Tandy McIntyre has been traumatized by the death of her mother in a car accident and is losing sleep from the nightmares that make her relive the incident, again and again. Her father, wanting to help her, sends her to an experimental dream program, run by a doctor Gillman.
Cade Gillman finds himself in constant conflict with his father and is only helping him in the program so he can save up enough money for his means of escape, college. He knows better than most his father's obsession with dreaming and controlling dreams, but even he could never predict the lengths his father is willing to go to, or the tragic results.
I greatly enjoyed how this book explored the mysteriousness of dreams and the very fine line between dreaming and reality. I loved exploring the dreams of Tandy and how it related to her main conflict; her relationship with her mother and how she was having trouble letting go of her mother and her constant, driven goal in making her the gymnast that her mother never could be.
Cade also has a tense relationship with his father and I think this is a theme that many young adult readers could relate with; a tense relationship with a parent or loved one and trying to find their own path, perhaps disappointing those they love.
There were a few conversations after some tragic events have happened, which made me wonder;why are they having this conversation now? Also the secondary characters are not as well-developed as Tandy and Cade and I had trouble connecting with them, especially when events started to catch up with them.
Tandy and Cade, however, did keep me reading and there was much about the book that is really fascinating, especially little titbits about how other cultures felt about dreams and Cade's shamanistic ability to walk in and out of other people's nightmares.
I give this book 3.5 pleasant dreams, out of 5.
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I read my first romance when I was twelve, hiding in a storage closet among hat boxes and old shoes. When I was in high school, I wrote a my first novel, a pirate romance called "A Wild and Stormy Passion." (The heroine was the pirate, in case you're wondering.) Since then, I've written young adult novels and romance in almost every category.
I am a dabbler and an emotional sponge. I can't read scary books or anything with an unhappy ending. I reserve the right to love country music, puppies, true love, and happily ever after.
I review books I want to share the word about.
Life's too short to read something you don't enjoy!
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