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City of Crows #0.5
Dream Snatcher
They say the crash is an accident. They lie.
Ella Dean is a sixteen-year-old girl with a big dream: scoring a spot at Julliard to pursue her passion for piano.
But when a mysterious attack by an unknown assailant kills Ella's mother, an assistant district attorney, and leaves Ella hospital bound for months, her life's dream is ripped out from under her feet.
Six months later, a much-altered Ella stumbles upon a clue to the truth about her mother's murder, and inadvertently sets off a series of events that will redefine her future forever.
___
Dream Snatcher is a prequel to the City of Crows series, though it can be read as a stand-alone story.
Ella Dean is a sixteen-year-old girl with a big dream: scoring a spot at Julliard to pursue her passion for piano.
But when a mysterious attack by an unknown assailant kills Ella's mother, an assistant district attorney, and leaves Ella hospital bound for months, her life's dream is ripped out from under her feet.
Six months later, a much-altered Ella stumbles upon a clue to the truth about her mother's murder, and inadvertently sets off a series of events that will redefine her future forever.
___
Dream Snatcher is a prequel to the City of Crows series, though it can be read as a stand-alone story.
- GenresUrban Fantasy
150 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2017
4 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Clara Coulson
27 books247 followersClara Coulson is an author of action-packed urban fantasy and paranormal thriller novels with sarcastic main characters and supernaturally empowered villains.
Currently living in the Middle of Nowhere, Virginia, Clara spends most of her time dreaming up bizarre paranormal scenarios and adapting them into novels and reading through the enormous backlog of books on her shelves.
Clara likes silly cats, pepperoni pizza, and collecting an absurd number of notebooks and BIC pens that she has no real use for.
Currently living in the Middle of Nowhere, Virginia, Clara spends most of her time dreaming up bizarre paranormal scenarios and adapting them into novels and reading through the enormous backlog of books on her shelves.
Clara likes silly cats, pepperoni pizza, and collecting an absurd number of notebooks and BIC pens that she has no real use for.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 3, 2020
I love Clara Coulson books! So well written, with engaging characters, this was a corker of a short read. 😊
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July 24, 2018💝FREE on iBooks today (7/24/2018)!💝
July 27, 2018
Before jumping to book #2 I decided to backtrack and read this prequel novella. This is about Ella Dean!! It starts with a horrible thing that happens to her -- before Ella joined DSI -- pretty much like Cal's experience of having his partner murdered by a vampire. Ella's mother is killed by a wizard. Ella kicks ass, seriously. But I start to think twice about the competence of DSI agents, considering that Ella, a sixteen years old girl, is able to close the case whereas those agents have been hunting the bad guy for long time without result *lol*.
July 12, 2017
Dream Snatcher, Clara Coulson
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Sci-fi and Fantasy
City of Crows is an amazing series, one for readers who want more than most of the paranormal offerings around, don't want the thin story wrapped around a "he-of-some-type meets she-of-some-type" plot.
I've loved the books out so far, and I love when authors do this, give us a novel centred around one ( or two in this case!) characters, so we see their backstory and understand them better.
Ella in the series is dedicated, clever, talented and its clear she's been with the team a long time. Just how young she was when she joined we can now find out.
Its was great seeing teen Ella, seeing her on the track of a dangerous man, and especially as its set back in time and kept to the low tech, no mobiles, and fledgling DSI, when they're first set up. Well, they exist when Ella gets caught up, but they are clearly new-ish, and the bottom end of financial priorities.
Ella is an ordinary kid, albeit one devoted to her music, when tragedy strikes, rips her mum away and sets her on a very different course.
I loved the way the story played out, the way it felt so real, especially as I look back to my teens, no mobiles, tech stuff etc and she does things the way I would back then. disposable camera and 24 hr photo shops, no mobiles and digital pics back then, and its trains and buses for transport, with the odd taxi.
Its not just Young Ella but a real story too, a typical exciting, well planned suspense, and I enjoyed it very much.
The other person we meet at a younger age is terrific too and it spread a new light on what I'd read. I really hope Clara writes more of these how-they-joined-DSI stories.
Stars: Five, terrific read whether you're new to city of Crows, or like me already a fan. A great intro to a new world.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Sci-fi and Fantasy
City of Crows is an amazing series, one for readers who want more than most of the paranormal offerings around, don't want the thin story wrapped around a "he-of-some-type meets she-of-some-type" plot.
I've loved the books out so far, and I love when authors do this, give us a novel centred around one ( or two in this case!) characters, so we see their backstory and understand them better.
Ella in the series is dedicated, clever, talented and its clear she's been with the team a long time. Just how young she was when she joined we can now find out.
Its was great seeing teen Ella, seeing her on the track of a dangerous man, and especially as its set back in time and kept to the low tech, no mobiles, and fledgling DSI, when they're first set up. Well, they exist when Ella gets caught up, but they are clearly new-ish, and the bottom end of financial priorities.
Ella is an ordinary kid, albeit one devoted to her music, when tragedy strikes, rips her mum away and sets her on a very different course.
I loved the way the story played out, the way it felt so real, especially as I look back to my teens, no mobiles, tech stuff etc and she does things the way I would back then. disposable camera and 24 hr photo shops, no mobiles and digital pics back then, and its trains and buses for transport, with the odd taxi.
Its not just Young Ella but a real story too, a typical exciting, well planned suspense, and I enjoyed it very much.
The other person we meet at a younger age is terrific too and it spread a new light on what I'd read. I really hope Clara writes more of these how-they-joined-DSI stories.
Stars: Five, terrific read whether you're new to city of Crows, or like me already a fan. A great intro to a new world.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
July 13, 2017
Full review on my blog from July 17th: https://nextbookaroundthecorner.wordp...
If this book is any standard for the City of Crows series, then I'll be reading that next. Funny, heartbreaking and full of suspense. What can a girl want more? Well, for Ella Dean it is simple: find the guy (or being, since sending fireballs towards your car can never be done by a simple human) who is responsible for her mothers death.
Although everybody says the car had aquaplaned, she is certain what she saw. Someone wanted them dead. So, now she quit her pursuit of getting entered into Juilliard, and she is tracking down that guy.
After months of no succes, she finally gets a break, when she overhears a certain hot guy (Nick Ryker) to have a file on her mother. She is able to steal the file and read it, before Nick comes after her.
Scared, but the determined, she fights him and breaks his nose. After he has captured her, to her surprise, he does not take her to the police. But to the DSI: an undercover agency trying to find aliens who are a threat to human society.
A new world opens for Ella, and she is determined to give her life a new turn: helping the DSI chase the one responsible for killing her mother. And all other creatures out there.
Aliens beware: here is Ella Dean. Four out of five stars from me. And a thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.
If this book is any standard for the City of Crows series, then I'll be reading that next. Funny, heartbreaking and full of suspense. What can a girl want more? Well, for Ella Dean it is simple: find the guy (or being, since sending fireballs towards your car can never be done by a simple human) who is responsible for her mothers death.
Although everybody says the car had aquaplaned, she is certain what she saw. Someone wanted them dead. So, now she quit her pursuit of getting entered into Juilliard, and she is tracking down that guy.
After months of no succes, she finally gets a break, when she overhears a certain hot guy (Nick Ryker) to have a file on her mother. She is able to steal the file and read it, before Nick comes after her.
Scared, but the determined, she fights him and breaks his nose. After he has captured her, to her surprise, he does not take her to the police. But to the DSI: an undercover agency trying to find aliens who are a threat to human society.
A new world opens for Ella, and she is determined to give her life a new turn: helping the DSI chase the one responsible for killing her mother. And all other creatures out there.
Aliens beware: here is Ella Dean. Four out of five stars from me. And a thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.
June 12, 2018
Great short story
This novella is a perfect addition to the City of Crows series. The story gives the background of how Ella Dean came to be a VERY young DSI agent.
It’s a fully formed story, so you don’t need to have read the City of Crows series to understand it and the characters within, but it will give you added pleasure.
Ella’s mother was and ADA and was killed whilst Ella was in the car next to her, when Ella was 16. She knew it was a supernatural crime but everyone told her she was hallucinating. This is the story of how she found the DSI and proved that she was telling the truth when everyone tried to convince her she was mentally ill.
I really enjoyed Ella’s character in the City of Crows, and this fully fleshed out her history and reason for being in the DSI. Well worth a read.
This novella is a perfect addition to the City of Crows series. The story gives the background of how Ella Dean came to be a VERY young DSI agent.
It’s a fully formed story, so you don’t need to have read the City of Crows series to understand it and the characters within, but it will give you added pleasure.
Ella’s mother was and ADA and was killed whilst Ella was in the car next to her, when Ella was 16. She knew it was a supernatural crime but everyone told her she was hallucinating. This is the story of how she found the DSI and proved that she was telling the truth when everyone tried to convince her she was mentally ill.
I really enjoyed Ella’s character in the City of Crows, and this fully fleshed out her history and reason for being in the DSI. Well worth a read.
February 10, 2021
Great story! Glad I decided to read it.Prequel to the team/world.
I love this series. I have read all the books in this series, to date, but not the prequel, until now. I didn't because I'd already had read the first three books before I came across it and since it wasn't even about the main character... I wasn't interested especially since there was more to the series.
I noticed it while I was getting ready to reread the seri es and decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did! It gives a better view/insight to a couple of characters.I am looking forward to reading the series again with a little more backstory.
Warning, if I had read this first I would have been puzzled and probably disappointed that she didn't continue as the main character!
Hopefully not for long, because I truly do love his story too.
I love this series. I have read all the books in this series, to date, but not the prequel, until now. I didn't because I'd already had read the first three books before I came across it and since it wasn't even about the main character... I wasn't interested especially since there was more to the series.
I noticed it while I was getting ready to reread the seri es and decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did! It gives a better view/insight to a couple of characters.I am looking forward to reading the series again with a little more backstory.
Warning, if I had read this first I would have been puzzled and probably disappointed that she didn't continue as the main character!
Hopefully not for long, because I truly do love his story too.
July 28, 2017
I don't often get the chance to read novellas related to series, but this was well worth picking up. I loved learning a bit of the history of two characters from the main series. And was totally impressed that the same sassy, humourous tone was handled as well in this story as in the main series. Seriously, I giggled quite a few times, and will never read another book from the main series without looking at Riker in a new light.
This is definitely a great quick read for anyone who loves the City of Crows series already, or wants to learn what the feel and tone of the series is about, before they jump in.
This is definitely a great quick read for anyone who loves the City of Crows series already, or wants to learn what the feel and tone of the series is about, before they jump in.
March 31, 2022
Dream snatcher by Clara Coulson.
They say the crash is an accident. They lie.
Ella Dean is a sixteen-year-old girl with a big dream: scoring a spot at Julliard to pursue her passion for piano.But when a mysterious attack by an unknown assailant kills Ella's mother, an assistant district attorney, and leaves Ella hospital bound for months, her life's dream is ripped out from under her feet.Six months later, a much-altered Ella stumbles upon a clue to the truth about her mother's murder, and inadvertently sets off a series of events that will redefine her future forever.
A very good read. Great story and characters. 4*.
They say the crash is an accident. They lie.
Ella Dean is a sixteen-year-old girl with a big dream: scoring a spot at Julliard to pursue her passion for piano.But when a mysterious attack by an unknown assailant kills Ella's mother, an assistant district attorney, and leaves Ella hospital bound for months, her life's dream is ripped out from under her feet.Six months later, a much-altered Ella stumbles upon a clue to the truth about her mother's murder, and inadvertently sets off a series of events that will redefine her future forever.
A very good read. Great story and characters. 4*.
July 19, 2017
This book was a fun, quick read!!! It was more of an action genre than a mystery/ thriller.
Disclosure: I received a promotional Kindlebook of this title from ___ via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for the opportunity!!! ☺️
Disclosure: I received a promotional Kindlebook of this title from ___ via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for the opportunity!!! ☺️
August 29, 2018
Thumbs up
Love how Ella's story is told, get reasons for becoming DSI. Now out makes me curious to all the other team members and their reasons. Once I started reading i couldn't put it down until the end. Makes your heart break and also makes you cheer.
Love how Ella's story is told, get reasons for becoming DSI. Now out makes me curious to all the other team members and their reasons. Once I started reading i couldn't put it down until the end. Makes your heart break and also makes you cheer.
December 16, 2020
Ella Dean’s origin story, how she found out about the supernatural, how she joined the team.
Still free on kobo.
But be warned if you have not read any of the City of Crows series, Ella is not the main character.
4 stars
Still free on kobo.
But be warned if you have not read any of the City of Crows series, Ella is not the main character.
4 stars
July 17, 2017
Great read and following this series
July 25, 2020
Rate the book!
This is a great series. I read one of the other books first. The first Call book. There was about five books in one. I loved Cal. Hope to read the whole series.
This is a great series. I read one of the other books first. The first Call book. There was about five books in one. I loved Cal. Hope to read the whole series.
February 3, 2024
Is a great introduction to this series. I can't wait to continue reading more of this series
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews