disorder, inherited by the many nights left alone by her parents and the fear of losing them. She is unwilling to fight or kill but the reality she lives in will force her to do so.
On the other end, Harry is a strong character. He helps Sarah to get through the hard times that she has to face, and with his aid, she will grow self-confident and less naive.
Every other character, even the secondary ones, are full of charisma. On top, Leaf and Neal, the most fascinating and mysterious, make you want to read more and more.
Sometimes Dreams may sound a little slow, as it often happens in the first book of a serie. But still, it is a good and charming story. Thanks to the intricate plot and amazing world building "supported by an intense visual narration", Daniela Sacerdoti is capable of introduce you into a beautiful world. Can't wait for the sequel!
Per la recensione in Italiano, presto su www.atelierdeilibri.blogspot.it
The story is about Sarah Midnight, a seventeen years old girl with a huge weight on her shoulders since her thirteenth birthday: she can see Demons in her Dreams, real Demons which his family has always hunted. Now that her beloved parents died, Sarah have to face her heavy heritage and learn all that being a Mindingt means.
Sarah hasn't been trained by her parents, she doesn't know that a terrifying war between good and evil is raging around her; that someone is determinate to break the rivers of time and let the Demons roam in the human world and, of course, she doesn't know that this sick plan includes Sarah's death. Here comes Harry, her long lost cousin, very protective and misterious, with his own web of contacts and his powerfull skills as hunter and a lot of secrets to hide.
Alone and scared, Sarah will find her only friend in Harry, that seems to be ready to lose his own life to protect her.
Forbidden but naive, the relation between Sarah and Harry is very captivating and grows stronger at every heart beat.
The taste of impossible love and incredible desire will sneak in your heart, satisfying the romance need, while a lot of Demons, Spells and Magic will make the Paranormal lovers happy.
Sarah is well builded character, whom feelings are palpable and very believable. She's affected by Obsessive–compulsive disorder, inherited by the many nights left alone by her parents and the fear of losing them. She is unwilling to fight or kill but the reality she lives in will force her to do so.
On the other end, Harry is a strong character. He helps Sarah to get through the hard times that she has to face, and with his aid, she will grow self-confident and less naive.
Every other character, even the secondary ones, are full of charisma. On top, Leaf and Neal, the most fascinating and mysterious, make you want to read more and more.
Sometimes Dreams may sound a little slow, as it often happens in the first book of a serie. But still, it is a good and charming story. Thanks to the intricate plot and amazing world building "supported by an intense visual narration", Daniela Sacerdoti is capable of introduce you into a beautiful world. Can't wait for the sequel!
Per la recensione in Italiano, presto su www.atelierdeilibri.blogspot.it
February 14, 2015
Oh por Dios, ¡muy buen inicio de saga! Le coloco 4 estrellas y no 5 porque hay cosas que me recuerdan /en exceso/ a Cazadores de Sombras, pero entre cosa y cosa Daniela Sacerdoti logra plantear una mitología distinta y con personajes que se aman y se odian en iguales proporciones, sin duda alguna planeo seguir leyendo esta trilogía, el final fue TREMENDO y quedé con ganas de más.
March 21, 2013
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Reading the adventures of Sarah Midnight is like falling into a vortex in which you have the opportunity to know what will happen before the characters themselves do, remaining quite surprised when your expectations are pleasantly turned upside down. Unpredictable, interesting and engaging. But let's start from the beginning.
The scene opens on Sarah’s parents' funeral; they died under mysterious circumstances, at according to people. But Sarah knows that they were killed by demons, as Anne and James Midnight were far from ordinary people: they were demon hunters, from a long line. And Sarah, despite having lived safe in her home, has a terrible gift - or perhaps I should say curse - in her dreams she can see events involving these evil beings before they happen. Sarah’s dreams drove f her parents hunting since she was 13 and that occupation has cost them their lives. Now the girl, just seventeen, is compelled to pick up a legacy for which she has not been trained. From the outside, it is clear not only her pain, but also the discomfort caused by the firm belief that her parents considered her less important than the hunt, and did not truly care about making her life looking normal like everyone else. She is used to do everything perfectly, from clothing to household chores; she is convinced that the ritual is the only thing that will bring her parents back at home after every hunt. But of course it is not. Therefore, we find her alone, about to leave the house where she has lived since childhood, to go live with her aunt Juliet, her mother’s sister who does not even remotely imagine what really happened in the Midnight house. The arrival of a strange boy fulfills her wish to not leave the family roof: he turns out to be his cousin Harry, the last survivor of the Midnight family together with her. The boy has a New Zealander accent, and his parents are dead, too; he has the look and appearance of one with whom it is better not to mess, although he is very cute and charismatic – and caffeine addicted. From the beginning, Sarah has suspicions about his identity, until he reveals the existence of the Valaya, hunters who have taken control of demons to destroy the most influential families of the Sabha, a council composed by many races of hunters that fought against demons through centuries. Among the Valaya there is Cathy, someone who has been part of the Midnight past and that seems to have killed Sarah's parents, and now wants to vent her anger on her.
Sarah and Harry begin their preparation for the demonic attacks, discovering how much they need to rely on each other. Harry is very skilled with weapons and especially with his sgian dubh, a ceremonial knife that he uses to draw runes in the air and trap the demons. Sarah has her dreams and her black water; she has the power to dissolve demons touching them with her own hands, a power which, however, she can’t handle that well because it depends on her mood. Over time, she begins to practice magic, following the teachings that her mother has left her in a diary.
It might seem as if this story refers a bit to the atmosphere of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but this novel has nothing to do with the hit series from Warner Bro's. We are facing a frightened girl, a human with special abilities, but certainly not much different from many others. She loves playing the cello, going out with friends, and is wholly unprepared to live in the scenario that Harry's arrival discloses. He himself is not at all clear about what they will face, because he wants to protect her, but his being overprotective about Sarah will have negative consequences on their relationship. And then there's Leaf, a guy who can control the elements and often saves Sarah’s life, but who carries a aura of mystery which is not reassuring at all at that makes us closer to Harry’s idea, that Leaf is a liar who wants to creep into Sarah's heart. Perhaps in her heart there is someone else, someone who shouldn’t even be in her thoughts.
If you think that’s all, you are mistaken. The beauty of this fiction is that it combines in a natural way real life and magical world, without necessarily put romance first. Yes, "Dreams" has love stories, but they aren’t the driving force behind all actions. There is a particular analysis of human relationships, between parents and children, and that special one between people who love each other; it’s not always given a positive sense of these relationships, because often love leads to madness, which here becomes a central theme for the development of the story. Surely, from the beginning one moral can be felt: every lie told, though with good intentions, in the end turns against who said it, with devastating repercussions on those who were the recipient. In addition, in this fiction returns another peculiarity that I had noticed in "Watch Over Me": Sacerdoti can combine different stories and different points of view without breaking the continuity of the narrative. I found it wonderful the way she’s able to tell us about the past and present through the eyes of Sean, Elodie and Cathy herself, while Sarah's life is told in the third person, as if we were a spectator in a movie theater. I also enjoyed the way the characters are described with such details that it is easy to build an almost photographic conception of everyone we meet in the novel and, paradoxically, it is easy to get an idea also about demons that inhabit the dreams and the reality of Sarah. Although this is an urban fantasy by the grain, the narrative is very credible, and the characters are realistic: if we think of Sarah, her immaturity and fragility, her arrogance in some cases and her solitude, makes her a heroine who masks her flaws behind a mirror of perfection.
The fiction is flowed, substantial and very interesting. What struck me above all is that the narrative pace never slows down, even in situations of apparent calm, leaving the reader in a constant state of waiting, increasing the suspense for what will follow. The first volume is in a way self-contained, despite leaving many unresolved issues and many doubts about the real intentions of two of the main characters. I appreciated very much "Dreams", although I am not a lover of the genre, because Daniela Sacerdoti has been able to preserve the style I simply adored in "Watch Over Me" while dealing with a completely different narrative genre. I think the trilogy of Sarah Midnight can compete without hesitation with popular young adult series, because of the care and attention to the story that the author shows in each chapter, the strong linearity and unpredictability of events, but also because of the real literary value of this product.
I recommend it especially to those who loved Meyer’s books, not because there is affinity, but because it is - at least in the first volume - something even better.
Reading the adventures of Sarah Midnight is like falling into a vortex in which you have the opportunity to know what will happen before the characters themselves do, remaining quite surprised when your expectations are pleasantly turned upside down. Unpredictable, interesting and engaging. But let's start from the beginning.
The scene opens on Sarah’s parents' funeral; they died under mysterious circumstances, at according to people. But Sarah knows that they were killed by demons, as Anne and James Midnight were far from ordinary people: they were demon hunters, from a long line. And Sarah, despite having lived safe in her home, has a terrible gift - or perhaps I should say curse - in her dreams she can see events involving these evil beings before they happen. Sarah’s dreams drove f her parents hunting since she was 13 and that occupation has cost them their lives. Now the girl, just seventeen, is compelled to pick up a legacy for which she has not been trained. From the outside, it is clear not only her pain, but also the discomfort caused by the firm belief that her parents considered her less important than the hunt, and did not truly care about making her life looking normal like everyone else. She is used to do everything perfectly, from clothing to household chores; she is convinced that the ritual is the only thing that will bring her parents back at home after every hunt. But of course it is not. Therefore, we find her alone, about to leave the house where she has lived since childhood, to go live with her aunt Juliet, her mother’s sister who does not even remotely imagine what really happened in the Midnight house. The arrival of a strange boy fulfills her wish to not leave the family roof: he turns out to be his cousin Harry, the last survivor of the Midnight family together with her. The boy has a New Zealander accent, and his parents are dead, too; he has the look and appearance of one with whom it is better not to mess, although he is very cute and charismatic – and caffeine addicted. From the beginning, Sarah has suspicions about his identity, until he reveals the existence of the Valaya, hunters who have taken control of demons to destroy the most influential families of the Sabha, a council composed by many races of hunters that fought against demons through centuries. Among the Valaya there is Cathy, someone who has been part of the Midnight past and that seems to have killed Sarah's parents, and now wants to vent her anger on her.
Sarah and Harry begin their preparation for the demonic attacks, discovering how much they need to rely on each other. Harry is very skilled with weapons and especially with his sgian dubh, a ceremonial knife that he uses to draw runes in the air and trap the demons. Sarah has her dreams and her black water; she has the power to dissolve demons touching them with her own hands, a power which, however, she can’t handle that well because it depends on her mood. Over time, she begins to practice magic, following the teachings that her mother has left her in a diary.
It might seem as if this story refers a bit to the atmosphere of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but this novel has nothing to do with the hit series from Warner Bro's. We are facing a frightened girl, a human with special abilities, but certainly not much different from many others. She loves playing the cello, going out with friends, and is wholly unprepared to live in the scenario that Harry's arrival discloses. He himself is not at all clear about what they will face, because he wants to protect her, but his being overprotective about Sarah will have negative consequences on their relationship. And then there's Leaf, a guy who can control the elements and often saves Sarah’s life, but who carries a aura of mystery which is not reassuring at all at that makes us closer to Harry’s idea, that Leaf is a liar who wants to creep into Sarah's heart. Perhaps in her heart there is someone else, someone who shouldn’t even be in her thoughts.
If you think that’s all, you are mistaken. The beauty of this fiction is that it combines in a natural way real life and magical world, without necessarily put romance first. Yes, "Dreams" has love stories, but they aren’t the driving force behind all actions. There is a particular analysis of human relationships, between parents and children, and that special one between people who love each other; it’s not always given a positive sense of these relationships, because often love leads to madness, which here becomes a central theme for the development of the story. Surely, from the beginning one moral can be felt: every lie told, though with good intentions, in the end turns against who said it, with devastating repercussions on those who were the recipient. In addition, in this fiction returns another peculiarity that I had noticed in "Watch Over Me": Sacerdoti can combine different stories and different points of view without breaking the continuity of the narrative. I found it wonderful the way she’s able to tell us about the past and present through the eyes of Sean, Elodie and Cathy herself, while Sarah's life is told in the third person, as if we were a spectator in a movie theater. I also enjoyed the way the characters are described with such details that it is easy to build an almost photographic conception of everyone we meet in the novel and, paradoxically, it is easy to get an idea also about demons that inhabit the dreams and the reality of Sarah. Although this is an urban fantasy by the grain, the narrative is very credible, and the characters are realistic: if we think of Sarah, her immaturity and fragility, her arrogance in some cases and her solitude, makes her a heroine who masks her flaws behind a mirror of perfection.
The fiction is flowed, substantial and very interesting. What struck me above all is that the narrative pace never slows down, even in situations of apparent calm, leaving the reader in a constant state of waiting, increasing the suspense for what will follow. The first volume is in a way self-contained, despite leaving many unresolved issues and many doubts about the real intentions of two of the main characters. I appreciated very much "Dreams", although I am not a lover of the genre, because Daniela Sacerdoti has been able to preserve the style I simply adored in "Watch Over Me" while dealing with a completely different narrative genre. I think the trilogy of Sarah Midnight can compete without hesitation with popular young adult series, because of the care and attention to the story that the author shows in each chapter, the strong linearity and unpredictability of events, but also because of the real literary value of this product.
I recommend it especially to those who loved Meyer’s books, not because there is affinity, but because it is - at least in the first volume - something even better.
February 29, 2024
Muy bueno
Momentos en los que sentía que el corazón se me paraba del miedo (claro soy muy asustadiza) pero esos monstruos sí que me aterraron
Sean lograste entrar a mi corazón 🫶🏻
Este libro me lo recomendó mi novio es uno de sus favoritos y ahora entiendo porque, con lo que se siente identificado
Ahora entiendo más de él
Momentos en los que sentía que el corazón se me paraba del miedo (claro soy muy asustadiza) pero esos monstruos sí que me aterraron
Sean lograste entrar a mi corazón 🫶🏻
Este libro me lo recomendó mi novio es uno de sus favoritos y ahora entiendo porque, con lo que se siente identificado
Ahora entiendo más de él
June 26, 2015
REVIEW BY ISABELLE 8:6
Dreams by Daniela Sacerdoti, is about a young woman, Sarah Midnight, who is the daughter of two demon hunters. Each person in a family of demon hunters has a unique power. Sarah Midnight is the dreamer of the family and in her dreams she gets told where the demon will strike next!
The sudden, unexpected death of Sarah’s parents leaves her stunned!
It is up to Sarah to save the human race and finish her parents mission of demolishing the demon kind for good! Out of the blue her cousin, Sean, turns up on her doorstep to help her put a stop to the nightmare, but it is not that simple! Although, is Sean really who he says he is?
Sarah Midnight is a physically enchanting young woman, who can put a spell on anyone she looks at with her alluring, emerald eyes. She can mesmerize anyone and everyone with her charm and beauty.Not only is she beautiful but she is also a skilled musician with a talent for playing the cello. Sarah hopes to attend music school although her legacy may stand in the way of Sarah fulfilling her life long dream. It is all she has ever wanted in life. We are left with this question that lingers in our mind throughout the book. Will Sarah Midnight make it to her school of music audition or will she be left dry by a bloodthirsty demon? Will Sarah complete her parents mission or will she fall at the last hurdle?
Be warned Dreams contains an unexpected love triangle, adding to the tension within the plot as well as making the reader question the characters motives!
In my opinion, the best part of the book is when Sarah undertakes the biggest challenge that she has ever faced in her life. Let’s just say the love triangle and revelations regarding Sean and Leaf played a HUGE part in my enjoyment of the story. This is my favourite part of the book because the two sides, by sides I mean Sean and Leaf, were clearly defined and you could understand Sarah’s attraction to both of them. With Sean, Sarah felt safe as he protected her from everything he was able to. However, for Sarah, Leaf was an adventure and a new experience that could go well or it could go horribly wrong!! I found this element of the book captivating in the sense that we didn’t really know who Sarah herself would choose. Her head said to choose Leaf but her heart said to choose Sean.
The only aspect of Dreams I disliked was that the content appeared very repetitive in the sense that Sarah would go to sleep, have a dream about the demons, go find and kill the demons with Sean, come home and go to sleep and have another dream. That was the main structure of the book and it became rather boring after the first dozen chapters. It was towards the end that the structure of the book altered and become less repetitive. This adjustment enhanced the compelling nature of the plot for me, I was hooked on the events as they occurred.
I would read another book by this author again because Daniela Sacerdoti kept me engaged with the plot, there is no doubt about that. She is a very exciting author and likes to leave unanswered questions in our heads.
I would recommend this book to other people if they enjoy fantasy/paranormal romance storylines. This is not my preferred genre, although I still enjoyed the book!
Dreams is definitely not aimed at a young audience as the way Daniela Sacerdoti describes the demons is actually quite haunting and frightening and I think this could scare a young age group. There are also a few instances of bad language, young audiences may not know what the word means or may repeat it themselves.
I would give this book a star rating of three and a half out of five.This book would have achieved a four if it wasn’t so repetitive and personally, I did not really feel the need to use any bad language in the book as it was purely not necessary and if we should not use bad language in the modern day, then I feel that we should not be reading it either!
Dreams by Daniela Sacerdoti, is about a young woman, Sarah Midnight, who is the daughter of two demon hunters. Each person in a family of demon hunters has a unique power. Sarah Midnight is the dreamer of the family and in her dreams she gets told where the demon will strike next!
The sudden, unexpected death of Sarah’s parents leaves her stunned!
It is up to Sarah to save the human race and finish her parents mission of demolishing the demon kind for good! Out of the blue her cousin, Sean, turns up on her doorstep to help her put a stop to the nightmare, but it is not that simple! Although, is Sean really who he says he is?
Sarah Midnight is a physically enchanting young woman, who can put a spell on anyone she looks at with her alluring, emerald eyes. She can mesmerize anyone and everyone with her charm and beauty.Not only is she beautiful but she is also a skilled musician with a talent for playing the cello. Sarah hopes to attend music school although her legacy may stand in the way of Sarah fulfilling her life long dream. It is all she has ever wanted in life. We are left with this question that lingers in our mind throughout the book. Will Sarah Midnight make it to her school of music audition or will she be left dry by a bloodthirsty demon? Will Sarah complete her parents mission or will she fall at the last hurdle?
Be warned Dreams contains an unexpected love triangle, adding to the tension within the plot as well as making the reader question the characters motives!
In my opinion, the best part of the book is when Sarah undertakes the biggest challenge that she has ever faced in her life. Let’s just say the love triangle and revelations regarding Sean and Leaf played a HUGE part in my enjoyment of the story. This is my favourite part of the book because the two sides, by sides I mean Sean and Leaf, were clearly defined and you could understand Sarah’s attraction to both of them. With Sean, Sarah felt safe as he protected her from everything he was able to. However, for Sarah, Leaf was an adventure and a new experience that could go well or it could go horribly wrong!! I found this element of the book captivating in the sense that we didn’t really know who Sarah herself would choose. Her head said to choose Leaf but her heart said to choose Sean.
The only aspect of Dreams I disliked was that the content appeared very repetitive in the sense that Sarah would go to sleep, have a dream about the demons, go find and kill the demons with Sean, come home and go to sleep and have another dream. That was the main structure of the book and it became rather boring after the first dozen chapters. It was towards the end that the structure of the book altered and become less repetitive. This adjustment enhanced the compelling nature of the plot for me, I was hooked on the events as they occurred.
I would read another book by this author again because Daniela Sacerdoti kept me engaged with the plot, there is no doubt about that. She is a very exciting author and likes to leave unanswered questions in our heads.
I would recommend this book to other people if they enjoy fantasy/paranormal romance storylines. This is not my preferred genre, although I still enjoyed the book!
Dreams is definitely not aimed at a young audience as the way Daniela Sacerdoti describes the demons is actually quite haunting and frightening and I think this could scare a young age group. There are also a few instances of bad language, young audiences may not know what the word means or may repeat it themselves.
I would give this book a star rating of three and a half out of five.This book would have achieved a four if it wasn’t so repetitive and personally, I did not really feel the need to use any bad language in the book as it was purely not necessary and if we should not use bad language in the modern day, then I feel that we should not be reading it either!
May 29, 2012
I have to be honest and say I was just a tiny bit worried about reading this book. I loved Daniela's first book 'Watch Over Me'; it is one of my favourite reads from this year. However Watch Over Me was an adult book with a paranormal strain to it. I knew Dreams was going to be completely different. So I panicked a little and dare I say it, put off reading it until I began to see the excellent reviews appearing all over the blogosphere. Now I just want to slap myself for my stupidity, because as far as I'm now concerned, after reading this author's second book, I am convinced Daniela can write ANYTHING!
I really loved it. I found the writing to be beautiful, flowing gently off the page. The imagery made the story jump out like a child's 3D pop up book. The story has multiple layers to it, which you find yourself weaving through the story to find the links. I loved how it was fantasy in the American YA book sense, yet had a strong UK vibe to it. I hope that makes sense, because I really can't think of another way to describe it. It had the American wow factor, in British packaging, showing that we can do excellent YA fantasy in the UK too.
The characters instantly came alive in the story, similar to Watch Over Me, I actually felt like I knew them. They all had their own quirks and secrets, desperate to keep them hidden from the outside world. Sean was my favourite out of them all. He really stood out for me. I loved the way he was so possessive over Sarah; how all he wanted to do was protect her from anything bad. She just consumed his every waking thought. Poor, poor Sarah; this girl really needs to be able to trust at least one person, who won't jump in and ruin her life. No wonder she suffers with OCD; I think that she has come out with a mild reaction to the life she has led.
The only thing that stopped me giving this book a five star instead of a four and half rating I gave it, was the multiple first and third viewpoints. It took me a while to realise who every one was. It doesn't take much to distract me, so I did get slightly lost to begin with . Once I got the hang of it, I honestly couldn't put it down. On reflection, I did think that some of the first person passages were so exquisitely written and almost poetic in nature.
The story had excellent pacing and finished with a dramatic ending, leaving questions unanswered, ready for the next book.
I really am in awe of Daniela's talent as a writer. I can confidently say that I know I am going to get a good story when I read one of her books. I always feel comfortable with the way she writes. She is definitely a rising star I intend to follow.
I really loved it. I found the writing to be beautiful, flowing gently off the page. The imagery made the story jump out like a child's 3D pop up book. The story has multiple layers to it, which you find yourself weaving through the story to find the links. I loved how it was fantasy in the American YA book sense, yet had a strong UK vibe to it. I hope that makes sense, because I really can't think of another way to describe it. It had the American wow factor, in British packaging, showing that we can do excellent YA fantasy in the UK too.
The characters instantly came alive in the story, similar to Watch Over Me, I actually felt like I knew them. They all had their own quirks and secrets, desperate to keep them hidden from the outside world. Sean was my favourite out of them all. He really stood out for me. I loved the way he was so possessive over Sarah; how all he wanted to do was protect her from anything bad. She just consumed his every waking thought. Poor, poor Sarah; this girl really needs to be able to trust at least one person, who won't jump in and ruin her life. No wonder she suffers with OCD; I think that she has come out with a mild reaction to the life she has led.
The only thing that stopped me giving this book a five star instead of a four and half rating I gave it, was the multiple first and third viewpoints. It took me a while to realise who every one was. It doesn't take much to distract me, so I did get slightly lost to begin with . Once I got the hang of it, I honestly couldn't put it down. On reflection, I did think that some of the first person passages were so exquisitely written and almost poetic in nature.
The story had excellent pacing and finished with a dramatic ending, leaving questions unanswered, ready for the next book.
I really am in awe of Daniela's talent as a writer. I can confidently say that I know I am going to get a good story when I read one of her books. I always feel comfortable with the way she writes. She is definitely a rising star I intend to follow.
May 13, 2012
Everyone has dreams, but seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight has quite special ones. Every night she sees demons and they are real, her dreams guide her to them. While Sarah stays in her bed, her parents hunt these evil monsters.
This changes when her parents die while they are hunting. Now Sarah has to face the demons on her own and her parents didn’t leave instructions.
But luckily Harry, her long-estranged cousin, turns up and he guides her, because more and more demons are waiting to kill her…
A few months ago, I have read another book by Daniela Sacerdoti, Watch over me, and I was eagerly awaiting her new novel.
Mind that the difference between these two books is huge! First of all, Dreams is for YA and Watch over me for adults. Secondly, contemporary fiction is very different from fantasy, which is the case with this novel.
Of course this didn’t mean I didn’t like this book, on the contrary, I really enjoyed Dreams.
Sarah was such a lovely girl, it’s impossible not to like her! She was good-hearted and didn’t like to kill, which was one of the main reasons why I loved this story: killing is not encouraged.
I really liked it that Sarah was not The super-heroin-who-doesn’t-need-help-of-anyone-else, but someone who works together with her mates and is happy with that. You have books where the main character is so amazingly good, that you don’t believe it any more.
The only remark I have is that the grief for the loss of her parents wasn’t really visible for me. Your parents dying, it must be terrible, but I didn’t really have that feeling.
I still don’t know what I have to think about Harry. He’s a mysterious, but handsome guy and after reading the book, I wonder why he has come to help Sarah. I assume that this will be something important for the next novel in the trilogy.
Normally I’m not so fond of fantasy, but this time I liked it and that’s because there is still some ‘reality’ in the story. Sarah has to hide her secret life for her friends and this isn’t always that easy.
The last thing I want to add are the little poems before each chapter. They contain some secret information about what is coming and are nice to read!
As I said before, I’m not really into fantasy and that’s the reason why I don’t give this book 5 stars, which I did with Watch over me, but 4 stars. This means I really enjoyed it and would certainly recommend this page-turner to everyone and especially other teens, who will like this story even more then I did.
This changes when her parents die while they are hunting. Now Sarah has to face the demons on her own and her parents didn’t leave instructions.
But luckily Harry, her long-estranged cousin, turns up and he guides her, because more and more demons are waiting to kill her…
A few months ago, I have read another book by Daniela Sacerdoti, Watch over me, and I was eagerly awaiting her new novel.
Mind that the difference between these two books is huge! First of all, Dreams is for YA and Watch over me for adults. Secondly, contemporary fiction is very different from fantasy, which is the case with this novel.
Of course this didn’t mean I didn’t like this book, on the contrary, I really enjoyed Dreams.
Sarah was such a lovely girl, it’s impossible not to like her! She was good-hearted and didn’t like to kill, which was one of the main reasons why I loved this story: killing is not encouraged.
I really liked it that Sarah was not The super-heroin-who-doesn’t-need-help-of-anyone-else, but someone who works together with her mates and is happy with that. You have books where the main character is so amazingly good, that you don’t believe it any more.
The only remark I have is that the grief for the loss of her parents wasn’t really visible for me. Your parents dying, it must be terrible, but I didn’t really have that feeling.
I still don’t know what I have to think about Harry. He’s a mysterious, but handsome guy and after reading the book, I wonder why he has come to help Sarah. I assume that this will be something important for the next novel in the trilogy.
Normally I’m not so fond of fantasy, but this time I liked it and that’s because there is still some ‘reality’ in the story. Sarah has to hide her secret life for her friends and this isn’t always that easy.
The last thing I want to add are the little poems before each chapter. They contain some secret information about what is coming and are nice to read!
As I said before, I’m not really into fantasy and that’s the reason why I don’t give this book 5 stars, which I did with Watch over me, but 4 stars. This means I really enjoyed it and would certainly recommend this page-turner to everyone and especially other teens, who will like this story even more then I did.
May 31, 2012
I hadn't heard of this book until one of my fairly local Waterstones tweeted about a signing, I clicked and read the synopsis of the book and it struck my fancy so I went along to the signing and had a lovely wee chat with the author as well.
Sarah's parents are killed by a demon and she has to carry on with hiding the family secret and keeping the demon population down. She has inherited the "Midnight stare" (which is never fully explained but I think it causes pain?) and also Blackwater (which, again, is never fully explained. But she can basically burn (?) demons with her touch but then she's covered in water? Not entirely sure on the mechanics of Blackwater but I'm hoping it gets explained in further books). Her long lost cousin comes from London to help her as he knows she's in danger and he helps her defend herself from the demons attacking her, and also the people controlling them.
Now, the storyline itself was really enjoyable except for a few parts which I felt could have used more explanation but, as I said above, I'm hoping this will be expanded on in further books. A couple of my little bugs is the character interaction and Sarah's relationship with her "cousin". The interactions between characters come across as very false, and yes I know that it's a book and the whole thing is false but you know what I mean, the conversations didn't seem to flow well. Maybe it was because Sarah's speech doesn't identify her as a 17 year old Scottish lass, and I know she is more mature for her age since she had to grow up fast but it still doesn't gel for me. With her relationship with her "cousin", who we find out very early on is not her cousin but in fact her cousin's friend and partner who was sent by her cousin to protect her, is very weird. I get that he knows he's not her cousin and so he can admit his feelings for her etc etc. But she doesn't know he's not her cousin and she seems to think it's OK that he flirts with her and even kisses her, I find that a wee bit weird and creepy.
But those two annoyances aside, I will read the next two books in the trilogy as I want to know what happens with Sarah and Sean/Harry.
Sarah's parents are killed by a demon and she has to carry on with hiding the family secret and keeping the demon population down. She has inherited the "Midnight stare" (which is never fully explained but I think it causes pain?) and also Blackwater (which, again, is never fully explained. But she can basically burn (?) demons with her touch but then she's covered in water? Not entirely sure on the mechanics of Blackwater but I'm hoping it gets explained in further books). Her long lost cousin comes from London to help her as he knows she's in danger and he helps her defend herself from the demons attacking her, and also the people controlling them.
Now, the storyline itself was really enjoyable except for a few parts which I felt could have used more explanation but, as I said above, I'm hoping this will be expanded on in further books. A couple of my little bugs is the character interaction and Sarah's relationship with her "cousin". The interactions between characters come across as very false, and yes I know that it's a book and the whole thing is false but you know what I mean, the conversations didn't seem to flow well. Maybe it was because Sarah's speech doesn't identify her as a 17 year old Scottish lass, and I know she is more mature for her age since she had to grow up fast but it still doesn't gel for me. With her relationship with her "cousin", who we find out very early on is not her cousin but in fact her cousin's friend and partner who was sent by her cousin to protect her, is very weird. I get that he knows he's not her cousin and so he can admit his feelings for her etc etc. But she doesn't know he's not her cousin and she seems to think it's OK that he flirts with her and even kisses her, I find that a wee bit weird and creepy.
But those two annoyances aside, I will read the next two books in the trilogy as I want to know what happens with Sarah and Sean/Harry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2015
Sarah is an ordinary girl with dark secret which has placed the weight of the world on her shoulders. In her dreams she sees the most terrifying things and she's trying to make sense of a world in which people whom she doesn't know are trying to kill her because the fate of the world rests in her hands.
What I particularly liked about this book was that it was paranormal romance set in the UK. I loved how British it was and am now even more excited about visiting Edinburgh in the summer and seeing all the places mentioned in the book.
I loved Sean/Harry and the relationship he builds up with Sarah. It is clear to see that he adores her and I cannot wait to see where their relationship goes in future books. The way it is written had a bit of Jace/Clary feel to it. Two people that aren't supposed to be attracted to each other but there is something there underneath it all that tells you that they could be.
For me I found there was a lot of 'getting to know you' time in this book. For me this slowed the pace down which slowed my reading speed down. I know you need this especially in a series but I would have liked the action and storyline to have been more pacey throughout the entire book. That said I did enjoy that when things kicked off they really kicked off. This book is quite visual and allows you to get under the skin of what Sarah is seeing and experiencing quite well.
Sarah really comes into her own by the end of the book. I loved seeing the comparison between the Sarah we meet at the start of the book and the one you see towards the end of the story.
All in all a series which I am keen to continue as I am really interested to see where it goes next.
What I particularly liked about this book was that it was paranormal romance set in the UK. I loved how British it was and am now even more excited about visiting Edinburgh in the summer and seeing all the places mentioned in the book.
I loved Sean/Harry and the relationship he builds up with Sarah. It is clear to see that he adores her and I cannot wait to see where their relationship goes in future books. The way it is written had a bit of Jace/Clary feel to it. Two people that aren't supposed to be attracted to each other but there is something there underneath it all that tells you that they could be.
For me I found there was a lot of 'getting to know you' time in this book. For me this slowed the pace down which slowed my reading speed down. I know you need this especially in a series but I would have liked the action and storyline to have been more pacey throughout the entire book. That said I did enjoy that when things kicked off they really kicked off. This book is quite visual and allows you to get under the skin of what Sarah is seeing and experiencing quite well.
Sarah really comes into her own by the end of the book. I loved seeing the comparison between the Sarah we meet at the start of the book and the one you see towards the end of the story.
All in all a series which I am keen to continue as I am really interested to see where it goes next.
October 26, 2012
I bought this book after reading some good reviews for it, the blurb sounded interesting so I thought I’d give it a go.
It took me a little while to follow what was going on as there was so much information to take in at the beginning, I soon fell into the storyline though particularly once I learned the reason for Sarah’s parents being killed – this was a turning point for me.
The whole idea is very imaginative and as I was reading I felt a sense of urgency and extreme danger. The demons were scary and I couldn’t imagine how Sarah would ever survive an attack from them.
Sarah had clearly had a difficult upbringing and reading about her obsessiveness with cleaning and tidying made my heart break for her, she seemed incredibly lost so when Harry came into her life it was nice to see someone caring for her. Harry was a lovely character although I knew the secrets he was keeping from Sarah would cause problems, at one point I was yelling at the book because I just wanted him to tell her!
When the mysterious Leaf was introduced I came up with all sorts of ideas as to who he was, I got the feeling that he wasn’t trustworthy but some of his actions made me question those feelings so I still feel unsure about him.
Throughout the book the characters had inner thoughts and I loved this side of it because I’m a very nosy person and I always like to know what isn’t being said.
As the book progressed Sarah became much stronger and I enjoyed seeing this change in her, after a fantastic cliffhanger ending I look forward to seeing if her strength continues into the next book!
This was a dark and at times scary book which thoroughly intrigued me.
It took me a little while to follow what was going on as there was so much information to take in at the beginning, I soon fell into the storyline though particularly once I learned the reason for Sarah’s parents being killed – this was a turning point for me.
The whole idea is very imaginative and as I was reading I felt a sense of urgency and extreme danger. The demons were scary and I couldn’t imagine how Sarah would ever survive an attack from them.
Sarah had clearly had a difficult upbringing and reading about her obsessiveness with cleaning and tidying made my heart break for her, she seemed incredibly lost so when Harry came into her life it was nice to see someone caring for her. Harry was a lovely character although I knew the secrets he was keeping from Sarah would cause problems, at one point I was yelling at the book because I just wanted him to tell her!
When the mysterious Leaf was introduced I came up with all sorts of ideas as to who he was, I got the feeling that he wasn’t trustworthy but some of his actions made me question those feelings so I still feel unsure about him.
Throughout the book the characters had inner thoughts and I loved this side of it because I’m a very nosy person and I always like to know what isn’t being said.
As the book progressed Sarah became much stronger and I enjoyed seeing this change in her, after a fantastic cliffhanger ending I look forward to seeing if her strength continues into the next book!
This was a dark and at times scary book which thoroughly intrigued me.
May 22, 2013
The start of the book was pretty slow and I even thought not to finish it but I kept reading and Im glad I did because the plot was great. I started to admire Sarah, such a strong and delicate character. She is a girl that didnt get much attention from her parents because they were hunting but even if it was like that she admire them. Her life begins to change after her death and she has no one to rely on until Sean, a friend of her cousin, makes her believe he is actually her cousin in order to protect her. Sean starts to fall in love for Sarah and so does her but due to the lie well..things get complicated...Sarah is in alot of Danger because of Nicholas but she just wont listen to any warning because she is confused and believes Sean is a liar and also a murdered...THERE IS A CLIFHANGER ON THIS BOOK!!!!! I really want Sarah to listen to Sean but...her character is quite stubborn but I guess it cant be helped after everything she had experienced.
I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND I GIVE IT A 4.5 STARS --- THE -0.5 START IS CAUSE OF THE SLOW START BUT AFTER THAT EVERYTHING IS GREAT!!!! THE EPIGRAPHS OF EVERY CHAPTER ARE A REAL WORK OF ART!!!! :)
I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND I GIVE IT A 4.5 STARS --- THE -0.5 START IS CAUSE OF THE SLOW START BUT AFTER THAT EVERYTHING IS GREAT!!!! THE EPIGRAPHS OF EVERY CHAPTER ARE A REAL WORK OF ART!!!! :)
September 19, 2012
This book turned out to be much better than I initially thought. It was a rather fast-paced and 'easy' read, nice for a change. I was surprised that the 'final battle' didn't finish before the book did. I know it's a trilogy, but I kind of thought it'd be the same concept as HG. Actually the type of writing was rather similar in a way, not a challenge language wise but it was a nice read. Ended with a cliff hanger so now I have to continue reading it.
May 31, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and if you are fan of great quality YA Fantasy I highly recommend it. I love that it's called Dreams because the author has a dream-like writing style creating a world of demons and supernatural powers with a gripping plot and really interesting characters. If you enjoyed this book and like supernatural romance check out Daniela's previous novel Watch Over Me.
June 25, 2015
Un muy buen comienzo de saga, me sorprendió y lo disfrute leyendo. Las 3 estrellas son porque me espere algo más de acción al final del libro y hubieron situaciones que la autora no escatimo en detalles y los paso muy superficialmente. El final del libro me dejo con toda la intriga al máximo y espero pronto hacerme con la segunda parte de esta trilogía que va por buen camino.
February 18, 2016
3.5 Stars
El libro esta lleno de tanto sufrimiento y dolor, demonios, voces de personajes totalmente distintos entre sí, misterio, seres de inframundo, hechizos etc… Pero por alguna extraña razón no me encanto.
El libro esta lleno de tanto sufrimiento y dolor, demonios, voces de personajes totalmente distintos entre sí, misterio, seres de inframundo, hechizos etc… Pero por alguna extraña razón no me encanto.
July 29, 2013
una historia increible!!! de verdad maravillosa!! te deja con las ganas de querer saber mas...simple y sencillamente es muy muy muy buena!!
December 10, 2015
4.5 Me ha sorprendido mucho este primer libro, estoy ansiosa por empezar el siguiente. Me gustaron mucho cada una de las historias de los distintos personajes y la forma de escribir de Daniela.
April 18, 2024
El libro nos cuenta la historia de Sarah Midnight, una chica con un linaje de cazadores de suraris, también llamados demonios. Sarah acaba de perder a sus padres a manos de los suraris, quedando al cuidado de tía Juliet, quien no sabe nada sobre los Midnight, el mundo de los demonios o el verdadero motivo del asesinato de los padres de Sarah, viviendo una vida completamente normal con su marido y sus dos hijas.
La cosa es que Sarah no puede quedar sola en la casa que era de sus padres, por lo que debe ir a vivir con Juliet, cosa que no quiere hacer para no abandonar lo único que le queda de ellos, y de repente aparece un misterioso primo llamado Harry Midnight, que comienza a hacerse cargo de ella mientras la protege de la amenaza cada vez mayor que se cierne sobre Sarah.
Aunque al principio me pareció muy triste que los padres de Sarah hayan muerto, la verdad es que después de terminar el libro me parece que es lo mejor que pudo haberle pasado. Jamás fueron buenos padres, nunca le dedicaron tiempo ni espacio. Jamás fueron a sus conciertos. Jamás la escucharon o miraron. Básicamente Sarah se crió sola, aprendió a cocinar porque sus padres se olvidaban constantemente de hacerlo. Por otro lado hay algo que en las familias de cazadores llamado soñadores, personas que a partir de los 13 años heredan la habilidad para tener sueños y poder saber donde y cuando los demonios van a atacar.
Desde que Sarah es una niña tiene estos sueños. Muere una y otra vez en ellos. Vivía con terror de dormirse y tenerlos. Y sus padres NUNCA estaban con ella cuando se despertaba. Entre el terror por esos sueños y el que tenía de que sus padres no vuelvan, comienza a desarrollar una obsesión por la limpieza.
Y es que no puedo entender como nunca se dieron cuenta de sus manos destrozadas, de su obsesión con que todo esté impoluto y ordenado, que se vestía y desvestía varias veces hasta poder estar perfecta. Hasta su tía Juliet, que los visitaba muy poco se dieron cuenta. ¿Tan poco les importaba?
La cosa es que Harry, el primo de Sarah, en realidad no es Harry. Es una persona llamada Sean, encargado del cuidado de esta por Harry, quien está muerto. Porque los suraris no son lo único de lo que tienen que preocuparse, la Valaya está detras de ellos, la Sabha también. Todos estos van tras Sarah y los demás herederos de las familias secretas, pero nadie preparó a Sarah para esto, nadie le contó nada. En serio, como sueltan a una chica sin protección en un mundo así?
Harry enseña a Sarah sobre la Valaya, una asociación que invoca a los demonios mientras le enseña a luchar. Porque, obviamente, sus padres tampoco le explicaron nada de esto. Es así como Sarah se da cuenta que sus padres la dejaron completamente sola y desprotegida. Por otro lado, el falso Harry también le está ocultando muchísimas cosas.
Sarah es una niña tan lastimada y solitaria que me dieron ganas de abrazarla durante todo el libro. Desde los 13 años muere una y otra vez en sus sueños a manos de los demonios. Se levanta gritando, sola en su habitación porque sus padres nunca estan en la casa. Desde que Harry llega vemos como nunca la deja sola, siempre está a su lado. Y por primera vez desde que comenzó a tener los sueños, Sarah puede dormir tranquila por la noche sabiendo que alguien está cuidando de ella.
La verdad es que si no fuese por las cosas que ambos se ocultan su relación sería mucho más linda de lo que ya es.
Después está el personaje de otoño. Que decirles. Es muy interesante y protege a Sarah... de las cosas que el mismo ordenó mandar. No se. Por un lado ordena capturarla y por el otro castiga a Cathy (la Señora de la Valaya) por lastimar a Sarah. Nunca terminé de entender que quería otoño con ella, algo sobre que su padre se la prometió. Y bueno, con el cliffhanger final medio me imagino que es.
La historia tiene muchos puntos de vista diferentes, desde aliados a villanos. Es un libro súper rico en información, y el hecho de que Sarah no sepa mucho acerca de lo que está pasando no es un impedimento para que nosotros nos vayamos enterando de todo el entramado que se tejía por detrás. Por otra parte, a pesar de haber muchos personajes diferentes, desperdigados por diferentes partes del mundo, no sentí en ningún momento que me perdía con los nombres o que no llegaba a ubicarlos.
Por otro lado, también me gustó mucho el world building, hay diferentes tipos de demonios y poderes, dependiendo de las habilidades de cada familia secreta.
Por ejemplo: Sarah tiene la mirada Midnight, que puede causar dolor y las aguas negras, para desintegrar a los demonios, mientras Niall puede tocar cualquier instrumento y cantar para hacer que los demás hagan lo que él quiere.
No quiero seguir insultando a sus padres, pero ni siquiera le enseñaron a usar sus poderes o un arma, en serio, tuvo que aprender todo sola, al menos hasta que Harry llegó a su vida.
Bueno no puedo esperar a leer el segundo por el pedazo de cliffhanger que se mandaron. Le baja un par de puntos ser tan YA, hubiese preferido un poco más de tensión o escenas por ahí, pero es perfecto para preadolescentes.
3.5/5
La cosa es que Sarah no puede quedar sola en la casa que era de sus padres, por lo que debe ir a vivir con Juliet, cosa que no quiere hacer para no abandonar lo único que le queda de ellos, y de repente aparece un misterioso primo llamado Harry Midnight, que comienza a hacerse cargo de ella mientras la protege de la amenaza cada vez mayor que se cierne sobre Sarah.
Aunque al principio me pareció muy triste que los padres de Sarah hayan muerto, la verdad es que después de terminar el libro me parece que es lo mejor que pudo haberle pasado. Jamás fueron buenos padres, nunca le dedicaron tiempo ni espacio. Jamás fueron a sus conciertos. Jamás la escucharon o miraron. Básicamente Sarah se crió sola, aprendió a cocinar porque sus padres se olvidaban constantemente de hacerlo. Por otro lado hay algo que en las familias de cazadores llamado soñadores, personas que a partir de los 13 años heredan la habilidad para tener sueños y poder saber donde y cuando los demonios van a atacar.
Desde que Sarah es una niña tiene estos sueños. Muere una y otra vez en ellos. Vivía con terror de dormirse y tenerlos. Y sus padres NUNCA estaban con ella cuando se despertaba. Entre el terror por esos sueños y el que tenía de que sus padres no vuelvan, comienza a desarrollar una obsesión por la limpieza.
Y es que no puedo entender como nunca se dieron cuenta de sus manos destrozadas, de su obsesión con que todo esté impoluto y ordenado, que se vestía y desvestía varias veces hasta poder estar perfecta. Hasta su tía Juliet, que los visitaba muy poco se dieron cuenta. ¿Tan poco les importaba?
La cosa es que Harry, el primo de Sarah, en realidad no es Harry. Es una persona llamada Sean, encargado del cuidado de esta por Harry, quien está muerto. Porque los suraris no son lo único de lo que tienen que preocuparse, la Valaya está detras de ellos, la Sabha también. Todos estos van tras Sarah y los demás herederos de las familias secretas, pero nadie preparó a Sarah para esto, nadie le contó nada. En serio, como sueltan a una chica sin protección en un mundo así?
Harry enseña a Sarah sobre la Valaya, una asociación que invoca a los demonios mientras le enseña a luchar. Porque, obviamente, sus padres tampoco le explicaron nada de esto. Es así como Sarah se da cuenta que sus padres la dejaron completamente sola y desprotegida. Por otro lado, el falso Harry también le está ocultando muchísimas cosas.
Sarah es una niña tan lastimada y solitaria que me dieron ganas de abrazarla durante todo el libro. Desde los 13 años muere una y otra vez en sus sueños a manos de los demonios. Se levanta gritando, sola en su habitación porque sus padres nunca estan en la casa. Desde que Harry llega vemos como nunca la deja sola, siempre está a su lado. Y por primera vez desde que comenzó a tener los sueños, Sarah puede dormir tranquila por la noche sabiendo que alguien está cuidando de ella.
La verdad es que si no fuese por las cosas que ambos se ocultan su relación sería mucho más linda de lo que ya es.
Después está el personaje de otoño. Que decirles. Es muy interesante y protege a Sarah... de las cosas que el mismo ordenó mandar. No se. Por un lado ordena capturarla y por el otro castiga a Cathy (la Señora de la Valaya) por lastimar a Sarah. Nunca terminé de entender que quería otoño con ella, algo sobre que su padre se la prometió. Y bueno, con el cliffhanger final medio me imagino que es.
La historia tiene muchos puntos de vista diferentes, desde aliados a villanos. Es un libro súper rico en información, y el hecho de que Sarah no sepa mucho acerca de lo que está pasando no es un impedimento para que nosotros nos vayamos enterando de todo el entramado que se tejía por detrás. Por otra parte, a pesar de haber muchos personajes diferentes, desperdigados por diferentes partes del mundo, no sentí en ningún momento que me perdía con los nombres o que no llegaba a ubicarlos.
Por otro lado, también me gustó mucho el world building, hay diferentes tipos de demonios y poderes, dependiendo de las habilidades de cada familia secreta.
Por ejemplo: Sarah tiene la mirada Midnight, que puede causar dolor y las aguas negras, para desintegrar a los demonios, mientras Niall puede tocar cualquier instrumento y cantar para hacer que los demás hagan lo que él quiere.
No quiero seguir insultando a sus padres, pero ni siquiera le enseñaron a usar sus poderes o un arma, en serio, tuvo que aprender todo sola, al menos hasta que Harry llegó a su vida.
Bueno no puedo esperar a leer el segundo por el pedazo de cliffhanger que se mandaron. Le baja un par de puntos ser tan YA, hubiese preferido un poco más de tensión o escenas por ahí, pero es perfecto para preadolescentes.
3.5/5
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