DetailsPublisher: Atheneum (2010)
Pages: 543
Content: L- Mild, S- Kissing, V- Moderate
Recommended Age: 14+
Source: Dorchester County Library
Front Flap Description
Cheerleader Isobel Lanely is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due--so unfair--on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he'd rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can't help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look.
Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realitites are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
His life depends on it.
My Thoughts
If you read the front flap description, then you will have a good idea what is going on. If not, this story will probably be a big mystery to you since nothing really gets explained until about 3/4 of the way through the book. But it's a good story. This book contains all the elements of good urban fantasy in an original way. There are no vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc, in this one- instead, there are creatures based on the works of Poe and intertwined with the author's own imagination.
For the first part of the book, the fantasy elements are light, with more focus on the relationships between Isobel, Varen, and her friends. Although the reactions of the some of the characters to certain situations seem extreme, at least they are interesting and provide Isobel an impetus for developing her relationship with Varen. And Varen is a particularly complex and interesting character, so the interactions with him were fun to read. (And in case you were wondering, yes, he is hot, in a dark sort of way).
The last quarter of the book pulls the characters full force into the fantasy world. Although I was happy to finally have some things explained, I found the last about 70 pages kind of tedious. It was like when someone describes their dream to you- it's interesting for about 30 seconds and then it just feels rambling and boring. I know this was the big climax part of the book with all the action, but it read like listening to a dream and I grew impatient with it (incidentally, this same issue is why I eventually gave up on Alyson Noel's Immortals series and Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy- too much time spent in a weird, boring dream world). I feel like the book would have been better had there been more fantasy explained earlier on and less later.
Despite the somewhat unbalanced feel of the book, I felt a connection with the main characters and I liked the dark, eerie atmosphere and fantasy incarnations. I'm not sure whether I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out, but this one was definitely worth a read.
Rating
4/5
Content: L- Mild, S- Kissing, V- Moderate
Recommended Age: 14+
Source: Dorchester County Library
Front Flap Description
Cheerleader Isobel Lanely is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due--so unfair--on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he'd rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can't help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look.
Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realitites are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
His life depends on it.
My Thoughts
If you read the front flap description, then you will have a good idea what is going on. If not, this story will probably be a big mystery to you since nothing really gets explained until about 3/4 of the way through the book. But it's a good story. This book contains all the elements of good urban fantasy in an original way. There are no vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc, in this one- instead, there are creatures based on the works of Poe and intertwined with the author's own imagination.
For the first part of the book, the fantasy elements are light, with more focus on the relationships between Isobel, Varen, and her friends. Although the reactions of the some of the characters to certain situations seem extreme, at least they are interesting and provide Isobel an impetus for developing her relationship with Varen. And Varen is a particularly complex and interesting character, so the interactions with him were fun to read. (And in case you were wondering, yes, he is hot, in a dark sort of way).
The last quarter of the book pulls the characters full force into the fantasy world. Although I was happy to finally have some things explained, I found the last about 70 pages kind of tedious. It was like when someone describes their dream to you- it's interesting for about 30 seconds and then it just feels rambling and boring. I know this was the big climax part of the book with all the action, but it read like listening to a dream and I grew impatient with it (incidentally, this same issue is why I eventually gave up on Alyson Noel's Immortals series and Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy- too much time spent in a weird, boring dream world). I feel like the book would have been better had there been more fantasy explained earlier on and less later.
Despite the somewhat unbalanced feel of the book, I felt a connection with the main characters and I liked the dark, eerie atmosphere and fantasy incarnations. I'm not sure whether I'll pick up the sequel when it comes out, but this one was definitely worth a read.
Rating
4/5
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