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The Dreamwalker Diaries #1
Fifteen
Legend has it if you die in your dreams, you die in real life. Fifteen-year-old Ashling Campbell knows that’s not true because when she closes her eyes each night, she doesn’t dream about public nudity or Prom dates. Instead, she’s catapulted to the front row of her future self’s execution - fifteen years from now - where monsters have taken control of her hometown and she, or rather, her 30-year-old counterpart, is their public enemy number one.
For three months and counting, it’s been the same dream… until an encounter with an antique dreamcatcher. Ash falls asleep to discover she’s no longer a mere spectator in these dreams - now she’s astral-projecting into the body of her future self. Each night, she goes on the run with a ragtag group of rebels - who have no idea she’s really a high school sophomore and not their noble warrior. She has to make it through each night so that she can wake up and find a way to change the future. For every action she does in the present day, she falls asleep to discover it had an equal impact fifteen years later. It’s up to her to manage her two worlds and make sure she’s still got a place in both.
For three months and counting, it’s been the same dream… until an encounter with an antique dreamcatcher. Ash falls asleep to discover she’s no longer a mere spectator in these dreams - now she’s astral-projecting into the body of her future self. Each night, she goes on the run with a ragtag group of rebels - who have no idea she’s really a high school sophomore and not their noble warrior. She has to make it through each night so that she can wake up and find a way to change the future. For every action she does in the present day, she falls asleep to discover it had an equal impact fifteen years later. It’s up to her to manage her two worlds and make sure she’s still got a place in both.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 2015
8 people are currently reading
934 people want to read
About the author
Jen Estes
7 books47 followersBorn and raised in the Midwest, Jen had to choose between staring at corn or reading books. Corn husks just didn't have the appeal of the Baby-Sitters Club, and so a bookworm was born. Reading later turned into writing and in 2011, Jen published her first novel with Camel Press. After releasing four books in the mystery genre, Jen finally gave in to the literary demands of her inner teenager with her YA debut, FIFTEEN (The Dreamwalker Diaries).
Jen is an active member of the National Writers Union. As an author, she has been featured in Penthouse Magazine, the State Journal-Register, Mystery Scene Magazine, and more. When she isn't writing, Jen enjoys sci-fi in all its mediums, attempting yoga, using her passport, watching baseball, and reading a good book. She lives in Illinois with her husband Nathan under the tyranny of their three cats: Wrigley, Ivy and Captain Moo. To balance the feline:human ratio, they are expecting their first child this spring. You can find Jen on the web at www.jenestes.com, on Tumblr as AuthorJenEstes, and tweeting under @jenestesdotcom.
Jen is an active member of the National Writers Union. As an author, she has been featured in Penthouse Magazine, the State Journal-Register, Mystery Scene Magazine, and more. When she isn't writing, Jen enjoys sci-fi in all its mediums, attempting yoga, using her passport, watching baseball, and reading a good book. She lives in Illinois with her husband Nathan under the tyranny of their three cats: Wrigley, Ivy and Captain Moo. To balance the feline:human ratio, they are expecting their first child this spring. You can find Jen on the web at www.jenestes.com, on Tumblr as AuthorJenEstes, and tweeting under @jenestesdotcom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 2, 2017
Fifteen (The Dreamwalker Diaries Book 1) by Jen Estes is a very intense young adult fantasy novel but one that adults will love too! It is so well done, and it keeps you on your toes. It is a nail biter, a fantasy, touch of romance, time travel, and just plain awesome! Every fifteen years there is a Dreamwalker, and lucky for our gal of the story, she is it. She is to save the world basically. It is soooo exciting. The plot is well thought out and the characters very well developed. I was going to give this a 4 star although I could not stop reading it until 2 am, but I thought about it the rest of the night. Any book that lingers that much and I keep thinking about must be a 5 star. There is so much to it, the back and forth time travel is well planned. This is why I normally don't like time travel books but this one is great. There are so many twists and surprises in the book, even to the end. Wow. I can't wait to read Sixteen! Thanks to Curiosity Quills I had a chance to read this book.
March 5, 2015
3 STARS
Some things I quite enjoyed and other things annoyed me. I admit it was a page turner for me.
I know some people can't stand time travel books, but I'm sort of addicted to them. In this case, I enjoyed the somewhat "Groundhog Day" way Ash was reliving the dream/future until she got it right. Except in this case, she proceeds a little further each time.
The book starts almost immediately in Ash's recurring dream of her future execution.
What I initially thought was instalove, I was able to forgive. In this case, Ash is literally crushing on the older (early twenties) Coop who is her future boyfriend. On his end, he has had a long relationship with the future Ash, and is NOT affectionate to her whenever she is "young" Ash. Somewhat confusing to explain here, but it worked out really well. I enjoyed her friendship with her best friend Tate. No one is pining or yearning for friendship to turn into love. Yay for no love triangles!
Ash's voice is snarky and fun. There's my favorite quote of the book...
Dislikes
I wasn't fond of the inserted future slang, especially since this is supposed to only be 15 years from now. I have never seen this pulled off in a book successfully. It always seems forced.
Ash takes longer than she should to connect the dots and be suspicious of people certain people. I prefer books where the author understands when the reader is going to figure things out and makes it happen at the same time as the main character. Otherwise, you're just annoyed until the MC FINALLY catches up and we can finally keep moving.
I'm not so sure that I really understand how the bad guys work, but this is a series after all I suppose. We learn what they want to do, but we don't understand why or to what extent their power has manifested.
I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next in the series to see where it goes.
Thank you Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Some things I quite enjoyed and other things annoyed me. I admit it was a page turner for me.
I know some people can't stand time travel books, but I'm sort of addicted to them. In this case, I enjoyed the somewhat "Groundhog Day" way Ash was reliving the dream/future until she got it right. Except in this case, she proceeds a little further each time.
The book starts almost immediately in Ash's recurring dream of her future execution.
What I initially thought was instalove, I was able to forgive. In this case, Ash is literally crushing on the older (early twenties) Coop who is her future boyfriend. On his end, he has had a long relationship with the future Ash, and is NOT affectionate to her whenever she is "young" Ash. Somewhat confusing to explain here, but it worked out really well. I enjoyed her friendship with her best friend Tate. No one is pining or yearning for friendship to turn into love. Yay for no love triangles!
Ash's voice is snarky and fun. There's my favorite quote of the book...
"Well, if that wasn't the thong calling the pasties skanky."
Dislikes
I wasn't fond of the inserted future slang, especially since this is supposed to only be 15 years from now. I have never seen this pulled off in a book successfully. It always seems forced.
Ash takes longer than she should to connect the dots and be suspicious of people certain people. I prefer books where the author understands when the reader is going to figure things out and makes it happen at the same time as the main character. Otherwise, you're just annoyed until the MC FINALLY catches up and we can finally keep moving.
I'm not so sure that I really understand how the bad guys work, but this is a series after all I suppose. We learn what they want to do, but we don't understand why or to what extent their power has manifested.
I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next in the series to see where it goes.
Thank you Netgalley and Curiosity Quills Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2025
Fifteen takes us on a dark magical adventure that brings the Lakota folklore into a contemporary urban or should I say suburban fantasy.
Ashling has been plagued with horrible nightmares, well its actually the same nightmare reoccurring every night, and every night Ashling witnesses her own murder of her older self; her adult self. Keeping a journal and with the help of her best friend Tate, Ashling tries to discover the cause of these nightmares.
Ashling volunteers for a dream study and is given guidance by the doctor on how to continue her dreams where they left off. But when her physical injuries during her dreams manifest on her waken body, Ashling realizes that there is much more going on than she could ever imagined.
Ancient Demons, spirits and sleep walkers, Estes gives a fascinating and highly imaginative plot that twist enough to keep your reeling with the what ifs and maybes. Plots within plots and carefully orchestrated changes by Ashling’s dream interventions give hope for the future that will come.
Fifteen was utterly mind blowing. Just when I thought I had a grasp on what was happening, I was once again surprised by Estes creative twists.
I have to admit I was disappointed in Tate but the ending leaves so many more what ifs and maybes that I will be anxiously waiting for the next installment.
I received this copy of Fifteen from Curiosity Quills in exchange for a honest review.
Ashling has been plagued with horrible nightmares, well its actually the same nightmare reoccurring every night, and every night Ashling witnesses her own murder of her older self; her adult self. Keeping a journal and with the help of her best friend Tate, Ashling tries to discover the cause of these nightmares.
Ashling volunteers for a dream study and is given guidance by the doctor on how to continue her dreams where they left off. But when her physical injuries during her dreams manifest on her waken body, Ashling realizes that there is much more going on than she could ever imagined.
Ancient Demons, spirits and sleep walkers, Estes gives a fascinating and highly imaginative plot that twist enough to keep your reeling with the what ifs and maybes. Plots within plots and carefully orchestrated changes by Ashling’s dream interventions give hope for the future that will come.
Fifteen was utterly mind blowing. Just when I thought I had a grasp on what was happening, I was once again surprised by Estes creative twists.
I have to admit I was disappointed in Tate but the ending leaves so many more what ifs and maybes that I will be anxiously waiting for the next installment.
I received this copy of Fifteen from Curiosity Quills in exchange for a honest review.
December 28, 2014
Do you have a lucky number? Do you have an unlucky number? Can you really die in your dreams? Jen Estes has taken myths, cultural legends and a mysterious future look at one girl’s life, it’s called Fifteen and it is fantastic!
How can a fifteen year old girl see the future in her dreams? Why is she seeing her own execution at thirty years old? What has happened to her town? Who has taken it over? Who are the rebels and how did she become part of them? How is her fifteen year old self caught up in the nightmare of her future self and should she keep the future others from finding out? Can she change the future? With the help of her best friend Tate, Ashling must first unravel the ties between the present and the future. With Tate’s fascination and beliefs in the legends of his Lakota ancestors, answers to the twisted world of demons and death may be within reach as Ashling’s dreams come to horrendous life. If there was any good in her nightmares, it was Coop, a fellow rebel, but so much more. Will he be in her future reality? Is he destined to be part of her life?
Through it all, this YA read is fascinating, angst-free and brilliantly gripping! Be prepared to hang on for the sharp twists and turns that will leave your head spinning and your breathing shallow. What Jen Estes has created is first class reading with strong characters, drawn so well, they practically jump off the pages. The maze of subplots, side stories and interactions between each character is all part of a tale that will hold you tight as the world around you fades away and you are there, emotionally connected, mentally playing out each well-defined scene. After Ashling’s dreams, I’m thinking that even my worst nightmare is pretty boring. The biggest problem I‘m going to have is waiting patiently for the next addition to this series, although it will give me time to unclench every inch of my body!
I received an ARC edition from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Dreamwalker Diaries - Book 1
Publication Date: January 15, 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Genre: YA paranormal
Number of Pages: 233
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
How can a fifteen year old girl see the future in her dreams? Why is she seeing her own execution at thirty years old? What has happened to her town? Who has taken it over? Who are the rebels and how did she become part of them? How is her fifteen year old self caught up in the nightmare of her future self and should she keep the future others from finding out? Can she change the future? With the help of her best friend Tate, Ashling must first unravel the ties between the present and the future. With Tate’s fascination and beliefs in the legends of his Lakota ancestors, answers to the twisted world of demons and death may be within reach as Ashling’s dreams come to horrendous life. If there was any good in her nightmares, it was Coop, a fellow rebel, but so much more. Will he be in her future reality? Is he destined to be part of her life?
Through it all, this YA read is fascinating, angst-free and brilliantly gripping! Be prepared to hang on for the sharp twists and turns that will leave your head spinning and your breathing shallow. What Jen Estes has created is first class reading with strong characters, drawn so well, they practically jump off the pages. The maze of subplots, side stories and interactions between each character is all part of a tale that will hold you tight as the world around you fades away and you are there, emotionally connected, mentally playing out each well-defined scene. After Ashling’s dreams, I’m thinking that even my worst nightmare is pretty boring. The biggest problem I‘m going to have is waiting patiently for the next addition to this series, although it will give me time to unclench every inch of my body!
I received an ARC edition from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my honest review.
Series: The Dreamwalker Diaries - Book 1
Publication Date: January 15, 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Genre: YA paranormal
Number of Pages: 233
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
April 10, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
15 year old Ash dreams about her future public execution every night. In her dreams she watches as she is thrown to a pack of monsters but after tampering with her ancient dreamcatcher, her dreams change and she is now in the body of her future 30 year old self, experiencing her dream including the fear, confusion and pain. She finds that she now has the ability to subtly change her dreams, escape her execution and in doing so change the future.
At first I found Ash a little grating and had to remind myself that she was 15, as YA is not my regular genre it took a bit of getting used to. As the read hit it's stride I started to enjoy her character more, her sense of humour is dark and self depreciating and she is no whiny brat unlike her adopted step sister, Nadette. Nadette came across as rather one dimensional, she was purposely written as an unlikeable character and although this is set up for the future storyline I feel she could have been more complex and not just written as someone that readers are set up to hate.
There were some nice twists in the story and I liked how small changes that Ash made in her dreams caused big changes to her future. It did get a bit confusing when she started to sleep in her dreams and try to wake in her past to change what had already transpired. The future world was also not explained that well especially around the supernatural elements and how it all came about. This is part of a series though so I'm sure future books will be exploring this much more.
An interesting read that had a great concept, just needed to keep things a bit clearer with relation to the future world building.
Recommended.
15 year old Ash dreams about her future public execution every night. In her dreams she watches as she is thrown to a pack of monsters but after tampering with her ancient dreamcatcher, her dreams change and she is now in the body of her future 30 year old self, experiencing her dream including the fear, confusion and pain. She finds that she now has the ability to subtly change her dreams, escape her execution and in doing so change the future.
At first I found Ash a little grating and had to remind myself that she was 15, as YA is not my regular genre it took a bit of getting used to. As the read hit it's stride I started to enjoy her character more, her sense of humour is dark and self depreciating and she is no whiny brat unlike her adopted step sister, Nadette. Nadette came across as rather one dimensional, she was purposely written as an unlikeable character and although this is set up for the future storyline I feel she could have been more complex and not just written as someone that readers are set up to hate.
There were some nice twists in the story and I liked how small changes that Ash made in her dreams caused big changes to her future. It did get a bit confusing when she started to sleep in her dreams and try to wake in her past to change what had already transpired. The future world was also not explained that well especially around the supernatural elements and how it all came about. This is part of a series though so I'm sure future books will be exploring this much more.
An interesting read that had a great concept, just needed to keep things a bit clearer with relation to the future world building.
Recommended.
January 10, 2015
REVIEW: FIFTEEN by Jen Estes
FIFTEEN is an absorbing YA novel, with a delightfully self-deprecating heroine who lives in two different time frames: her ordinary fifteen-year-old self in Billings, Montana; and her life (and death) fifteen years into the future, same place, different time, different everything. Fifteen years on is a dystopia, in which humans are third-class and ruled by a definitely "other" species. Ashling has a lifetime bestie, Tate, who despite being an adolescent male with a crush on Ash's wild foster sister Nadette, is of Lakota lineage and steeped in the traditions of Lakota Spirituality. It is Tate who is Ash's foil and spiritual guide, as every night she dreams her brutal death, fifteen years in the future.
FIFTEEN is an absorbing YA novel, with a delightfully self-deprecating heroine who lives in two different time frames: her ordinary fifteen-year-old self in Billings, Montana; and her life (and death) fifteen years into the future, same place, different time, different everything. Fifteen years on is a dystopia, in which humans are third-class and ruled by a definitely "other" species. Ashling has a lifetime bestie, Tate, who despite being an adolescent male with a crush on Ash's wild foster sister Nadette, is of Lakota lineage and steeped in the traditions of Lakota Spirituality. It is Tate who is Ash's foil and spiritual guide, as every night she dreams her brutal death, fifteen years in the future.
January 1, 2015
This review and more posted at Tangled Bookmarks
I love time travel or parallel universe stories, so Fifteen by Jen Estes was right up my alley.
Every night, Ash Campbell has the same recurring nightmare - she is being executed on a stage in front of a crowd of people in her hometown. By a monster that couldn't possibly exist.
This was such a fun read. Ash discovers that if she controls her nightmare, she can change it. She is actually inhabiting her future 30 year old self, and being that she is aware she is dreaming, she is able to do different things that will help her discover exactly why her town was taken over by a monster, and how she can stop it. And along the way, she must prevent a horrible personal tragedy.
I really enjoyed Fifteen. Unusually for me, as I'm not too particularly keen on young adult novels. Ash was a great character - still only fifteen, she feels a little out of her depth in her older body, particularly when she realizes she has a relationship with a fellow rebel, Coop. In the future, Coop is a little younger than her, but he's also a lot older than her when she is astral-dreaming. As Ash says, he wouldn't pass the "mom test" for her present self. So Ash is dealing with her new-found feelings for Dream Coop, at the same time as having to deal with a spoilt selfish foster-sister her social worker mum has brought home, and working with Tate to discover the reason for her nightmares. She's not a whiny self-absorbed teenager, but she's not a Dawson Creek-too-old-for-her-years teen either. She's quite level-headed and I really liked her.
Tate, her best friend, is a bit of a hoot. I actually kept expecting he and Ash to get together, sticking with that old trope of best friends finally discovering their love for each other. :rolls eyes: But if that's going to happen, it's obviously not going to happen in the first book - didn't really go there at all. Tate unfortunately is going through that teenage-boy-in-lust-with-the-hot-popular-chick thing, letting his raging hormones for Nadette override his good sense. Nadette being the spoilt selfish bitch of a foster sister - and omg she is AWFUL. I truly want to see her die horribly. Her parents died a few months before, so she is being fostered by Ash's mum - and Nadette's only concern is how awful Ash's single mum is cos she won't buy her an $800 dress for the Homecoming Dance. Aaargh. Self absorbed, selfish, cruel, nasty, and downright evil bitch, I still can't work out why Ash hasn't popped her one yet. She puts up with Queen Bitch for her mother's sake really - and for some reason, Ash's mum really wants to help the little cow. I guess that's the only character really that I had trouble getting a handle on - not that she is a bitch, but because no-one in the whole book ever has a go at her. Even Ash's mum sits back and takes the shit she spews - not something that I would EVER do, particularly from a snotty spoilt little fifteen year old teenager. I had a lot of trouble with the way people reacted to Nadette - it just didn't ring true that no-one would ever say anything to her about her attitude and behaviour, particularly the adults.
Despite that, Fifteen really was an enjoyable read. The majority of the characters are very well-drawn and the monster itself is drawn from Lakota legend. It's the first in a series, and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm really looking forward to the next one! The world of the Dreamwalkers that Jen Estes has created is intriguing, and a little bit "timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly" with Ash's actions in her nightmares, changing her future.
Recommended if you like:
Good well-written female protagonists
Time travel/parallel universes
Native American myths & legends
I love time travel or parallel universe stories, so Fifteen by Jen Estes was right up my alley.
Every night, Ash Campbell has the same recurring nightmare - she is being executed on a stage in front of a crowd of people in her hometown. By a monster that couldn't possibly exist.
This was such a fun read. Ash discovers that if she controls her nightmare, she can change it. She is actually inhabiting her future 30 year old self, and being that she is aware she is dreaming, she is able to do different things that will help her discover exactly why her town was taken over by a monster, and how she can stop it. And along the way, she must prevent a horrible personal tragedy.
I really enjoyed Fifteen. Unusually for me, as I'm not too particularly keen on young adult novels. Ash was a great character - still only fifteen, she feels a little out of her depth in her older body, particularly when she realizes she has a relationship with a fellow rebel, Coop. In the future, Coop is a little younger than her, but he's also a lot older than her when she is astral-dreaming. As Ash says, he wouldn't pass the "mom test" for her present self. So Ash is dealing with her new-found feelings for Dream Coop, at the same time as having to deal with a spoilt selfish foster-sister her social worker mum has brought home, and working with Tate to discover the reason for her nightmares. She's not a whiny self-absorbed teenager, but she's not a Dawson Creek-too-old-for-her-years teen either. She's quite level-headed and I really liked her.
Tate, her best friend, is a bit of a hoot. I actually kept expecting he and Ash to get together, sticking with that old trope of best friends finally discovering their love for each other. :rolls eyes: But if that's going to happen, it's obviously not going to happen in the first book - didn't really go there at all. Tate unfortunately is going through that teenage-boy-in-lust-with-the-hot-popular-chick thing, letting his raging hormones for Nadette override his good sense. Nadette being the spoilt selfish bitch of a foster sister - and omg she is AWFUL. I truly want to see her die horribly. Her parents died a few months before, so she is being fostered by Ash's mum - and Nadette's only concern is how awful Ash's single mum is cos she won't buy her an $800 dress for the Homecoming Dance. Aaargh. Self absorbed, selfish, cruel, nasty, and downright evil bitch, I still can't work out why Ash hasn't popped her one yet. She puts up with Queen Bitch for her mother's sake really - and for some reason, Ash's mum really wants to help the little cow. I guess that's the only character really that I had trouble getting a handle on - not that she is a bitch, but because no-one in the whole book ever has a go at her. Even Ash's mum sits back and takes the shit she spews - not something that I would EVER do, particularly from a snotty spoilt little fifteen year old teenager. I had a lot of trouble with the way people reacted to Nadette - it just didn't ring true that no-one would ever say anything to her about her attitude and behaviour, particularly the adults.
Despite that, Fifteen really was an enjoyable read. The majority of the characters are very well-drawn and the monster itself is drawn from Lakota legend. It's the first in a series, and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm really looking forward to the next one! The world of the Dreamwalkers that Jen Estes has created is intriguing, and a little bit "timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly" with Ash's actions in her nightmares, changing her future.
Recommended if you like:
Good well-written female protagonists
Time travel/parallel universes
Native American myths & legends
January 6, 2015
I am reviewing this book on behalf of katsindiebookblog. I was given a great opportunity to read this book and enjoyed it every minute. Even though I'm in my mid 30's does not mean I don't read YA's. I actually tend to enjoy them more so than other books out there. This happens to be one of them. Jen has a way of putting you in the story as you read it. It kept you on your toes and wondering what is going to happen next. If it wasn't for having to help around the house with the kids I would have never book this book down =) Ash is a 15 year old girl, a sophomore in High School. Nothing should be strange about an average girl, right? Well she is a dreamwalker. Without trying to give too much away, a dreamwalker is sent every 15 years, why? I won't say, sorry, I hate giving spoilers. But, something big, bad, and nasty works it's way onto our earth around that time every year. Her best friend Tate is there every step of the way trying to help her out even giving her old tales past down by his granddad.
For me this is not your typical YA book with typical plot lines. Much is to be said about Jen and her writing skills. If you want to step out of the norm, this is a perfect book for you.
For me this is not your typical YA book with typical plot lines. Much is to be said about Jen and her writing skills. If you want to step out of the norm, this is a perfect book for you.
January 13, 2015
Curiosity Quills recently offered me the opportunity to read FIFTEEN by Jen Estes in exchange for an honest review. After reading the back cover blurb, I decided to take a chance on it as the premise really captured my attention.
I'm really torn over this book. Part of me really, really loved it and the other part of me only liked it.
I thought the beginning started out kind of slow and I was wondering when the story would pick up. It didn't take long before the first 'dream' sequence, and boy, did it catch my attention. The monster in Ash's dreams is wicked beyond wicked, and what happens to her during the dream is just too freaking weird and unsettling.
I'm really trying hard not to give spoilers away here but it's difficult to talk about this book without giving something away. Hmm, let's talk characters.
There is this doctor in the book that is an oddly placed character. Ash and her friend, Nadette's, reaction to him seemed too quick. They just went with him unknowing, unthinking, and it's not like he was a young college kid, either. He's an old guy, well, old to a couple of teen girls. I thought this entire scene just unfolded way to easy. They were too trusting. Personally, I was kind of creeped out by the guy, the way he stood under a tree staring at the two girls, and yet they're like "hey, baby." It felt 'off' to me. It through my creep groove off. However, I liked the character and I really enjoyed watching the way he helped Ash come to terms with her dreams.
Anyway, Ash's relationships with Tate, Nadette and Skylar are all very typical teenager, and there is a strong YA voice when the three of them get together. I would have liked to have seen deeper characters, a little bit deeper POV with Ash and her feelings toward Tate. Don't get me wrong. We know he relationship with him. We know how she feels about him. I just would have liked to have seen a bit deeper connection.
The settings are pretty typical - high school and college campuses. The scenes are easy to picture in my mind. The prose is fairly quick overall and engaging. The storyline and plot are easy to follow, but there are some twists and turns that are really quite nice.
There is a scene where Ash falls asleep in class that I would have liked to have seen developed a bit more. I think there would have been more reaction among the students. I really liked this first introduction into carrying things over from sleep to reality - one dimension to another. Very nicely done.
Bad thing is, I found myself wanting to get to the dreams instead of reading the story. At one point I found myself skimming because I thought it was taking too long to get to the dream scenes, which were becoming more and more intense and vivid. Ms. Estes knows how to write these villains and monsters, and even better, she knows how to weave them into reality. I can't really say it's the author's fault I wanted to jump ahead. Then again, a slow enticement is much better than a WHAM! Know what I mean?
As for the end of the novel, Jen Estes knows how to end a book. I loved the twists and turns in the end and the last line was most excellent. It made me go "ooooo". All I could think of is if I were Fifteen, everything she'd just been through would completely freak me out.
Overall, I wish there had been a tad more deep character development. Sometimes they felt flat to me and then in other spots, they were bopping all over the page. I didn't like the ending with Tad and Nadette. That really sucked and I would have liked to have seen a different 'ending' for them and Ash. Again, my preference and nothing the author did wrong.
Try as I might, it is really difficult to peg down score for this one. It would be between a 3.75 and a 4.0. I think I'll give a 4.0 because the creepy, wraithy kind of villain was just written so damn well. I could see him in all his ghoulishness. At times, it was if he were standing right in front of me. *Shiver* And then to find out he's really ...
Nope, not going to tell you. You're going to have to read the book to find out.
I give FIFTEEN 4 stars. It really does have a menacing, hair-raising storyline and I think most people who like edgy YA horror without going overboard, will love this novel. It is pretty intense for the most part, with a very interesting plot line. I am happy to say this is the first book I've read in 2015. Thank you Curiosity Quills Press and Jen Estes with starting out my year with a really enjoyable read.
I'm really torn over this book. Part of me really, really loved it and the other part of me only liked it.
I thought the beginning started out kind of slow and I was wondering when the story would pick up. It didn't take long before the first 'dream' sequence, and boy, did it catch my attention. The monster in Ash's dreams is wicked beyond wicked, and what happens to her during the dream is just too freaking weird and unsettling.
I'm really trying hard not to give spoilers away here but it's difficult to talk about this book without giving something away. Hmm, let's talk characters.
There is this doctor in the book that is an oddly placed character. Ash and her friend, Nadette's, reaction to him seemed too quick. They just went with him unknowing, unthinking, and it's not like he was a young college kid, either. He's an old guy, well, old to a couple of teen girls. I thought this entire scene just unfolded way to easy. They were too trusting. Personally, I was kind of creeped out by the guy, the way he stood under a tree staring at the two girls, and yet they're like "hey, baby." It felt 'off' to me. It through my creep groove off. However, I liked the character and I really enjoyed watching the way he helped Ash come to terms with her dreams.
Anyway, Ash's relationships with Tate, Nadette and Skylar are all very typical teenager, and there is a strong YA voice when the three of them get together. I would have liked to have seen deeper characters, a little bit deeper POV with Ash and her feelings toward Tate. Don't get me wrong. We know he relationship with him. We know how she feels about him. I just would have liked to have seen a bit deeper connection.
The settings are pretty typical - high school and college campuses. The scenes are easy to picture in my mind. The prose is fairly quick overall and engaging. The storyline and plot are easy to follow, but there are some twists and turns that are really quite nice.
There is a scene where Ash falls asleep in class that I would have liked to have seen developed a bit more. I think there would have been more reaction among the students. I really liked this first introduction into carrying things over from sleep to reality - one dimension to another. Very nicely done.
Bad thing is, I found myself wanting to get to the dreams instead of reading the story. At one point I found myself skimming because I thought it was taking too long to get to the dream scenes, which were becoming more and more intense and vivid. Ms. Estes knows how to write these villains and monsters, and even better, she knows how to weave them into reality. I can't really say it's the author's fault I wanted to jump ahead. Then again, a slow enticement is much better than a WHAM! Know what I mean?
As for the end of the novel, Jen Estes knows how to end a book. I loved the twists and turns in the end and the last line was most excellent. It made me go "ooooo". All I could think of is if I were Fifteen, everything she'd just been through would completely freak me out.
Overall, I wish there had been a tad more deep character development. Sometimes they felt flat to me and then in other spots, they were bopping all over the page. I didn't like the ending with Tad and Nadette. That really sucked and I would have liked to have seen a different 'ending' for them and Ash. Again, my preference and nothing the author did wrong.
Try as I might, it is really difficult to peg down score for this one. It would be between a 3.75 and a 4.0. I think I'll give a 4.0 because the creepy, wraithy kind of villain was just written so damn well. I could see him in all his ghoulishness. At times, it was if he were standing right in front of me. *Shiver* And then to find out he's really ...
Nope, not going to tell you. You're going to have to read the book to find out.
I give FIFTEEN 4 stars. It really does have a menacing, hair-raising storyline and I think most people who like edgy YA horror without going overboard, will love this novel. It is pretty intense for the most part, with a very interesting plot line. I am happy to say this is the first book I've read in 2015. Thank you Curiosity Quills Press and Jen Estes with starting out my year with a really enjoyable read.
January 15, 2015
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
First of all, I’d like to say that I absolutely loved the front cover. When I saw it for the first time, I was immediately drawn in… and the blurb of the book just made me want to read it even more.
I did really like Ash as a character. I was pulled into the book fairly quickly and she was a character I could really relate to. I was also drawn into the future timeline really easily. The group of people that Ash meets and interacts with were really interesting and it was also quite cool to see them in the different future timelines.
I liked Coop as well, but I was less than thrilled with Tate’s sudden interest in Ash, since there was no hint of that until much later in the book. Unless it was something caused by Ash… but it didn’t come across as that.
The linking in to the legends is quite intriguing, but I was still left with a lot of questions by the end of the book. I would have liked some more of the answers to my questions, since there were a couple of things that didn’t make a lot of sense.
I did like how the future-people differed slightly in each subsequent timeline. I did figure out one of the things fairly quickly, but it was nice to see that guess confirmed. There was one character who didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities, though.
I found Skylar an interesting character and it would have been nice to see more of her, especially since she seemed to be quite a contradiction. When it came to the school scenes, however, I didn’t get much of a sense of there being a lot of students. A lot of the characters were well-defined… but outside of the main characters, the students were just grouped together as exactly that.
It would have been nice to see some of the present-day versions of the future characters, especially Coop… though I imagine that would have been quite strange to see.
This is apparently the first book in a series and although it has a resolution, there are still many questions I’d like to have answered and things I’d like to see more of. I would definitely read a sequel to this book.
(This review may contain spoilers).
First of all, I’d like to say that I absolutely loved the front cover. When I saw it for the first time, I was immediately drawn in… and the blurb of the book just made me want to read it even more.
I did really like Ash as a character. I was pulled into the book fairly quickly and she was a character I could really relate to. I was also drawn into the future timeline really easily. The group of people that Ash meets and interacts with were really interesting and it was also quite cool to see them in the different future timelines.
I liked Coop as well, but I was less than thrilled with Tate’s sudden interest in Ash, since there was no hint of that until much later in the book. Unless it was something caused by Ash… but it didn’t come across as that.
The linking in to the legends is quite intriguing, but I was still left with a lot of questions by the end of the book. I would have liked some more of the answers to my questions, since there were a couple of things that didn’t make a lot of sense.
I did like how the future-people differed slightly in each subsequent timeline. I did figure out one of the things fairly quickly, but it was nice to see that guess confirmed. There was one character who didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities, though.
I found Skylar an interesting character and it would have been nice to see more of her, especially since she seemed to be quite a contradiction. When it came to the school scenes, however, I didn’t get much of a sense of there being a lot of students. A lot of the characters were well-defined… but outside of the main characters, the students were just grouped together as exactly that.
It would have been nice to see some of the present-day versions of the future characters, especially Coop… though I imagine that would have been quite strange to see.
This is apparently the first book in a series and although it has a resolution, there are still many questions I’d like to have answered and things I’d like to see more of. I would definitely read a sequel to this book.
March 12, 2017
I was gifted this book as part of the Release Tour check out www.facebook.com/Katsindiebookblog on Jan 15 2015 for the full release post.
If you like Books that keep you on your toes until the end then this is a book to read - It maybe YA but I think any reader who likes a suspenseful plot will enjoy reading this book.
This book is well written, the plot runs smoothly, giving you enough information to grasp what is happening, but not giving too much away so you figure out what's happening before you should.
Fifteen-year-old Ashling Campbell is dreaming of her future self and the future isn't something she wants to happen!
When Ash isn't having these nightmares she is a sophomore Student trying desperately to not fall asleep in class or trying to figure out why shes having these dreams with her childhood bestie "Tate"
Then one night 3 months later Ash realise's that she is Astral Projecting and starts to control the dream, from that point on when she falls asleep she is on a mission to find out as much as she can before she wakes or dies in the dream which wakes her up.
With each "Dream Walk" Ash tries to change the future, will she succeed?
Grab a copy and find out...
This book does end leading it open to continue but not enough that you are left with a book hangover.
I will be keeping tabs on Jen Estes so I don't miss out on Book 2
Thanks Ms Estes for a Delightful weekend read.
If you like Books that keep you on your toes until the end then this is a book to read - It maybe YA but I think any reader who likes a suspenseful plot will enjoy reading this book.
This book is well written, the plot runs smoothly, giving you enough information to grasp what is happening, but not giving too much away so you figure out what's happening before you should.
Fifteen-year-old Ashling Campbell is dreaming of her future self and the future isn't something she wants to happen!
When Ash isn't having these nightmares she is a sophomore Student trying desperately to not fall asleep in class or trying to figure out why shes having these dreams with her childhood bestie "Tate"
Then one night 3 months later Ash realise's that she is Astral Projecting and starts to control the dream, from that point on when she falls asleep she is on a mission to find out as much as she can before she wakes or dies in the dream which wakes her up.
With each "Dream Walk" Ash tries to change the future, will she succeed?
Grab a copy and find out...
This book does end leading it open to continue but not enough that you are left with a book hangover.
I will be keeping tabs on Jen Estes so I don't miss out on Book 2
Thanks Ms Estes for a Delightful weekend read.
January 15, 2015
✯✯4 Flying High Stars!!✯✯
Once I sat down and started reading this book, I couldn't put it down!! It reminded me of that movie with Ashton Kutcher called The Butterfly Effect . It's where when he reads his journals he can go back in time and change things and wakes up to a completely different future. Yup, Fifteen is like that.
For the past three months 15yr old Ashling AKA Ash tries everything not to go to sleep. Because, when she falls asleep she's fast forward 15yrs. Now, she's 30yrs old and being executed. She is part of a rebel group and her town has been over taken by demons. Yea, Ash has every right to not want to fall asleep.
In her present 15yr old life she has her mother, her aunt and best friend Tate. Then, there's Nadette, her foster sister. Her parent's died a few months before and man oh man!! She's an evil evil person. In her 30yr life she has Coop. He's part of her rebel troop.He's totally in love with Ash. But, he's younger then her so she's against it. Not that she continue's to think that all the time.
Tate is the only person who know's everything about Ash's dreams. He trying to help her. It's part of a Lakota legend. One person every 15yrs gets this ability. Tate & Ash learn real quick that she is Astral Projecting. For 3 months she was going to her execution. It was always a 45 min time frame. She learns that there's a way for her to pick up where she left off.
Ash learns very quickly that every time she did something the next time she visited her future or woke up to her present it was different. Sometimes it was goof and sometimes not so much. Coop was always there in her past and Tate was always in her present.
I don't know how she dealt with everything. There was so much stuff for a 15yr old to process and deal with. But, she really handled it well. Coop was one of my favorite people in the book. Nadette was beyond evil. She has Tate under her spell. Oh to be 15 and lovesick. Hahaha. And, that's what Tate was.
Now, as much as I liked Ash. We knew a lot about her at 15yrs old. But, not her 30yr old self. It was never explained how she got caught up in the rebels. Or what she did to be executed. And, what made her & Tate's friendship go the way it did. I wish that would of been explained.
You must def pay attention when you're reading this book. There's a lot going on. It's fast paced and you won't be disappointed that I can promise. I hope Jen gives us book 2 sooner then later.Because, I am dying to know what's coming next for Ash, Coop, Tate and even Nadette.
Once I sat down and started reading this book, I couldn't put it down!! It reminded me of that movie with Ashton Kutcher called The Butterfly Effect . It's where when he reads his journals he can go back in time and change things and wakes up to a completely different future. Yup, Fifteen is like that.
For the past three months 15yr old Ashling AKA Ash tries everything not to go to sleep. Because, when she falls asleep she's fast forward 15yrs. Now, she's 30yrs old and being executed. She is part of a rebel group and her town has been over taken by demons. Yea, Ash has every right to not want to fall asleep.
In her present 15yr old life she has her mother, her aunt and best friend Tate. Then, there's Nadette, her foster sister. Her parent's died a few months before and man oh man!! She's an evil evil person. In her 30yr life she has Coop. He's part of her rebel troop.He's totally in love with Ash. But, he's younger then her so she's against it. Not that she continue's to think that all the time.
Tate is the only person who know's everything about Ash's dreams. He trying to help her. It's part of a Lakota legend. One person every 15yrs gets this ability. Tate & Ash learn real quick that she is Astral Projecting. For 3 months she was going to her execution. It was always a 45 min time frame. She learns that there's a way for her to pick up where she left off.
Ash learns very quickly that every time she did something the next time she visited her future or woke up to her present it was different. Sometimes it was goof and sometimes not so much. Coop was always there in her past and Tate was always in her present.
I don't know how she dealt with everything. There was so much stuff for a 15yr old to process and deal with. But, she really handled it well. Coop was one of my favorite people in the book. Nadette was beyond evil. She has Tate under her spell. Oh to be 15 and lovesick. Hahaha. And, that's what Tate was.
Now, as much as I liked Ash. We knew a lot about her at 15yrs old. But, not her 30yr old self. It was never explained how she got caught up in the rebels. Or what she did to be executed. And, what made her & Tate's friendship go the way it did. I wish that would of been explained.
You must def pay attention when you're reading this book. There's a lot going on. It's fast paced and you won't be disappointed that I can promise. I hope Jen gives us book 2 sooner then later.Because, I am dying to know what's coming next for Ash, Coop, Tate and even Nadette.
May 18, 2015
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Ash has a repetitive dream and it's not a nice one. Fifteen years from now she's to be executed and thrown in front of a hideous monster. But, as in Groundhog Day, she's able to change some small details every day that will eventually lead to massive changes.
I was immediately intrigued when I first heard about the book. It really sounded like something I'd like. And I did like it, but perhaps not as much as I thought I would. The premise is fantastic, it's kind-of time travel, Groundhog Day and Inception all together.But while Ash her story was interesting, there were some things in her life that bothered me.
Not a lot is explained about everything that has changed in this future world. It's only fifteen years and it looks completely different. Even the language. I would have liked to see a bit more worldbuilding there. In current day Ash her life, I mostly got annoyed by the character of Nadette, her 'sister'. I understand that's she's written to be the character you don't like, but that seemed to me the only reason she existed. The whole subplot with the college and the dreamlab didn't work for me either. Her struggling between wanting to stay awake and having to sleep was interesting, as was the dream-in-dream-to-the-past thing, although things got a bit confusing at that time.
I will definitely read the next book in this series!
Fifteen is the first book in the Dreamwalker Diaries.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Ash has a repetitive dream and it's not a nice one. Fifteen years from now she's to be executed and thrown in front of a hideous monster. But, as in Groundhog Day, she's able to change some small details every day that will eventually lead to massive changes.
I was immediately intrigued when I first heard about the book. It really sounded like something I'd like. And I did like it, but perhaps not as much as I thought I would. The premise is fantastic, it's kind-of time travel, Groundhog Day and Inception all together.But while Ash her story was interesting, there were some things in her life that bothered me.
Not a lot is explained about everything that has changed in this future world. It's only fifteen years and it looks completely different. Even the language. I would have liked to see a bit more worldbuilding there. In current day Ash her life, I mostly got annoyed by the character of Nadette, her 'sister'. I understand that's she's written to be the character you don't like, but that seemed to me the only reason she existed. The whole subplot with the college and the dreamlab didn't work for me either. Her struggling between wanting to stay awake and having to sleep was interesting, as was the dream-in-dream-to-the-past thing, although things got a bit confusing at that time.
I will definitely read the next book in this series!
Fifteen is the first book in the Dreamwalker Diaries.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
March 19, 2015
This book is very good. In this book, a 15 years old girl falls asleep and then she is in her 30 year old body. This author did a great job with this book. I was mesmerized! I was not sure what was going to happen next or what happened to the town in this book. So many questions this book start you off with and then hands you many answers along the way. * I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
January 15, 2015
Review by Cassie for CDBW
4 Crazy Stars!!!
This was a good book. I thought the characters were very well written and I really liked Ash and Lavaughn. I found it creepy when the Jumlin ate Ash in her dreams. I can't wait to read the next book in the series because I want to find out what happens next with Ash and her dream walking.
4 Crazy Stars!!!
This was a good book. I thought the characters were very well written and I really liked Ash and Lavaughn. I found it creepy when the Jumlin ate Ash in her dreams. I can't wait to read the next book in the series because I want to find out what happens next with Ash and her dream walking.
January 14, 2015
Want to read a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat turning the pages? A book that will keep you wandering? This is the book right here!! The way this story plot is all laid out into a book is amazing! A very talented author here!
*received for an honest review*
*received for an honest review*
January 12, 2015
my full review will appear on my blog at...
https://caughtupinbooks.wordpress.com
on January 14th. However I must say I loved it! It kept me intrigued the whole time!
https://caughtupinbooks.wordpress.com
on January 14th. However I must say I loved it! It kept me intrigued the whole time!
January 23, 2015
My Thoughts On The Book:
'Legend has it if you die in your dreams, you die in real life'
Welcome to my spot on the Curiosity Quills' review tour for Jen Estes' Fifteen, the first book in her new The Dreamwalker Diaries. You check out the other blog's participating in this review tour HERE.
The Plot Of The Story:
Fifteen is a book with a very interesting and quite unique idea behind I which I will try to explain during the course of this review although I will say that it's a tough book to explain in some ways so I will endeavour to do my best for you.
Ashling Campbell is fifteen and she is haunted by devastating dreams in which she dies, every single night. She dreams of a future where an older, 30 year old version of her is executed and this happens night after night without fail and as you can imagine the effect of her nightmares are devastating for the teenager. Until the night when something strange happens during one of her dreams and Ashling finds she is actually doing some kind of astral-projection and can actually change and influence her dream. So the fifteen year old is able to interact with the people in her 30 year old counterparts life and change the future little by little including having an influence with future Ash's gorgeous boyfriend Coop but they don't realise that their Ash is gone and a kid is in her body. Now Ashling has to find a way to save her future self by influencing the present in small simple ways, little by little as every change she makes in the present will have a impact in the future. Add in the premise of something nasty brewing in the world that Ash gets glimpses of in the future, something that kills and destroys and we have an intriguing little book.
See whats I mean? It's an interesting idea isn't it? Does the book pull it off successfully? Well that is the question after all and for me it does to a degree but I did feel for most of the book a lot of confusion over how and why Ash is able to do what she does. There are an awful of of questions raised by this book and they aren't all answered in this book by any means at all, I guess the author is trying to save some things back for the rest of the series, not that that will particularly help the reader in this instance.
The unanswered questions aren't the only flaw in this book either and the big thing for me is the strange love triangle of sorts we are presented with as teenage Ash starts to fall for future Ash's boyfriend Coop. It's more than a little weird to read and I didn't find it particularly believable either. Even when Coop find out the truth about the teenage/future Ash mix.
Apart from a disjointed and slightly wonky romance and a stack of unanswered questions the book does a good and gripping job of keeping the reader engaged if only for the unique idea used by the author to great effect. It's unlike anything else I've read and that is a fantastic selling point for me and is what got me interested in participating in this review tour in the first place. Fifteen is a labyrinth of strong characters and twisty sub-plots and I'm sure as the series grows and more of the real truths come to light that this book will make a great deal more sense in context with the rest of the series. It has potential for future growth and that is a huge selling point for me and is what will make me get and read the next book in this series when the time comes.
The Characters:
Ashling Campbell - Fifteen years old and haunted by dreams of a future where she is executed, over and over and over again. Ash is a 'dreamwalker' she is able to visit the future through her dreams and to have and influence by events in the present and while inhabiting future Ash's body in the future. The slightest move could change the whole course of Ash life but why is she able to do this, how does she do it and can she save her own life?
Tate - Ash best friend, Tate is what grounds Ash to the present. Tate is in love with Nadette, an orphan who lives with Ash and her mother.
Nadette, an orphan who was taken in by Ash's mother after her parent death. Nadette is the kind of girl who wants everything because she feels entitled to it all. She is vain and often thoughtless. She is beautiful, she knows it and uses it to her full advantage. She is a horriblel character to read and I did actually find myself loathing the girl very early on in the book but I do think that is the point as it helps to emphasise Ash and her more positive attributes. I still fail to see what on earth Tate sees in the girl apart from a pretty face as she is an awful young lady.
Coop - Coop is in love with future Ash, although she seems to keeping him at arms length due to her being much older than him. It's easy to see why teenage Ash falls for him, he's older that her, he's good looking, brave and completely into future Ash. He's a very attracting character and steals his scenes for the most part.
Skylar - The rich girl who doesn't let many people in to her world but I can see a beautiful friendship developing between Ash and Skylar in the future.... Tate better watch himself or he may be replaced as the best friend. We don't get to see a huge amount of Skylar in this book but I think she'll be an integral part of the gang in future books.
The Book's Setting (Time and Place):
The Time - In the present with teenage Ash but also 15 years into the future with 30 year old Ash through teenage Ash's dreams.
The Place - Small town USA
The Writing:
In general this book is well through-out and well put together but there are things that I didn't like, the I've mentioned, and things that bothered me a bit but for the most part the author has created something cool and amazing with this first book in The Dreamwalker Diaries. It's a fantastic start to a series with all the potential in the world for greatness. BUT there are questions that need to be answered for this to truly happen as the one thing that bothered me more than anything was that I didn't get enough of an explanation of what being a Dreamwalker actually means, yeah there is some explanation given and I know that author needs to hold things back for the future but I needed to know more. Maybe this is just me being me and needing to understand more, I don't know. All I know is that I needed just a little bit more..... of everything!
The characters in the book are all very strong and well rounded, they each evoke certain reponses from the reader for varying reasons they all feel correct and they all have an integral purpose pages regarding the overall story. Ash in particular is a very likable character and very easy and simple to root for, you want her to succeed and to achieve the things she need to do. She strong and gutsy but still has an innocence and fragility to her that is much needed. She feels and reads as real as anyone I actually know and really helped keep my attention on the book. The relationships and friendships between the character is good apart from the romantic aspects as I found them not be all that believable at all and is most definitely something that will need work going into the next book. I didn't feel it... I didn't believe it..... at all!
Final Thoughts:
Nothing about this books is typical for a YA paranormal novel, this is a very unique book that sets the stage for what could be a stonking great series if it continues with keeping itself apart from other books of this type as I think that uniqueness is a huge selling point for this book and the series in general. If you like your books to be different from the crowd and for them to surprise you then this is definitely worth reading in my opinion! It's original and it's not at all easy to guess what's going to happen next and I loved the book for that, it kept me guessing in a good way despite the overriding need for answers to the many questions the book raised and failed to tie up but then again that's what book 2 if for..... I just wish it was here already as I still have a great deal of stuff burning n my head about the book and the series, the wait is going to be painful!
March 15, 2015
Verdict: Witty and imaginative time-travelling story for teens.
I really loved this book. I’ve already recommended it onwards! The writing is clever and the pacing is fast. I felt the charm from chapter one and just knew I was in for something special.
Every time Ash falls asleep, she lives in her future self and must learn how to change the present in order to stop the future from being so messed up by a Lakota legend monster. It sounds a bit wordy when I explain it, but Estes does a fantastic job.
With two timelines interweaved, I’m glad the author manages to make both the present and future entertaining in their own right. The story is fairly complicated, but easy to follow and always on the move to the next twist with gentle steering so that it doesn’t hurt the brain.
Ash is a fantastic main character. She has the type of smarts that a protagonist needs, and her wittiness is never snide or contrived which makes her very likable. She’s still young and uncertain at times, but her experiences make her strong. We get to see her fail as well as adapt to her future life. This is particularly well planned because the reader starts off just as clueless as Ash, and so we share in her experience and learn with her.
As well as a Lakota monster, the future also holds Coop, who is amazingly hot, protective, and sees Ash as someone who she hasn’t quite evolved into yet. With some of the puzzle pieces missing, the romance is a bit odd to start with, and again I could relate to the way young Ash handled the situation.
Her best friend in the present is Tate, who is just as witty and a little more mischievous. Ash and Tate bounce off each other well as they try to fix the future. He was almost my favourite character, except he has a soft spot for a shallow and horrid girl named Nadette. If I had Ash’s ability (and I know it doesn’t quite work like this but) I would want to have a good chat with Tate about what the words ‘selfish’ and ‘user’ mean...
Here I go, talking about them if they are real. Usually I’ll go on about character consistency and development, but I couldn’t help but think of them as real people with choices. This story made me switch off my editor brain and instead enjoy the ride.
The sleep clinic material gets my approval too. From the word polysomnography, I perked up and expected the author to treat terminology like glittering generalities, if anyone knows what I mean... Instead I was impressed that Estes knows her stuff but perhaps made a few tweaks so that the plot works. I can live with that.
There were a few sneaky twists that I can smugly say I predicted, but even when you start to catch on, it doesn’t make the story any less interesting. The book certainly ended on an unexpected note. I��m still gushing over the narrative, too. I try to inject the same type of humour into my writing, but Estes is ten times better at it. I should have got a pen out and started making notes, but I was too enthralled by the whole thing I read it within a day.
I will definitely be sticking with this series. I don’t know how a sequel will compare or where Estes will lead us. All I know is that we can’t leave things like that, and I can’t wait to hear more from Ash!
Source: NetGalley.com
Blog:ScookieReviews
I really loved this book. I’ve already recommended it onwards! The writing is clever and the pacing is fast. I felt the charm from chapter one and just knew I was in for something special.
Every time Ash falls asleep, she lives in her future self and must learn how to change the present in order to stop the future from being so messed up by a Lakota legend monster. It sounds a bit wordy when I explain it, but Estes does a fantastic job.
With two timelines interweaved, I’m glad the author manages to make both the present and future entertaining in their own right. The story is fairly complicated, but easy to follow and always on the move to the next twist with gentle steering so that it doesn’t hurt the brain.
Ash is a fantastic main character. She has the type of smarts that a protagonist needs, and her wittiness is never snide or contrived which makes her very likable. She’s still young and uncertain at times, but her experiences make her strong. We get to see her fail as well as adapt to her future life. This is particularly well planned because the reader starts off just as clueless as Ash, and so we share in her experience and learn with her.
As well as a Lakota monster, the future also holds Coop, who is amazingly hot, protective, and sees Ash as someone who she hasn’t quite evolved into yet. With some of the puzzle pieces missing, the romance is a bit odd to start with, and again I could relate to the way young Ash handled the situation.
Her best friend in the present is Tate, who is just as witty and a little more mischievous. Ash and Tate bounce off each other well as they try to fix the future. He was almost my favourite character, except he has a soft spot for a shallow and horrid girl named Nadette. If I had Ash’s ability (and I know it doesn’t quite work like this but) I would want to have a good chat with Tate about what the words ‘selfish’ and ‘user’ mean...
Here I go, talking about them if they are real. Usually I’ll go on about character consistency and development, but I couldn’t help but think of them as real people with choices. This story made me switch off my editor brain and instead enjoy the ride.
The sleep clinic material gets my approval too. From the word polysomnography, I perked up and expected the author to treat terminology like glittering generalities, if anyone knows what I mean... Instead I was impressed that Estes knows her stuff but perhaps made a few tweaks so that the plot works. I can live with that.
There were a few sneaky twists that I can smugly say I predicted, but even when you start to catch on, it doesn’t make the story any less interesting. The book certainly ended on an unexpected note. I��m still gushing over the narrative, too. I try to inject the same type of humour into my writing, but Estes is ten times better at it. I should have got a pen out and started making notes, but I was too enthralled by the whole thing I read it within a day.
I will definitely be sticking with this series. I don’t know how a sequel will compare or where Estes will lead us. All I know is that we can’t leave things like that, and I can’t wait to hear more from Ash!
Source: NetGalley.com
Blog:ScookieReviews
January 17, 2015
Have you ever died in your dreams? Or maybe had a dream where it felt real when you woke up? I have had a few dreams where it felt like I was actually hugging the person who was in my dream. Or I ate that piece of food I wouldn’t normally eat in real life but did in my dreams and decided hey! let me give it a try. You have a favorite number right? Do you apply this to certain things? Like combinations or play it when it comes to the lotto? Have you thought about where you would be in that many years in the future?
What would you do if you had the same dream over and over again? Would that be a sign to you? What kind of sign though?
If you could go back into time or even forward into time, would you? What would you do? Would you find yourself? What if you don’t remember anything from the future you, only the past you? This books does that to you. Makes you think.
Fifteen is a young adult, fantasy read. It has some action and it has demons but not those scary ugly ones. You have to pay close attention or you might get lost. Fifteen had me guessing who could be who and what in the world could Ash do to help both of her realities.
We meet Ash and her best friend Tate who is part Lakota. I have to say I love anything native American. Ash has these dreams she isn’t sure if it is her future at first or just a nightmare. She mentions these dreams to Tate and he then goes to tell her about a Lakota legend.
This is where the action begins. They try and figure out who the head jumjum is. Once they find out who then they can try and alter things. However once they do that, their reality will change too. Ash finds out that she can wake up in a certain part of her dream/alter reality. This being so something major happens and she tries her hardest to change that incident. Every time she does the outcome is still the same. She does find out who the head jumjum is and his/her followers. I had guessed who the person was about 50% into the book. Not the main jumjum but the other one. Yeah there are a few but the major 2 will be a shocker.
The way the book ended left me a little perplexed. Not so much as a cliffhanger but, did everything Ash did in her reality work in the future reality? Also a big OMG no way…..how did his future self tell Ash that and then turn around and do that??
Once you get into the book it is a page turner. Like I said you have to pay attention or you might get lost. As in what happened, let me go back a few pages to re-read that part. I think this book might make you analyze your dreams more. I know sometimes when I think of someone or something right before I fall asleep I tend to dream about that. Sometimes I don’t. I think I might try and keep a dream journal too. Just to see if I have the same accruing dream.
What would you do if you had the same dream over and over again? Would that be a sign to you? What kind of sign though?
If you could go back into time or even forward into time, would you? What would you do? Would you find yourself? What if you don’t remember anything from the future you, only the past you? This books does that to you. Makes you think.
Fifteen is a young adult, fantasy read. It has some action and it has demons but not those scary ugly ones. You have to pay close attention or you might get lost. Fifteen had me guessing who could be who and what in the world could Ash do to help both of her realities.
We meet Ash and her best friend Tate who is part Lakota. I have to say I love anything native American. Ash has these dreams she isn’t sure if it is her future at first or just a nightmare. She mentions these dreams to Tate and he then goes to tell her about a Lakota legend.
This is where the action begins. They try and figure out who the head jumjum is. Once they find out who then they can try and alter things. However once they do that, their reality will change too. Ash finds out that she can wake up in a certain part of her dream/alter reality. This being so something major happens and she tries her hardest to change that incident. Every time she does the outcome is still the same. She does find out who the head jumjum is and his/her followers. I had guessed who the person was about 50% into the book. Not the main jumjum but the other one. Yeah there are a few but the major 2 will be a shocker.
The way the book ended left me a little perplexed. Not so much as a cliffhanger but, did everything Ash did in her reality work in the future reality? Also a big OMG no way…..how did his future self tell Ash that and then turn around and do that??
Once you get into the book it is a page turner. Like I said you have to pay attention or you might get lost. As in what happened, let me go back a few pages to re-read that part. I think this book might make you analyze your dreams more. I know sometimes when I think of someone or something right before I fall asleep I tend to dream about that. Sometimes I don’t. I think I might try and keep a dream journal too. Just to see if I have the same accruing dream.
February 6, 2015
Fifteen starts out a little slowly - Ash is trying to resist falling asleep for as long as possible so she can put off the inevitable nightmare. I picked the book up three times and read the first page or so, up to the start of the dream, before abandoning it. And then one day, I knew I had to honour my commitment to review Fifteen so I made myself keep going, keep reading through that first dream. And holy crow, it's a doozy!
Fifteen has a surprising intensity to it. There's nothing superficial about Ash's dreams - they are bleak and bloody, and very high stakes. The pressure is on as Ash realizes she can - and must - change the future. Her present, as a teenager, is as mundane as we might expect. As a teenager, she's coping with a bratty, self-centered foster sister, a best friend that she's feeling rather possessive of as he becomes increasingly interested in said foster sister, as well as simpler things like high school classes.
I liked Ash - she's rather no-nonsense though she's distracted by future, pretty boy Cooper. I appreciated that she quickly realized she needed to learn everything she could about the future. Ash is a young woman on a mission, and she focuses on that.
Some of the twists and turns of Fifteen felt a little obvious, but that was okay for me. I was still very entertained by the back and forth. What actually irked me most was Nadette and how weirdly accepting Ash's mom was of all of Nadette's ridiculous demands. I could understand that so quickly on the heels of losing her own parents, that Nadette might be... difficult. But her inability to really recognize her new circumstances drove me nuts. Not really a negative of the book itself - Nadette was consistent in this regard, and I could see how a person might be that amazingly self-involved.
One thing I really appreciated is that Fifteen is a complete story. While it's the first book in a series, this book resists the trend of ending on a cliffhanger or failing to answer my biggest questions. In fact, I could be satisfied with Fifteen as a solo book, though there's lots of space for more story. And I will definitely be back for book two.
The Bottom Line:
Commit to reading the first chapter, and I guarantee you will be hooked on Fifteen (if you like science fiction/time travel and/or YA stories!). I enjoyed reading this one, and I look forward to finding out what happens next!
4.5 stars
For fans of young adult, time travel, legends, urban fantasy.
Received in exchange for an honest review.
See this and other reviews at To Each Their Own Reviews
Fifteen has a surprising intensity to it. There's nothing superficial about Ash's dreams - they are bleak and bloody, and very high stakes. The pressure is on as Ash realizes she can - and must - change the future. Her present, as a teenager, is as mundane as we might expect. As a teenager, she's coping with a bratty, self-centered foster sister, a best friend that she's feeling rather possessive of as he becomes increasingly interested in said foster sister, as well as simpler things like high school classes.
I liked Ash - she's rather no-nonsense though she's distracted by future, pretty boy Cooper. I appreciated that she quickly realized she needed to learn everything she could about the future. Ash is a young woman on a mission, and she focuses on that.
Some of the twists and turns of Fifteen felt a little obvious, but that was okay for me. I was still very entertained by the back and forth. What actually irked me most was Nadette and how weirdly accepting Ash's mom was of all of Nadette's ridiculous demands. I could understand that so quickly on the heels of losing her own parents, that Nadette might be... difficult. But her inability to really recognize her new circumstances drove me nuts. Not really a negative of the book itself - Nadette was consistent in this regard, and I could see how a person might be that amazingly self-involved.
One thing I really appreciated is that Fifteen is a complete story. While it's the first book in a series, this book resists the trend of ending on a cliffhanger or failing to answer my biggest questions. In fact, I could be satisfied with Fifteen as a solo book, though there's lots of space for more story. And I will definitely be back for book two.
The Bottom Line:
Commit to reading the first chapter, and I guarantee you will be hooked on Fifteen (if you like science fiction/time travel and/or YA stories!). I enjoyed reading this one, and I look forward to finding out what happens next!
4.5 stars
For fans of young adult, time travel, legends, urban fantasy.
Received in exchange for an honest review.
See this and other reviews at To Each Their Own Reviews
August 15, 2017
Fifteen is a young adult paranormal written by Jen Estes and published through Curiosity Quills Press. It was released just yesterday in fact!
The book is the first in the series. I prefer to read in sequential order and I don't think I would understand this series if I didn't read this book first. That said, it is the only one out in the moment. It's just that the amount of information and moments makes me think reading this book first will be integral for the rest of the series,
Jen Estes weaves Lakota legends with real life into a story that is both disturbing and entertaining. Her writing style is easy to get into. I couldn't and didn't want to put it down. The dream sequences are written in italics to make it easier for the reader. If that didn't happen, I think it would have taken me longer to get into the book.
You are thrown into a dream right in the beginning. Boy, is it disturbing. I love disturbing. Estes didn't hold back with the imagery and it made changing the dreams an urgent thing for the reader and the character, Ash. The book wouldn't have the same impact without it.
Ash is a strong female lead. She's a smart girl with a smartass tongue. Both of which are traits I love in a character. Even in the most disturbing or dark moments, Ash found a way to make a smartass remark. I liked her close relationship with her mother and the relationships she had with other people she loved.
Her relationship with Tate didn't surprise me too much. They are close, but there isn't much of a romance between the two. Tate has his eyes on another girl and Ash is just trying to keep herself from going insane. Her relationship with Coop seems real, but with the fact that it's a dream/time travel, we aren't given much chemistry. The chemistry is more for Future Ash than our main character Ash.
Though there are more books to come, Fifteen more or less ended on a rather final note. It seems Ash's work is done except for two big bumps she's determined to take care of. Since she seems to work well with her determination, I'm sure she will be the main character in the upcoming books. However, with the way the Lakota legends go (a great twist on things and I really enjoyed that), I wouldn't be surprised if the next book is set in the future with a new person dreaming.
I don't know though. It could go both ways. Either way, I'm interested in seeing what else happens.
The book is the first in the series. I prefer to read in sequential order and I don't think I would understand this series if I didn't read this book first. That said, it is the only one out in the moment. It's just that the amount of information and moments makes me think reading this book first will be integral for the rest of the series,
Jen Estes weaves Lakota legends with real life into a story that is both disturbing and entertaining. Her writing style is easy to get into. I couldn't and didn't want to put it down. The dream sequences are written in italics to make it easier for the reader. If that didn't happen, I think it would have taken me longer to get into the book.
You are thrown into a dream right in the beginning. Boy, is it disturbing. I love disturbing. Estes didn't hold back with the imagery and it made changing the dreams an urgent thing for the reader and the character, Ash. The book wouldn't have the same impact without it.
Ash is a strong female lead. She's a smart girl with a smartass tongue. Both of which are traits I love in a character. Even in the most disturbing or dark moments, Ash found a way to make a smartass remark. I liked her close relationship with her mother and the relationships she had with other people she loved.
Her relationship with Tate didn't surprise me too much. They are close, but there isn't much of a romance between the two. Tate has his eyes on another girl and Ash is just trying to keep herself from going insane. Her relationship with Coop seems real, but with the fact that it's a dream/time travel, we aren't given much chemistry. The chemistry is more for Future Ash than our main character Ash.
Though there are more books to come, Fifteen more or less ended on a rather final note. It seems Ash's work is done except for two big bumps she's determined to take care of. Since she seems to work well with her determination, I'm sure she will be the main character in the upcoming books. However, with the way the Lakota legends go (a great twist on things and I really enjoyed that), I wouldn't be surprised if the next book is set in the future with a new person dreaming.
I don't know though. It could go both ways. Either way, I'm interested in seeing what else happens.
January 12, 2015
Fifteen is a young adult novel that has a really interesting premise. With Ash's abilities, we're being sent back and forth between the present and future which is rather cool yet frightening at the same time. Especially when the future is set in a world you didn't quite expect and it is rather scary and tragic. I really liked the world building that Jen Estes has done. She has definitely done her research with the addition of Lakota legends. I've never heard of it before and it was really interesting.
However, as much as I want to give the book credit for its well-thought-out storyline, I did have quite a few problems. First of all, the characters. I don't have much problem with Ash. She did get on my nerves for a few instances but it wasn't a huge deal. I'm mostly bummed that we didn't meet or get to hear much about the future Ash. Because let's face it, where does she even go when present Ash was astral projecting herself into her future body. It didn't make sense. Hopefully, it'll be explained in the sequel. Another problem with the characters were the side characters. Tate is Ash's best friend and while he is a smart guy, he definitely doesn't think before acting upon his decisions. I'm talking about his decision towards the end if any of you guys have read it. Another thing that didn't make sense to me.
Moving onto the romance portion of the novel, it definitely wasn't that engaging. I didn't buy the romance between Ash and Coop. Granted, Coop was in love with the future Ash. But I expected Ash to be a little smarter. It felt like she developed a crush on Coop a little too early. With the addition of the other possible love interest, I'm not sure which relationship to buy. Both didn't felt real. I didn't trust any of the guys.
Yes, I did have quite a few problems with the characters and while the story was a little predictable at certain points, it definitely had originality. The ideas that Jen had were refreshing to read and it was a rather interesting read for me. I'm definitely curious in reading the sequel because it ended a little too abruptly for me.
However, as much as I want to give the book credit for its well-thought-out storyline, I did have quite a few problems. First of all, the characters. I don't have much problem with Ash. She did get on my nerves for a few instances but it wasn't a huge deal. I'm mostly bummed that we didn't meet or get to hear much about the future Ash. Because let's face it, where does she even go when present Ash was astral projecting herself into her future body. It didn't make sense. Hopefully, it'll be explained in the sequel. Another problem with the characters were the side characters. Tate is Ash's best friend and while he is a smart guy, he definitely doesn't think before acting upon his decisions. I'm talking about his decision towards the end if any of you guys have read it. Another thing that didn't make sense to me.
Moving onto the romance portion of the novel, it definitely wasn't that engaging. I didn't buy the romance between Ash and Coop. Granted, Coop was in love with the future Ash. But I expected Ash to be a little smarter. It felt like she developed a crush on Coop a little too early. With the addition of the other possible love interest, I'm not sure which relationship to buy. Both didn't felt real. I didn't trust any of the guys.
Yes, I did have quite a few problems with the characters and while the story was a little predictable at certain points, it definitely had originality. The ideas that Jen had were refreshing to read and it was a rather interesting read for me. I'm definitely curious in reading the sequel because it ended a little too abruptly for me.
February 14, 2015
Got a copy from Netgalley.
Well, do you know what I hate about time traveling? Time traveling. Sometimes, you have to draw charts, and things get very complicated when you have to draw stuff. Lots of stuff. Because timelines shift and go crazy. Especially when the character is in the present and messing up everything in the future.
Things go berserk. And time muddles.
It is like Flash's time paradox all over again. Though this time, things are a bit more complicated. There is a demon involved, and things are... whoo... But let's break Fifteen down into simpler pieces. And time travel... needs simpler pieces.
Here we go. Fifteen is not a bad book, actually. There are some confusing parts, because there are two main plots. One is Ash in her fifteen year old body. The second is Ash in her thirty year old body. Things are a bit complicated, but I'm going to say that 15 year old Ash's brain is in 30 year old Ash's body whenever Ash falls asleep. Or at least, from the beginning of the book. Two timelines. And Ash's main timeline (the present) has the power to change the future (of course).
I will say that it is boring at times and dull, but thankfully, it starts picking up the pace around the halfway point of the book. Time starts moving fluid, and Fifteen becomes more and more interesting (thankfully!).
Honestly, Fifteen gives me more of an adventure-type of feeling. I don't know why (but maybe it is because of all those demons and weird rituals).
The characters of Fifteen, on the other hand... Well, let me say that some of them are like... What? Others are better. And others include Ash, Tate, and Coop. The rest of them like Ash's sister (well, sort of) is extremely dislikable. Okay, only Ash's sister is extremely dislikable. The rest of them just don't stand out to me very much.
In conclusion, Fifteen has the potential to be more and it does let me down sometimes. But it does redeem itself slightly by the ending. Still, it wouldn't help if the book went through a few more beta readers and drafts. Slightly dry, but it isn't a total mess.
Rating: Three out of Five
-ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com
Well, do you know what I hate about time traveling? Time traveling. Sometimes, you have to draw charts, and things get very complicated when you have to draw stuff. Lots of stuff. Because timelines shift and go crazy. Especially when the character is in the present and messing up everything in the future.
Things go berserk. And time muddles.
It is like Flash's time paradox all over again. Though this time, things are a bit more complicated. There is a demon involved, and things are... whoo... But let's break Fifteen down into simpler pieces. And time travel... needs simpler pieces.
Here we go. Fifteen is not a bad book, actually. There are some confusing parts, because there are two main plots. One is Ash in her fifteen year old body. The second is Ash in her thirty year old body. Things are a bit complicated, but I'm going to say that 15 year old Ash's brain is in 30 year old Ash's body whenever Ash falls asleep. Or at least, from the beginning of the book. Two timelines. And Ash's main timeline (the present) has the power to change the future (of course).
I will say that it is boring at times and dull, but thankfully, it starts picking up the pace around the halfway point of the book. Time starts moving fluid, and Fifteen becomes more and more interesting (thankfully!).
Honestly, Fifteen gives me more of an adventure-type of feeling. I don't know why (but maybe it is because of all those demons and weird rituals).
The characters of Fifteen, on the other hand... Well, let me say that some of them are like... What? Others are better. And others include Ash, Tate, and Coop. The rest of them like Ash's sister (well, sort of) is extremely dislikable. Okay, only Ash's sister is extremely dislikable. The rest of them just don't stand out to me very much.
In conclusion, Fifteen has the potential to be more and it does let me down sometimes. But it does redeem itself slightly by the ending. Still, it wouldn't help if the book went through a few more beta readers and drafts. Slightly dry, but it isn't a total mess.
Rating: Three out of Five
-ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com
January 22, 2015
Everyone knows that if you die in your dreams you’ll die in real life. Well, Ashling Campbell doesn’t – she lives to die again every time she closes her eyes. At first she watches her future self die from a distance, but soon she’s experiencing it first hand in all the myriad ways her dream self can die in a future taken over by alien beings. She realizes she’s not just dreaming though as things she does in the waking world begin changing her dreamscape and she has to use her astral projections to change the world…and hopefully save it in the process.
Another time traveling book! This one takes a different look at it through mismatched Native American legends, like the Lakota dream catcher and the Cherokee Jumlin. I wouldn’t recommend it for accuracy but it is definitely interesting and I’d say it falls around the teen level of understanding for most Native concepts. Plus, bonus for anti-Twilighters, no werewolves.
There is some great plot development here. Because of the time traveling the plot is unraveled and rewritten several times, from the point of multiple timelines, and to keep that going smoothly without losing track of the details takes skill. It’s done without any holes (at least not noticed by me) and with consistent character development. A+ on the plot and character growth, that can be really hard to do with teen characters in the spotlight when it is so easy to just keep them superficial. They are teens after all.
My favorite thing about what Jen Estes did with Fifteen is there is no teen angst. There is some crushing, some unrequited teen love, and definitely some drama, but no angst. Ashling is traveling to the future and watching herself die every night, she discovers it’s her destiny to try to save the world in her dreams (from three timelines), AND she is dealing with prom, her mom, her foster sister, and her aunts bid for mayor. The girl has got it going on.
I received an ARC edition from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my honest review.
Another time traveling book! This one takes a different look at it through mismatched Native American legends, like the Lakota dream catcher and the Cherokee Jumlin. I wouldn’t recommend it for accuracy but it is definitely interesting and I’d say it falls around the teen level of understanding for most Native concepts. Plus, bonus for anti-Twilighters, no werewolves.
There is some great plot development here. Because of the time traveling the plot is unraveled and rewritten several times, from the point of multiple timelines, and to keep that going smoothly without losing track of the details takes skill. It’s done without any holes (at least not noticed by me) and with consistent character development. A+ on the plot and character growth, that can be really hard to do with teen characters in the spotlight when it is so easy to just keep them superficial. They are teens after all.
My favorite thing about what Jen Estes did with Fifteen is there is no teen angst. There is some crushing, some unrequited teen love, and definitely some drama, but no angst. Ashling is traveling to the future and watching herself die every night, she discovers it’s her destiny to try to save the world in her dreams (from three timelines), AND she is dealing with prom, her mom, her foster sister, and her aunts bid for mayor. The girl has got it going on.
I received an ARC edition from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my honest review.
March 2, 2015
Wow. Just sped through this book and want more. I don't think the ending was a cliff-hanger, yet the title says (#1), so I have hopes that I get to see more of Skylar, Tate, Coop and of course, Ash. Preferably not Nadette, but she's the character you just love to hate!
The beginning of this book was SUPER scary. At least to lil ole' chicken poo me it was. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll just say it was scary and that the reader and Ash figure out what is going on at the same time.
The characters NEVER delved into the TSTL category, EVER. Even when they had no idea what was going on, they reacted intelligently to the problems at hand. Ash made mistakes, but she LEARNED from them. I both loved Tate and wanted to smack him upside the head for being such a doofus, but maybe he did what he did as a sacrifice, to make sure the nightmares wouldn't become real.
There was a sort of love triangle, but not really. Ash was too busy worrying about saving lives to really think about cute boys, though she IS a fifteen year old girl, so she DID have those thoughts, they just didn't overtake her when she had business that needed her undivided attention. (choir of angels singing) An actual SMART female protagonist who does her thinking with her brain and not her hormones.
The ending wasn't perfect. It wasn't a HEA, but it was positive, by comparison to what could have been.
I completely loved this book. The characters were real and had common sense, the plot was super interesting and the bad guy was SUPER CREEPY. It doesn't have a lot of smexy stuff, but it has violence that could affect a more gentle reader, so I would put this as advanced younger reader to young adult, with adults enjoying this too. I highly recommend it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
The beginning of this book was SUPER scary. At least to lil ole' chicken poo me it was. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, so I'll just say it was scary and that the reader and Ash figure out what is going on at the same time.
The characters NEVER delved into the TSTL category, EVER. Even when they had no idea what was going on, they reacted intelligently to the problems at hand. Ash made mistakes, but she LEARNED from them. I both loved Tate and wanted to smack him upside the head for being such a doofus, but maybe he did what he did as a sacrifice, to make sure the nightmares wouldn't become real.
There was a sort of love triangle, but not really. Ash was too busy worrying about saving lives to really think about cute boys, though she IS a fifteen year old girl, so she DID have those thoughts, they just didn't overtake her when she had business that needed her undivided attention. (choir of angels singing) An actual SMART female protagonist who does her thinking with her brain and not her hormones.
The ending wasn't perfect. It wasn't a HEA, but it was positive, by comparison to what could have been.
I completely loved this book. The characters were real and had common sense, the plot was super interesting and the bad guy was SUPER CREEPY. It doesn't have a lot of smexy stuff, but it has violence that could affect a more gentle reader, so I would put this as advanced younger reader to young adult, with adults enjoying this too. I highly recommend it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
August 3, 2016
I received this book from Curiosity Quills in return for a fair and honest review.
Although I generally enjoy reading Young Adult books, when I read that the main female in this was Fifteen... well, most of the time anyway... I was a bit dubious on how this book would develop. I really shouldn't have worried myself. This book will instantly grab your interest and not let go until you finish the last word of the last sentence. Even then, your brain will be ticking over as you think on what you've read.
The main characters are well fleshed out and fully dimensional. I'm quite glad that we haven't yet met Coop in 'real' time as I think that might be just a tad strange! Tate is everything a best friend should be except that he is letting his teenage hormones override common sense but hey, I think that's pretty much normal for every teenager.
This story is so intriguing you will be left with a book hangover. There are twists and turns in here that you won't even think about and not just with the story but with time itself. It is humorous and action-packed. How on earth Jen Estes was able to keep everything straight as she wrote this story, I'll never know but will continue to be amazed at.
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA or Time Travel stories. I will be on the lookout for book 2 in this series as there are still plenty of things that need to be tied up. The last sentence of the book explains completely how I felt after I'd finished reading it - "I've been dreamwalked!"
Although I generally enjoy reading Young Adult books, when I read that the main female in this was Fifteen... well, most of the time anyway... I was a bit dubious on how this book would develop. I really shouldn't have worried myself. This book will instantly grab your interest and not let go until you finish the last word of the last sentence. Even then, your brain will be ticking over as you think on what you've read.
The main characters are well fleshed out and fully dimensional. I'm quite glad that we haven't yet met Coop in 'real' time as I think that might be just a tad strange! Tate is everything a best friend should be except that he is letting his teenage hormones override common sense but hey, I think that's pretty much normal for every teenager.
This story is so intriguing you will be left with a book hangover. There are twists and turns in here that you won't even think about and not just with the story but with time itself. It is humorous and action-packed. How on earth Jen Estes was able to keep everything straight as she wrote this story, I'll never know but will continue to be amazed at.
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA or Time Travel stories. I will be on the lookout for book 2 in this series as there are still plenty of things that need to be tied up. The last sentence of the book explains completely how I felt after I'd finished reading it - "I've been dreamwalked!"
January 15, 2015
Ashling is 15 but does not lead a life of a normal 15 year old. This is because whenever she falls asleep, she finds her self inside her 30 year old body. She doesn't know what is going on. Why people are trying to kill her? What happened to her town?
It goes from dreaming about her future to being inside her actual future body. She has to figure out if she should tell any of the rebels the truth.
Plus everything she does in her normal 15 year old life affects the future.
This book doesn't read like a normal YA. It felt like such and awesome read. There was not any of that whining high school stuff but an amazing story instead.
I cannot explain how awesome I thought this story was. I cannot remember when I have read a story like this. I could not put the book down. Ashling has to deal with so much and hands it so well. She is mature beyond her years. Such a great leading lady. Showing girls that age does not matter and we all have that something special inside.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
It goes from dreaming about her future to being inside her actual future body. She has to figure out if she should tell any of the rebels the truth.
Plus everything she does in her normal 15 year old life affects the future.
This book doesn't read like a normal YA. It felt like such and awesome read. There was not any of that whining high school stuff but an amazing story instead.
I cannot explain how awesome I thought this story was. I cannot remember when I have read a story like this. I could not put the book down. Ashling has to deal with so much and hands it so well. She is mature beyond her years. Such a great leading lady. Showing girls that age does not matter and we all have that something special inside.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
February 27, 2015
I started reading and within a chapter I was hooked. The premise sounded fascinating and unusual, so I was really hoping this book would live up to that and it definitely did.
The characters are engaging and, although not all likeable, you want to find out more about them. I feel like I finished it way too fast and now I want more about the characters!
The story is clever especially when it comes to the subtle changes in Ash's future dreams. Some characters appear in multiple potential futures but are slightly different in each. Maybe a little more trusting, more guarded, or more jealous. Whatever changes, I liked how it was shown through their actions rather than Ash thinking 'oh he's different from before because...'
I really enjoyed this book and since the cover says book one I hope to see more of this story in the future!
**I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
The characters are engaging and, although not all likeable, you want to find out more about them. I feel like I finished it way too fast and now I want more about the characters!
The story is clever especially when it comes to the subtle changes in Ash's future dreams. Some characters appear in multiple potential futures but are slightly different in each. Maybe a little more trusting, more guarded, or more jealous. Whatever changes, I liked how it was shown through their actions rather than Ash thinking 'oh he's different from before because...'
I really enjoyed this book and since the cover says book one I hope to see more of this story in the future!
**I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
February 3, 2016
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction, Time Travel
*Rating* 3-3.5
*My Thoughts*
Fifteen is the first installment in Jen Estes The Dreamwalker Diaries. Meet 15 year old Ashling Campbell. Ash is a sophomore at Billings High School who once believed that if you died in your dreams, you died in real life. Thankfully for Ash, that legend is debunked each and every time she falls asleep. You see, Ash has been having dreams about herself FIFTEEN years into the future. Her 30 year old future self lives in a town where things are dark, and bleak, and where she watches as she dies every night.
*Full Review Posted 02/03/2016 via Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published January 15th 2015 by Curiosity Quills Press
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction, Time Travel
*Rating* 3-3.5
*My Thoughts*
Fifteen is the first installment in Jen Estes The Dreamwalker Diaries. Meet 15 year old Ashling Campbell. Ash is a sophomore at Billings High School who once believed that if you died in your dreams, you died in real life. Thankfully for Ash, that legend is debunked each and every time she falls asleep. You see, Ash has been having dreams about herself FIFTEEN years into the future. Her 30 year old future self lives in a town where things are dark, and bleak, and where she watches as she dies every night.
*Full Review Posted 02/03/2016 via Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published January 15th 2015 by Curiosity Quills Press
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