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The Phantasmer Cycle #1
In Restless Dreams
Sylvia is just a normal girl with huge, normal problems – her mother’s attempted suicide; how to adjust to life on the Upper East Side; trying to make friends in a rich prep school where she doesn’t belong; whether or not to trust the cute boy with the dangerous eyes. She thinks that’s more than she can handle, but she tests the limits of her endurance when she learns that she is the long awaited Phantasmer, a human who can change the fabric of Fairy simply by believing in a new story. Sylvia’s life is thrown off course as two warring Courts, the Seelie and Unseelie, both attempt to co-opt her gift to fight the other Court, which she has to deal with while trying not to get kicked out of school for fighting. And it doesn’t help matters that the fairies begging for her help are both attractive young men – with their own agendas.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2016
3 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Wren Handman
16 books44 followersWren Handman is a novelist and screenwriter living in soggy Vancouver, which gives her plenty of time to curl up in front of a computer.
She primarily writes young adult fiction and fantasy novels. In her screenwriting, her emphasis is on the real world with a touch of fantastical. She believes that what we see in media impacts how we see the world, and she hopes to make that view brighter.
She primarily writes young adult fiction and fantasy novels. In her screenwriting, her emphasis is on the real world with a touch of fantastical. She believes that what we see in media impacts how we see the world, and she hopes to make that view brighter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 29, 2020
A fantastic surprise!
I like the kind of paranormal/fantasy where the girl is a regular human girl from the current time, living in our normal world, then she somehow gets pulled into this supernatural situation and has to come to terms with it. That is exactly how this book is and I really enjoyed it. This story was about a girl named Sylvia who lives in a small town in Nevada and she leaves early from a party after her boyfriend breaks up with her so he can dance with another girl. Sylvia gets home to find her mother on the floor after swallowing a bottle of pills.
Sylvia and her younger brother Eric, wait at the hospital for their very wealthy father who lives in New York and once he arrives he ends up taking them with him to live in his mansion in New York. They begin attending an exclusive private school and from the very first day, Sylvia gets on the bad side of one of the mean girls in the school, Cassidy. Though she also makes friends with some of the popular crowd as well.
This section of the book goes forward pretty much as a standard bully romance type of story, which I like. But also it serves the purpose to set up the fantasy/paranormal part. It also serves the purpose of developing the characters very well and world building. We get to see the way Sylvia interacts with her friends, her father and her brother. We see that Sylvia is lonely and nothing seems to work out right for her.
I don’t want to give things away so I will only say that Sylvia meets some men from the abstract lands (A.k.a. Fairy realm) which is another dimension that sits on top of ours. Suffice it to say that humans including Sylvia aren’t supposed to be able to see them. However due to extenuating circumstances she can. There is what’s called the shadow which is a sort of barrier between the two realms that is where one of the two men likes to hang out. Sylvia names him The Stranger and he is a commoner from the Unseelie court and is a bit of a trickster and likes to try to mess with humans from the shadow. The other guy, whom Sylvia finds out is named Royan, is a knight from the Seelie Court and is very handsome and gallant.
From here, the story is more like a Fantasy and an adventure but Sylvia still has to account for herself in our world. It isn’t so easy to be the lone human who can see things other people can’t. It gets harder for her to explain what she is doing. But that is part of what I enjoy about stories like this. You can see the dilemma and it feels like it could be a real situation (if the Fae really did exist).
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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I like the kind of paranormal/fantasy where the girl is a regular human girl from the current time, living in our normal world, then she somehow gets pulled into this supernatural situation and has to come to terms with it. That is exactly how this book is and I really enjoyed it. This story was about a girl named Sylvia who lives in a small town in Nevada and she leaves early from a party after her boyfriend breaks up with her so he can dance with another girl. Sylvia gets home to find her mother on the floor after swallowing a bottle of pills.
Sylvia and her younger brother Eric, wait at the hospital for their very wealthy father who lives in New York and once he arrives he ends up taking them with him to live in his mansion in New York. They begin attending an exclusive private school and from the very first day, Sylvia gets on the bad side of one of the mean girls in the school, Cassidy. Though she also makes friends with some of the popular crowd as well.
This section of the book goes forward pretty much as a standard bully romance type of story, which I like. But also it serves the purpose to set up the fantasy/paranormal part. It also serves the purpose of developing the characters very well and world building. We get to see the way Sylvia interacts with her friends, her father and her brother. We see that Sylvia is lonely and nothing seems to work out right for her.
I don’t want to give things away so I will only say that Sylvia meets some men from the abstract lands (A.k.a. Fairy realm) which is another dimension that sits on top of ours. Suffice it to say that humans including Sylvia aren’t supposed to be able to see them. However due to extenuating circumstances she can. There is what’s called the shadow which is a sort of barrier between the two realms that is where one of the two men likes to hang out. Sylvia names him The Stranger and he is a commoner from the Unseelie court and is a bit of a trickster and likes to try to mess with humans from the shadow. The other guy, whom Sylvia finds out is named Royan, is a knight from the Seelie Court and is very handsome and gallant.
From here, the story is more like a Fantasy and an adventure but Sylvia still has to account for herself in our world. It isn’t so easy to be the lone human who can see things other people can’t. It gets harder for her to explain what she is doing. But that is part of what I enjoy about stories like this. You can see the dilemma and it feels like it could be a real situation (if the Fae really did exist).
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
January 30, 2020
If you read A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES and wanted the same magical discovery of Fae, not to mention the exploration of a fantasy world that abuts our own, but wanted content that actually stayed YA? This might just be the book for you — or the book you should buy for your teens and/or young people.
This book opens up with very traditional YA elements, like starting at a new highschool, navigating rocky social waters, and all that drama that ensues with both, then some not-so-traditional (and a might heavier) elements, like how to process your mother's mental health issues and connecting with an absent father. And then, halfway through, tosses you into a whole new ocean; a purple one!
Sylvia isn't perfect; she struggles like all sixteen year olds do, like all humans do, and that's compounded by discovering she has a magical heritage that is dangerous and seems impossible, and meeting a boy (or two!) from that magical world — a boy (or two!) she isn't sure she can trust. Because that dashing knight might not be the hero, and maybe that stranger made of shadows and darkness is as kind as his eyes; maybe they are trapped in archetypes that should mean one thing, but are in fact something else. Or maybe not. But aside from the romance, there's also wonder and magic and Handman's unique and brilliant way of describing.. well, magic and wonder and emotion.
The high point of this story, for me, is just experiencing said magic, the unusual, the very interesting take on a Chosen One trope (in every generation a Phantasmer is born.. or, in this case, every few centuries..) and, more than that, what this Chosen One can do and how they are woven into the very fabric of something so much bigger than them. And what it means to choose for others and what it means to make decisions with the best of intentions. Where she starts out, lashing out at bullies, arguing with her younger brother, is not quite where she ends up, burdened not only with power and responsibility, and coming out the other side intact. Mostly.
IN RESTLESS DREAMS will give you a new perspective on imagination, creativity, emotion, fear and loneliness, the burden of memory, and of the longing to change who you are. This is a solid series opener and I think it's only going to get better from here.
3.5 stars
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This book opens up with very traditional YA elements, like starting at a new highschool, navigating rocky social waters, and all that drama that ensues with both, then some not-so-traditional (and a might heavier) elements, like how to process your mother's mental health issues and connecting with an absent father. And then, halfway through, tosses you into a whole new ocean; a purple one!
Sylvia isn't perfect; she struggles like all sixteen year olds do, like all humans do, and that's compounded by discovering she has a magical heritage that is dangerous and seems impossible, and meeting a boy (or two!) from that magical world — a boy (or two!) she isn't sure she can trust. Because that dashing knight might not be the hero, and maybe that stranger made of shadows and darkness is as kind as his eyes; maybe they are trapped in archetypes that should mean one thing, but are in fact something else. Or maybe not. But aside from the romance, there's also wonder and magic and Handman's unique and brilliant way of describing.. well, magic and wonder and emotion.
The high point of this story, for me, is just experiencing said magic, the unusual, the very interesting take on a Chosen One trope (in every generation a Phantasmer is born.. or, in this case, every few centuries..) and, more than that, what this Chosen One can do and how they are woven into the very fabric of something so much bigger than them. And what it means to choose for others and what it means to make decisions with the best of intentions. Where she starts out, lashing out at bullies, arguing with her younger brother, is not quite where she ends up, burdened not only with power and responsibility, and coming out the other side intact. Mostly.
IN RESTLESS DREAMS will give you a new perspective on imagination, creativity, emotion, fear and loneliness, the burden of memory, and of the longing to change who you are. This is a solid series opener and I think it's only going to get better from here.
3.5 stars
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
January 11, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a free arc of this to read and review.
"So do it. Don't forget," I say, and I take his hand.
"If we didn't forget, we could never truly change," he tells me. "It is how it must be."
Rating: 2 Stars ⭐⭐
I guess I should start this review off with a disclaimer: I am not the targeted demographic for this book. However, I don't see that as a valid excuse for why this book was so bad at some parts. Just because young adult is not my demographic, doesn't mean I don't typically enjoy a young adult book or series. You don't have to be the targeted audience to enjoy a story or a genre. I am not going to ignore the flaws in this novel just because it was written for teenagers, because trust me when I say I would've disliked this as a teenager too.
So. Our main character is a sixteen year-old girl named Sylvia. Her mother tries to commit suicide, resulting in Sylvia and her brother moving across the country to live with their wealthy father while her mother seeks help for her mental health. Cue giant private school, fancy uniforms, snotty rich kids & inspirational quotes like this:
"There's a social order here, and it's vigilantly maintained. The peons like him haven't earned the right to talk to someone like me. You're just lucky you made friends with the royalty."
Excuse me. You mean to say this came out of a teenage boy's mouth? Who talks like this?
And then we have Cassidy and her clique, who exist just to make the main character "not like other girls" I guess. If it wasn't bad enough that Cassidy just randomly automatically hates Sylvia because she looks like a 'lumberjack' on her first day, Sylvia's idea of dealing with the bullying is to ignore it and not defend herself until Cassidy tries to be civil, at which point Sylvia decides the smart thing to do is to be a sarcastic asshole until Cassidy decides to bully her again. What an intelligent thing to do.
At some point I stopped feeling sorry for Sylvia as she brought some of this on herself. She could have:
A. Defended herself
B. Stopped trying to hang out with people that don't genuinely like her
How many times did she whine about how much she didn't want to be with the popular kids? Poor Sylvia. It's almost like there's something called freedom of choice. Gasp. I know.
Now that I've said that, let me get on to my next point, which is:
Why?
Why is any of this relevant to the main character's power or story? Why did I read through over a hundred pages of snotty rich kid drama when I picked this up for the fantasy aspect that was advertised in the synopsis? The world may never know.
For a supposed fantasy that is BARELY 300 pages, I expected there to be more action, but nothing happened. The main character doesn't even find out about magic until 40% into it. The first half of the book was just high school bullying & drama filler, while the second half was decent but didn't have enough backstory or world building. It was all very shallow, and it could've had more depth had the first half of the book not been completely unrelated the to the second half.
This novel feels like two books slapped together into one and it doesn't really fit, at least not to me. That's not to say it's a bad book per se, just nothing special.
This book did not age well and it hasn't even been out that long. It feels like one of those books everyone read in middle school that was set in a rich kid private school and had some sort of paranormal/supernatural or mystery aspect to it. Or was that just me? Okay.
Let's get on to the part that really bothered me about this book. It felt like a diary. Here's one example:
"So then Addison calls me to find out if I really slept with Alex, which of course I deny six ways until Sunday or whatever that expression is, and then Jenny of all people calls, and I tell her she can talk to Addison if she wants the story, because I don't really like Jenny, and it'll give Addison a social boost to be the one controlling the gossip. Chris calls and apologizes for not finding out about the brownie before it was too late, and Fiona calls to apologize for leaving the party without me because she assumed I went home without saying goodbye, and Eric says Dad didn't even notice I wasn't home until Eric finally asked him right before lunch if he knew where I was, but Dad didn't know who I was friends with at school so he didn't know who to call. And Eric just knew Fiona, he didn't know her last name or anything, and they were both running around like chickens trying to figure out how to get in touch with me when Mrs. Naomi's-Mom called."
This isn't even all of it. It was like reading from some random girl's personal journal and it lasted several pages. It wasn't even in just one part of the book either. This was a recurring thing through the entire novel. It was extremely tedious to read at times.
There was a lot of telling instead of showing. Sylvia telling me everything that happened during her day, her feelings about it and then throwing in something about how Topaz Lake was different. I don't want to read your personal diary, Sylvia. I want to be shown what's happening. Especially since this was written in present tense.
Sylvia was also a bit judgmental for my tastes. Occasionally her comments about other girl's makeup or hair would have me rolling my eyes. Sylvia honey, it's not 2010. We don't dislike girls for wearing short dresses, makeup, and styling their hair anymore, and you're not special just because you like to go more au naturale. (Yet another reason this book feels old.)
Not to mention the weird pacing in the romantic relationships. I mean the whole book she went on and on about Royan and how great he is but in the end when she and I'm just like?? Uh bitch what?
It was very contrived. The kiss scenes & the romance between the guys in general felt very out of nowhere and I never found myself rooting for either of them or fangirling. There was no real development in either relationship, which I guess is to be expected when the guys aren't even introduced until almost halfway through the book, but it still would've been nice.
Alright. Now that we've gotten the bad stuff out of the way, let's get into the things I liked about this story.
The Phantasmer's power was probably the most redeeming factor about this book.
I like that it's the power to turn anything into anything else, as long as you believe it to be that way. It's unique. Or at least, I've never read anything with magic like that.
I also liked Royan and the Stranger. I've had enough of the whole arrogant, brooding asshole that's really kindhearted deep down trope. I've always preferred sweet guys so it was a nice change of pace to see male leads that didn't take their dark pasts out on the main character.
If there's one thing I liked about Sylvia's character, it was the fact that she could fight. I would've liked to see her defend herself more in the beginning so we didn't have to go through so much drama, but I've always preferred a female lead that can knock someone on their ass.
In Conclusion:
It was okay. It's definitely not for someone that likes fantasy, and most certainly not for someone who despises books filled with high school drama. If you like reading diaries about girls getting bullied and about how much they hate New York, this one's for you.
This definitely isn't one of my least favorites out there but I can say for sure if more books come out related to this story I won't be reading them. I just didn't feel much for the characters and the tiny bit of the story that took place in Fairy just didn't redeem this book for me.
**EDIT** I just noticed the author is turning this into a series.
I'm not sure what else can be done with this story line. I mean, she did her job as a Phantasmer. She already got with the guy (even though there was virtually no development) & she's not being bullied anymore. The only thing I can think of to write more about is her school life in New York & the guy she picked. No thanks.
"So do it. Don't forget," I say, and I take his hand.
"If we didn't forget, we could never truly change," he tells me. "It is how it must be."
Rating: 2 Stars ⭐⭐
I guess I should start this review off with a disclaimer: I am not the targeted demographic for this book. However, I don't see that as a valid excuse for why this book was so bad at some parts. Just because young adult is not my demographic, doesn't mean I don't typically enjoy a young adult book or series. You don't have to be the targeted audience to enjoy a story or a genre. I am not going to ignore the flaws in this novel just because it was written for teenagers, because trust me when I say I would've disliked this as a teenager too.
So. Our main character is a sixteen year-old girl named Sylvia. Her mother tries to commit suicide, resulting in Sylvia and her brother moving across the country to live with their wealthy father while her mother seeks help for her mental health. Cue giant private school, fancy uniforms, snotty rich kids & inspirational quotes like this:
"There's a social order here, and it's vigilantly maintained. The peons like him haven't earned the right to talk to someone like me. You're just lucky you made friends with the royalty."
Excuse me. You mean to say this came out of a teenage boy's mouth? Who talks like this?
And then we have Cassidy and her clique, who exist just to make the main character "not like other girls" I guess. If it wasn't bad enough that Cassidy just randomly automatically hates Sylvia because she looks like a 'lumberjack' on her first day, Sylvia's idea of dealing with the bullying is to ignore it and not defend herself until Cassidy tries to be civil, at which point Sylvia decides the smart thing to do is to be a sarcastic asshole until Cassidy decides to bully her again. What an intelligent thing to do.
At some point I stopped feeling sorry for Sylvia as she brought some of this on herself. She could have:
A. Defended herself
B. Stopped trying to hang out with people that don't genuinely like her
How many times did she whine about how much she didn't want to be with the popular kids? Poor Sylvia. It's almost like there's something called freedom of choice. Gasp. I know.
Now that I've said that, let me get on to my next point, which is:
Why?
Why is any of this relevant to the main character's power or story? Why did I read through over a hundred pages of snotty rich kid drama when I picked this up for the fantasy aspect that was advertised in the synopsis? The world may never know.
For a supposed fantasy that is BARELY 300 pages, I expected there to be more action, but nothing happened. The main character doesn't even find out about magic until 40% into it. The first half of the book was just high school bullying & drama filler, while the second half was decent but didn't have enough backstory or world building. It was all very shallow, and it could've had more depth had the first half of the book not been completely unrelated the to the second half.
This novel feels like two books slapped together into one and it doesn't really fit, at least not to me. That's not to say it's a bad book per se, just nothing special.
This book did not age well and it hasn't even been out that long. It feels like one of those books everyone read in middle school that was set in a rich kid private school and had some sort of paranormal/supernatural or mystery aspect to it. Or was that just me? Okay.
Let's get on to the part that really bothered me about this book. It felt like a diary. Here's one example:
"So then Addison calls me to find out if I really slept with Alex, which of course I deny six ways until Sunday or whatever that expression is, and then Jenny of all people calls, and I tell her she can talk to Addison if she wants the story, because I don't really like Jenny, and it'll give Addison a social boost to be the one controlling the gossip. Chris calls and apologizes for not finding out about the brownie before it was too late, and Fiona calls to apologize for leaving the party without me because she assumed I went home without saying goodbye, and Eric says Dad didn't even notice I wasn't home until Eric finally asked him right before lunch if he knew where I was, but Dad didn't know who I was friends with at school so he didn't know who to call. And Eric just knew Fiona, he didn't know her last name or anything, and they were both running around like chickens trying to figure out how to get in touch with me when Mrs. Naomi's-Mom called."
This isn't even all of it. It was like reading from some random girl's personal journal and it lasted several pages. It wasn't even in just one part of the book either. This was a recurring thing through the entire novel. It was extremely tedious to read at times.
There was a lot of telling instead of showing. Sylvia telling me everything that happened during her day, her feelings about it and then throwing in something about how Topaz Lake was different. I don't want to read your personal diary, Sylvia. I want to be shown what's happening. Especially since this was written in present tense.
Sylvia was also a bit judgmental for my tastes. Occasionally her comments about other girl's makeup or hair would have me rolling my eyes. Sylvia honey, it's not 2010. We don't dislike girls for wearing short dresses, makeup, and styling their hair anymore, and you're not special just because you like to go more au naturale. (Yet another reason this book feels old.)
Not to mention the weird pacing in the romantic relationships. I mean the whole book she went on and on about Royan and how great he is but in the end when she and I'm just like?? Uh bitch what?
It was very contrived. The kiss scenes & the romance between the guys in general felt very out of nowhere and I never found myself rooting for either of them or fangirling. There was no real development in either relationship, which I guess is to be expected when the guys aren't even introduced until almost halfway through the book, but it still would've been nice.
Alright. Now that we've gotten the bad stuff out of the way, let's get into the things I liked about this story.
The Phantasmer's power was probably the most redeeming factor about this book.
I like that it's the power to turn anything into anything else, as long as you believe it to be that way. It's unique. Or at least, I've never read anything with magic like that.
I also liked Royan and the Stranger. I've had enough of the whole arrogant, brooding asshole that's really kindhearted deep down trope. I've always preferred sweet guys so it was a nice change of pace to see male leads that didn't take their dark pasts out on the main character.
If there's one thing I liked about Sylvia's character, it was the fact that she could fight. I would've liked to see her defend herself more in the beginning so we didn't have to go through so much drama, but I've always preferred a female lead that can knock someone on their ass.
In Conclusion:
It was okay. It's definitely not for someone that likes fantasy, and most certainly not for someone who despises books filled with high school drama. If you like reading diaries about girls getting bullied and about how much they hate New York, this one's for you.
This definitely isn't one of my least favorites out there but I can say for sure if more books come out related to this story I won't be reading them. I just didn't feel much for the characters and the tiny bit of the story that took place in Fairy just didn't redeem this book for me.
**EDIT** I just noticed the author is turning this into a series.
I'm not sure what else can be done with this story line. I mean, she did her job as a Phantasmer. She already got with the guy (even though there was virtually no development) & she's not being bullied anymore. The only thing I can think of to write more about is her school life in New York & the guy she picked. No thanks.
January 21, 2020
I had a slightly difficult time rating this book. On one hand I read through this in 2 days and didn't want to stop but on the other hand the characters, their actions, and the social scene were just too over the top to embrace. I've never been a huge fan of novels that overdo the stereotypes of society either.
In this story Sylvia is thrust from the simple life in Nevada to the rich and mighty high school world of Upper New York. Through her own bad decisions she creates issues and scenes that should paint her as a unique character but for me she just came off as a teen not handling herself well. Seriously bad judgement calls. However, the dynamic between her and her brother Eric was something I loved every bit of and I wished that version of Sylvia was portrayed more. Protective, cunning, witty, brave and reflecting a normal teenager.
Once we are introduced to Fairy and start meeting the characters of this parallel world the story picks up pace and you get sucked in. The character descriptions,world creativity and backstory were exactly what my readerish mind looks for in a good young adult fantasy. I wanted more. I understood the plot, the conflict between courts and needed to know the outcome. The only Fairy drawback was our two "lovers."
For the most part everyone likes a little romance in their story. But I could not figure out why it needed to be in this one. Though I see the appeal of having two guys from separate courts vying for the attention of the MC and bringing out that conflicting triangle of lovers, it did not move smoothly in this book. I even considered the aspect of the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress aspect of fairy tales for this and it helped. I'd probably still remove the random kissing everyone seems to be doing and stick to the evolving connection between Stranger and Sylvia.
Overall I would definitely recommend this for the plot of the battling Courts and Fairy. Like I said I read this in 2 days and did not want to put it down. If you can look past the stereotypes and see the fairy tale dream in the pages I think you'll like this as much as I did.
Reader warnings: suicide, drugs, some violence
Thank you to Parliament Press, NetGalley and the author for the ability to review this work for an unbiased opinion.
In this story Sylvia is thrust from the simple life in Nevada to the rich and mighty high school world of Upper New York. Through her own bad decisions she creates issues and scenes that should paint her as a unique character but for me she just came off as a teen not handling herself well. Seriously bad judgement calls. However, the dynamic between her and her brother Eric was something I loved every bit of and I wished that version of Sylvia was portrayed more. Protective, cunning, witty, brave and reflecting a normal teenager.
Once we are introduced to Fairy and start meeting the characters of this parallel world the story picks up pace and you get sucked in. The character descriptions,world creativity and backstory were exactly what my readerish mind looks for in a good young adult fantasy. I wanted more. I understood the plot, the conflict between courts and needed to know the outcome. The only Fairy drawback was our two "lovers."
For the most part everyone likes a little romance in their story. But I could not figure out why it needed to be in this one. Though I see the appeal of having two guys from separate courts vying for the attention of the MC and bringing out that conflicting triangle of lovers, it did not move smoothly in this book. I even considered the aspect of the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress aspect of fairy tales for this and it helped. I'd probably still remove the random kissing everyone seems to be doing and stick to the evolving connection between Stranger and Sylvia.
Overall I would definitely recommend this for the plot of the battling Courts and Fairy. Like I said I read this in 2 days and did not want to put it down. If you can look past the stereotypes and see the fairy tale dream in the pages I think you'll like this as much as I did.
Reader warnings: suicide, drugs, some violence
Thank you to Parliament Press, NetGalley and the author for the ability to review this work for an unbiased opinion.
November 13, 2017
Hmm.....I'm not sure how to rate this novel! 2 stars for the first half 4 for the second = 3?
I first heard about it in Canada Reads.
The take on Faerie is very creative and the last 1/4 of the book that actually takes place in Faerie was delightfully surreal. I wish more of the novel could have taken place there. Unfortunately the first half that takes place in New York City depicting rich kids in a private school and stereotypical bullies got somewhat tedious. However when the book finished I was not in the mood to leave!
I first heard about it in Canada Reads.
The take on Faerie is very creative and the last 1/4 of the book that actually takes place in Faerie was delightfully surreal. I wish more of the novel could have taken place there. Unfortunately the first half that takes place in New York City depicting rich kids in a private school and stereotypical bullies got somewhat tedious. However when the book finished I was not in the mood to leave!
April 18, 2017
In a genre filled with cookie-cutter copies of the same old formulaic stories, In Restless Dreams is a refreshingly original gem. Sylvia, our protagonist, is an amazing relief from the seemingly endless procession of fainting, wide-eyed waifs that populate the young adult fantasy genre. She's honest, tough and possesses actual flaws that she's aware of, though that doesn't always stop them from hindering her (most of us can relate, I think).
It's a true pleasure to experience Sylvia's journey from her comforting small town setting, to the strange ways of New York's upper crust, to the surreal realms of Faerie.
Handman uses eloquent imagery and delightful characters to paint a fantastic picture of the lands of the Fae. As an avid consumer of modern supernatural fiction, I've had Faerie described to me in many different ways by many different people, but Handman's version is the one I'd most like to visit.
I felt, when reading In Restless Dreams, that Handman was not only aware of the tendency of the genre towards tropes and formulas, but was actively working to use those expectations to surprise me. There were many times when I would read what I thought was a set-up for a predictable plot device or character archetype, and I would mutter something smug to myself about 'knowing where this was going'. Each time, however, I would be pleasantly shocked a few pages later when Handman twisted what I thought to be familiar into the unexpected. As it turned out, I did not, in fact, know where that was going.
If you're a lover of young adult literature or urban supernatural fiction, and you're tired of being told the same story over and over, then I urge you to read this book. You won't be disappointed.
PS: Love the title.
It's a true pleasure to experience Sylvia's journey from her comforting small town setting, to the strange ways of New York's upper crust, to the surreal realms of Faerie.
Handman uses eloquent imagery and delightful characters to paint a fantastic picture of the lands of the Fae. As an avid consumer of modern supernatural fiction, I've had Faerie described to me in many different ways by many different people, but Handman's version is the one I'd most like to visit.
I felt, when reading In Restless Dreams, that Handman was not only aware of the tendency of the genre towards tropes and formulas, but was actively working to use those expectations to surprise me. There were many times when I would read what I thought was a set-up for a predictable plot device or character archetype, and I would mutter something smug to myself about 'knowing where this was going'. Each time, however, I would be pleasantly shocked a few pages later when Handman twisted what I thought to be familiar into the unexpected. As it turned out, I did not, in fact, know where that was going.
If you're a lover of young adult literature or urban supernatural fiction, and you're tired of being told the same story over and over, then I urge you to read this book. You won't be disappointed.
PS: Love the title.
April 12, 2020
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, The Parliament House, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.'
RTC.
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RTC.
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October 12, 2016
Find more of my reviews at my blog Books and Stars.
**I received a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way.**
This is truly a gem of a story, fast-paced with a fantastic protagonist!
Sylvia Hartford has her life turned completely upside-down when she finds her mother passed out in the kitchen. Next thing she knows, she and her younger brother are swept from their small town in Nevada to New York to live with their super rich father while their mother recuperates. Life as a the daughter of a wealthy man brings about a completely difference lifestyle for Sylvia; and as if fighting snobs in her new private school isn't enough, she finds herself caught in the middle of two warring faerie courts, each who want her help to fulfill their own means...
Sylvia was such a great protagonist because she just so human. Right from the start, we got a sense of her humble beginnings, seeing the extent of her love for her family and her methods to staying afloat when everything was going down. Moving to New York definitely pushed her out of her comfort zone, challenging her in ways she never anticipated she would have to deal with. The combination of her relatable voice and her strong sense of right and wrong made her such an easy character to like. She didn't take any crap from others, even challenging the whole social-elite-clique going on in her school. Even though her father's name would have given Sylvia the means to be at the top, she stood her ground when she saw how unfair they treated other people deemed "lower." She wasn't shallow, vain, or obsessed with being liked by the "right" people; Sylvia was honest, just, and genuine, which made her so much more of a strong lead!
The system of the faerie courts is nothing new to me, since I've gorged myself on all stories involving the fae. However, Handman put a very different spin on the familiar concepts I knew about regarding how human dreams suffice the existence of faery worlds, and the difference between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. This book introduced a being called the Phantasmer: a human whose powers are so great, he or she can change the very fabric of the faerie world simply by believing something with their will. I mean, the faerie worlds thrive off belief, so it stands to reason that one particularly powerful person would have the capabilities to alter the worlds completely. Such a brilliant concept!
The romance in this novel wasn't of the typical straightforward kind, which made this such a fresh read. It constantly had me guessing at what would happen. I first pegged the story to be an insta-love kind, but a few chapters later, I figured it would become a love triangle, and then a few chapters after that I had no idea which direction it would go anymore. However, I did have my heart set upon one of the two potential love interests. Without naming them, I'll just say that Character A had a very strong heart, never once lied to Sylvia, and physically fought tooth and nail for her regardless of what it would cost him. Character B seemed genuine, but I was quick to become wary of him, because he seemed way too perfect and was more of the submissive and acceptive kind (though to be honest, I probably would have fallen for him first). Both are fantastic, but I personally preferred one over the other!
Sylvia's powers were very interesting to read about. I definitely sympathized with her in the sense that it would take no less than a miracle for me to believe what once was impossible was possible. You can't just suddenly believe that if you open a door, you'll find yourself back in Faery land. It's not a switch you can just turn on, and I found myself smiling at Sylvia's attempts, knowing she felt ridiculous, but offsetting her disappointment with humour. I have a feeling that once she gets the hand of it, there literally will be nothing she can't do!
Another great aspect about this novel were how both positive and negative relationships are formed and broken. We get to see how family relationships can change for the better and for the worse with Sylvia's family, as well as how friendships can be artificially forged. Sylvia's straightforwardness and cleverness made her a force to be reckon with in school; though she refused to play the game of superiority and got burned a bit because of it, she made sure to get them back on her own terms. She stood up for herself and was devious about it, which I absolutely loved. I definitely would want her as my friend!
This is a fantastic novel, a brilliant mix of contemporary and fantastical issues. It was exciting, adventurous, and empowering. Who says you can't successfully deal with bullies and figure out about the faery world all at once? I honestly cannot wait for the next one, to explore the limits of Sylvia's powers and how she'll handle life with her newfound abilities, and potential consequences to her actions. Plus how could anyone not need the next one after that ominous epilogue? (Also, that cover is gorgeous, so you know you'll want to pick this one up ;) )
**I received a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way.**
This is truly a gem of a story, fast-paced with a fantastic protagonist!
Sylvia Hartford has her life turned completely upside-down when she finds her mother passed out in the kitchen. Next thing she knows, she and her younger brother are swept from their small town in Nevada to New York to live with their super rich father while their mother recuperates. Life as a the daughter of a wealthy man brings about a completely difference lifestyle for Sylvia; and as if fighting snobs in her new private school isn't enough, she finds herself caught in the middle of two warring faerie courts, each who want her help to fulfill their own means...
Sylvia was such a great protagonist because she just so human. Right from the start, we got a sense of her humble beginnings, seeing the extent of her love for her family and her methods to staying afloat when everything was going down. Moving to New York definitely pushed her out of her comfort zone, challenging her in ways she never anticipated she would have to deal with. The combination of her relatable voice and her strong sense of right and wrong made her such an easy character to like. She didn't take any crap from others, even challenging the whole social-elite-clique going on in her school. Even though her father's name would have given Sylvia the means to be at the top, she stood her ground when she saw how unfair they treated other people deemed "lower." She wasn't shallow, vain, or obsessed with being liked by the "right" people; Sylvia was honest, just, and genuine, which made her so much more of a strong lead!
The system of the faerie courts is nothing new to me, since I've gorged myself on all stories involving the fae. However, Handman put a very different spin on the familiar concepts I knew about regarding how human dreams suffice the existence of faery worlds, and the difference between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. This book introduced a being called the Phantasmer: a human whose powers are so great, he or she can change the very fabric of the faerie world simply by believing something with their will. I mean, the faerie worlds thrive off belief, so it stands to reason that one particularly powerful person would have the capabilities to alter the worlds completely. Such a brilliant concept!
The romance in this novel wasn't of the typical straightforward kind, which made this such a fresh read. It constantly had me guessing at what would happen. I first pegged the story to be an insta-love kind, but a few chapters later, I figured it would become a love triangle, and then a few chapters after that I had no idea which direction it would go anymore. However, I did have my heart set upon one of the two potential love interests. Without naming them, I'll just say that Character A had a very strong heart, never once lied to Sylvia, and physically fought tooth and nail for her regardless of what it would cost him. Character B seemed genuine, but I was quick to become wary of him, because he seemed way too perfect and was more of the submissive and acceptive kind (though to be honest, I probably would have fallen for him first). Both are fantastic, but I personally preferred one over the other!
Sylvia's powers were very interesting to read about. I definitely sympathized with her in the sense that it would take no less than a miracle for me to believe what once was impossible was possible. You can't just suddenly believe that if you open a door, you'll find yourself back in Faery land. It's not a switch you can just turn on, and I found myself smiling at Sylvia's attempts, knowing she felt ridiculous, but offsetting her disappointment with humour. I have a feeling that once she gets the hand of it, there literally will be nothing she can't do!
Another great aspect about this novel were how both positive and negative relationships are formed and broken. We get to see how family relationships can change for the better and for the worse with Sylvia's family, as well as how friendships can be artificially forged. Sylvia's straightforwardness and cleverness made her a force to be reckon with in school; though she refused to play the game of superiority and got burned a bit because of it, she made sure to get them back on her own terms. She stood up for herself and was devious about it, which I absolutely loved. I definitely would want her as my friend!
This is a fantastic novel, a brilliant mix of contemporary and fantastical issues. It was exciting, adventurous, and empowering. Who says you can't successfully deal with bullies and figure out about the faery world all at once? I honestly cannot wait for the next one, to explore the limits of Sylvia's powers and how she'll handle life with her newfound abilities, and potential consequences to her actions. Plus how could anyone not need the next one after that ominous epilogue? (Also, that cover is gorgeous, so you know you'll want to pick this one up ;) )
December 4, 2019
Rating: 3.75/4 Stars
Wren Handman’s ridiculous fluidity with writing is the whipping on top of hot cocoa. It takes a gifted writer to pull me into a 2 a.m. reading bender without realizing the time, and Wren Handman is that kind of writer. Yes, even for the dark love reading girl, this YA Contemporary Fantasy tugged my Mother Cover Lover train into the story without question.
By the first page, I’m dropped into the plight of the character and the life struggles/swings don’t stop coming. In fact, the compound of the external issues and the internal voice of the main character, Sylvia, experiences were on point. Also, I found it interesting the way Wren separated/prepared a scene break for the introduction of fantasy elements. This at times seemed more like a T.V. show quality than what I’d expect in a typical fantasy novel.
DID THIS AFFECT ME WHILE READING?
At first, it caught me off guard, but like all things you adjust and anticipate the change. While I loved Wren’s fluidity of writing, the deep characterization her characters pulled me into, I rated IN RESTLESS DREAMS 3.75/4 stars due to struggling with how long the fantasy elements took to intermingle with the main character in the storyline.
Which is where I emphasize the Contemporary classification of this novel. The first part of IN RESTLESS DREAMS is solely focused on Sylvia and the issues within her life. The breaks of Fantasy are kept separate and it takes time before the two collide. I really appreciate the time taken to develop Sylvia, and not make the plot feel rushed. But I would have to be honest that I did start to wonder when the crap was going to hit the fan and how the fantasy would finally intermingle. The length of time for the Fantasy to bleed into the Contemporary is what kept me from going in at all 4 stars.
Once the Fantasy elements smashed into the Contemporary, which I must say was beautifully done, the story took off with great uses and twists of Fae lore. I argued with myself as I wrote this review to not go all-in at 4 stars, but its that one issue of the time frame for when the fantasy links in all the way I kept tripping on.
EVEN WITH THIS ONE FACTOR, I THINK IN RESTLESS DREAMS WAS A GREAT, CLEAN, YA CONTEMPORARY FANTASY.
As a parent, I’d be more than delighted to have my child embark on this series without the worry about what they might encounter, and I fully expect the issue of when the Fantasy comes into play with the sequel to be non-existent.
I received an eARC of IN RESTLESS DREAMS by Wren Handman in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of the review.
Let’s be honest here. If it was great or sucked, I have no problem writing it out.
Wren Handman’s ridiculous fluidity with writing is the whipping on top of hot cocoa. It takes a gifted writer to pull me into a 2 a.m. reading bender without realizing the time, and Wren Handman is that kind of writer. Yes, even for the dark love reading girl, this YA Contemporary Fantasy tugged my Mother Cover Lover train into the story without question.
By the first page, I’m dropped into the plight of the character and the life struggles/swings don’t stop coming. In fact, the compound of the external issues and the internal voice of the main character, Sylvia, experiences were on point. Also, I found it interesting the way Wren separated/prepared a scene break for the introduction of fantasy elements. This at times seemed more like a T.V. show quality than what I’d expect in a typical fantasy novel.
DID THIS AFFECT ME WHILE READING?
At first, it caught me off guard, but like all things you adjust and anticipate the change. While I loved Wren’s fluidity of writing, the deep characterization her characters pulled me into, I rated IN RESTLESS DREAMS 3.75/4 stars due to struggling with how long the fantasy elements took to intermingle with the main character in the storyline.
Which is where I emphasize the Contemporary classification of this novel. The first part of IN RESTLESS DREAMS is solely focused on Sylvia and the issues within her life. The breaks of Fantasy are kept separate and it takes time before the two collide. I really appreciate the time taken to develop Sylvia, and not make the plot feel rushed. But I would have to be honest that I did start to wonder when the crap was going to hit the fan and how the fantasy would finally intermingle. The length of time for the Fantasy to bleed into the Contemporary is what kept me from going in at all 4 stars.
Once the Fantasy elements smashed into the Contemporary, which I must say was beautifully done, the story took off with great uses and twists of Fae lore. I argued with myself as I wrote this review to not go all-in at 4 stars, but its that one issue of the time frame for when the fantasy links in all the way I kept tripping on.
EVEN WITH THIS ONE FACTOR, I THINK IN RESTLESS DREAMS WAS A GREAT, CLEAN, YA CONTEMPORARY FANTASY.
As a parent, I’d be more than delighted to have my child embark on this series without the worry about what they might encounter, and I fully expect the issue of when the Fantasy comes into play with the sequel to be non-existent.
I received an eARC of IN RESTLESS DREAMS by Wren Handman in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of the review.
Let’s be honest here. If it was great or sucked, I have no problem writing it out.
September 9, 2020
You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, The Parliament House, and the author via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating of 2.75
Sylvia is having a terrible night, she never thought that her new boyfriend would dump her at a huge party, just so he could go and grind on another girl. What Sylvia doesn't realise is, this will be the LEAST of her problems. After her mother's attempted suicide, Sylvia and her brother end up moving to New York to live with their Father, while their Mother enters a facility to help her recover. Being in a massive city, living in a huge mansion, and having more allowance than any teenager could know what to do with sounds brilliant. Except what comes with that is having to try and fit in and make more friends than enemies at a prestigious prep school all the while realising that she is the Phantasma and the Unseelie and Seelie courts want nothing more than to get their hands on her. Not knowing which court to believe, Sylvia tries to be pragmatic about it, ending up in more trouble than she bargained for. Will she be able to survive her new found Phantasma status and her new high school all at the same time?
This book is a tough one. I feel kinda torn about it. The premise was incredibly interesting and I was looking forward to diving into this world and seeing how it all played out. And I'm not too sure what to think about what I've read...
The first half of the story follows Sylvia as she comes home from a party and finds her Mother passed out on the kitchen floor, seemingly having attempted to overdose on medication. It moves on to the introduction of Sylvia's father and then their move to New York so that her mum can enter a facility that will help her recover from her attempted suicide. The first half of this story had serious bully academy vibes going for it. It's a prep school for the rich and fabulous that Sylvia is enrolled into. While her and her brother's lives were normal when they lived with their mum, it changes to anything BUT normal when they move in with their dad. He's wealthy and lives in a mansion and they both now get an exuberant allowance a week and are told to buy mobile phones and take the private car or taxis everywhere. The people at Sylvia's school are the epitome of born with a silver spoon in their mouth. and on her first day, Sylvia upsets one of the stereotypical Queens Bee's and then spends the rest of her time trying not to piss anyone else. Of course the hot and popular mean guy takes an interest in her because that's just what happens yeah? All I'm saying is, it came of no surprise when I read it. So the first half of the book comes across super contemporary with some chapters thrown in that are written from a stranger's perspective from the shadows, and we are given glimpses of warring courts and the mention of dreamers and Phantasmas. Then all of a sudden, a party happens and there's spiking happening and our protagonist can see the fae. This is where the book takes a turn for the more fantastical. We meet two main characters, one from each court, who end up pleading their cases and attempting to get Sylvia on their side. Then she ends up in Faerie and all this stuff happens, and I'm not going to go into it because you didn't come here to read a recitation of the book. After that ramble, let me get back on track. What I'm trying to get at here is, this book felt like two books that were half written and mashed together into a franken-book that I'm just not too sure how I felt about?
Both halves had awesome ideas and the beginnings of some great stuff. I just feel like the book felt very divided, one minute I'm reading a YA bully book and the next I'm reading a fantasy story about the Fae courts. It just didn't combine too well. I don't quite understand the whole point of the first half of the book to be honest. All these scenarios and characters didn't really have much of a point to them, it's as though the author wasn't too sure how to start the story so just went with a basic idea. Even the attempted suicide felt like it was just used to create word count, it didn't have a purpose and after half way through, we don't even know what happened to her mum. I'm not sure if there is meant to be a follow up book to this, but I definitely feel like there should be because I feel like none of my questions were answered by the end. What was the point of emphasising the struggles that Sylvia was having? Yes, there is mention at one point about a character not wanting to stay somewhere and I guess that could be used a driving point, but it just felt very superficial. The whole thing felt very superficial if I'm honest.
There were so many great ideas here and I just feel like the book was rushed WAY too much. This could have been fleshed out to a duology at least. We barely got any lore about the courts and their war, there just wasn't a whole lot of substance here and it made me really sad because the general idea of this story is great.
I also really enjoyed the characters we met too, it felt like there was so much more room needed for all of these characters to reach their full potential and be fleshed out into three dimensional characters that it makes me sad at how the story didn't really touch on things enough. One thing I absolutely LOVED and made me all giddy inside was that one character is singing at one point in the book, and the song he is singing is by a singer called LP and it's called Lost On You; it made me super excited because LP is still a relatively unknown musician, at least here in Australia, as far as I know, so to see her lyrics in a book just made me really happy, because she seriously is underrated and if you haven't heard her you should definitely check her out, the woman has range, let me tell you.
So while the story was okay and I did enjoy it for the most part, I feel like it let itself down by not being allowed to be fleshed out more and given the time and length it deserved. I did enjoy both halves of this story, I just don't know if they worked too well mushed together how they were without a longer page count...or an extra book, to help give the story a bit more substance and some closure for the stuff the happened, because there's basically no closure at all. If there does happen to be a follow up book to this in the future, you best believe I will be checking it out, because I can't handle unanswered questions.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, The Parliament House, and the author via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating of 2.75
Sylvia is having a terrible night, she never thought that her new boyfriend would dump her at a huge party, just so he could go and grind on another girl. What Sylvia doesn't realise is, this will be the LEAST of her problems. After her mother's attempted suicide, Sylvia and her brother end up moving to New York to live with their Father, while their Mother enters a facility to help her recover. Being in a massive city, living in a huge mansion, and having more allowance than any teenager could know what to do with sounds brilliant. Except what comes with that is having to try and fit in and make more friends than enemies at a prestigious prep school all the while realising that she is the Phantasma and the Unseelie and Seelie courts want nothing more than to get their hands on her. Not knowing which court to believe, Sylvia tries to be pragmatic about it, ending up in more trouble than she bargained for. Will she be able to survive her new found Phantasma status and her new high school all at the same time?
This book is a tough one. I feel kinda torn about it. The premise was incredibly interesting and I was looking forward to diving into this world and seeing how it all played out. And I'm not too sure what to think about what I've read...
The first half of the story follows Sylvia as she comes home from a party and finds her Mother passed out on the kitchen floor, seemingly having attempted to overdose on medication. It moves on to the introduction of Sylvia's father and then their move to New York so that her mum can enter a facility that will help her recover from her attempted suicide. The first half of this story had serious bully academy vibes going for it. It's a prep school for the rich and fabulous that Sylvia is enrolled into. While her and her brother's lives were normal when they lived with their mum, it changes to anything BUT normal when they move in with their dad. He's wealthy and lives in a mansion and they both now get an exuberant allowance a week and are told to buy mobile phones and take the private car or taxis everywhere. The people at Sylvia's school are the epitome of born with a silver spoon in their mouth. and on her first day, Sylvia upsets one of the stereotypical Queens Bee's and then spends the rest of her time trying not to piss anyone else. Of course the hot and popular mean guy takes an interest in her because that's just what happens yeah? All I'm saying is, it came of no surprise when I read it. So the first half of the book comes across super contemporary with some chapters thrown in that are written from a stranger's perspective from the shadows, and we are given glimpses of warring courts and the mention of dreamers and Phantasmas. Then all of a sudden, a party happens and there's spiking happening and our protagonist can see the fae. This is where the book takes a turn for the more fantastical. We meet two main characters, one from each court, who end up pleading their cases and attempting to get Sylvia on their side. Then she ends up in Faerie and all this stuff happens, and I'm not going to go into it because you didn't come here to read a recitation of the book. After that ramble, let me get back on track. What I'm trying to get at here is, this book felt like two books that were half written and mashed together into a franken-book that I'm just not too sure how I felt about?
Both halves had awesome ideas and the beginnings of some great stuff. I just feel like the book felt very divided, one minute I'm reading a YA bully book and the next I'm reading a fantasy story about the Fae courts. It just didn't combine too well. I don't quite understand the whole point of the first half of the book to be honest. All these scenarios and characters didn't really have much of a point to them, it's as though the author wasn't too sure how to start the story so just went with a basic idea. Even the attempted suicide felt like it was just used to create word count, it didn't have a purpose and after half way through, we don't even know what happened to her mum. I'm not sure if there is meant to be a follow up book to this, but I definitely feel like there should be because I feel like none of my questions were answered by the end. What was the point of emphasising the struggles that Sylvia was having? Yes, there is mention at one point about a character not wanting to stay somewhere and I guess that could be used a driving point, but it just felt very superficial. The whole thing felt very superficial if I'm honest.
There were so many great ideas here and I just feel like the book was rushed WAY too much. This could have been fleshed out to a duology at least. We barely got any lore about the courts and their war, there just wasn't a whole lot of substance here and it made me really sad because the general idea of this story is great.
I also really enjoyed the characters we met too, it felt like there was so much more room needed for all of these characters to reach their full potential and be fleshed out into three dimensional characters that it makes me sad at how the story didn't really touch on things enough. One thing I absolutely LOVED and made me all giddy inside was that one character is singing at one point in the book, and the song he is singing is by a singer called LP and it's called Lost On You; it made me super excited because LP is still a relatively unknown musician, at least here in Australia, as far as I know, so to see her lyrics in a book just made me really happy, because she seriously is underrated and if you haven't heard her you should definitely check her out, the woman has range, let me tell you.
So while the story was okay and I did enjoy it for the most part, I feel like it let itself down by not being allowed to be fleshed out more and given the time and length it deserved. I did enjoy both halves of this story, I just don't know if they worked too well mushed together how they were without a longer page count...or an extra book, to help give the story a bit more substance and some closure for the stuff the happened, because there's basically no closure at all. If there does happen to be a follow up book to this in the future, you best believe I will be checking it out, because I can't handle unanswered questions.
Read
December 29, 2023I had the idea for this book many years ago. My goal was to write something that was an accurate representation of the original stories of all the mythical creatures we see in fiction today. Did you know that until Hollywood, werewolves were never half-man and half-wolf? Did you know that until recently, vampires could go out during the day?
When I researched fairy stories to write this novel, I discovered that many of the tropes of today are recent inventions. The Fairy courts being divided into seasons? A 20th century invention. Every legend has a different view of fairies: they're cute, they're terrifying, they're courtly creatures, they're barely sentient.
I started to wonder... what would fairies have to be like, to inspire so many disparate stories? What real creature could be lurking at the centre of all of these tales?
And so, In Restless Dreams was born. You'll have to read it to find out how exactly it is that fairies manage to inspire so many completely different stories. But I'll give you a hint. It's really all humanity's fault...
When I researched fairy stories to write this novel, I discovered that many of the tropes of today are recent inventions. The Fairy courts being divided into seasons? A 20th century invention. Every legend has a different view of fairies: they're cute, they're terrifying, they're courtly creatures, they're barely sentient.
I started to wonder... what would fairies have to be like, to inspire so many disparate stories? What real creature could be lurking at the centre of all of these tales?
And so, In Restless Dreams was born. You'll have to read it to find out how exactly it is that fairies manage to inspire so many completely different stories. But I'll give you a hint. It's really all humanity's fault...
January 4, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.
I am glad this is the first in a series! I feel like there is so much to cover, and we barely scratched the surface of it! Sylvia's life is greatly changed when her mother attempts suicide, forcing the family to move to NYC so her dad can be the primary parent while her mom is in therapy. Strange things begin happening almost as soon as Sylvia gets to the city, and the introduction of 2 strangers at a party sets her life on a whole new course, one in which she could have never imagined.
I really liked this book. I would have loved more background on her mom, because it almost feels like she is tied to what happens to Sylvia in some way. Or maybe that is just me wanted more depth and layers to the story. I like the play on good and evil, and how what may seem as good at first is not quite as good as you thought up close. I would have loved to see Sylvia take more ownership of herself and her story, but I think that will come in the next one!
I am glad this is the first in a series! I feel like there is so much to cover, and we barely scratched the surface of it! Sylvia's life is greatly changed when her mother attempts suicide, forcing the family to move to NYC so her dad can be the primary parent while her mom is in therapy. Strange things begin happening almost as soon as Sylvia gets to the city, and the introduction of 2 strangers at a party sets her life on a whole new course, one in which she could have never imagined.
I really liked this book. I would have loved more background on her mom, because it almost feels like she is tied to what happens to Sylvia in some way. Or maybe that is just me wanted more depth and layers to the story. I like the play on good and evil, and how what may seem as good at first is not quite as good as you thought up close. I would have loved to see Sylvia take more ownership of herself and her story, but I think that will come in the next one!
September 10, 2020
I received this as an eARC and audiobook to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to The Parliament House for giving me access.
This was more of a 3.5 rating for me.
The overall story was very interesting and I actually want more of it. The fantasy/fae aspect just didn't seem to fit in to me. It felt thrown in and irrelevant.
This was more of a 3.5 rating for me.
The overall story was very interesting and I actually want more of it. The fantasy/fae aspect just didn't seem to fit in to me. It felt thrown in and irrelevant.
June 7, 2023
HOLY HANKERCHIEF!
This was so good!
A little bit confusing here and there, but so good anyway! I mean we get the world building and seeing our heroine have some balls. it dosen`t jump right into it. But we get to know her and watch her somewhat grow as well as the fantasy part of it.
I look forward to see how it plays out in the second book!
I got this eARC from Netgalley
This was so good!
A little bit confusing here and there, but so good anyway! I mean we get the world building and seeing our heroine have some balls. it dosen`t jump right into it. But we get to know her and watch her somewhat grow as well as the fantasy part of it.
I look forward to see how it plays out in the second book!
I got this eARC from Netgalley
January 23, 2020
I fell in love with the cover and I think that this is a well written story with a cast of fleshed out characters.
Unfortunately I didn't connect to the plot and the book fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Unfortunately I didn't connect to the plot and the book fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
January 30, 2020
There are 2 parts in this book. The first one focused on Sylvia life and the other one tells about fairy land which make me quite confused at first. But then both world are connected to Sylvia. She had to do something which was a big responsibility for her to change/save the fairy land and she has to believe her power for it to happen.
There is a little romance in this book between Sylvia, Royan and the stranger. At first I wanted her to end up with the perfect one but once I understand the other one I'm glad she chose him. I feel bad goshh I like them both 😂
I feel mad when I read the epilogue. I need more! Who is coming with her? Goshh
Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for this ARC!
🌟🌟🌟.5
There is a little romance in this book between Sylvia, Royan and the stranger. At first I wanted her to end up with the perfect one but once I understand the other one I'm glad she chose him. I feel bad goshh I like them both 😂
I feel mad when I read the epilogue. I need more! Who is coming with her? Goshh
Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for this ARC!
🌟🌟🌟.5
September 30, 2016
This is a great take on Fairy, one of the most creative I've seen yet, but what I really loved was the engaging protagonist. So often YA female leads (especially in anything paranormal) feel very bland, or like a collection of traits designed to charm the audience. Not so with Sylvia -- she does some genuinely surprising things that really fit with her character, and feels passionate in a way that's not contrived. She fights, she gets mad, she is protective of her family and she checks out cute guys.
In Restless Dreams blends family and school drama with the supernatural, with well-drawn characters and a story that moves along, explaining the paranormal side of things concisely while still keeping you interested in non-paranormal (mundane seems like the wrong word, as it's definitely not) side of things.
In Restless Dreams blends family and school drama with the supernatural, with well-drawn characters and a story that moves along, explaining the paranormal side of things concisely while still keeping you interested in non-paranormal (mundane seems like the wrong word, as it's definitely not) side of things.
November 4, 2019
I really enjoyed this book!! I've read quiet a few fae novels, especially within the past few years, and this has such a new spin to fairies and their world! I really enjoyed that Sylvia was independent and made her own choices with things rather than being dragged along for everything.
I'm not big on love triangles so I was a little worried that it was going to be annoying having her debate between two guys, but it was done in a way that was more her choice to help the Unseelie vs helping the Seelie rather than her feelings for the two guys.
I already can't wait for the next book! I love all of the characters!
I'm not big on love triangles so I was a little worried that it was going to be annoying having her debate between two guys, but it was done in a way that was more her choice to help the Unseelie vs helping the Seelie rather than her feelings for the two guys.
I already can't wait for the next book! I love all of the characters!
December 11, 2017
This was such a unique take on faerie lore! I loved the action, conflict, and sense of suspense and urgency the story built to. The characters are well developed and believable. The protagonist is strong and creative and I enjoyed reading about her struggles with family, classmates, and school life, as well as her supernatural experiences. Looking forward to reading more!
February 11, 2020
ARC provided by NetGalley and The Parliament House. All opinions are mine and freely given.
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"Relief is a memory you will forget."
02-11: 'In Restless Dreams (The Phantasmer Cycle Book 1)' by Wren Handman is one of those seemingly innocuous titles that slowly shows itself as much, much more than it appears to be.
The pitch is this.. the main character, Sylvia, is a teenage girl whose mother's attempted suicide lands her in the big city. She and her brother end up there with their estranged dad, the rich prep school she's forced to attend, a complete departure from the life she knew.. and one she's struggling to navigate at best.
To make bad into worse, she's the most recent incarnation of something the neighboring fae world refers to as a Phantasmer, a human who can literally change everything simply by believing. Lucky girl, that places her right in the middle between the two warring Courts. The Seelie and Unseelie both have their own strategies for dealing with her ability, and the young men trying to sway her loyalties have intentions of their own.
"When you get older, plainer, saner, when you remember all the danger we came from." -- "Burning like embers, falling, tender, long before the days of no surrender. Years ago, and well you know..."
At the start of the book, it actually seems to center mostly around Sylvia's day to day situation in New York. Some of her classmates are typically awful, but she meets a couple of people who seem nice. As she trudges through her new situation, it's just kind of your average story.
So, when she first really crosses paths with one of the fae and the dialogue takes a sharp dip into this beautifully crafted sort of homage to all things Wonderland, I found myself straightening up in my chair and reassessing the writer entirely.
Certainly, some of the similarities are overt and deliberate, but I feel like there are glimpses of other worlds here too. Influences, even if subconscious, on the author.
"This new thing is made up of barbed wire and gunny sack, a scarecrow of madness. It twitters, something halfway between a laugh and the scream of ripping metal."
Initially, that snippet seemed most obviously some darker combination of Oz, but for me it felt like something I might see in Kingdom Hearts. In my mind, it was both frightening and ridiculous, but it still made me uneasy and I loved that.
There's this brilliant character whose intentions you're never quite certain of. Everything you're shown says one thing about him, yet my instincts continued down their own road. He's a creature of darkness wrapped in some strange joy, who loves to sort of linger in the gray.. toying with anyone who might be able to glimpse him. Ultimately, good or bad.. he's my favorite.. simply for the way he's able to wander along that line, swerving this way and that without much concern for the consequences. Besides, even wickedly so, he's delightfully playful.
I feel like the author really benefitted from her work in scripts. While oft times, this can throw a writer off, resulting in scenes that only play out well in a visual medium, Handman has a unique mastery of how best to utilize what she knows. She's able to create these moments (and if you read this, you'll see one during the night of the party.. there are soaps and hand creams involved, just remember that much), that are warm and funny, visualized so well that I can still replay the images in my memory.
"I don't know...Did you know your belt is made of sorrow?" I ask. -- He gives me an odd look. "You're still high, aren't you?"
Beneath the most obvious plotlines, the changing of the world and the battle between the two Courts, even the potential romantic angles.. what I really love is the origin story of their world and the history within it. The creation of the cycles these beings have been subjected to is uniquely inventive and held me fascinated. The connections they held to great artists, how they benefitted from the work they were putting out into the world, is incredibly unconventional in the best way.
Wren made me laugh out loud, leaving me to explain my strange outbursts to my family.. and made me cry, which thankfully no one was present for. It can't be proven. Never happened. *cough* Really though, the truth is, I was terribly sad and hopeful for all of the fae. Even those who didn't necessarily deserve it.
--------------------------
02-10: An author I'm unfamiliar with, a cover that tells me little.. really this read was just a leap of faith. Something made me keep returning to its listing on NetGalley. Review coming soon..
February 24, 2020
Thank you to Parliament House Press for sending me an e-ARC copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Spoilers present from this point forward.
There is a lot to like about In Restless Dreams, so I’m going to share my positive impressions first, before I dive into the aspects of this novel that I did not like. The basic premise is one that is very attractive to me. Girl finds her way to Fairyland, discovers she is the chosen one and has the chance to help make the world better. I love these kinds of stories and rarely get sick of them. They are familiar, comforting, and fun. In that regard, In Restless Dreams is a novel I enjoy. It’s full of tropes, executed in non-surprising ways, but I’m okay with that because sometimes I just want to read something safe, familiar and predictable.
There’s a bit of a love triangle, and lord knows I love that kind of drama, but it’s a real side note, so if that’s not you’re thing, don’t worry that it will be front and centre to the story. I found both love interests to be intriguing, and wish a little more of the story was devoted to them, and their interactions, both with each other and with Sylvia. Sylvia is the Phantasmer, which is just this novel’s way of saying that she is the chosen one, and I’m a big fan of chosen one story arcs. If you aren’t a fan of this trope, this might not be the novel for you.
Now onto my issues with the novel. It takes way too long to introduce fantasy elements to Sylvia’s story. Her very first brush with the Fairy world doesn’t happen until 40% of the way through the novel. For a novel with a shorter page count (316 pages isn’t long for a fantasy novel), this takes way too long to get going.
As much as I normally really enjoy school drama novels- especially private or boarding school drama- in this book it’s not what I’m here for, and almost half the page count is dedicated to it. I’m not entirely sure what it really adds to the narrative- most of the school plot lines are dedicated to the bullying of Sylvia by a classmate named Cassidy, and that has no bearing on the Fairy plot line (aka the main plot line of the book). The only part of the school story that is relevant is when a classmate named Alex tricks Sylvia into eating a drugged brownie at a party, which kicks off her first real time seeing the fairy world. The rest of the school plot line isn’t necessary, and I’d rather it have either been worked into the main narrative better, or trimmed down significantly, in favour of beefing up the Fairy plot line.
The Fairy plot line itself is interesting, but again I really wish it had been explored further. It comes across as rushed, and a lot of it is bogged down in excessive descriptions, rather than showing us the Abstract World through dialogue and actions. The various locales and creatures dreamed up were interesting, but were ultimately just a pretty background, and not fully fledged out setting and characters.
Sylvia as a hero was most likable, but at times dipped into annoying, childish or just plain inconsistent. Her family was a mess, and really needed some more fleshing out. The school characters were largely irrelevant and two dimensional. I wanted more from the Queens of Fairy, but I did really enjoy the Stranger and the Knight, they felt like real breathing characters to me.
Overall, the dialogue was where this book was let down. There wasn’t enough of it, and what was there read awkward and a little staged. There’s a trick to writing teenagers so that they don’t sound like an adult trying to talk like a teen, and unfortunately this novel does not successfully accomplish that.
The main plot needed more depth and expansion, with more time dedicated to the world building and magic of the being a Phantasmer, but I’ve said that numerous times in this review. Bottom line is cut a lot off the beginning, flesh out the middle and the end, and this would easily become a 4 star+ read for me. As it stands, I have to give it a low 3 star review.
There is a lot to like about In Restless Dreams, so I’m going to share my positive impressions first, before I dive into the aspects of this novel that I did not like. The basic premise is one that is very attractive to me. Girl finds her way to Fairyland, discovers she is the chosen one and has the chance to help make the world better. I love these kinds of stories and rarely get sick of them. They are familiar, comforting, and fun. In that regard, In Restless Dreams is a novel I enjoy. It’s full of tropes, executed in non-surprising ways, but I’m okay with that because sometimes I just want to read something safe, familiar and predictable.
There’s a bit of a love triangle, and lord knows I love that kind of drama, but it’s a real side note, so if that’s not you’re thing, don’t worry that it will be front and centre to the story. I found both love interests to be intriguing, and wish a little more of the story was devoted to them, and their interactions, both with each other and with Sylvia. Sylvia is the Phantasmer, which is just this novel’s way of saying that she is the chosen one, and I’m a big fan of chosen one story arcs. If you aren’t a fan of this trope, this might not be the novel for you.
Now onto my issues with the novel. It takes way too long to introduce fantasy elements to Sylvia’s story. Her very first brush with the Fairy world doesn’t happen until 40% of the way through the novel. For a novel with a shorter page count (316 pages isn’t long for a fantasy novel), this takes way too long to get going.
As much as I normally really enjoy school drama novels- especially private or boarding school drama- in this book it’s not what I’m here for, and almost half the page count is dedicated to it. I’m not entirely sure what it really adds to the narrative- most of the school plot lines are dedicated to the bullying of Sylvia by a classmate named Cassidy, and that has no bearing on the Fairy plot line (aka the main plot line of the book). The only part of the school story that is relevant is when a classmate named Alex tricks Sylvia into eating a drugged brownie at a party, which kicks off her first real time seeing the fairy world. The rest of the school plot line isn’t necessary, and I’d rather it have either been worked into the main narrative better, or trimmed down significantly, in favour of beefing up the Fairy plot line.
The Fairy plot line itself is interesting, but again I really wish it had been explored further. It comes across as rushed, and a lot of it is bogged down in excessive descriptions, rather than showing us the Abstract World through dialogue and actions. The various locales and creatures dreamed up were interesting, but were ultimately just a pretty background, and not fully fledged out setting and characters.
Sylvia as a hero was most likable, but at times dipped into annoying, childish or just plain inconsistent. Her family was a mess, and really needed some more fleshing out. The school characters were largely irrelevant and two dimensional. I wanted more from the Queens of Fairy, but I did really enjoy the Stranger and the Knight, they felt like real breathing characters to me.
Overall, the dialogue was where this book was let down. There wasn’t enough of it, and what was there read awkward and a little staged. There’s a trick to writing teenagers so that they don’t sound like an adult trying to talk like a teen, and unfortunately this novel does not successfully accomplish that.
The main plot needed more depth and expansion, with more time dedicated to the world building and magic of the being a Phantasmer, but I’ve said that numerous times in this review. Bottom line is cut a lot off the beginning, flesh out the middle and the end, and this would easily become a 4 star+ read for me. As it stands, I have to give it a low 3 star review.
January 26, 2020
Fans of Fairy, the Unseelie and Seelie Courts, and those who love a bit of unsure romance will enjoy this one.
Sylvia is a very usual high school student with a normal life in a small town out West. That is, until her mother tries to commit suicide. While her mother undergoes very necessary therapy, Sylvia and her younger brother move to their father in New York, who happens to be one of the richest and most well-known men in the city. The culture shock isn't an easy one to master as Sylvia is suddenly thrust into a private school with the elite's of the high class, especially when they decide to bully her. Tricked into taking drugs, Sylvia is meets two very strange men while she's high, ones no one but her can see...and even afterwards, she still sees them. Just as she's sure she's going crazy, she stumbles into Fairy and discovers that so much more awaits her. And most of those things are anything but nice and safe. They're down right deadly.
I could give two very separate reviews on this book if it were divided somewhere about a third of the way through. In the first third, we meet sixteen-year-old Sylvia as she's dumped by her boyfriend and immediately are drawn in as her life flips upside down. The writing is pretty well done (with only a few stumbles here and there), and it was fairly easy to fall into the scenes. I was a bit thrown by Sylvia's snark and found her a little unkind at times. The side characters also didn't have the depth I would have hoped for, but still, the entire thing was interesting enough to keep me reading. So, I'd give that section three stars.
It takes over one third of the book before the fantasy really gets going. During the first pages, the Stranger does pop in with his own section every now and then, but it's always very short and doesn't meld into the happenings with Sylvia...making it almost possible to forget magic is supposed to be involved at all. When Sylvia finally does see Fairy, her talents hit suddenly and without a real explanation (unless the accidental drug use was the cause?). The reasoning behind her being born with such powers is never neared upon, which I found a little disappointing.
Once Sylvia is hooked in with the Fairy, the adventure truly begins. Everything she faced with her private school fades away, making the entire drama between new friends and such meaningless...and made me wonder why much of it was necessary.
Anyway, the fairy side is simply a fun read. The author develops the two fae men well done as their two very different personalities add amazing tension and bring even more secrets into play. Sylvia has a lot to figure out and deal with, and none of it is crystal clear. This kept me guessing until the last pages and made every twist and turn fun.
The scenes and imagery are a treat. The world is packed with fantastical details and each set is vivid. The emotions run high in a mix of black and white as the two opposing worlds of Fairy collide. Even the background history, which the author has created, melds in wonderfully and makes for an exciting and unique predicament. So much happens during this latter section of the book, and it's packed with danger, action, mystery and adventure. The romance adds even extra spice.
All in all, I enjoyed the read and will meld the rating together to form four stars. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it quite a bit. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
Sylvia is a very usual high school student with a normal life in a small town out West. That is, until her mother tries to commit suicide. While her mother undergoes very necessary therapy, Sylvia and her younger brother move to their father in New York, who happens to be one of the richest and most well-known men in the city. The culture shock isn't an easy one to master as Sylvia is suddenly thrust into a private school with the elite's of the high class, especially when they decide to bully her. Tricked into taking drugs, Sylvia is meets two very strange men while she's high, ones no one but her can see...and even afterwards, she still sees them. Just as she's sure she's going crazy, she stumbles into Fairy and discovers that so much more awaits her. And most of those things are anything but nice and safe. They're down right deadly.
I could give two very separate reviews on this book if it were divided somewhere about a third of the way through. In the first third, we meet sixteen-year-old Sylvia as she's dumped by her boyfriend and immediately are drawn in as her life flips upside down. The writing is pretty well done (with only a few stumbles here and there), and it was fairly easy to fall into the scenes. I was a bit thrown by Sylvia's snark and found her a little unkind at times. The side characters also didn't have the depth I would have hoped for, but still, the entire thing was interesting enough to keep me reading. So, I'd give that section three stars.
It takes over one third of the book before the fantasy really gets going. During the first pages, the Stranger does pop in with his own section every now and then, but it's always very short and doesn't meld into the happenings with Sylvia...making it almost possible to forget magic is supposed to be involved at all. When Sylvia finally does see Fairy, her talents hit suddenly and without a real explanation (unless the accidental drug use was the cause?). The reasoning behind her being born with such powers is never neared upon, which I found a little disappointing.
Once Sylvia is hooked in with the Fairy, the adventure truly begins. Everything she faced with her private school fades away, making the entire drama between new friends and such meaningless...and made me wonder why much of it was necessary.
Anyway, the fairy side is simply a fun read. The author develops the two fae men well done as their two very different personalities add amazing tension and bring even more secrets into play. Sylvia has a lot to figure out and deal with, and none of it is crystal clear. This kept me guessing until the last pages and made every twist and turn fun.
The scenes and imagery are a treat. The world is packed with fantastical details and each set is vivid. The emotions run high in a mix of black and white as the two opposing worlds of Fairy collide. Even the background history, which the author has created, melds in wonderfully and makes for an exciting and unique predicament. So much happens during this latter section of the book, and it's packed with danger, action, mystery and adventure. The romance adds even extra spice.
All in all, I enjoyed the read and will meld the rating together to form four stars. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it quite a bit. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
January 29, 2020
ARC from NetGalley
4 stars for being a page-turner.
This book was full of vivid imagery. The kind of writing that thrusts you into it, not so much the sights as it was tactile. The beginning, the painful beginning, was very well done. You feel Sylvia's confusion and hurt. You live it. This is a YA paranormal fantasy situation where you are reading first person from a girl in the real world, oh so modern and very much here and now, and then the fantasy elements seep into the mix. I felt that this book could have benefited from things being just a bit more mature, and it could have benefited from a little less modern here and now and a lot more Faerie.
Some of the Fae dialogue felt out of place. In my mind, a faerie doesn't wear a Metallica T-shirt and say 'yup.' That kind of thing pulled me out of the story. It didn't add anything to it. It took from it, and it was confusing and weird.
I wish that the author would have taken some time to work a bit more of the mental health angle into things, but perhaps that is for another author, another book. It seemed like she took this very painful, tragic situation and used it for nothing other than to give the MC some backstory and to thrust things forward. It wasn't really revisited, and it could have been. I think it should have been. It was a bit cheap.
The modern portions were just a bit too stereotypical. The MC is very down to earth. She isn't like the other girls. Her father is a bajillionaire, but she grew up in the sticks. She is totally aghast at the excess of her peers, but her father is a bajillionaire. The author makes this excuse that she only visited her father a few times, but that doesn't really pan out. She says at one point that her family is blue blooded or something like that, not nouveau riche. Okay well if this wealth is baked in, why are you so stunned by it? Did you have no other family on that side? No one wanted to see you, ever? Your mother kept you in the sticks so that you would develop into a good girl who only buys second hand clothes? Did she not get child support?
There's the stereotypical pretty blonde villain, only we aren't given any kind of peek into her psyche. She is completely one dimensional, and she didn't need to be. She would have benefited from some colour and shape, some texture.
This story would have benefited greatly, as stated above, if the ratio of IRL to Fae was more like 20/80 instead of like 70/30. The IRL bits were a bit juvenile, not so much in the actions as the dialogue.
I shouldn't have read the 'about the author' portion at the end of the book. I'm not sure if she wrote it herself or if someone decided that this was the way to go, but it was just a wank, and I rolled my eyes so hard. I was tempted to take a half star off just for this, but I'm not a complete asshole. Dear authors, readers want to know if you have a dog. If so, what is the breed? Do you prefer cats? Do you have any hobbies? Who are you as a human? IDGAF about your scholastic achievements.
Phew, okay I'm done kvetching. This was a good book. I enjoyed reading it.
4 stars for being a page-turner.
This book was full of vivid imagery. The kind of writing that thrusts you into it, not so much the sights as it was tactile. The beginning, the painful beginning, was very well done. You feel Sylvia's confusion and hurt. You live it. This is a YA paranormal fantasy situation where you are reading first person from a girl in the real world, oh so modern and very much here and now, and then the fantasy elements seep into the mix. I felt that this book could have benefited from things being just a bit more mature, and it could have benefited from a little less modern here and now and a lot more Faerie.
Some of the Fae dialogue felt out of place. In my mind, a faerie doesn't wear a Metallica T-shirt and say 'yup.' That kind of thing pulled me out of the story. It didn't add anything to it. It took from it, and it was confusing and weird.
I wish that the author would have taken some time to work a bit more of the mental health angle into things, but perhaps that is for another author, another book. It seemed like she took this very painful, tragic situation and used it for nothing other than to give the MC some backstory and to thrust things forward. It wasn't really revisited, and it could have been. I think it should have been. It was a bit cheap.
The modern portions were just a bit too stereotypical. The MC is very down to earth. She isn't like the other girls. Her father is a bajillionaire, but she grew up in the sticks. She is totally aghast at the excess of her peers, but her father is a bajillionaire. The author makes this excuse that she only visited her father a few times, but that doesn't really pan out. She says at one point that her family is blue blooded or something like that, not nouveau riche. Okay well if this wealth is baked in, why are you so stunned by it? Did you have no other family on that side? No one wanted to see you, ever? Your mother kept you in the sticks so that you would develop into a good girl who only buys second hand clothes? Did she not get child support?
There's the stereotypical pretty blonde villain, only we aren't given any kind of peek into her psyche. She is completely one dimensional, and she didn't need to be. She would have benefited from some colour and shape, some texture.
This story would have benefited greatly, as stated above, if the ratio of IRL to Fae was more like 20/80 instead of like 70/30. The IRL bits were a bit juvenile, not so much in the actions as the dialogue.
I shouldn't have read the 'about the author' portion at the end of the book. I'm not sure if she wrote it herself or if someone decided that this was the way to go, but it was just a wank, and I rolled my eyes so hard. I was tempted to take a half star off just for this, but I'm not a complete asshole. Dear authors, readers want to know if you have a dog. If so, what is the breed? Do you prefer cats? Do you have any hobbies? Who are you as a human? IDGAF about your scholastic achievements.
Phew, okay I'm done kvetching. This was a good book. I enjoyed reading it.
February 21, 2020
In Restless Dreams is about a girl, Slyvia, who moves with her brother to her dad’s house in New York after an incident with her mom. There she joins a new school and adjusts to living in a new place. When she goes to her first party there, she comes across a man she named The Stranger. While conversing with The Stranger, another man appears who she names The Knight. Slyvia believes this is all a trick of the drugs she had been tricked into taking. That is, until she realizes it isn’t, that she is something much greater.
This book felt too short for me. It was only 19 chapters plus an epilogue and prologue and I think it needed to be more. Because it was a short book, everything felt rushed and not completely fleshed out. The book felt like an abridged version of a book. I wanted to get more of faerie, more insight on the seelie versus unseelie and who the fae are, and just more depth from the characters. Everything felt rushed, especially the ending, and I still have some questions about the world and what exactly is a Phantasmer and how do they get their power?
The prologue mentions this old woman in a cottage. While I was reading the book I kept waiting for her to pop up, to know who she is and what her role is in the story. She doesn’t pop up, there is not one mention of her. I personally think the prologue isn't needed and that instead it maybe should have been Phantasmer related. And this is the first book in a series so I am assuming the old woman will pop up in the next book, but I feel like because she wasn’t in this book, the prologue should not be included. The epilogue is just as confusing as the prologue and I think I get what the author was trying to do, add some mystery to the plot and to keep the reader wondering so they continue the series. I think the author missed the mark on this and it just puts me off a bit.
Sylvia is our main character and I liked her. When she learns she is the Phantasmer she wants to take time to think, to make sure the changes she makes are well thought out. I appreciate that ant that she cared for the fae living in Faerie. Not that any of the characters weren’t one dimensional, out of all of them, she was the most developed character.
All the characters in the book felt one dimensional. I don’t know if that would have changed with the book being longer, it could just be how the author writes and develops characters. But I like to think had the author wrote more and given more space for character development that the characters wouldn’t be so one dimensional.
Although we don’t get to see much of it, I liked the Faerie world. I loved how the author described it and how she gave that contrat of how Sylvia views the real world and faerie. The author does a good job of describing the fae as well, I could definitely picture them! I wish we got more of faerie because I liked how the author describes it and I would have liked to see/read more of it.
The plot was enjoyable and interesting. It took a little while for it to come in, for a while I was wondering if there was going to be any fantasy element in it at all. The ending is rushed but I think it leaves off on an interesting note and the set up for the sequel is good, definitely leaves you wondering.
This book felt too short for me. It was only 19 chapters plus an epilogue and prologue and I think it needed to be more. Because it was a short book, everything felt rushed and not completely fleshed out. The book felt like an abridged version of a book. I wanted to get more of faerie, more insight on the seelie versus unseelie and who the fae are, and just more depth from the characters. Everything felt rushed, especially the ending, and I still have some questions about the world and what exactly is a Phantasmer and how do they get their power?
The prologue mentions this old woman in a cottage. While I was reading the book I kept waiting for her to pop up, to know who she is and what her role is in the story. She doesn’t pop up, there is not one mention of her. I personally think the prologue isn't needed and that instead it maybe should have been Phantasmer related. And this is the first book in a series so I am assuming the old woman will pop up in the next book, but I feel like because she wasn’t in this book, the prologue should not be included. The epilogue is just as confusing as the prologue and I think I get what the author was trying to do, add some mystery to the plot and to keep the reader wondering so they continue the series. I think the author missed the mark on this and it just puts me off a bit.
Sylvia is our main character and I liked her. When she learns she is the Phantasmer she wants to take time to think, to make sure the changes she makes are well thought out. I appreciate that ant that she cared for the fae living in Faerie. Not that any of the characters weren’t one dimensional, out of all of them, she was the most developed character.
All the characters in the book felt one dimensional. I don’t know if that would have changed with the book being longer, it could just be how the author writes and develops characters. But I like to think had the author wrote more and given more space for character development that the characters wouldn’t be so one dimensional.
Although we don’t get to see much of it, I liked the Faerie world. I loved how the author described it and how she gave that contrat of how Sylvia views the real world and faerie. The author does a good job of describing the fae as well, I could definitely picture them! I wish we got more of faerie because I liked how the author describes it and I would have liked to see/read more of it.
The plot was enjoyable and interesting. It took a little while for it to come in, for a while I was wondering if there was going to be any fantasy element in it at all. The ending is rushed but I think it leaves off on an interesting note and the set up for the sequel is good, definitely leaves you wondering.
January 20, 2020
*3.5
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book for an honest review.
I thought this would be a really generic Fae YA novel but I found it to be enjoyable and even a little unique in some aspects. It was a super quick read, I read it in a whole evening.
The characters are engaging, some even wonderful, and the descriptions are really lovely. I was pleasantly surprised in these regarding the book.
Sylvia was tough, and I really loved that. I like a girl who can stand up for herself and her family, yet is still vulnerable and smart and self-aware. If anything I wanted more on the two main Fae guys. I just feel like I didn't get enough of them despite their important to the story, and romantic sub-plot.
Some things I didn't like were the pacing and the plot. Fae stuff happening to the character in terms of the importance to the plot didn't start happening until half way through, everything happening until then being typical teenager YA stuff which was fine, and even interesting to read about, but plot-wise left me wanting more. The romantic sub-plot was weak, Sylvia literally only knows the two guys for a total of two days (stretching it) and likes one of them enough to pick between the two when we as readers don't even know them that well.
I sincerely thought there was going to be a second book once I got 75% of the way through and everything would conclude there and then everything started wrapping up and I was surprised that it concluded so concisely. I was happy with the way it ended but still wished there was more in terms of the Fae realm. There was a lot of opportunity to continue to grow everything but it was all condensed into one quick book. I think there will be a second book but with a completely different plot. I'm just unsure how I feel about it.
The last 30% of the book had back and forth pacing. There was a bunch of points where I couldn't care less what was happening and skimmed through and then parts that were good and I got through them quickly wondering what would happen. I think more worldbuilding would have been a good fix for the pacing. The book definitely could have been longer and I wouldn't have minded.
Overall, I did really enjoy and I likely would pick up the next book if there is a continuation and it sounds interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book for an honest review.
I thought this would be a really generic Fae YA novel but I found it to be enjoyable and even a little unique in some aspects. It was a super quick read, I read it in a whole evening.
The characters are engaging, some even wonderful, and the descriptions are really lovely. I was pleasantly surprised in these regarding the book.
Sylvia was tough, and I really loved that. I like a girl who can stand up for herself and her family, yet is still vulnerable and smart and self-aware. If anything I wanted more on the two main Fae guys. I just feel like I didn't get enough of them despite their important to the story, and romantic sub-plot.
Some things I didn't like were the pacing and the plot. Fae stuff happening to the character in terms of the importance to the plot didn't start happening until half way through, everything happening until then being typical teenager YA stuff which was fine, and even interesting to read about, but plot-wise left me wanting more. The romantic sub-plot was weak, Sylvia literally only knows the two guys for a total of two days (stretching it) and likes one of them enough to pick between the two when we as readers don't even know them that well.
I sincerely thought there was going to be a second book once I got 75% of the way through and everything would conclude there and then everything started wrapping up and I was surprised that it concluded so concisely. I was happy with the way it ended but still wished there was more in terms of the Fae realm. There was a lot of opportunity to continue to grow everything but it was all condensed into one quick book. I think there will be a second book but with a completely different plot. I'm just unsure how I feel about it.
The last 30% of the book had back and forth pacing. There was a bunch of points where I couldn't care less what was happening and skimmed through and then parts that were good and I got through them quickly wondering what would happen. I think more worldbuilding would have been a good fix for the pacing. The book definitely could have been longer and I wouldn't have minded.
Overall, I did really enjoy and I likely would pick up the next book if there is a continuation and it sounds interesting.
February 18, 2020
This reminded me so much about #ACOTAR and yet it gave a faint Mediator vibe.
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for providing this book for an honest review.
The way this book starts, and old witch declaring that "she would come" and then promptly proceeds to break the bones off a real skeleton and makes a stew!! 😂
Stevie lives with her mom and brother in Topaz lake- definitely not a city! Her life is turned upside down when her mom attempts suicide. Her dad who also happens to be very very rich relocated them to New York and enrolls them in fancy school. Where Stevie has to deal with mean girls and a handsome boy whom she is reluctant to trust. The whole thrusting the character from modest beginnings to ultra rich life did feel like a cliche but I throughly enjoyed it!
Now out of nowhere she starts seeing things, at first she thinks that it was the aftereffects of some one drugging her. But she is visited by 2 handsome men. The Knight and the Stranger.
Is it bad to say I liked the Stranger right from the first even though I thought that he'd just be a mere supporting character? But you soon learn that he has a major role to play.... in her heart.
The Kinight is kinda like Captain America if he was a fairy.
After she learns that she is a Phantasmer, a human who can change the fabric of Fairy simply by believing in a new story. She takes the news surprisingly well.
I loved the relationship between Stevie and her brother Eric. It was adorable and relatable. The Dad was a pretty likable character too, you can see he is trying so hard to do right by his kids.
The most remarkable part of the book for me was how the situation of suicide and depression and its after effects on family and friends was handled. All the things that go through a family member's mind when faced with such tragedy, the confusion, guilt, anger, sadness. It was very well done.
I wish we knew a bit about the courts, the world building although good felt very short. I would love to know more about the fairies the types, the Different courts. It did feel a little bit incomplete. Some parts specially with the whole school situation felt a bit of a cliche. And yet I still don't know if I can trust anyone at the school. Even Fiona.
The cliffhanger and epilogue makes me eagerly wait for the sequel!!
Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for providing this book for an honest review.
The way this book starts, and old witch declaring that "she would come" and then promptly proceeds to break the bones off a real skeleton and makes a stew!! 😂
Stevie lives with her mom and brother in Topaz lake- definitely not a city! Her life is turned upside down when her mom attempts suicide. Her dad who also happens to be very very rich relocated them to New York and enrolls them in fancy school. Where Stevie has to deal with mean girls and a handsome boy whom she is reluctant to trust. The whole thrusting the character from modest beginnings to ultra rich life did feel like a cliche but I throughly enjoyed it!
Now out of nowhere she starts seeing things, at first she thinks that it was the aftereffects of some one drugging her. But she is visited by 2 handsome men. The Knight and the Stranger.
Is it bad to say I liked the Stranger right from the first even though I thought that he'd just be a mere supporting character? But you soon learn that he has a major role to play.... in her heart.
The Kinight is kinda like Captain America if he was a fairy.
After she learns that she is a Phantasmer, a human who can change the fabric of Fairy simply by believing in a new story. She takes the news surprisingly well.
I loved the relationship between Stevie and her brother Eric. It was adorable and relatable. The Dad was a pretty likable character too, you can see he is trying so hard to do right by his kids.
The most remarkable part of the book for me was how the situation of suicide and depression and its after effects on family and friends was handled. All the things that go through a family member's mind when faced with such tragedy, the confusion, guilt, anger, sadness. It was very well done.
I wish we knew a bit about the courts, the world building although good felt very short. I would love to know more about the fairies the types, the Different courts. It did feel a little bit incomplete. Some parts specially with the whole school situation felt a bit of a cliche. And yet I still don't know if I can trust anyone at the school. Even Fiona.
The cliffhanger and epilogue makes me eagerly wait for the sequel!!
May 18, 2020
I bought the paperback edition of In Restless Dreams from Wren Handman in March 2020. We read together at an Author Reading in B.C. and she was so funny and entertaining, I had to buy her book. (Mini-spoiler: Wren read the part where Sylvia eats “the brownie” at a party—an act that shows her hero’s innocence.)
Written in casual first person, we spend most of the book in Sylvia’s head. She’s a normal teen with some extraordinary problems. Her parents are separated, so after her mother almost commits suicide, Sylvia and her thirteen-year-old brother, Eric, are sent to live with her rich attorney father in the Upper East Side, New York. Oh, to have such problems—a mansion, a father who doles out credit cards, and a hot chauffeur to shuffle you to and from prep school!
The first half of the book follows Sylvia’s challenges adjusting to the rich privileged, ofttimes, cruel kids at her new rich prep school. About half-way through the book, Sylvia eats “the brownie” and suddenly starts seeing things she shouldn’t—even given the nature of “the brownie.”
The back-half of the book chronicles her adventures as the new Phantasmer—a being who can change Fairy with her thoughts. She’s introduced to The Stranger from the Unseelie Court and the hot, blond green-eyed knight from the Seelie Court, and we are entertained with the history and complications of Fairy.
There’s a thread of Alice in Wonderland running through the text. My favorite quote: “Artists and thinkers imagine so strongly, they warp bits of the world to match their creation. Lewis Carroll dreams of Jabberwocky and somewhere a fae is born who truly hates Vorpal swords.” Sylvia’s entry into Fairy is much like Alice’s into Wonderland, and this is exactly what Handman’s done in this book—dreamed a Phantasmer and so she is born.
Judging by the lengthy set-up, I’m assuming this is a series. Hurray! There’s already a hint of a love triangle between Sylvia, The Stranger, and the Green-Eyed Knight.
Teen & Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Written in casual first person, we spend most of the book in Sylvia’s head. She’s a normal teen with some extraordinary problems. Her parents are separated, so after her mother almost commits suicide, Sylvia and her thirteen-year-old brother, Eric, are sent to live with her rich attorney father in the Upper East Side, New York. Oh, to have such problems—a mansion, a father who doles out credit cards, and a hot chauffeur to shuffle you to and from prep school!
The first half of the book follows Sylvia’s challenges adjusting to the rich privileged, ofttimes, cruel kids at her new rich prep school. About half-way through the book, Sylvia eats “the brownie” and suddenly starts seeing things she shouldn’t—even given the nature of “the brownie.”
The back-half of the book chronicles her adventures as the new Phantasmer—a being who can change Fairy with her thoughts. She’s introduced to The Stranger from the Unseelie Court and the hot, blond green-eyed knight from the Seelie Court, and we are entertained with the history and complications of Fairy.
There’s a thread of Alice in Wonderland running through the text. My favorite quote: “Artists and thinkers imagine so strongly, they warp bits of the world to match their creation. Lewis Carroll dreams of Jabberwocky and somewhere a fae is born who truly hates Vorpal swords.” Sylvia’s entry into Fairy is much like Alice’s into Wonderland, and this is exactly what Handman’s done in this book—dreamed a Phantasmer and so she is born.
Judging by the lengthy set-up, I’m assuming this is a series. Hurray! There’s already a hint of a love triangle between Sylvia, The Stranger, and the Green-Eyed Knight.
Teen & Young Adult Urban Fantasy
January 20, 2020
First off, a big thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.
If I had to summarize this book very shortly, I would say it's almost like Gossip Girl meets the fantasy world. The premise is a very interesting take for anyone who has had a foray into fairie fantasy fiction. It attempts to be an almagamation of all things fairie.
The pacing of this book was just strange to me. It started off very slow and it took a very long time for any real fantasy, magic, or fairies to be introduced and when they were, it was sporadic and a bit confusing.
I actually loved the narration style as it was almost conversational and casual which lended a more intimate feel to the story-telling. I also enjoyed the characters and particularly thought that Sylvia, our heroine, was a very strong female lead.
That being said, in the end, this book fell very flat for me. It certainly had promise, but it almost seemed like the ending half was very rushed. As a result, the romance was sudden, undeveloped, and seemingly without reason. The climax of the story, which was also squished into the last few pages of the entire story were packed and confusing with some parts seeming jumbled while others were over-simplified and brushed aside. The story and its characters were just thrown together haphazardly and the dialogue became cheesy.
Overall, I would say the story held so much promise but was ultimately not executed well, particularly the ending. It is such a shame and a discredit to what seems to be a good amount of research, what could have been well-done world building, and a band of characters with potential. So sad this didn't go over well.
If I had to summarize this book very shortly, I would say it's almost like Gossip Girl meets the fantasy world. The premise is a very interesting take for anyone who has had a foray into fairie fantasy fiction. It attempts to be an almagamation of all things fairie.
The pacing of this book was just strange to me. It started off very slow and it took a very long time for any real fantasy, magic, or fairies to be introduced and when they were, it was sporadic and a bit confusing.
I actually loved the narration style as it was almost conversational and casual which lended a more intimate feel to the story-telling. I also enjoyed the characters and particularly thought that Sylvia, our heroine, was a very strong female lead.
That being said, in the end, this book fell very flat for me. It certainly had promise, but it almost seemed like the ending half was very rushed. As a result, the romance was sudden, undeveloped, and seemingly without reason. The climax of the story, which was also squished into the last few pages of the entire story were packed and confusing with some parts seeming jumbled while others were over-simplified and brushed aside. The story and its characters were just thrown together haphazardly and the dialogue became cheesy.
Overall, I would say the story held so much promise but was ultimately not executed well, particularly the ending. It is such a shame and a discredit to what seems to be a good amount of research, what could have been well-done world building, and a band of characters with potential. So sad this didn't go over well.
January 28, 2020
I really struggle with my feelings for this book. Overall, I think Handman has crafted an original tale that will be exciting for lovers of contempory low fantasy. She definitely channels the elements I have always loved from Holly Black and Cassandra Clare - this idea that fairy is barely removed from the world we experience on a daily basis.
Sylvia is a compelling heroine. For the first say, 65% of the book, I was really invested in the way she was handling the difficult curve-balls in her life and her incredible ability to shut down bullies. I was really invested in the portion of her story that felt strongly like a contemporary. The scene in the bathroom during the party (avoiding being more specific because **spoilers**) where we begin to understand how the worlds bleed together was a personal highlight. I also love the Stranger. A lot. He was my favorite character from the jump.
However, the last 25% of the book really didn't do it for me. I felt as though the ending was a little too pat? Or perhaps that it was rushed, as there was a lot of action crammed in to the very end. Considering how much I had been enjoying the book, I was a little disappointed by the conclusion. I would still read subsequent books in the series, but I would hope that future books spend more time focusing on the relationships between the worlds, since the time spent primarily in fairy is what felt the least successful.
**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
Sylvia is a compelling heroine. For the first say, 65% of the book, I was really invested in the way she was handling the difficult curve-balls in her life and her incredible ability to shut down bullies. I was really invested in the portion of her story that felt strongly like a contemporary. The scene in the bathroom during the party (avoiding being more specific because **spoilers**) where we begin to understand how the worlds bleed together was a personal highlight. I also love the Stranger. A lot. He was my favorite character from the jump.
However, the last 25% of the book really didn't do it for me. I felt as though the ending was a little too pat? Or perhaps that it was rushed, as there was a lot of action crammed in to the very end. Considering how much I had been enjoying the book, I was a little disappointed by the conclusion. I would still read subsequent books in the series, but I would hope that future books spend more time focusing on the relationships between the worlds, since the time spent primarily in fairy is what felt the least successful.
**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
January 26, 2020
Imagine if Gossip Girl suddenly had ties to the land of Fairy and you have In Restless Dreams.💫
Our protagonist Sylvia has her life flipped upside down when her mum ends up severely mentally ill and both Sylvia and her brother have to go from their small town home to New York 🏙to live with their rich and slightly estranged father.
For the first half of the book its mainly about the perils of being a small town girl in upper east side New York and trying to adjust to that new life. At about 60% we get to start our journey into and through Fairy 🦄
There's the standard idea of the Seelie and Unseelie courts but the actual history behind it is really interesting as is the role of the phantasmer 💥 the one that has the ability to reshape the land of Fairy with their mind.
The world building and character building is consistent and makes sense. I would've liked some more depth to certain relationships in the story because it seemed incredibly shallow and vague and made certain moments feel really forced.
I did have a very clear love interest who I was rooting for and the fact I was so passionate about that is because the author can really write emotion into her stories and I think that's exactly why I was disappointed in other relationships because I knew she could make me feel so strongly.
Either way, this is a great fun read and I definitely recommend checking it out if you're a fan of sassy, witty and strong female leads with a hearty dose of fae both human and not.
Review will be live on Jan 27th.
Our protagonist Sylvia has her life flipped upside down when her mum ends up severely mentally ill and both Sylvia and her brother have to go from their small town home to New York 🏙to live with their rich and slightly estranged father.
For the first half of the book its mainly about the perils of being a small town girl in upper east side New York and trying to adjust to that new life. At about 60% we get to start our journey into and through Fairy 🦄
There's the standard idea of the Seelie and Unseelie courts but the actual history behind it is really interesting as is the role of the phantasmer 💥 the one that has the ability to reshape the land of Fairy with their mind.
The world building and character building is consistent and makes sense. I would've liked some more depth to certain relationships in the story because it seemed incredibly shallow and vague and made certain moments feel really forced.
I did have a very clear love interest who I was rooting for and the fact I was so passionate about that is because the author can really write emotion into her stories and I think that's exactly why I was disappointed in other relationships because I knew she could make me feel so strongly.
Either way, this is a great fun read and I definitely recommend checking it out if you're a fan of sassy, witty and strong female leads with a hearty dose of fae both human and not.
Review will be live on Jan 27th.
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