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DEVATAR BOOK 5: BAYANG MIMPI - The Dreamer's Shadow
Meet Safa.
She is nine years old, barely tall enough to reach the top shelf, and she speaks about herself in third person because first person hurts too much. She rates everything out of ten—including ghosts. She wears her hijab slightly crooked because she always forgets to fix it. She is the smallest member of the team, the strangest, and absolutely everyone's favorite.
She can see the future. She wishes she couldn't.
Now imagine the worst Safa has stopped smiling. The visions won't turn off anymore. Something is watching her through her own dreams—something ancient, something hungry, something that remembers what it felt like to be a lonely girl with a terrifying gift.
Sixty years ago, that something was human. She had a name. She had someone she loved. She made one desperate choice to save him, then another to survive, then another and another until she forgot how to stop.
Now she needs to feed. And she has found the perfect prey.
When Safa disappears into a nightmare, five kids refuse to let her go.
There's Hairi, the reluctant leader who talks to a tiger spirit and still can't believe this is his life. Raimi, the big-hearted boy who thinks with his stomach and fights with his whole soul. Salim, the genius who calculates everything except how much he cares. Nadya, the ice queen with a devastating secret and the driest humor in any dimension. And Nila, the ocean girl who speaks in third person too—because some walls take years to tear down.
They are eleven years old. They are terrified. They are going into the deep dreams anyway.
Because Safa is not just their teammate.
She is their little sister. The one they chose. The one who knows exactly when they need a hug, even if she announces it like a weather report. The one who looks at monsters and asks them, very politely, if they would like to talk about their feelings.
They will burn down the dream world to bring her home.
But here's what they don't
The monster hunting Safa? She's not evil. She's broken. And by the end of this book, you will understand exactly why she became what she is—and it will shatter your heart.
The rescue mission? It will force each of them to face the one thing they fear most. Not creatures. Not darkness. Themselves.
The ending? Someone will say "I love you" for the first time. Someone will learn to say "I" instead of hiding behind their own name. Someone will make a choice that will leave you staring at the page, unable to breathe.
And there is a scene with a nine-layer rainbow cake that will make you cry. You will not expect it. You will not be prepared. You will immediately want to bake one for someone you love.
BAYANG MIMPI (The Dreamer's Shadow) is Book Five of the DEVATAR series—a middle-grade fantasy from Malaysia that readers are calling "Percy Jackson meets Studio Ghibli with the heart of a Pixar movie."
It's about six kids and six ancient animal spirits. A tiger, a sun bear, a pangolin, a hornbill, a dugong, and a dream-walking tapir. It's about found family and real courage and the kind of friendships that make you believe in magic again.
It's about being different. Being scared. Being loved anyway.
For ages 9-12. For families. For anyone who ever needed to You belong somewhere. And someone is coming for you.
She is nine years old, barely tall enough to reach the top shelf, and she speaks about herself in third person because first person hurts too much. She rates everything out of ten—including ghosts. She wears her hijab slightly crooked because she always forgets to fix it. She is the smallest member of the team, the strangest, and absolutely everyone's favorite.
She can see the future. She wishes she couldn't.
Now imagine the worst Safa has stopped smiling. The visions won't turn off anymore. Something is watching her through her own dreams—something ancient, something hungry, something that remembers what it felt like to be a lonely girl with a terrifying gift.
Sixty years ago, that something was human. She had a name. She had someone she loved. She made one desperate choice to save him, then another to survive, then another and another until she forgot how to stop.
Now she needs to feed. And she has found the perfect prey.
When Safa disappears into a nightmare, five kids refuse to let her go.
There's Hairi, the reluctant leader who talks to a tiger spirit and still can't believe this is his life. Raimi, the big-hearted boy who thinks with his stomach and fights with his whole soul. Salim, the genius who calculates everything except how much he cares. Nadya, the ice queen with a devastating secret and the driest humor in any dimension. And Nila, the ocean girl who speaks in third person too—because some walls take years to tear down.
They are eleven years old. They are terrified. They are going into the deep dreams anyway.
Because Safa is not just their teammate.
She is their little sister. The one they chose. The one who knows exactly when they need a hug, even if she announces it like a weather report. The one who looks at monsters and asks them, very politely, if they would like to talk about their feelings.
They will burn down the dream world to bring her home.
But here's what they don't
The monster hunting Safa? She's not evil. She's broken. And by the end of this book, you will understand exactly why she became what she is—and it will shatter your heart.
The rescue mission? It will force each of them to face the one thing they fear most. Not creatures. Not darkness. Themselves.
The ending? Someone will say "I love you" for the first time. Someone will learn to say "I" instead of hiding behind their own name. Someone will make a choice that will leave you staring at the page, unable to breathe.
And there is a scene with a nine-layer rainbow cake that will make you cry. You will not expect it. You will not be prepared. You will immediately want to bake one for someone you love.
BAYANG MIMPI (The Dreamer's Shadow) is Book Five of the DEVATAR series—a middle-grade fantasy from Malaysia that readers are calling "Percy Jackson meets Studio Ghibli with the heart of a Pixar movie."
It's about six kids and six ancient animal spirits. A tiger, a sun bear, a pangolin, a hornbill, a dugong, and a dream-walking tapir. It's about found family and real courage and the kind of friendships that make you believe in magic again.
It's about being different. Being scared. Being loved anyway.
For ages 9-12. For families. For anyone who ever needed to You belong somewhere. And someone is coming for you.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2026
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June 27, 2026
THIS IS A COMPLETELY AWESOME BOOK FILLED WITH THE PERFECT BLEND OF FICTION, MAGIC AND THE PLOT OF THE SERIES FIGHTING AND DEFEATING THE EVIL AND COORDINATING WITH EACH OTHER. IT WAS VERY NICE AND I LOVED READING THIS BOOK TO ITS EXTENT. IT WAS FANTASTIC.
Displaying 1 of 1 review