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The Dreams
Waking up in an unknown forest with four strangers, James has an unsettling feeling that the group is not alone. As tension mounts and he finds himself questioning the motives and loyalty of his companions, one of the group members disappears, leaving only a pool of blood behind. It soon becomes clear that something very large and unnatural is in the deep secret places of the forest. And it knows they are there . . .
- GenresHorror
298 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2017
80 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
March 17, 2018
I had high hopes for this book, unfortunately it just didn't work out for me. The premise was very good and rich with originality and creepy suspense but it was not executed properly in following through on many of the situations where the horror left me saying, What the? Really? How did that happen? The story could have been 1/3 or more shorter, too many descriptions of the the characters thoughts throughout the book and many repetitive statements that I found annoying. There was one word ( 8 letters ) used in the book, while initially interesting, it must have been used hundreds (a little exaggeration) of times! I was ready to scream if I saw it one more time.
The plus sides - the story was a good one, the author is a good writer and the book has all the elements needed for a very good horror story. Great twist at the end of the book.
These are my opinions and I still recommend this book since many readers will feel differently and enjoy the book more than I did. The writer put a lot of heart in this book and it shows in the story, just too many holes and inconsistencies for myself.
I rate this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟⭐ stars!
The plus sides - the story was a good one, the author is a good writer and the book has all the elements needed for a very good horror story. Great twist at the end of the book.
These are my opinions and I still recommend this book since many readers will feel differently and enjoy the book more than I did. The writer put a lot of heart in this book and it shows in the story, just too many holes and inconsistencies for myself.
I rate this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟⭐ stars!
December 22, 2017
I was disappointed in this read.
It was VERY descriptive and used too many words to describe details.
The repetitions and all those words overwhelmed me.
It wasn't a bad book.
It had gore, which is great.
It had my heart racing numerous times.
It had characters you really liked and one you loved to hate.
November 16, 2017
I liked the premise of this book. Four strangers wake up in the forest, with no clue how they got there. If that wasn't enough, they discover malevolent creatures are there with them. Unfortunately, the execution needs work. As a first draft, this would have been a good start to a great horror novel. There are plot holes, over-usage of words/phrases, sentences that need better structure, weird dialogue, and certain descriptions are sloppy and confusing. I feel like, if the author went back and had a complete developmental edit done, the novel would be in much better shape. The backbone is there, but it needs some work.
The bright side? The story itself is original. With some work, this could be an author to watch out for.
The bright side? The story itself is original. With some work, this could be an author to watch out for.
September 6, 2018
DNF: Good premise by lacking proper execution. I couldn't stick with it.
REVISED...
OK I finished it but only because I needed to know how these poor suckers ended up here. I still maintain my original opinion.
REVISED...
OK I finished it but only because I needed to know how these poor suckers ended up here. I still maintain my original opinion.
November 5, 2017
I absolutely loved this book! Several people wake up together in the woods and don't know how they got there. And it's all down hill from there! And these aren't just any woods, these are possibly the creepiest woods I've ever read about! Fleming's first book The Dreams feels like a breath of fresh air. It's scary, atmospheric, mysterious, and horrifying. Everything I hope for when reading a horror story. If Fleming's creepy descriptions don't make your skin crawl in the best possible way, you better check yourself for a pulse. This book features one of the scariest creatures to appear in any book or movie in quiet some time. Give this one a try, you won't regret it!
January 23, 2018
Great plot, not that great execution
The idea of this book gripped me. But I only managed to get 55% of the way through before stopping. I found it quite confusing to start, the relationship between two characters I simply don't understand, their annoyance and anger to a third doesn't make sense, there's absolutely no character build up of explanations and the scary thing in the forest isn't that scary. I wanted to like it so I persevered but I just couldn't go any further with the stilted way it was written. Maybe it just isn't for me.
The idea of this book gripped me. But I only managed to get 55% of the way through before stopping. I found it quite confusing to start, the relationship between two characters I simply don't understand, their annoyance and anger to a third doesn't make sense, there's absolutely no character build up of explanations and the scary thing in the forest isn't that scary. I wanted to like it so I persevered but I just couldn't go any further with the stilted way it was written. Maybe it just isn't for me.
October 12, 2017
Matthew Fleming certainly makes an impressive debut with THE DREAMS. I enjoy horror and suspense, and this book is full of both from start to finish. From the moment the group of strangers wakes up in the forest together, the action doesn’t let up. Every time I thought I could *maybe* guess what was really happening, I was wrong.
There were two reasons I didn’t give this five stars, and they’re reasons that probably won’t bother anyone but me. First, there were a handful of editing misses—not many, but I noticed them so I have to mention them—but they were only the occasional typo, not grammar or punctuation issues. As far as grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and all the things that make the narrative flow, the book is spot-on and Fleming has writing skills that will only continue to get better with the books I hope he’s writing even now.
The second reason is that there was some odd instant attraction thing going on between two of the characters, and there was no reason for it. I wouldn’t go so far to say insta-love, but the two didn’t know each other at all, and within a short span were suddenly full of feelings for each other. It didn’t feel genuine because we, as readers, literally knew nothing about any of these people yet, and they knew even less about each other. They hadn’t even had time to experience any personality quirks, much less learn anything more substantial than each other’s first names.
That said, those things may or may not matter to anyone, and though they did give me pause, the rest of the book—plot and execution—was definitely a win. I would recommend it to the non-squeamish. The imagery is pretty solid.
AND . . . the end? Never ever EVER saw that coming. Excellent, Mr. Fleming. What a way to twist it up.
There were two reasons I didn’t give this five stars, and they’re reasons that probably won’t bother anyone but me. First, there were a handful of editing misses—not many, but I noticed them so I have to mention them—but they were only the occasional typo, not grammar or punctuation issues. As far as grammar, punctuation, sentence structure and all the things that make the narrative flow, the book is spot-on and Fleming has writing skills that will only continue to get better with the books I hope he’s writing even now.
The second reason is that there was some odd instant attraction thing going on between two of the characters, and there was no reason for it. I wouldn’t go so far to say insta-love, but the two didn’t know each other at all, and within a short span were suddenly full of feelings for each other. It didn’t feel genuine because we, as readers, literally knew nothing about any of these people yet, and they knew even less about each other. They hadn’t even had time to experience any personality quirks, much less learn anything more substantial than each other’s first names.
That said, those things may or may not matter to anyone, and though they did give me pause, the rest of the book—plot and execution—was definitely a win. I would recommend it to the non-squeamish. The imagery is pretty solid.
AND . . . the end? Never ever EVER saw that coming. Excellent, Mr. Fleming. What a way to twist it up.
November 9, 2017
I was given this book- by the author himself, Matthew Fleming, my dear friend, in an exchange to give him a honest review. He was so nice enough to send me a copy, and ship it to my house, that I'm still in awe, speechless, and beyond grateful of his kindness and friendship. I kept saying that I will post my review, and I felt bad that I kept getting caught up with work and my life, but alas, here's my review:
This is author, Matthew Fleming's first novel- work of horror fiction, and he spins and weaves a frightening, but interesting and eerie tale of a man named James, whose lost and woken in a woods with strangers that he has no idea who they are. Matt catches me by the first word- first sentence- first chapter, and then from there, it's history, like a moth towards a flame, and he's the one that ignited that flame and sparking that interest, and that suspense- to figure out and piece the clues together. This story is Stephen King's Secret Window (without Johnny Depp) meets Sherlock Holmes, meets Alfred Hitchcock. It's horror, but a psychological mystery that keeps you guessing. I definitely recommend this book without question, and I'm sure people will enjoy it, as much as I did reading it.
This is author, Matthew Fleming's first novel- work of horror fiction, and he spins and weaves a frightening, but interesting and eerie tale of a man named James, whose lost and woken in a woods with strangers that he has no idea who they are. Matt catches me by the first word- first sentence- first chapter, and then from there, it's history, like a moth towards a flame, and he's the one that ignited that flame and sparking that interest, and that suspense- to figure out and piece the clues together. This story is Stephen King's Secret Window (without Johnny Depp) meets Sherlock Holmes, meets Alfred Hitchcock. It's horror, but a psychological mystery that keeps you guessing. I definitely recommend this book without question, and I'm sure people will enjoy it, as much as I did reading it.
November 3, 2017
I LOVED IT!!! The authors gradual introduction to each character provided better understanding of their actions later on.
Through the muck and the human gore, the dank, oppresivness in every breath they struggled to takè; through crunching white boneyards softened by countless layers of broken and dismembered human flesh; they agreed to pay a price that was highèr than any of them had imagined.
colorful writing with a bent toward the macabre...
When will the next one be out?
Through the muck and the human gore, the dank, oppresivness in every breath they struggled to takè; through crunching white boneyards softened by countless layers of broken and dismembered human flesh; they agreed to pay a price that was highèr than any of them had imagined.
colorful writing with a bent toward the macabre...
When will the next one be out?
November 3, 2017
Great book! If you love Stephen King, you will enjoy the horror in this book! Great pace right from the start, with the reader trying to figure out the mystery until the very end! A shocking plot twist that will get you good and leave you wanting more from this author!! I devoured this book!!!!!
June 16, 2018
The problem I have with sci fi mystery books is the publisher's summary doesn't describe the sci fi element for fear of spoiling it. The Dreams is similar in the sense it hints some creature is hunting the protagonists without telling us what it is. Luckily one of the other goodreads reviewers (Ali Gokhan) listed the name of the creature. (revealed in ch 8 of the book for anyone interested). I was pleasantly surprised to learn it is a somewhat known creature, but not one I've ever heard of.
By the second chapter, I was reminded of the movie "The Cube". strangers wakes up in a strange room and start moving around in hopes of getting out. You have the expert, normal-ish people, and someone nobody likes. My initial guess of the ending followed that movie, then revised once I learned what the creature was. I was reading this book simultaneously with a few from stephen king, and their style is a huge contrast. King will write paragraph upon paragraph on character/world building that don't really advance the plot. My first impression of Fleming was that every paragraph seemed to advance the plot in some way. The further I got, I started skimming the book because he writes a lot of words to say the same thing. For example, he spent several pages describing how a guy ran in the forest away from the creature. And the characters would summarize what the other characters say when they're right next to each other.
I'm not too fond of the characters. From the start, I thought amber was the smart one, but everyone dislikes her. She ends up going a little coocoo at the end. The number one rule is you don't split up, so of course you can expect them to split up every chance they get. There's one scene where they send someone inside a house to lure the creature outside to ambush it. I mean, he's not negotiating with the creature to come out over tea and biscuits; the creature will race out as soon as it sees him. I would expect this task to take anywhere from seconds (creature is in the first room) to a few minutes (creature is in the back). I was surprised when the characters expected this to take an hour. They even leave their ambush-post for quite some time before coming back.
There's quite a bit of mutilated body parts if that's your thing. I like the kind of horror where you feel the sense of dread. When you know some evil is out there and you know you can't escape. Despite the "being hunted" story, I didn't get that vibe throughout most of the book. Any time the characters were in danger, the creatures would just disappear or stop pursuing them. I did like the scene where a protagonist is hiding and the creatures claw towards them and you feel that dread.
By the second chapter, I was reminded of the movie "The Cube". strangers wakes up in a strange room and start moving around in hopes of getting out. You have the expert, normal-ish people, and someone nobody likes. My initial guess of the ending followed that movie, then revised once I learned what the creature was. I was reading this book simultaneously with a few from stephen king, and their style is a huge contrast. King will write paragraph upon paragraph on character/world building that don't really advance the plot. My first impression of Fleming was that every paragraph seemed to advance the plot in some way. The further I got, I started skimming the book because he writes a lot of words to say the same thing. For example, he spent several pages describing how a guy ran in the forest away from the creature. And the characters would summarize what the other characters say when they're right next to each other.
I'm not too fond of the characters. From the start, I thought amber was the smart one, but everyone dislikes her. She ends up going a little coocoo at the end. The number one rule is you don't split up, so of course you can expect them to split up every chance they get. There's one scene where they send someone inside a house to lure the creature outside to ambush it. I mean, he's not negotiating with the creature to come out over tea and biscuits; the creature will race out as soon as it sees him. I would expect this task to take anywhere from seconds (creature is in the first room) to a few minutes (creature is in the back). I was surprised when the characters expected this to take an hour. They even leave their ambush-post for quite some time before coming back.
There's quite a bit of mutilated body parts if that's your thing. I like the kind of horror where you feel the sense of dread. When you know some evil is out there and you know you can't escape. Despite the "being hunted" story, I didn't get that vibe throughout most of the book. Any time the characters were in danger, the creatures would just disappear or stop pursuing them. I did like the scene where a protagonist is hiding and the creatures claw towards them and you feel that dread.
July 21, 2018
This review will contain spoilers - just so you know.
The Dreams is Fleming's debut novel and is an interesting concept with a few teething problems.
For me, I think three stars sums the book up - all debut books have teething problems, that is to be expected, unfortunately some of these did affect my enjoyment of the book.
What Fleming initially sets up, a group of strangers wake up in a mysterious forest with no recollection of how they got there. The story then follows the group as they struggle to find a way out, get to know each other, and find they are not alone...
Like I said, interesting concept. However, from very early on the book's actual title ('The Dreams') somewhat telegraphed the ending twist.
Perhaps the title isn't such a give away to other readers, but to even risk giving such a clue away so early on is, for me, a little confusing.
Fleming does wander into a few horror tropes - the characters seem to fulfil a check list of template personalities usually found in such stories and I found them hard to connect with as a reader.
I'm sure Fleming will develop characterisation in later books, but this time around they felt more like individual "types" required for plot purposes.
The "romantic" subplot between two of the characters was something that seemed to have been added in as an afterthought and felt forced and unnecessary.
The story itself takes an odd diversion, involving a cottage, which slows the narrative down and seems to only function as a set up for some scenes Fleming wanted to include.
One thing that puzzles me, along with such a give away title, are the names of the monsters.
One of the characters comes to the conclusion that the monsters are called Dullahan, beings from Celtic folklore.
Now, why I am no expert on such things and could well be wrong (although a very quick Google seemed to confirm my initial thoughts), a Dullahan is, in essence, a headless horseman and this is not what we find in the book.
Fleming seems to have created an interesting monster/creature of his own creation, yet rather than naming the beings himself has opted to call them by an existing folklore term.
Perhaps this was to add "weight" to the mythos Fleming is building, but when the name doesn't tally with the actual creature, it seems like an odd choice to make.
So, in conclusion, The Dreams was an enjoyable book, just not as enjoyable as it could have been.
I don't think it's a book I will want to visit again, but I will read Fleming's next book to see where he goes and how he evolves as an author.
In short, The Dreams has all the hallmarks of a debut novel, but there is definitely something to Fleming's creativity that will hopefully come fully into fruition in later books.
There are some great imagery and scenes from Fleming, but also the aforementioned teething problems.
It isn't the best book I've ever read, but neither is it the worst. It is nestled somewhere in the middle, which is why - for me - three out of five is a fair rating.
The Dreams is Fleming's debut novel and is an interesting concept with a few teething problems.
For me, I think three stars sums the book up - all debut books have teething problems, that is to be expected, unfortunately some of these did affect my enjoyment of the book.
What Fleming initially sets up, a group of strangers wake up in a mysterious forest with no recollection of how they got there. The story then follows the group as they struggle to find a way out, get to know each other, and find they are not alone...
Like I said, interesting concept. However, from very early on the book's actual title ('The Dreams') somewhat telegraphed the ending twist.
Perhaps the title isn't such a give away to other readers, but to even risk giving such a clue away so early on is, for me, a little confusing.
Fleming does wander into a few horror tropes - the characters seem to fulfil a check list of template personalities usually found in such stories and I found them hard to connect with as a reader.
I'm sure Fleming will develop characterisation in later books, but this time around they felt more like individual "types" required for plot purposes.
The "romantic" subplot between two of the characters was something that seemed to have been added in as an afterthought and felt forced and unnecessary.
The story itself takes an odd diversion, involving a cottage, which slows the narrative down and seems to only function as a set up for some scenes Fleming wanted to include.
One thing that puzzles me, along with such a give away title, are the names of the monsters.
One of the characters comes to the conclusion that the monsters are called Dullahan, beings from Celtic folklore.
Now, why I am no expert on such things and could well be wrong (although a very quick Google seemed to confirm my initial thoughts), a Dullahan is, in essence, a headless horseman and this is not what we find in the book.
Fleming seems to have created an interesting monster/creature of his own creation, yet rather than naming the beings himself has opted to call them by an existing folklore term.
Perhaps this was to add "weight" to the mythos Fleming is building, but when the name doesn't tally with the actual creature, it seems like an odd choice to make.
So, in conclusion, The Dreams was an enjoyable book, just not as enjoyable as it could have been.
I don't think it's a book I will want to visit again, but I will read Fleming's next book to see where he goes and how he evolves as an author.
In short, The Dreams has all the hallmarks of a debut novel, but there is definitely something to Fleming's creativity that will hopefully come fully into fruition in later books.
There are some great imagery and scenes from Fleming, but also the aforementioned teething problems.
It isn't the best book I've ever read, but neither is it the worst. It is nestled somewhere in the middle, which is why - for me - three out of five is a fair rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2017
I genuinely enjoyed reading The Dreams and already look forward to reading it again. Its taken me too long to post this review, but as a very big fan of horror novels as well as someone who hates being disappointed, I was immensely satisfied with everything this book had to offer. If you haven't already, make sure you're adding this to your "must read" list.
November 6, 2017
"The Dreams" is a very engaging cover to cover read that leaves you eagerly waiting for whats coming next it's a white knuckle ride so buckle up...
I was very impressed by his freshman novel!
I particularly loved the unpredictability of the storytelling and character development.
This book grabs you in a stranglehold of anticipation and definitely does not disappoint.
The scenario setups and depictions as the story unfolds are beautifully written as they tend to envelop creating a sense of personal involvement for the reader.
If you are like me and love the horror, mystery and suspense genres this one should most definitely be on your radar and garner serious consideration.
"The Dreams" is the perfect storm with just the right amount of blood, gore and believable story! I am anxiously anticipating a sequel or Mr. Fleming's next one sign me up. Great job.
A must read highly recommendable.
I was very impressed by his freshman novel!
I particularly loved the unpredictability of the storytelling and character development.
This book grabs you in a stranglehold of anticipation and definitely does not disappoint.
The scenario setups and depictions as the story unfolds are beautifully written as they tend to envelop creating a sense of personal involvement for the reader.
If you are like me and love the horror, mystery and suspense genres this one should most definitely be on your radar and garner serious consideration.
"The Dreams" is the perfect storm with just the right amount of blood, gore and believable story! I am anxiously anticipating a sequel or Mr. Fleming's next one sign me up. Great job.
A must read highly recommendable.
November 4, 2017
This book was fantastic! Mr. Fleming comes out of the gate fast and terrifying with his debut novel. His knowledge of English literature and his ability to write are well established in this novel. His dialogue is so well written, and it really makes the reader feel right there along side the characters. His story and plot is so well thought-out and constantly keeps the reader scared and wanting more. I've read this novel three times, and I enjoy it more and more. Mr. Fleming has a very similar style to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Lovecraft, which is not an easy task. The reader will constantly keep finding new little details, and will definitely be haunted in their dreams.
November 6, 2017
I love the horror genre and this book did not disappoint! From the first page I was drawn in and could not stop reading to find out what happened. I was immediately intrigued and constantly at the edge of my seat. I can't wait for a next book from Matthew!
May 14, 2018
I really liked this book, Matthew's writing is so good! I am brazilian and i didn't have any difficult to read it, it was pleasant. And the history made me feel like i was one of the 5 people fighting for their lifes! We feel like we were into the history. Congrats Matthew! An amazing debut!
February 23, 2018
Wow! I honestly can't believe this is Matthew's debut book! Reading his words, it felt like I was reading a skilled authors words who has been writing for many years! He was so detailed with his work and not in a bad way that tends to go off topic or seem exaggerated. He gave a voice to four different characters and they were all so different in their own ways. The story itself, was haunting and even chilling. Matthews details of the horrors that happen were on point and well described. It felt like I was reading an episode of the tv show Supernatural, which I really love. I'm very proud of my fellow self-published author and I can't praise this book enough!
March 28, 2018
You know a book is good when you dream about it. I devoured this book. The descriptions were amazingly gruesome and made it easy to picture exactly what the character's were seeing and going through. Loved it
March 9, 2018
Interesting, indeed.
The pace of the action was fast paced, with interesting characters.
I was unable to put this book down.
All in all, it was an entertaining read.
The pace of the action was fast paced, with interesting characters.
I was unable to put this book down.
All in all, it was an entertaining read.
December 9, 2017
A Bloody and wonderfully creepy thrill ride of a story!
One of the best Horror stories I have read in a long time. As a Horror Fanatic, I was mesmerized by how creative the author was in telling this story. With the right amount of detail and gore, this book left me in awe. I laughed, I cried, I gasped and I screamed. This horrifying story ends with a beautiful twist which made this book next level brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed how descriptive Matthew Fleming is and his fresh new ideas give me hope for his future stories!!
MUST READ FOR HORROR FANS!! THERE IS BLOOD.. A LOT OF IT!
One of the best Horror stories I have read in a long time. As a Horror Fanatic, I was mesmerized by how creative the author was in telling this story. With the right amount of detail and gore, this book left me in awe. I laughed, I cried, I gasped and I screamed. This horrifying story ends with a beautiful twist which made this book next level brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed how descriptive Matthew Fleming is and his fresh new ideas give me hope for his future stories!!
MUST READ FOR HORROR FANS!! THERE IS BLOOD.. A LOT OF IT!
November 29, 2017
Overall, the story was thrilling and held my attention throughout. The graphic scenes he portrayed throughout the book are definitely not for the faint of heart. The scenes were described so intricately that I could see them in my mind and felt as if I was right there in the moment. When I was reading this book I was so sucked into the story that I literally lost track of time. The thing that kept me needing to read more and more was the tiny flickers of hope throughout the story. It seemed like there hope when there really was none. As the story unfolds he does an amazing job of portraying each character's personality. While it seemed they all wanted to work together not all truly were interested in the well being of others. That created a tension that lasted throughout the story. You could feel that tension build as you read. My absolute favorite part of the story was when James was in the house. The level of detail of each room in the house added to the despair and the darkness of the story. This was the climax for me. From this point I literally couldn't put the book down. It's not often I would give a book 5 stars, but this book truly deserves it.
February 12, 2018
Beyond Comprehension, beyond ordinary, a tale of gore and unexpected scenes and yeah it is so good !
Well,this is the first step of a fresh and talented author - much more an effective narrator building a world of dark and terror in cinematic details making his attempt being able to stand alone in his forthcoming works. I mean, he will definitely be around for more but this beginning will always be powerful to resemble his heavy-hitter horror classic. There are some legendary climaxs in the book. I felt like I was watching Alien - the first installment - nothing happens in first 45 minutes except making you familiar with the setting but when something happens, it happens for sure - the chestburster scene is still one of the most shocking scenes in movie history, right ? The same thing happens in 'The Dreams` you first move through a silence path with thoughts and traces of 'something` pretadory and as of yet unseen in the dark and then it catches you where you are asking yourself 'Where did all of that blood come from ?` From that point to the end, you are discovering the world and existence of 'Dullahan`. I have to admit that I wish the book were named 'Dullahan` instead of 'The Dreams` since the book would most probabaly be filmed and it would be called like that in the future.
Talking about the book,as it is mentioned in it as well, always expect the unexpected. You cannot escape the feeling of being stuck in the forest trying to find ways of survival to complete a salvation while putting some pieces of a colossal puzzle to answer the question 'Why ?`
Matthew Fleming imagines,creates and presents you hair-raising scenes where minacious details sometimes take over control, it is definitely a book that will disturb you while reading at night. As far as I remember, this only happened to me when I read 'The Exorcist`. Matthew succeeds in doing this again to me for the reason that so much details being given making me feel uncomfortable and a part of the tale in a nerve-wacking silence. I really hesitated and asked myself like Amber 'I want to know the plan before I run into that graveyard`. This is the magic of the book, the reader can become each character respectively whether it is male or female. All the characters do have an importance, free from any doubt,you cannot stop reading so as to finish the marathon,ending the game,just imagine you are one of them. The feeling of such terror caught me in 'Jumanji` where characters needed to finish the game in order that they can get rid of it. So I read the book in a few hours to complete this safari in the forest of death not to get rid of it but to stop the overwhelming effect of it. Well, believe in me, by hook or crook, 'TheDreams` always rise up to astonish you more when you think you have found the answer. Throughout the book, the periods of dreams setting the characters' backgrounds may bother some readers due to extremely much narrative style but at the end, everyone gets the point,they are the basic steps of a must,stepping into a scenery to follow the path and exit the nightmare.
To say my last words, this high detailed, mind blowing moreover scrumptious tale makes you pleased at the tremendous last scene completing the aberrant horror exercise answering the question 'Why ?` Matthew Fleming has become one of the authors on my list of whose upcoming works I will be looking forward to. He deserves being discovered and experienced, so join him in his first ride, it will be absolutely worth it !!
June 16, 2018
I enjoyed this, despite already figuring out the twist at the end pretty early on.
At first, the creatures reminded me of Dementors, then they reminded me of Cenobites. Story slowed a bit in the middle, with not much going on.
I really like that this is a mystery, love the set up (especially the first half of the book) and the wilderness adventure aspect, and think the story is pretty creative and unique. I also really like the simple writing style.
I really didn't like Amber. I liked Paul the best.
At first, the creatures reminded me of Dementors, then they reminded me of Cenobites. Story slowed a bit in the middle, with not much going on.
I really like that this is a mystery, love the set up (especially the first half of the book) and the wilderness adventure aspect, and think the story is pretty creative and unique. I also really like the simple writing style.
I really didn't like Amber. I liked Paul the best.
January 29, 2018
No thanks
I found this book to be insanely redundant. The author often times would say that same thing back to back by simply rewarding the sentence. The author used the same thought multiple times, with different wording variations. <- annoying, right?
I felt that there was no connection to the characters, and I was simply reading words on the page. I enjoy nothing more than being immersed into a story, and picturing and feeling everything, and that just didn’t happen here.
Oh, and if I took a drink for every time “blood-red eyes” was used I’d be in the hospital for alcohol poisoning.
I probably should have DNF’d this, but a book buddy recommended it and I wanted to stick it out. Not recommended.
Also- this is totally my type of book-genre wise. The supernatural, horror, what the heck kind of book is what I live for. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t do it for me.
I found this book to be insanely redundant. The author often times would say that same thing back to back by simply rewarding the sentence. The author used the same thought multiple times, with different wording variations. <- annoying, right?
I felt that there was no connection to the characters, and I was simply reading words on the page. I enjoy nothing more than being immersed into a story, and picturing and feeling everything, and that just didn’t happen here.
Oh, and if I took a drink for every time “blood-red eyes” was used I’d be in the hospital for alcohol poisoning.
I probably should have DNF’d this, but a book buddy recommended it and I wanted to stick it out. Not recommended.
Also- this is totally my type of book-genre wise. The supernatural, horror, what the heck kind of book is what I live for. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t do it for me.
October 29, 2017
Disappointing read.
Fleming's plot was filled with holes, characters were underdeveloped and tge pace uneven. I was hopeful as I read that the storyline would become richer and fuller but alas that never happened. Thus read more like an outline- it can be improved and filled in.
Fleming's plot was filled with holes, characters were underdeveloped and tge pace uneven. I was hopeful as I read that the storyline would become richer and fuller but alas that never happened. Thus read more like an outline- it can be improved and filled in.
December 16, 2017
Matthew is a great author, a must read. I will highly recommend this book to the next person. For being his 1st book, it was extremely creative and Matthew career as an author will go uphill from here on out!
April 30, 2018
Dreams
Very easy book to read. Had me hooked. Scary mystery. How did the get there? Are they alive? Are they in hell? Excellent descriptions of characters, monsters, and atmosphere. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a crazy, scary, monsterish mystery.
Very easy book to read. Had me hooked. Scary mystery. How did the get there? Are they alive? Are they in hell? Excellent descriptions of characters, monsters, and atmosphere. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a crazy, scary, monsterish mystery.
January 25, 2018
A writer finding his voice.
This is not a bad book. I want to start out with all of the good about this book, simply because my preferences may be completely different than another reader's.
Overall, I liked the premise and a lot of the imagery. There are not a lot of books or movies that have actual creatures anymore, so I liked that I had a "monster" to fear. Matthew's writing style is clear and he is able to get his point across very easily. He's a very descriptive writer with a wild imagination that I believe will grow and take him far the more he writes.
Now for the bad.
I remind you that everyone's preferences are different and just because I may not like this particular aspect of the book, doesn't mean my word is the end all be all.
Most of these I find annoying simply because I am a writer as well in the horror genre.
This book isn't scary for me, but rarely a book is. The characters were easily forgettable and cliche, very 'horror stereotype characters, but I think that was somewhat the idea he was going for. The plot was easy to figure out pretty early on in the book, but once again, I'm a writer so thinking outside the box is something I try to do daily. The 'twist' could surprise everyone. It just didn't surprise me. The romance felt forced and was unnecessary, like he felt he needed it, just like Amber's character felt like she was just there to be the mean girl, but like I said before, he could have wanted the stereotypes that way.
My final conclusion of the book is that it isn't bad. It's a quick read, very straightforward, and you know what you're getting when you start. I think Matthew Fleming is a good writer who will get better the more comfortable he gets into his writing and begins to find his style more.
This is not a bad book. I want to start out with all of the good about this book, simply because my preferences may be completely different than another reader's.
Overall, I liked the premise and a lot of the imagery. There are not a lot of books or movies that have actual creatures anymore, so I liked that I had a "monster" to fear. Matthew's writing style is clear and he is able to get his point across very easily. He's a very descriptive writer with a wild imagination that I believe will grow and take him far the more he writes.
Now for the bad.
I remind you that everyone's preferences are different and just because I may not like this particular aspect of the book, doesn't mean my word is the end all be all.
Most of these I find annoying simply because I am a writer as well in the horror genre.
This book isn't scary for me, but rarely a book is. The characters were easily forgettable and cliche, very 'horror stereotype characters, but I think that was somewhat the idea he was going for. The plot was easy to figure out pretty early on in the book, but once again, I'm a writer so thinking outside the box is something I try to do daily. The 'twist' could surprise everyone. It just didn't surprise me. The romance felt forced and was unnecessary, like he felt he needed it, just like Amber's character felt like she was just there to be the mean girl, but like I said before, he could have wanted the stereotypes that way.
My final conclusion of the book is that it isn't bad. It's a quick read, very straightforward, and you know what you're getting when you start. I think Matthew Fleming is a good writer who will get better the more comfortable he gets into his writing and begins to find his style more.
November 26, 2017
starting with the presentation, the cover of the book and the introduction, the exitment of every word added into this story by the writer, Matthew Fleming are all those things that motivates you to continue reading from the same author.
He had a very good imagination to connect every single character on the story to even make you believe you could be one of them.
The story line was very powerful. The Dreams did not only had terror, it also welcomes you to an amazing world of reality, fiction, horror, mystery, suspense and it's good to know that you can combined many different feelings at once into story that you think at first is going to just frightened you.
Also the curiosity as well of the unknown can wake up a lots of feelings and thats what "The Dreams" is all about...
I will really recommend this book to any one... Good Luck, on your next book!! 👍
He had a very good imagination to connect every single character on the story to even make you believe you could be one of them.
The story line was very powerful. The Dreams did not only had terror, it also welcomes you to an amazing world of reality, fiction, horror, mystery, suspense and it's good to know that you can combined many different feelings at once into story that you think at first is going to just frightened you.
Also the curiosity as well of the unknown can wake up a lots of feelings and thats what "The Dreams" is all about...
I will really recommend this book to any one... Good Luck, on your next book!! 👍
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