Joelle K. (JoelleKo20) reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 21 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
After reading many reviews making this book sound wonderful I feel like I need to share my thoughts as well. I just didn't really like this book. It was a really easy read, and the premise was something I would have normally liked, but I just couldn't feel for the characters like I normally would.
The plot of the book is pretty simple, girl falls for boy, boy has troubled past, but oops, girl is also a half dream being that can live in both the human world and the world of dreams. Girl then finds something evil stalking boy in his dreams and has to help vanquish it, but since she's been denying her abilities to walk in dreams for 28 years she isn't equipped to help him with it.
For starters, the author kept talking about the male hero (Noah) being troubled, but she never actually tells us why he's so troubled, just that he is. She skirts around the issue so much its almost overboard to make him seem so dark and brooding. Another problem I have with this book is that the heroine (Dawn) doesn't really ever seem to deal with her issues by the end of the book. They just all seem to disappear, which just made me even more confused. There's a subplot with Dawn and her mother and by the end of the book I would have thought it would have been resolved but it was left open-ended. I don't know if she's setting this up for more books about the same heroine or what but it just didn't work for me.
The plot of the book is pretty simple, girl falls for boy, boy has troubled past, but oops, girl is also a half dream being that can live in both the human world and the world of dreams. Girl then finds something evil stalking boy in his dreams and has to help vanquish it, but since she's been denying her abilities to walk in dreams for 28 years she isn't equipped to help him with it.
For starters, the author kept talking about the male hero (Noah) being troubled, but she never actually tells us why he's so troubled, just that he is. She skirts around the issue so much its almost overboard to make him seem so dark and brooding. Another problem I have with this book is that the heroine (Dawn) doesn't really ever seem to deal with her issues by the end of the book. They just all seem to disappear, which just made me even more confused. There's a subplot with Dawn and her mother and by the end of the book I would have thought it would have been resolved but it was left open-ended. I don't know if she's setting this up for more books about the same heroine or what but it just didn't work for me.
Stephanie C W. (stephanie13w) reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 300 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
When I first started this I thought not for me but I continued reading it & I'm glad I did. The 2 main characters are strong with a lot of past issues they need to deal with. I like the idea of Dawn (the main character) being able to slip into the dreamworld inhabited by her father Morpheus. She's half human & half Nightmare. She meets Noah who is getting help from her in the sleep clinic where she works. From there you see their relationship develop into something lasting & strong. Problems from the Dreaming enter their lives & they have to work together to end them. I ended up liking this book a lot & I think this is the start of a new series. If it is I'll read the next one.
Brandy C. (dps189) -
Helpful Score: 1
Enjoyed this new series from Smith. Interesting and different. Looking forward to the next one.
Helpful Score: 1
The Nightmare Chronicles 2008
Dawn is a psychologist employed at a sleep dream research center. She is also the daughter of Morpheus, the God of Sleep and a human mother. Dawn has denied to herself all her life that she is princess of the Dream Realm. Suddenly, she is forced to accept the fact that she is a Nightmare, a guardian of people's dreams. Not only is Dawn in danger of losing her life, but the man she has been monitoring is also in danger. The doctor-patient relationship changes from a professional one to a personal one as the two of them try to fight off the evil Dreamkin that is trying to invade the world of humankind.
Good story. 5 stars.
Dawn is a psychologist employed at a sleep dream research center. She is also the daughter of Morpheus, the God of Sleep and a human mother. Dawn has denied to herself all her life that she is princess of the Dream Realm. Suddenly, she is forced to accept the fact that she is a Nightmare, a guardian of people's dreams. Not only is Dawn in danger of losing her life, but the man she has been monitoring is also in danger. The doctor-patient relationship changes from a professional one to a personal one as the two of them try to fight off the evil Dreamkin that is trying to invade the world of humankind.
Good story. 5 stars.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was pretty awesome and I read it in a day! I love how its a totally different take (that Ive seen so far) on the dream world and the beings that belong to it. Its about a half human half...something else. I dont even know what to call them, cept that she is known in the dream world as a Nightmare. Such a cool twist, characters, and plot that I cant wait to read the next one!
