What do you think?
Rate this book
The Vault of Dreamers #3
The Keep of Ages
The Grisly Valley horror-themed amusement park has been deserted since the nearby nuclear meltdown made it a contamination zone. But Rosie Sinclair is headed to Grisly anyway, following an elusive trail to rescue her kidnapped family. As she crosses the country, she dreads that Dean Berg is holding her family hostage and once again manipulating her every move to increase her fear, priming her for a final, lethal dream-mining procedure.
As she struggles to outmaneuver Berg, Rosie can’t ignore the growing restlessness in the back of her own mind. The turmoil she feels is more than worry over Burnham’s unnerving generosity, the camera in Linus’s eye, or Thea’s fragile health. Faced with unspeakable suffering and otherworldly beauty, Rosie must discover how to trust her mind, her friends, and reality itself.
As she struggles to outmaneuver Berg, Rosie can’t ignore the growing restlessness in the back of her own mind. The turmoil she feels is more than worry over Burnham’s unnerving generosity, the camera in Linus’s eye, or Thea’s fragile health. Faced with unspeakable suffering and otherworldly beauty, Rosie must discover how to trust her mind, her friends, and reality itself.
385 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2017
57 people are currently reading
2845 people want to read
About the author
Caragh M. O'Brien
20 books2,209 followersCaragh M. O'Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS series, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien earned her BA from Williams College and her MA from Johns Hopkins University. Once a high school English teacher, she resigned to write young adult novels. For more information, visit http://www.caraghobrien.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
April 16, 2018
well, i guess i feel accomplished? this was an easy read in the sense that i was able to finish it in nearly one sitting, but the book itself was a little disjointed. there was just so much faffing about going on. honestly, everything necessary could have been condensed down to 10 pages. not a very solid ending to a series, in my opinion, but im glad i saw it through.
3 stars
3 stars
Read
October 10, 2017I'm so happy to have a cover!
August 30, 2017
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
The Keep of Ages by Caragh O'Brien
Book Three of The Vault of Dreamers series
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
In the fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion to Caragh M. O'Brien's Vault of Dreamers trilogy, Rosie travels to a derelict theme park to shut down dream mining once and for all.
Driven by fear when Dean Berg kidnaps her family, Rosie Sinclair strikes out across the country to rescue them. When an elusive trail leads her to Grisly Valley, the contaminated ruin of a horror theme park, Rosie has to consider that Berg may once again be manipulating her every move to make her fearful, priming her for a final, lethal dream mining procedure. As Rosie struggles to outmaneuver Berg, she unearths the ultimate vault of dreamers and the hint of a consciousness more powerful and dangerous than any she's imagined before. Faced with unspeakable suffering and otherworldly beauty, Rosie must discover how to trust her mind, her friends, and reality itself.
Propulsive and deeply speculative, The Keep of Ages concludes the Vault of Dreamers trilogy with stirring possibilities for what it means to be alive.
What I Liked:
This trilogy is hands-down one of the most bizarre and interesting series I've ever read. It's a futuristic science fiction thriller trilogy with an odd premise that people will either love or hate. I didn't love The Vault of Dreamers, but I really enjoyed The Rule of Mirrors and The Keep of Ages. This conclusion novel was intense, exciting, and nail-biting, and I couldn't get enough.
I will try not to spoil anything from this novel, but there will probably be plenty of spoilers from the first two books. Unavoidable, unfortunately!
Rosie is on the run, trying to go home to find her family before Sandy Berg does. But Berg finds them first, and kidnaps them. Rosie has no one and no idea where to look. Lucky clues lead her to Grisly Valley Theme Park, and old amusement park that was closed years ago. At Grisly, Rosie finds her sister - in a hidden vault of dreamers. Rescuing Dubbs comes with consequences, and Rosie must find her parents. It is up to her to find her parents, take down Berg, and free her consciousness from a strange voice in her head.
From the start, this book was filled with nonstop action. Rosie is on the run constantly, never stopping once she realizes that her family has been kidnapped by Berg. This book never had a dull moment. The abandoned theme park setting was very creepy and definitely a good setting for the vault of dreamers. I got chills, when Rosie first went into Grisly! So creepy.
The dream mining concept of the series is very much a large part of this book's plot, even if Rosie and Berg barely communicate. Rosie is terrified that her family is being mined. She herself gets caught in the vault and gets mined. The dream mining is creepy and takes on a very strange aspect in this story, about which I won't say too much.
Rosie is an easy character to follow and like. She is impulsive and quick to take action, so it's no surprise that she leaps into a trap, trying to get to her family. Sometimes Rosie's decision-making made me roll my eyes, because she is so impulsive and doesn't always think things through. But it's one of her better qualities too - she doesn't think, she just does. She stops at nothing to get her family back, which is very admirable.
I'm so glad Linus plays a big role in this book. He is present from about a third of the book and onward. I adore Linus - he is so sweet and very smart. Burnham was also part of this story but not in a love-triangle-y type of way. Lavinia, a new character, is critical to the story. She is the mentor archetype, and I liked her a lot.
In terms of the romance, Linus and Rosie are cute together. At first they are a bit tentative, because Rosie is worried about the camera that was in Linus's eye (installed without his permission). But that is taken care of by the time she sees him next, and they hash things out. I like them together. Linus is so sweet and calm, compared to Rosie who is jumpy and impulsive. In many ways, Linus is too good for her. But I like them together. There were a few short, swoon-worthy scenes between them.
The main conflict of the book is finding Ma and Larry (Rosie's mother and stepfather), and being free of Berg. I won't spoil anything about the climax and the ending but let's just say that this book has a surprising plot to it, and the ending involves aspects that you wouldn't see coming. The ending is really good and most characters get a nice ending. I liked the ending.
Overall, I liked the book It was an excellent conclusion and a good read.
What I Did Not Like:
Honestly I thought Burnham was a waste of space and he didn't even need to be present in this story. He is one of those secondary characters who is more annoying than anything else.
I also kind of wanted an epilogue! Like, six months from the end of this book. Readers of this book will now why I specified that time frame.
These are little things that didn't really detract from the story as a whole though!
Would I Recommend It:
I highly recommend the series in general if you're looking for futuristic science fiction to read! The series has a slow start, and it's definitely creepy and strange at times. Mining dreams is done without consent so there is that. But I was intrigued and fascinated by this series. This conclusion novel is definitely worth the read if you've read the previous book(s)!
Rating:
4 stars. I am so glad I stuck it out, with this series! It's a strange, interesting series that makes you want to look over your shoulder and check for cameras everywhere. I'm curious about what O'Brien will write about next!
The Keep of Ages by Caragh O'Brien
Book Three of The Vault of Dreamers series
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
In the fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion to Caragh M. O'Brien's Vault of Dreamers trilogy, Rosie travels to a derelict theme park to shut down dream mining once and for all.
Driven by fear when Dean Berg kidnaps her family, Rosie Sinclair strikes out across the country to rescue them. When an elusive trail leads her to Grisly Valley, the contaminated ruin of a horror theme park, Rosie has to consider that Berg may once again be manipulating her every move to make her fearful, priming her for a final, lethal dream mining procedure. As Rosie struggles to outmaneuver Berg, she unearths the ultimate vault of dreamers and the hint of a consciousness more powerful and dangerous than any she's imagined before. Faced with unspeakable suffering and otherworldly beauty, Rosie must discover how to trust her mind, her friends, and reality itself.
Propulsive and deeply speculative, The Keep of Ages concludes the Vault of Dreamers trilogy with stirring possibilities for what it means to be alive.
What I Liked:
This trilogy is hands-down one of the most bizarre and interesting series I've ever read. It's a futuristic science fiction thriller trilogy with an odd premise that people will either love or hate. I didn't love The Vault of Dreamers, but I really enjoyed The Rule of Mirrors and The Keep of Ages. This conclusion novel was intense, exciting, and nail-biting, and I couldn't get enough.
I will try not to spoil anything from this novel, but there will probably be plenty of spoilers from the first two books. Unavoidable, unfortunately!
Rosie is on the run, trying to go home to find her family before Sandy Berg does. But Berg finds them first, and kidnaps them. Rosie has no one and no idea where to look. Lucky clues lead her to Grisly Valley Theme Park, and old amusement park that was closed years ago. At Grisly, Rosie finds her sister - in a hidden vault of dreamers. Rescuing Dubbs comes with consequences, and Rosie must find her parents. It is up to her to find her parents, take down Berg, and free her consciousness from a strange voice in her head.
From the start, this book was filled with nonstop action. Rosie is on the run constantly, never stopping once she realizes that her family has been kidnapped by Berg. This book never had a dull moment. The abandoned theme park setting was very creepy and definitely a good setting for the vault of dreamers. I got chills, when Rosie first went into Grisly! So creepy.
The dream mining concept of the series is very much a large part of this book's plot, even if Rosie and Berg barely communicate. Rosie is terrified that her family is being mined. She herself gets caught in the vault and gets mined. The dream mining is creepy and takes on a very strange aspect in this story, about which I won't say too much.
Rosie is an easy character to follow and like. She is impulsive and quick to take action, so it's no surprise that she leaps into a trap, trying to get to her family. Sometimes Rosie's decision-making made me roll my eyes, because she is so impulsive and doesn't always think things through. But it's one of her better qualities too - she doesn't think, she just does. She stops at nothing to get her family back, which is very admirable.
I'm so glad Linus plays a big role in this book. He is present from about a third of the book and onward. I adore Linus - he is so sweet and very smart. Burnham was also part of this story but not in a love-triangle-y type of way. Lavinia, a new character, is critical to the story. She is the mentor archetype, and I liked her a lot.
In terms of the romance, Linus and Rosie are cute together. At first they are a bit tentative, because Rosie is worried about the camera that was in Linus's eye (installed without his permission). But that is taken care of by the time she sees him next, and they hash things out. I like them together. Linus is so sweet and calm, compared to Rosie who is jumpy and impulsive. In many ways, Linus is too good for her. But I like them together. There were a few short, swoon-worthy scenes between them.
The main conflict of the book is finding Ma and Larry (Rosie's mother and stepfather), and being free of Berg. I won't spoil anything about the climax and the ending but let's just say that this book has a surprising plot to it, and the ending involves aspects that you wouldn't see coming. The ending is really good and most characters get a nice ending. I liked the ending.
Overall, I liked the book It was an excellent conclusion and a good read.
What I Did Not Like:
Honestly I thought Burnham was a waste of space and he didn't even need to be present in this story. He is one of those secondary characters who is more annoying than anything else.
I also kind of wanted an epilogue! Like, six months from the end of this book. Readers of this book will now why I specified that time frame.
These are little things that didn't really detract from the story as a whole though!
Would I Recommend It:
I highly recommend the series in general if you're looking for futuristic science fiction to read! The series has a slow start, and it's definitely creepy and strange at times. Mining dreams is done without consent so there is that. But I was intrigued and fascinated by this series. This conclusion novel is definitely worth the read if you've read the previous book(s)!
Rating:
4 stars. I am so glad I stuck it out, with this series! It's a strange, interesting series that makes you want to look over your shoulder and check for cameras everywhere. I'm curious about what O'Brien will write about next!
February 15, 2018
I had a love, hate relationship with this series from the start. I love the plot and premise but I find Rosie to be annoying. She is a bit unlikeable and also whiny. However, the plot and premise of the trilogy really helps the reader to continue on past her. This is the final book of the trilogy based on dream mining and adds a couple really intriguing characters that end up playing a good size role in get the finale underway. However, I found the ending “surgery” to be very unbelievable. Are we meant to believe she knew what she was doing out of sheer will? I did not like that part but overall it was a decent conclusion to the trilogy.
My quick and simple overall: good but not as great as I hope for but was still an entertaining trilogy.
My quick and simple overall: good but not as great as I hope for but was still an entertaining trilogy.
August 14, 2017
full review to come
August 20, 2017
The Keep of Ages is the third, and final, installment of The Vault of Dreamers series by Caragh M. O’Brien and if you haven’t read any books in this series, you may want to check out my earlier reviews and then of course, go dive into book one so you can see why I enjoyed this series so much. With that said, I will try to avoid spoilers for this third book but can’t promise for books one and two so now you are warned.
As this book picks up, we are back with Rosie who has headed home to find that her mom, Larry, and Dubbs are gone and Rosie has no idea where they are – the only clue being a note that Dubbs left her to point her in the right direction. Rosie is still being hunted by Berg and this makes things dangerous. She has to be careful and knows she has very few people she can trust so as she heads out, she makes the decision to reach out to Burnham to ask for help.
We get a lot of the same characters in this book as we had in the previous books. Burnham, Thea, Berg, and Linus but we also get introduced to Lavinia Jacobs, the person who started The Forge Show and the person who is able to help Rosie get her family back. All of these characters have an impact on Rosie and help to keep the story on track. Thea is probably the most disconnected based on the fact that she is back home with her parents but through phone calls, we see that she is still very much linked to Rosie and even has some critical information for her.
Both Linus and Burnham have challenges they have to overcome due to Berg’s plans for Rosie but both are willing to do whatever they need to in order to help her stay out of Berg’s control and save her family. Of course, I have always been a fan of Linus and despite how the last book ended, was optimistic about the relationship between him and Rosie…I had concerns, no question but as we find out early on in this book, Linus is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to be there for Rosie and I love that about him.
As the story progresses, Rosie finds herself in some challenging situations and I have to say, Grisly Valley is a thing of nightmares – trust me, the name is appropriate. When Rosie is once again back under the control of Berg and his people, she realizes that she has to figure out how she is going to get herself (and Dubbs) out of their prison and I loved the twist here. It was slightly unexpected and ultimately added a little something to the rest of the story.
There is a science fiction feel to this series in that O’Brien builds the story around this idea that scientists can go digging around in someone’s brain and mine memories or cameras can be installed into someone’s eye…without them knowing about it. All of which makes me cringe and wonder what would a world like this really be like for people…especially with people like Berg in power.
There isn’t much more I can say without giving anything away with this one. In the end, I thought O’Brien did a great job of closing out this series. I have a bad tendency to put off reading final books in a series because I either don’t want it to end or I am worried I won’t be happy with what happens. With that said, I knew that this was one I needed to read because I needed to find out what was going to happen. Things definitely weren’t easy for Rosie but I thought the closure left things in a good place for her and all of the other characters.
Although I am sad to see the end of this series, I am happy I was able to finish it out and now I look forward to whatever Caragh O’Brien decides to write next because this series just solidified how much I enjoy her books. They always have interesting and well-developed characters, a page-turning story, and of course, keep me engaged until the very end just wondering what is going to happen next. I can’t ask for more than that and if those are things you typically look for too, consider checking this book/series out.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
As this book picks up, we are back with Rosie who has headed home to find that her mom, Larry, and Dubbs are gone and Rosie has no idea where they are – the only clue being a note that Dubbs left her to point her in the right direction. Rosie is still being hunted by Berg and this makes things dangerous. She has to be careful and knows she has very few people she can trust so as she heads out, she makes the decision to reach out to Burnham to ask for help.
We get a lot of the same characters in this book as we had in the previous books. Burnham, Thea, Berg, and Linus but we also get introduced to Lavinia Jacobs, the person who started The Forge Show and the person who is able to help Rosie get her family back. All of these characters have an impact on Rosie and help to keep the story on track. Thea is probably the most disconnected based on the fact that she is back home with her parents but through phone calls, we see that she is still very much linked to Rosie and even has some critical information for her.
Both Linus and Burnham have challenges they have to overcome due to Berg’s plans for Rosie but both are willing to do whatever they need to in order to help her stay out of Berg’s control and save her family. Of course, I have always been a fan of Linus and despite how the last book ended, was optimistic about the relationship between him and Rosie…I had concerns, no question but as we find out early on in this book, Linus is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to be there for Rosie and I love that about him.
As the story progresses, Rosie finds herself in some challenging situations and I have to say, Grisly Valley is a thing of nightmares – trust me, the name is appropriate. When Rosie is once again back under the control of Berg and his people, she realizes that she has to figure out how she is going to get herself (and Dubbs) out of their prison and I loved the twist here. It was slightly unexpected and ultimately added a little something to the rest of the story.
There is a science fiction feel to this series in that O’Brien builds the story around this idea that scientists can go digging around in someone’s brain and mine memories or cameras can be installed into someone’s eye…without them knowing about it. All of which makes me cringe and wonder what would a world like this really be like for people…especially with people like Berg in power.
There isn’t much more I can say without giving anything away with this one. In the end, I thought O’Brien did a great job of closing out this series. I have a bad tendency to put off reading final books in a series because I either don’t want it to end or I am worried I won’t be happy with what happens. With that said, I knew that this was one I needed to read because I needed to find out what was going to happen. Things definitely weren’t easy for Rosie but I thought the closure left things in a good place for her and all of the other characters.
Although I am sad to see the end of this series, I am happy I was able to finish it out and now I look forward to whatever Caragh O’Brien decides to write next because this series just solidified how much I enjoy her books. They always have interesting and well-developed characters, a page-turning story, and of course, keep me engaged until the very end just wondering what is going to happen next. I can’t ask for more than that and if those are things you typically look for too, consider checking this book/series out.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
August 15, 2017
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
The Keep of Ages is the third and final installment in author Carah M. O'Brien's The Vault of Dreamers trilogy. As the story picks up, Rosie Sinclair returns home for the first time in 6 months to find her family missing. Rosie knows that her fight against Dean Berg won't truly end until she can find a way to stop him once and for all. Even if that means traveling to the ends of the world. Rosie wanted to expose Berg's manipulation of dreamers but was caught and spent time stuck in what's been called a vault of dreamers. For months, she was kept asleep while having her dreams mined.
*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Genre* Young Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
The Keep of Ages is the third and final installment in author Carah M. O'Brien's The Vault of Dreamers trilogy. As the story picks up, Rosie Sinclair returns home for the first time in 6 months to find her family missing. Rosie knows that her fight against Dean Berg won't truly end until she can find a way to stop him once and for all. Even if that means traveling to the ends of the world. Rosie wanted to expose Berg's manipulation of dreamers but was caught and spent time stuck in what's been called a vault of dreamers. For months, she was kept asleep while having her dreams mined.
*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
February 25, 2018
You know in the horror movies that one annoying girl you want to shake and slap because they are doing EVERYTHING wrong. they are doing all the things to get them caught? Yeah that is how Rosie is. she is annoying walks right into the situations to get her caught and runs from the things or people that will help . disappointed in this 3rd book in the series.
October 11, 2018
Everything I found offensive in book 2 and more.
August 21, 2017
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
3.5*
I liked The Vault of Dreamers , loved The Rule of Mirrors , and quite enjoyed The Keep of Ages . In all, it was a strong series that I'm glad to have read. I still feel like the second book was the strongest in the series, but I liked the way this one wrapped up the series.
The tone for this book was quite dark, both atmospherically and psychologically, and it worked out very well. I think that the stakes were adequately high for a final novel in a series, and I appreciated that. The author did a fabulous job of making the settings come to life and feel authentically eerie. While most of the characters, especially Rosie, were fleshed out very well, there were a few I'd have liked to see a bit more of, but that was a minor issue.
My one gripe with this series is that the technology seemed all over the place. One minute there was dream mining, and the next people were talking on tablets and Facebook. I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but I highly doubt our grandkids will be using Facebook 60 years from now. Call me a skeptic. I also wasn't wholly convinced of some of the things toward the end of the book, it seemed a bit farfetched. (Sorry, vagueness required!) But while I may have not believed the steps it took to get there, I did enjoy the end of the story itself.
Bottom Line: While the end of the series wasn't a complete home run, it definitely provided a satisfying conclusion and plenty of action and atmosphere!
Copy provided for review
3.5*
I liked The Vault of Dreamers , loved The Rule of Mirrors , and quite enjoyed The Keep of Ages . In all, it was a strong series that I'm glad to have read. I still feel like the second book was the strongest in the series, but I liked the way this one wrapped up the series.
The tone for this book was quite dark, both atmospherically and psychologically, and it worked out very well. I think that the stakes were adequately high for a final novel in a series, and I appreciated that. The author did a fabulous job of making the settings come to life and feel authentically eerie. While most of the characters, especially Rosie, were fleshed out very well, there were a few I'd have liked to see a bit more of, but that was a minor issue.
My one gripe with this series is that the technology seemed all over the place. One minute there was dream mining, and the next people were talking on tablets and Facebook. I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but I highly doubt our grandkids will be using Facebook 60 years from now. Call me a skeptic. I also wasn't wholly convinced of some of the things toward the end of the book, it seemed a bit farfetched. (Sorry, vagueness required!) But while I may have not believed the steps it took to get there, I did enjoy the end of the story itself.
Bottom Line: While the end of the series wasn't a complete home run, it definitely provided a satisfying conclusion and plenty of action and atmosphere!
Copy provided for review
August 30, 2021
I skimmed this whole book. The other books weren’t nearly so boring… just weird. The worst part about this is I have so many great memories of reading the last two books.
Some feelings of note:
--I don’t like Rosie’s family
--I don’t care about Thea
--The book had no Tom (the best part of the last book)
--Burnham deserved better
--
Fingers crossed the next series finale I read is actually enjoyable.
Some feelings of note:
--I don’t like Rosie’s family
--I don’t care about Thea
--The book had no Tom (the best part of the last book)
--Burnham deserved better
--
Fingers crossed the next series finale I read is actually enjoyable.
November 8, 2017
Rating: 4.3 stars
Wow. I have to say, plot-wise, this trilogy was amazing. I've never read anything quite like it and had a lot of fun reading it. But, it could've been a whole lot better with a more mature MC and no romance. Then I might have considered rating it a lot higher.
Wow. I have to say, plot-wise, this trilogy was amazing. I've never read anything quite like it and had a lot of fun reading it. But, it could've been a whole lot better with a more mature MC and no romance. Then I might have considered rating it a lot higher.
January 7, 2018
The book caused me more stress than I was expecting. I'm not sure I've ever been that stressed... or scared.
I LOVE Rosie so much! She's one of my favorite characters ever. I feel like every time I had a thought about something she would say it.
There's still unanswered questions so I wish the series wouldn't have ended. I hope she writes something more in this universe even if it isn't exactly about Rosie.
Well, I've got to go start reading the series again!
I LOVE Rosie so much! She's one of my favorite characters ever. I feel like every time I had a thought about something she would say it.
There's still unanswered questions so I wish the series wouldn't have ended. I hope she writes something more in this universe even if it isn't exactly about Rosie.
Well, I've got to go start reading the series again!
June 2, 2017
The Keep of Ages is the third book in this series, and it was just as engrossing as the first two. Rosie is determined to bring down Sandy Berg, but she's thwarted by him at every turn. As we learned in the second book, he is able to spy on her seemingly everywhere. Now her parents and sister are missing, presumed by Rosie to have been taken by Berg, but where? How will Rosie find her parents and Dubbs, and stop Berg, short of murder?
This book is a satisfying conclusion to the Vault of Dreamers series.
This book is a satisfying conclusion to the Vault of Dreamers series.
October 26, 2017
Caragh M. O’Brien brings an exciting conclusion to The Vault of Dreamers trilogy with The Keep of Ages! Things in this one were pretty intense with danger looming around every corner! It was a pretty fast paced read that I was eager to see through to its end!
Rosie is off to find her family before Berg can get to them, but she’s quick to learn that Ian is also on her trail. Though she soon learns that Berg is, once again, one step ahead of her. Her family has been taken and being hidden somewhere in an abandoned amusement park. Rosie will have to trust the help of a newcomer who is very acquainted with the Forge school and even the park where her family is being kept.
There’s just something about being in an abandoned amusement park that terrifies me and also sends a thrill through me! It’s not quite Scooby Doo standards, but close, as that amusement park was just closed at the time if I do recall! Lol! And there’s even a bit of horror movie style at play here because this is where the enemy lies in wait and where he has a secret laboratory.
What I feel is the most terrifying is that Berg is still Rosie’s legal guardian and he basically wants to kill her in a very twisted sense. I still don’t understand how he became to be her guardian, through the recaps of sorts, I know her parents somehow willingly allowed it to be so, but I think things might be somewhat twisted in that matter. But still, the mad scientist who wants to insert his mind into your body and boot your mind out is your legal guardian! That’s all sorts of nuts! And to think his employees are totally fine with what he does because SCIENCE! Makes no sense at all to me.
There was definitely a lot of tension in this one! Danger lurks around every corner, as I said! And things just get so intense in this! Running from the bag guy, running back to the bad guy, getting caught, escaping, around and around we go! It’s crazy! But a good kind of crazy.
I’ll admit, even after finishing this one, I still don’t quite understand some of the things that were happening. Science was hard enough, but to make it more neurological science and you really have me confused! Mining dreams, using dreams to put into other people’s minds, other personalities taking over said minds…it’s freaking mind boggling! I felt like when I was reading I was able to have a loose grasp of what was trying to be accomplished but turning around and trying to explain that to someone else leaves me flabbergasted! It’s definitely one of those kinds of reads; one you can enjoy for the most part but can’t put into words what’s going on to outsiders.
I was floored when we saw Ian again! He was kind of a creepy villain because he was a little obsessed with Rosie. But other than his initial appearance, he wasn’t in the story that much. I kind of expected for Rosie to be trying to outrun him for the most part, but it was not meant to be. I just thought it would’ve provided good conflict for Rosie, but Caragh had other conflict encounters for Rosie to deal with instead.
In this one we also get to have Burnham and Linus back in action to help Rosie rescue her family. I guess my initial theory that there was no true love triangle was somewhat accurate. While there isn’t a heavy play on romance in this one, you’re given enough clues as to who Rosie is going to be with. There’s no conflicting decision to be made anymore, or if there ever was a time. Oddly enough, I was okay with this. Though I will also admit I wouldn’t have said no to just a little bit more kissing! LOL!
The ending to this one felt a little bit abrupt in some sense. And I’m still not 100% sure I understood how it all happened. The conflict was resolved, but then there was still several pages left that presented a new problem for Rosie and her friends. But in the very end, I was pleased with how things ended. Sure I might wonder what happened in this sense or that sense (vagueness to avoid spoilers of course) but nothing that left me overly upset about the lack of answers. And really, it was more of “What will happen next with Character X?” sort of thing. All in all, a pretty decent read, if it was a little lighter on the science portions I might have enjoyed it just a little more, but still I don’t regret reading it at all! It set forth an exciting and suspenseful pace and I found myself most eager to see what the outcome would be!
Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars
Rosie is off to find her family before Berg can get to them, but she’s quick to learn that Ian is also on her trail. Though she soon learns that Berg is, once again, one step ahead of her. Her family has been taken and being hidden somewhere in an abandoned amusement park. Rosie will have to trust the help of a newcomer who is very acquainted with the Forge school and even the park where her family is being kept.
There’s just something about being in an abandoned amusement park that terrifies me and also sends a thrill through me! It’s not quite Scooby Doo standards, but close, as that amusement park was just closed at the time if I do recall! Lol! And there’s even a bit of horror movie style at play here because this is where the enemy lies in wait and where he has a secret laboratory.
What I feel is the most terrifying is that Berg is still Rosie’s legal guardian and he basically wants to kill her in a very twisted sense. I still don’t understand how he became to be her guardian, through the recaps of sorts, I know her parents somehow willingly allowed it to be so, but I think things might be somewhat twisted in that matter. But still, the mad scientist who wants to insert his mind into your body and boot your mind out is your legal guardian! That’s all sorts of nuts! And to think his employees are totally fine with what he does because SCIENCE! Makes no sense at all to me.
There was definitely a lot of tension in this one! Danger lurks around every corner, as I said! And things just get so intense in this! Running from the bag guy, running back to the bad guy, getting caught, escaping, around and around we go! It’s crazy! But a good kind of crazy.
I’ll admit, even after finishing this one, I still don’t quite understand some of the things that were happening. Science was hard enough, but to make it more neurological science and you really have me confused! Mining dreams, using dreams to put into other people’s minds, other personalities taking over said minds…it’s freaking mind boggling! I felt like when I was reading I was able to have a loose grasp of what was trying to be accomplished but turning around and trying to explain that to someone else leaves me flabbergasted! It’s definitely one of those kinds of reads; one you can enjoy for the most part but can’t put into words what’s going on to outsiders.
I was floored when we saw Ian again! He was kind of a creepy villain because he was a little obsessed with Rosie. But other than his initial appearance, he wasn’t in the story that much. I kind of expected for Rosie to be trying to outrun him for the most part, but it was not meant to be. I just thought it would’ve provided good conflict for Rosie, but Caragh had other conflict encounters for Rosie to deal with instead.
In this one we also get to have Burnham and Linus back in action to help Rosie rescue her family. I guess my initial theory that there was no true love triangle was somewhat accurate. While there isn’t a heavy play on romance in this one, you’re given enough clues as to who Rosie is going to be with. There’s no conflicting decision to be made anymore, or if there ever was a time. Oddly enough, I was okay with this. Though I will also admit I wouldn’t have said no to just a little bit more kissing! LOL!
The ending to this one felt a little bit abrupt in some sense. And I’m still not 100% sure I understood how it all happened. The conflict was resolved, but then there was still several pages left that presented a new problem for Rosie and her friends. But in the very end, I was pleased with how things ended. Sure I might wonder what happened in this sense or that sense (vagueness to avoid spoilers of course) but nothing that left me overly upset about the lack of answers. And really, it was more of “What will happen next with Character X?” sort of thing. All in all, a pretty decent read, if it was a little lighter on the science portions I might have enjoyed it just a little more, but still I don’t regret reading it at all! It set forth an exciting and suspenseful pace and I found myself most eager to see what the outcome would be!
Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars
July 10, 2020
How I Came to Read This Book: I reallllly liked The Vault of Dreamers but the series definitely went downhill from there...
The Plot: So at this point, Rosie had the chance to kill Berg but she didn't. So naturally, Berg stole her family away, right as Rosie (finally) went back to see them in Doli. She gets a random lead from her little sister Dubbs as to their whereabouts, which leads her to Lavinia, the former head of The Forge School, who fills her in that her family might just be kept at Grisly, an abandoned horror theme park that's inside of a nuclear meltdown zone. Rosie decides to face her fears of getting taken in by Berg and mined again in hopes of rescuing her family and breaking away from Berg once and for all.
The Good & The Bad: Sigh. I feel like this series really WAS Hunger Games adjacent in terms of having a killer concept for a single book, that quickly fell apart as she was asked to turn it into a series. While the second book managed to hold my interest, I became skeptical as to where the story could go from here, and sure enough, the last book was pretty...ho hum.
What I liked about the first book was the ambiguity of everything; Rosie was often left questioning what was real and what was in her head (and as we discovered, sometimes what was 'real' was actually planted in her head). But here, everything is very linear. The bad guys are bad, truly and unequivocally. The good guys are good (there was a big opportunity to make Lavinia ambiguous but nope...). Rosie is always right, but also really dumb; in the last book, her 'escapes' are riveting and thrilling, here they're unbelievable. The book fails to give us credible reasons for her to not involve the authorities at this point, and Burnham and Linus conveniently appear to save the day at really unrealistic times. You know Rosie is going to succeed ultimately, but the way she does (with the introduction of the AI-like 'Arself' other voice that enters Rosie's mind) is pretty anticlimactic and again, stupidly conveniently stacked in Rosie's favor. Oh and then there's a big reveal toward the end in terms of the dreamers and The Forge school and Arself that Rosie is stunned by, but then never really talks about again.
And then there's Thea, who was literally half of the second book and then relegated to a couple of phone calls this book until deep into it, when one last drama inserts itself and honestly I just didn't really GAF at that point. The story just lacked any emotional depth this time around; when Rosie feels 'awful' about things (whether it's her fractured relationship with Burnham, the outcome of her family's stay at Grisly, or about lying to her friends about her Arself-enabled visions) it just doesn't hit. Plus Grisly as a setting seems awfully...convenient...but also pointless, other than for creating some chaos toward the end when Rosie really questions what's real and what's not.
Do I have any easy idea how to have concluded this more interestingly? I mean, there were opportunities to do things like not have Berg be so purely evil and perhaps create a scenario where Rosie had to or wanted to work with him against some bigger foe. The Forge setting at the beginning was thoroughly the most intriguing / intense part of the series and it would have been nice to keep the action there as opposed to two books outside of The Forge (for the most part). But I also imagine spending three books of cat and mouse and Rosie dodging what the school wanted from her would have gotten tiresome; there would have been an element of Catching Fire if say, they let her go from her medically-induced coma to 'play her part' on the show (or perhaps brainwashed her). I don't know. We'll always have the crazy first book at least...
The Bottom Line: An infuriatingly bland finale to a series that never lived up to its potential.
Anything Memorable?: No.
2020 Book Challenge?: Book #32
The Plot: So at this point, Rosie had the chance to kill Berg but she didn't. So naturally, Berg stole her family away, right as Rosie (finally) went back to see them in Doli. She gets a random lead from her little sister Dubbs as to their whereabouts, which leads her to Lavinia, the former head of The Forge School, who fills her in that her family might just be kept at Grisly, an abandoned horror theme park that's inside of a nuclear meltdown zone. Rosie decides to face her fears of getting taken in by Berg and mined again in hopes of rescuing her family and breaking away from Berg once and for all.
The Good & The Bad: Sigh. I feel like this series really WAS Hunger Games adjacent in terms of having a killer concept for a single book, that quickly fell apart as she was asked to turn it into a series. While the second book managed to hold my interest, I became skeptical as to where the story could go from here, and sure enough, the last book was pretty...ho hum.
What I liked about the first book was the ambiguity of everything; Rosie was often left questioning what was real and what was in her head (and as we discovered, sometimes what was 'real' was actually planted in her head). But here, everything is very linear. The bad guys are bad, truly and unequivocally. The good guys are good (there was a big opportunity to make Lavinia ambiguous but nope...). Rosie is always right, but also really dumb; in the last book, her 'escapes' are riveting and thrilling, here they're unbelievable. The book fails to give us credible reasons for her to not involve the authorities at this point, and Burnham and Linus conveniently appear to save the day at really unrealistic times. You know Rosie is going to succeed ultimately, but the way she does (with the introduction of the AI-like 'Arself' other voice that enters Rosie's mind) is pretty anticlimactic and again, stupidly conveniently stacked in Rosie's favor. Oh and then there's a big reveal toward the end in terms of the dreamers and The Forge school and Arself that Rosie is stunned by, but then never really talks about again.
And then there's Thea, who was literally half of the second book and then relegated to a couple of phone calls this book until deep into it, when one last drama inserts itself and honestly I just didn't really GAF at that point. The story just lacked any emotional depth this time around; when Rosie feels 'awful' about things (whether it's her fractured relationship with Burnham, the outcome of her family's stay at Grisly, or about lying to her friends about her Arself-enabled visions) it just doesn't hit. Plus Grisly as a setting seems awfully...convenient...but also pointless, other than for creating some chaos toward the end when Rosie really questions what's real and what's not.
Do I have any easy idea how to have concluded this more interestingly? I mean, there were opportunities to do things like not have Berg be so purely evil and perhaps create a scenario where Rosie had to or wanted to work with him against some bigger foe. The Forge setting at the beginning was thoroughly the most intriguing / intense part of the series and it would have been nice to keep the action there as opposed to two books outside of The Forge (for the most part). But I also imagine spending three books of cat and mouse and Rosie dodging what the school wanted from her would have gotten tiresome; there would have been an element of Catching Fire if say, they let her go from her medically-induced coma to 'play her part' on the show (or perhaps brainwashed her). I don't know. We'll always have the crazy first book at least...
The Bottom Line: An infuriatingly bland finale to a series that never lived up to its potential.
Anything Memorable?: No.
2020 Book Challenge?: Book #32
Read
April 11, 2022DNF @40% audiobook version.
Longer RTC, probably with spoilers for all three books in this series.
Short review: I do not recommend wasting time with these.
Longer RTC, probably with spoilers for all three books in this series.
Short review: I do not recommend wasting time with these.
August 28, 2017
MY FEELS!! Oh my feels! This was one roller coaster of a ride and I admit that I'm sorry Rosie's story is over. This was an amazing finish to a wonderful trilogy. I cannot wait to read what Caragh writes out next!
Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
I have been waiting on pins and needles for the third and final installment in The Vault of Dreamers trilogy. It was a heck of a wait and I was not patient about it. Just as I expected, O’Brien knocked it out of the park.
Short recap: Rosie Sinclair is still running and fighting for her life against Dean Berg, who wants to mine her for her dreams. Dean Berg has upped the stakes by involving Rosie’s family and those she loves the most. Will Rosie finally be able to expose Dean Berg for the horrors he has put her through and the rest of the kids in the Vault of Dreamers?
This was such a wild ride that I devoured the book in no time. Rosie’s character was brilliant, as always. She was constantly growing, developing, and surviving. I found myself wishing I could be as resourceful and brave as her. She went through some pretty extreme circumstances to save those she loved, even if it mean hurting herself. She was not alone, she had her dear friends Linus and Burnham. The romance was still there between Rosie and Linus, and still awkward around Burnham. The new character introduced was Lavinia Jacobs. She was a strange bird, I’ll admit, but she fit perfect into the story. She knew Dean Berg before he became the current evil person everyone is trying to run from. She worked at the Forge School before Berg so she knew what the school was supposed to be, not what it currently was.
The world building O’Brien put into The Keep of Ages was amazing! I felt like I was on the cliffs next to the beach and in the amusement park watching that fantastic dragon. I really loved the setting so much as it made the story feel realistic and believable. This was such a quick paced, action packed, non-stop story that it was over before I knew it. I found myself sad to say goodbye to Rosie and her friends. I really enjoyed watching Rosie’s character really grow and develop over the course of the trilogy. I know, that sounds crazy but when you enjoy a series as much as I enjoyed this one, you’ll know what I mean. I felt connected to Rosie because I was with her for her journey.
I am trying so hard not to give away any spoilers in this review so forgive me for being so vague. Just know this – this book was everything I was hoping it would be. O’Brien did an outstanding job of wrapping up the series and giving us the ending we deserved. I hope you will give this a chance, you won’t be disappointed.
Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
I have been waiting on pins and needles for the third and final installment in The Vault of Dreamers trilogy. It was a heck of a wait and I was not patient about it. Just as I expected, O’Brien knocked it out of the park.
Short recap: Rosie Sinclair is still running and fighting for her life against Dean Berg, who wants to mine her for her dreams. Dean Berg has upped the stakes by involving Rosie’s family and those she loves the most. Will Rosie finally be able to expose Dean Berg for the horrors he has put her through and the rest of the kids in the Vault of Dreamers?
This was such a wild ride that I devoured the book in no time. Rosie’s character was brilliant, as always. She was constantly growing, developing, and surviving. I found myself wishing I could be as resourceful and brave as her. She went through some pretty extreme circumstances to save those she loved, even if it mean hurting herself. She was not alone, she had her dear friends Linus and Burnham. The romance was still there between Rosie and Linus, and still awkward around Burnham. The new character introduced was Lavinia Jacobs. She was a strange bird, I’ll admit, but she fit perfect into the story. She knew Dean Berg before he became the current evil person everyone is trying to run from. She worked at the Forge School before Berg so she knew what the school was supposed to be, not what it currently was.
The world building O’Brien put into The Keep of Ages was amazing! I felt like I was on the cliffs next to the beach and in the amusement park watching that fantastic dragon. I really loved the setting so much as it made the story feel realistic and believable. This was such a quick paced, action packed, non-stop story that it was over before I knew it. I found myself sad to say goodbye to Rosie and her friends. I really enjoyed watching Rosie’s character really grow and develop over the course of the trilogy. I know, that sounds crazy but when you enjoy a series as much as I enjoyed this one, you’ll know what I mean. I felt connected to Rosie because I was with her for her journey.
I am trying so hard not to give away any spoilers in this review so forgive me for being so vague. Just know this – this book was everything I was hoping it would be. O’Brien did an outstanding job of wrapping up the series and giving us the ending we deserved. I hope you will give this a chance, you won’t be disappointed.
December 6, 2020
This was the third and final book in the vault of dreamers trilogy and I was really looking forward to reading it. If you’ve seen my earlier reviews I was enjoying these books and anticipating reading this one but unfortunately, it was very disappointing for me. One problem was that it was very slow and there was barely any plot, the end could’ve been written in 50 pages but was stretched out to almost 400. Next, I was finally getting excited about getting to know the characters but most of their development was cut off or ignored. Most of the plot points that happened earlier in the book of the trilogy were completely forgotten and ignored so there was no closure. The villain backstory was horribly done and I was hoping to hear more about their story and a final showdown but the ending was a copout with no closure and one tiny unfinished plot point about their motive. I really dislike endings that are done and wrapped up with no closure or explanation for all of the other unanswered questions and this book did exactly that, it ignored half of the story had gone horribly executed final battle scene, and then jumped to a completely random plot point and was over. I also want to add I was really uncomfortable about some of the racial language used against the black main character in this book, they made it to seem that they were untrustworthy and romantically pushy when that was simply not true based on what happened in the last books and was brought up randomly this book just to end the love triangle that was happening. I don’t give out one star lightly at all but this book was the most disappointing endings I've read.
February 19, 2018
******CONTAINS SPOILERS******
DO NOT READ
The keep of ages is truly amazing. I've read the entire trilogy as it came out. This is the last installment sadly but it was so good all together. I was scared that Thea was good to die when she went into a coma. And the new characters like Areself and Leviana( I can't spell so dont judge) are very important to the end of the book. The chemistry between Linus and Rosie was good but I wanted a little bit more between them. When Burnham came it to the picture at first the tensions was strong.
In the beginning it starts slow and picks up quickly. The middle of book progresses a little slower than the start. However, the toward the end of the book is just pure heart racing thrill. Caragh M. O'Brien is an amazing writer. I love the The Vault of Dreamers trilogy and I haven't finished the birth marked trilogy but look forward to it.
This is great read and lifelong favorite. I really hope that there's another trilogy. Most definitely read.
5/5 stars
DO NOT READ
The keep of ages is truly amazing. I've read the entire trilogy as it came out. This is the last installment sadly but it was so good all together. I was scared that Thea was good to die when she went into a coma. And the new characters like Areself and Leviana( I can't spell so dont judge) are very important to the end of the book. The chemistry between Linus and Rosie was good but I wanted a little bit more between them. When Burnham came it to the picture at first the tensions was strong.
In the beginning it starts slow and picks up quickly. The middle of book progresses a little slower than the start. However, the toward the end of the book is just pure heart racing thrill. Caragh M. O'Brien is an amazing writer. I love the The Vault of Dreamers trilogy and I haven't finished the birth marked trilogy but look forward to it.
This is great read and lifelong favorite. I really hope that there's another trilogy. Most definitely read.
5/5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
I gave all three of these books a score of three stars. I'm waffling about that, because there was so much wrong with them that I could have rated them lower...but I'll stick with it because of the inventiveness. No matter what problems this author may have, she has an amazing imagination, that's for sure.
One other thing for which this arc of three books gets a dubious award: The protagonist, Rosie, is without a doubt the stupidest, most gullible girl on earth. Sweet, well-intentioned, a real tryer, but dumb? C'mon.
Also,
As I said on reviewing book #1, although I read the whole series, I can't imagine recommending it wholeheartedly to anyone, if I want to keep my credibility! Wildly, endlessly creative, but also tedious, convoluted, and totally not worth the suspension of disbelief. Those are some BIG leaps O'Brien is asking us to take. From the fairly positive ratings, apparently others are more willing than I was to go there.
One more question, one the book club kids all asked: This is supposed to be some famous ART school, and the messing with the dreams etc. is supposed to make all the artists exponentially more creative. So, why, in the midst of all of that inventive detailing of circumstances, secret tunnels, crazy theme parks, and yes, even the specific descriptions of clothing worn by each and every character, did we see NONE of the art?
Yeah, this is hovering between two and three, in danger of sliding downhill. I do have to say that it was entertaining, and you care about the characters in spite of yourself, but one more "Oops! I did the wrong thing, called the wrong person, went the wrong way and now Dean Berg has found me again," and I was going to throw my Kindle across the room!
One other thing for which this arc of three books gets a dubious award: The protagonist, Rosie, is without a doubt the stupidest, most gullible girl on earth. Sweet, well-intentioned, a real tryer, but dumb? C'mon.
Also,
As I said on reviewing book #1, although I read the whole series, I can't imagine recommending it wholeheartedly to anyone, if I want to keep my credibility! Wildly, endlessly creative, but also tedious, convoluted, and totally not worth the suspension of disbelief. Those are some BIG leaps O'Brien is asking us to take. From the fairly positive ratings, apparently others are more willing than I was to go there.
One more question, one the book club kids all asked: This is supposed to be some famous ART school, and the messing with the dreams etc. is supposed to make all the artists exponentially more creative. So, why, in the midst of all of that inventive detailing of circumstances, secret tunnels, crazy theme parks, and yes, even the specific descriptions of clothing worn by each and every character, did we see NONE of the art?
Yeah, this is hovering between two and three, in danger of sliding downhill. I do have to say that it was entertaining, and you care about the characters in spite of yourself, but one more "Oops! I did the wrong thing, called the wrong person, went the wrong way and now Dean Berg has found me again," and I was going to throw my Kindle across the room!
August 29, 2017
This review was originally posted on Blame It On The Books
Oh my goodness, I can't believe this series is finished! I feel like I have been waiting for book three for so long. I am so happy to know how the story ends, but I am so sad that I won't get to spend any more time with these beloved characters. If you weren't already aware, I am a huge fan of Caragh M. O'Brien. You can check out my review of The Rule of Mirrors or my interview with Caragh for the release of The Keep of Ages to learn more about this series.
Unfortunately, I can't gush about this book as much as I would like to because of spoilers. This series goes through major twists and turns throughout the books, so saying much of anything would give things away. But The Keep of Ages was absolutely fantastic and a wonderful conclusion to this series.
Caragh's books manage to keep you on your toes for the entire ride. Even if you think you can guess what is going to happen, you are probably wrong. The plot twists are so shocking and really make you think. Each book in the series is distinctly different, but they all tie together beautifully. There is also an incredibly thought-provoking discussion in The Keep of Ages about what defines you as a person - your brain? The functionality of your body? Your consciousness? Simply your existence?
The character development in The Keep of Ages was a wonderful continuation of what had been started in the beginning of the series. The same fantastic cast of characters was back fighting against the evil Dean Berg. I say this virtually every time I discuss Caragh's books, but she creates some the of creepiest villains I have ever read. They are so real that they feel like you could encounter them out in the real world. They are real people with real problems, and they find awful ways to deal with them. You want to be able to sympathize with them, but they are so horrible that you have to dislike them. Dean Berg is one of the best villains I have ever encountered in YA fiction, and he will always give me the creeps.
I highly, highly recommend the Vault of Dreamers trilogy. So often, young adult science fiction is packed with gizmos and gadgets and romance, but this series breaks the mold. It is an intense, action-packed, thought-provoking series that should be lauded as the best of its kind. The Keep of Ages releases today, so go get yourself a copy and start reading. You will be glad you did.
Oh my goodness, I can't believe this series is finished! I feel like I have been waiting for book three for so long. I am so happy to know how the story ends, but I am so sad that I won't get to spend any more time with these beloved characters. If you weren't already aware, I am a huge fan of Caragh M. O'Brien. You can check out my review of The Rule of Mirrors or my interview with Caragh for the release of The Keep of Ages to learn more about this series.
Unfortunately, I can't gush about this book as much as I would like to because of spoilers. This series goes through major twists and turns throughout the books, so saying much of anything would give things away. But The Keep of Ages was absolutely fantastic and a wonderful conclusion to this series.
Caragh's books manage to keep you on your toes for the entire ride. Even if you think you can guess what is going to happen, you are probably wrong. The plot twists are so shocking and really make you think. Each book in the series is distinctly different, but they all tie together beautifully. There is also an incredibly thought-provoking discussion in The Keep of Ages about what defines you as a person - your brain? The functionality of your body? Your consciousness? Simply your existence?
The character development in The Keep of Ages was a wonderful continuation of what had been started in the beginning of the series. The same fantastic cast of characters was back fighting against the evil Dean Berg. I say this virtually every time I discuss Caragh's books, but she creates some the of creepiest villains I have ever read. They are so real that they feel like you could encounter them out in the real world. They are real people with real problems, and they find awful ways to deal with them. You want to be able to sympathize with them, but they are so horrible that you have to dislike them. Dean Berg is one of the best villains I have ever encountered in YA fiction, and he will always give me the creeps.
I highly, highly recommend the Vault of Dreamers trilogy. So often, young adult science fiction is packed with gizmos and gadgets and romance, but this series breaks the mold. It is an intense, action-packed, thought-provoking series that should be lauded as the best of its kind. The Keep of Ages releases today, so go get yourself a copy and start reading. You will be glad you did.
_________________________________________________________
When a favorite series comes to an end.....
.....blame it on the books.
February 1, 2018
This book was an interesting adventure. This scifi world is a unique one. Not only is it futuristic with crazy futuristic medical developments, but the settings she crafts within the futuristic world are out of the ordinary in their own right. The town of boxcars, the theme park, and the underground vault are all intriguing settings. The plot was exciting. I missed Thea's perspective, but from the way everything played out, I can see how it wasn't needed. Although when we ended the other book, it did not seem as though her storyline was ended, so I would have liked a few more things wrapped up from her perspective. Did Althea's parents accept her as Thea? What about the things Althea said while she was in labor? Did that message ever get to her parents before she was gone again? However, the final book did not answer all of the questions in the series either. It was a very open ending. They took care of the bad guys and saved the good guys, but there wasn't really anything on an outlook for the future. I would have liked more on what Rosie was going to do in the future, what everyone's lives looked like moving forward, any fallout from the disaster they started, and if getting rid of those bad guys really got rid of the problem as a whole. I'm glad that Rosie is happy and free feeling for the first time in her life. I would have liked to read more of that Rosie in the story. Rosie seemed less capable in this book than in the others. She keeps getting caught or making mistakes, and most of what solves her problems is not anything she does directly. I did not get this vibe in the other books, so it kind of took me by surprise to see so much of it in here. She still makes daring and interesting escapes and has out of the box adventures. Once again you need to accept the crazy scifi technology as possible, but once you do that you are in for a mind bending and mind expanding read.
May 22, 2018
Un troisième tome en-dessous des 2 premiers :
* Une seule narration : on suit uniquement Rosie alors que j'avais adoré suivre en alternance Rosie et Théa dans le tome 2
* Des longueurs, des passages qui auraient pu être raccourcis... De fait, je me suis ennuyée à certains moments, même quand il y avait de l'action.
* Je suis très déçue de la fin de cette trilogie qui m'a semblé complètement pas crédible et qui ne tient pas la route.
Sinon, j'ai aimé le fait qu'on change de cadre (on quitte Forge pour un parc d'attractions à l'abandon depuis une explosion nucléaire une quarantaine d'année auparavant). J'ai aimé l'ambiance du parc, axée sur la peur et les créatures fantastiques telles que les vampires, zombies,...
J'ai aimé aussi qu'il y ait de nouveaux personnages, comme Lavinia. Cela apporte une dose de nouveauté à ce troisième tome.
J'ai aimé aussi les questions éthiques posées par ce roman sur la question de l'avancée de la science. Oui, mais à quel prix ? Faut-il tout tenter pour faire avancer les recherches au mépris des questions morales et éthiques?
J'ai trouvé le niveau VO un plus ardu dans ce 3ème tome que dans les 2 précédents.
"I'm all for donating organs, (...). It isn't as if dead people could actually know they're being used. And yet, if their brains are working enough ro be useful, if they're valuable enough that they could be used as circuits, aren't they alive enough that they could notice ? Who can prove the dreamers are really dead anymore ?
No matter how much W. brags about their advances, this still feel wrong to me. These people, the Dreamers, ought to have a choice. They don't. That's why this is wrong."
(pp 157 - 158)
* Une seule narration : on suit uniquement Rosie alors que j'avais adoré suivre en alternance Rosie et Théa dans le tome 2
* Des longueurs, des passages qui auraient pu être raccourcis... De fait, je me suis ennuyée à certains moments, même quand il y avait de l'action.
* Je suis très déçue de la fin de cette trilogie qui m'a semblé complètement pas crédible et qui ne tient pas la route.
Sinon, j'ai aimé le fait qu'on change de cadre (on quitte Forge pour un parc d'attractions à l'abandon depuis une explosion nucléaire une quarantaine d'année auparavant). J'ai aimé l'ambiance du parc, axée sur la peur et les créatures fantastiques telles que les vampires, zombies,...
J'ai aimé aussi qu'il y ait de nouveaux personnages, comme Lavinia. Cela apporte une dose de nouveauté à ce troisième tome.
J'ai aimé aussi les questions éthiques posées par ce roman sur la question de l'avancée de la science. Oui, mais à quel prix ? Faut-il tout tenter pour faire avancer les recherches au mépris des questions morales et éthiques?
J'ai trouvé le niveau VO un plus ardu dans ce 3ème tome que dans les 2 précédents.
"I'm all for donating organs, (...). It isn't as if dead people could actually know they're being used. And yet, if their brains are working enough ro be useful, if they're valuable enough that they could be used as circuits, aren't they alive enough that they could notice ? Who can prove the dreamers are really dead anymore ?
No matter how much W. brags about their advances, this still feel wrong to me. These people, the Dreamers, ought to have a choice. They don't. That's why this is wrong."
(pp 157 - 158)
September 2, 2017
This book brings the Vault of Dreamers trilogy to its conclusion. Rosie takes center stage once again while Thea, the girl who shares her consciousness, plays a secondary role. Rosie is determined to stop Dean Berg from mining memories and implanting them in others. She is also driven to save her family from Berg’s clutches. He uses Rosie’s parents and younger sister as weapons to make Rosie follow his orders. Berg is obsessed with her, convinced she is the key to his research. Rosie has separated from Linus, the boy she has fallen for, after learning he unknowingly had a camera inserted in his eye that allowed Berg to monitor their interactions. Compounding the threats made by Berg is Rosie’s personal turmoil with the voices inside her head who threaten to take control of her actions. Despite Berg’s power and influence Rosie will not give up and she puts herself in precarious situations over and over. O’Brien has created a plot that doesn’t relent. The premise is strangely fantastical with implanted dreams resulting in a common consciousness. Putting that aside, the situation where Rosie is continually threatened is very engaging. She is admirable in her determination and her devotion to her family. Linus is as lovable as his Peanuts’ namesake (Charlie Brown’s friend). Thea is Rosie’s double but her presence is minimal and one might wish she had a larger role. There are others who assist Rosie but there’s always a niggling question about their true intentions. O’Brien wraps things up neatly and brings the story of the dream mining debacle to its conclusion. 3.5*
August 5, 2017
I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.
Let me say first, I do not generally like 1st person stories. The seem clunky to me and often I can't finish them. This book is in 1st Person but not nearly as annoying as many I have read.
The heroine is Rosie Sinclair and she is in the process of escaping from the evil Dean Berg. Her previous encounters with Berg have nearly ended in her death and she is not anxious to have him capture her again. You see, Rosie has a mind that is full of dreams and Berg is a "dream miner" of the worst kind. Oh, he says he wants to help his 'patients' but his real purpose is to find a way to solve his own maladies.
In the previous two books, Rosie has made and lost friends and family and almost her own life. Now she is trying to be proactive while she stays ahead of Berg. Her first effort is to find her family -- but Berg knows where they are and is threatening them if Rosie doesn't conform.
With a handful of friends, her own spunk, and a little luck, Rosie is going to try to take down the evil Dean for the last time. But she has doubts about her abilities and it may cause her to stumble in her quest.
The Keep of Ages is geared toward teens and young adults and can push a few boundaries in subject matter. Parents might want to review the story to be sure it is appropriate for their children. Overall, this new offering is on par with the previous two and will satisfy those who are part of the "Dreamers" group.
Let me say first, I do not generally like 1st person stories. The seem clunky to me and often I can't finish them. This book is in 1st Person but not nearly as annoying as many I have read.
The heroine is Rosie Sinclair and she is in the process of escaping from the evil Dean Berg. Her previous encounters with Berg have nearly ended in her death and she is not anxious to have him capture her again. You see, Rosie has a mind that is full of dreams and Berg is a "dream miner" of the worst kind. Oh, he says he wants to help his 'patients' but his real purpose is to find a way to solve his own maladies.
In the previous two books, Rosie has made and lost friends and family and almost her own life. Now she is trying to be proactive while she stays ahead of Berg. Her first effort is to find her family -- but Berg knows where they are and is threatening them if Rosie doesn't conform.
With a handful of friends, her own spunk, and a little luck, Rosie is going to try to take down the evil Dean for the last time. But she has doubts about her abilities and it may cause her to stumble in her quest.
The Keep of Ages is geared toward teens and young adults and can push a few boundaries in subject matter. Parents might want to review the story to be sure it is appropriate for their children. Overall, this new offering is on par with the previous two and will satisfy those who are part of the "Dreamers" group.
February 28, 2018
Fans of this dystopian series will enjoy the twists and turns of this satisfying end to the trilogy.
Rosie has finally made it back home but her sister, mother and step-father are not there as Dean Berg has once again gained the upper hand and kidnapped them.
Rosie is still committed to exposing to the world how Berg is using the vault of dreamers as she she knows he will never stop his pursuit of her so he can once again access her vivid dreams as a way to fight his demise due to Huntington’s disease.
Rosie finds a clue left by her sister and is off to find another secret vault of dreamers in California. She meets the reclusive Lavina Jacobs who was the film teacher who first had her students filmed 24 hours a day which laid the foundation for the current Forge School and Show. Luckily, Lavina still has camera access and they determine that this new vault of dreamers is at Grisly Valley--an abandoned horror theme park.
Soon Rosie and her loyal Forge friends make plans to break into Grisly Valley to seek out Rosie’s family and stop Berg’s nefarious plans. Of course things never go as planned and rosie finds herself once held captive by Berg.
Who can Rosie turn to now to help her escape Berg one more time? It turns out Rosie has an unlikely ally who’s already sharing space in her own mind.
It’s another bizarre twist in this captivating series that fans will enjoy. Plus, this ending does resolve the issues around Thea, Rosie’s father, and the love triangle with Rosie, Linus, and Burnham.
Rosie has finally made it back home but her sister, mother and step-father are not there as Dean Berg has once again gained the upper hand and kidnapped them.
Rosie is still committed to exposing to the world how Berg is using the vault of dreamers as she she knows he will never stop his pursuit of her so he can once again access her vivid dreams as a way to fight his demise due to Huntington’s disease.
Rosie finds a clue left by her sister and is off to find another secret vault of dreamers in California. She meets the reclusive Lavina Jacobs who was the film teacher who first had her students filmed 24 hours a day which laid the foundation for the current Forge School and Show. Luckily, Lavina still has camera access and they determine that this new vault of dreamers is at Grisly Valley--an abandoned horror theme park.
Soon Rosie and her loyal Forge friends make plans to break into Grisly Valley to seek out Rosie’s family and stop Berg’s nefarious plans. Of course things never go as planned and rosie finds herself once held captive by Berg.
Who can Rosie turn to now to help her escape Berg one more time? It turns out Rosie has an unlikely ally who’s already sharing space in her own mind.
It’s another bizarre twist in this captivating series that fans will enjoy. Plus, this ending does resolve the issues around Thea, Rosie’s father, and the love triangle with Rosie, Linus, and Burnham.
September 19, 2017
A solid conclusion to the series, but there were certain things that bothered me.
August 22, 2023
Rosie and Thea are each trying to figure out what to do next. Thea had a baby and her headaches are getting worse. Rosie finds out that her parents and her sister were kidnapped. How will she get them back?
This is a crazy wild ending for this series. I really enjoy this book. It is wrapped up in such a creative way that was able to tie up most loose ends and answer almost all of your questions. The only thing that I am still obsessed about is did Berg seed himself into someone? What happened to Berg and the other doctors and nurses down in the dream vault. It was very confusing! Also I wish that ourself had gotten her own body. What an exceptionally cool character!! I think ourself needs her own series or to turn into a super hero. Very cool!!
Mmmm This has such a great opening for discussions on science, medical science and what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The ethics of science and medicine are fascinating. It also definitely opens up that debate about medical consent. It might be fascinating to read it in comparison with a non-fiction book like The Immortal life of Henrietta Lack especially considering the current judicial decisions made in the part of her family.
PG-13 Kissing. Violence.
This is a crazy wild ending for this series. I really enjoy this book. It is wrapped up in such a creative way that was able to tie up most loose ends and answer almost all of your questions. The only thing that I am still obsessed about is did Berg seed himself into someone? What happened to Berg and the other doctors and nurses down in the dream vault. It was very confusing! Also I wish that ourself had gotten her own body. What an exceptionally cool character!! I think ourself needs her own series or to turn into a super hero. Very cool!!
Mmmm This has such a great opening for discussions on science, medical science and what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The ethics of science and medicine are fascinating. It also definitely opens up that debate about medical consent. It might be fascinating to read it in comparison with a non-fiction book like The Immortal life of Henrietta Lack especially considering the current judicial decisions made in the part of her family.
PG-13 Kissing. Violence.
March 9, 2022
In the third installment of Vault of Dreamers series, the reader finds that Rosie Sinclair is on a mission to find her missing parents. What happened to them? Did Berg do something? The story takes off from there.
I find this book’s conclusion to be even more weird than other two books. When, I mean weird, it pushes the reader’s imagination in finding out about what the real goal was for the dreamers, the Forges show audience and the voice inside Rosie’s head.
I found this book to be a tad confusing near the end without giving away any spoilers. The voice in her head does something that Rosie and her share but I’m not sure if Rosie really has an out-of-body experience or not. I’m a tad confused. With new characters being introduced, it’s nice but I would like to have learned more about her parents. I also like that it has few bad words in it verses plenty in other books.
So, I’d give this book a 4/5 stars. It’s missing a star for the confusion going on in one scene, introducing other character’s that are nice to meet but wish they were in earlier in the book and lastly the ending was good but it could have been different than that I expected.
I find this book’s conclusion to be even more weird than other two books. When, I mean weird, it pushes the reader’s imagination in finding out about what the real goal was for the dreamers, the Forges show audience and the voice inside Rosie’s head.
I found this book to be a tad confusing near the end without giving away any spoilers. The voice in her head does something that Rosie and her share but I’m not sure if Rosie really has an out-of-body experience or not. I’m a tad confused. With new characters being introduced, it’s nice but I would like to have learned more about her parents. I also like that it has few bad words in it verses plenty in other books.
So, I’d give this book a 4/5 stars. It’s missing a star for the confusion going on in one scene, introducing other character’s that are nice to meet but wish they were in earlier in the book and lastly the ending was good but it could have been different than that I expected.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews