Fearsome Dreamer - Laure Eve | Review

Author: Laure Eve

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Publishing Date: 03/10/2013

In Fearsome Dreamer, Europe is transformed into a dark, alternate world. England has become Angle Tar – a rural, technophobic country holding its own against the mass of other nations who have signed up to the new technological advances. While it has the premise of being a very interesting story, I found it hard to connect with.

Fearsome Dreamer starts off slow and unfortunately I didn’t feel that it really picked up at any point. At the very first instance we’re introduced to Rue, a young witch’s apprentice, and while her early story was interesting I soon found myself skipping her chapters in favour of White’s. All in all though, I couldn’t connect with the characters.

The back of the book synopsis hints at a romance between White and Rue and I felt like a lot of the story was a difficult plot with the sole objective being to bring them together for the romance towards the end. It was glaringly obvious throughout that the book was part of a series, and while I’m sure it did a great job of setting up for the rest of the series, it was unable to stand on it’s own feet.

My review of this book feels disjointed, and honestly a lot of that is because the book felt disjointed. I can’t coherently seem to write my thoughts about it. I was expecting a solid four star book, and I found myself reading a two star. It was disappointing.

I’ll still read the sequel, because Fearsome Dreamer did do an excellent job of setting up some questions that will niggle at me until I know the answers.  

2/5 stars.

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*A copy of this book was provided by Hot Key Books in return for my honest review

Say Her Name - James Dawson | Review **AND GIVEAWAY**

Author: James Dawson

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Publishing Date: 05/06/2014

Bobbie Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts so when she’s dared to summon Bloody Mary with her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine, it’s no big deal. Nothing happens, until the next morning when Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror: ‘five days'. But what does it mean? As their time runs out, Bobbie, Naya and Caine race to find out.

Ever since this book was announced, I’ve quite literally been counting down the days. James Dawson never fails to impress with his brilliant, inventive stories, and Say Her Name lives up to that reputation he’s firmly set in my mind.

Say Her Name, while being a truly creepy story also has a lot of other classic YA elements which give you a bit of light relief every now and again – Bobbie and Naya have a great friendship, there’s some cute romance bits, that sort of thing. Bobbie grows so much from the very first chapter to the very end of the book, and she is believable and adorable and I was cheering her on throughout. You get to dip in and out of the little snapshots of Bobbie’s life you’re provided with (you know, when she’s not being haunted and stuff). The background plays its part and does its job but that’s all, and Dawson is able to get a beautiful balance here. Also, in typical James Dawson fashion, it’s modern and up to date.

James does a fantastic job of building the tension slowly and gracefully, until you’re suddenly sitting right in the corner of the sofa unable to breathe properly and not entirely sure how you got to that point. But you can’t put the book down, because you always need to know what happens next. And with his big moments, he delivers. Mary is every bit as terrifying as the old stories will tell you, but with a new refreshing twist and background which may pull on your empathetic strings. I never thought I’d feel empathetic and scared at the same time, but it happened.

5/5 stars easily, a truly creepy read.

*Book given to me by Hot Key Books in exchange for my honest review

Want a chance to own all three fiction books by James Dawson - Hollow Pike, Cruel Summer and the brand new Say Her Name? Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win all three. 

*Giveaway closes on 13/06/2014*

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