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Book Reviews of Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1)

Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1)
Before I Wake - Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1
Author: Kathryn Smith
ISBN-13: 9780061340277
ISBN-10: 0061340278
Publication Date: 8/1/2008
Pages: 384
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 78

3.8 stars, based on 78 ratings
Publisher: Avon
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

7 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

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.
stephanie13w avatar 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.
dps189 avatar reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Enjoyed this new series from Smith. Interesting and different. Looking forward to the next one.
tioga avatar reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 167 more book reviews
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.
katkeen avatar reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 71 more book reviews
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!
wytchysteph avatar reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 39 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I admit it took me a bit longer to really get into this book but that could be due to the fact I was more drawn into another book at the same time lol. This turned out to be a very good story, and kept me wondering what next!? I think many paranormal fans will enjoy this one. The sexual vibes and tension that the author wrote into this story was done well but seemed to me it was a bit drawn out and delayed. I would still recommend this book though. Not everyone enjoys the same things that I do, or in the same fashion. It's still a good book.
reviewed Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Bk 1) on + 10 more book reviews
A little slow in the beginning, but once I got past 150 pages,I couldn't put it down, I'll be waiting for future installments of the Nightmare Chronicles.