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Nightmare Chronicles #1
Before I Wake
You may call it a dream job . . . And in some ways, you'd be right. I actually get paid to study people's dreams. It comes much easier than my employers at the Sleep Center suspect; after all, I, Dawn, am the daughter of the king of the dream world, and I can roam the dreams of others, battling the nightmares that plague them. I call it a nightmare . . . Honestly, I could use a good night's sleep. But ever since I met Noah Clarke, I'm even more torn between the two smart, sexy, and able to control his own dreams, Noah could be my perfect man—except he's being stalked in his sleep by an unearthly evil, hell-bent on destroying him . . . and the entire world.
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
August 25, 2008
More hot paranormal action! I just finished "Before I Wake" by Kathryn Smith and what a good read it was! Smith's world centers around the 'Dreaming' and spins the tale of the half-mortal daughter of Morpheus.
Dawn is the half-mortal daughter of Morpheus. Her mother became depressed after a miscarriage and began spending the majority of her time sleeping. She somehow met Morpheus in her dreams and Dawn is the result. But Dawn's life hasn't exactly been an easy one. She doesn't feel at home in either world and once her mother put herself into a coma to be with her love Morpheus, Dawn quit 'visiting' Dreamworld. She's stuck between a rock and a hard place as she can't tell her human 'father' or siblings what's going on even as they spend thousands of dollars on medical intervention to 'wake' her mom who doesn't want to be woken! Got all that? As if that's not enough, it appears that some of the denizens of Dreamworld think that Morpheus has crossed the line by allowing his human lover and hybrid child into Dreamworld. And these same enemies of Morpheus have apparently decided that the best way to hurt him is to kill his 'heir', Dawn. So now she's trying to learn how to defend herself and her human loved ones while not betraying them.
Sorry if that description was confusing, but the book is fabulous. Very original and a refreshing change from the 'normal' paranormal (say that three times fast) stories I've seen lately. It's a very intricate world and there's plenty of material if author Kathryn Smith decides to continue with a series.
If you've been looking for something different (with hot, tortured heroes), then look no further. Run out and get "Before I Wake". Sweet dreams!!
Dawn is the half-mortal daughter of Morpheus. Her mother became depressed after a miscarriage and began spending the majority of her time sleeping. She somehow met Morpheus in her dreams and Dawn is the result. But Dawn's life hasn't exactly been an easy one. She doesn't feel at home in either world and once her mother put herself into a coma to be with her love Morpheus, Dawn quit 'visiting' Dreamworld. She's stuck between a rock and a hard place as she can't tell her human 'father' or siblings what's going on even as they spend thousands of dollars on medical intervention to 'wake' her mom who doesn't want to be woken! Got all that? As if that's not enough, it appears that some of the denizens of Dreamworld think that Morpheus has crossed the line by allowing his human lover and hybrid child into Dreamworld. And these same enemies of Morpheus have apparently decided that the best way to hurt him is to kill his 'heir', Dawn. So now she's trying to learn how to defend herself and her human loved ones while not betraying them.
Sorry if that description was confusing, but the book is fabulous. Very original and a refreshing change from the 'normal' paranormal (say that three times fast) stories I've seen lately. It's a very intricate world and there's plenty of material if author Kathryn Smith decides to continue with a series.
If you've been looking for something different (with hot, tortured heroes), then look no further. Run out and get "Before I Wake". Sweet dreams!!
May 10, 2016
I was hovering between three & four stars for this one...up until the last few chapters. Now I'm decided. :P You could read much worse in this genre, & I'm not ruling out another Kathryn Smith novel in future. But I have no real desire to continue this series; it hasn't inspired my interest beyond what I've read here.
So far as PNR goes, there are good points. The heroine isn't a negative-sized pixie waif; while she admits to being intimidated by said negative-sized pixies, she doesn't spend time angsting about her fluffier body type (sheesh, since when did 'normal' equal 'fluffy'). And the hero, to his credit, is all about her fluffier type & finds her oh-so-sexy as she is, which is great. Furthermore, they don't just hop into bed after fifty pages of bantering, & take a fairly good time building their relationship & tension before doing the deed. (Clearly PNR doesn't have to follow the same ridiculous rules as historical romance.) As for the paranormal content, this is about dreams with a slight tang of mythology. Yes! I love dreams in urban fantasy/horror. Dreams are the shiz, authors. Don't neglect that shabby, schizo kid in the corner of the paranormal playground. The dream mythology in this book is fairly simple, but it works well enough...
...which leads me to the negative points. The last few chapters ruin an otherwise decent effort by tumbling into that all-too-frequently-employed fantasy technique, i.e. Things Are Doing Things & the bad guy is defeated because this happened, this happened, & I suddenly won the struggle because this happened. It's difficult to put into words, but I dislike when terms like 'essence' or 'power' or 'magic' are thrown around in big sweeping hooks. Don't just manifest "power" or "essence" or "self" as a physical object without explanation. What does the Underworld have to do with the construction of her dagger? Why has nobody mentioned the Underworld before that object became necessary? And the father's appearing out of nowhere smacked of deus-ex-machina, even though we already knew he was prepared to intervene if needed. Whut? I don't care if it's the first bit of a series -- these world-building details need better explanation than "it is what it is," especially if all the characters take whatever "it is" at face value.
Other negatives: Product Placement. Lawdy, but I hate product placement in urban fantasy. We already know it's contemporary. Stop using brand names. Stop using tv shows. Stop using specific actor references. It dates the book even after three months have passed, y'all. Also, the narration would flow along fine & dandy for much of the novel, then jar me awake with really dreadful slang insertions that belong in YA if they belong anywhere (and I'm not a fan of them in YA, either). Expressions like w00t & yayee me (yes, spelled that way) don't add personality or humor -- what works in television voiceovers reads stupidly on paper.
Lastly, the plotting felt more like YA (aside from the sex scenes & a squicky rape scene early on -- that stuff was adult, natch) in that Dawn has Mommy Abandonment Issues & rebelliousness against Daddy because he's not the guy who raised her like a normal father. She's not confident around men & has fallen for the resident mysterious bad-boy on her dream therapy caseload. When she finally decides to embrace her heritage & save the man she loves, she goes through "training sessions" with some hottie Dreamkin badass. Even as she improves her skills in The Dreaming, her victory is solidified by Daddy Dearest's intervention....etc, etc. So yeah, it has a distinct YA flavor that was odd for a narrator that's 28 years old.
So, yeah -- not a bad book, but I won't actively seek future installments.
So far as PNR goes, there are good points. The heroine isn't a negative-sized pixie waif; while she admits to being intimidated by said negative-sized pixies, she doesn't spend time angsting about her fluffier body type (sheesh, since when did 'normal' equal 'fluffy'). And the hero, to his credit, is all about her fluffier type & finds her oh-so-sexy as she is, which is great. Furthermore, they don't just hop into bed after fifty pages of bantering, & take a fairly good time building their relationship & tension before doing the deed. (Clearly PNR doesn't have to follow the same ridiculous rules as historical romance.) As for the paranormal content, this is about dreams with a slight tang of mythology. Yes! I love dreams in urban fantasy/horror. Dreams are the shiz, authors. Don't neglect that shabby, schizo kid in the corner of the paranormal playground. The dream mythology in this book is fairly simple, but it works well enough...
...which leads me to the negative points. The last few chapters ruin an otherwise decent effort by tumbling into that all-too-frequently-employed fantasy technique, i.e. Things Are Doing Things & the bad guy is defeated because this happened, this happened, & I suddenly won the struggle because this happened. It's difficult to put into words, but I dislike when terms like 'essence' or 'power' or 'magic' are thrown around in big sweeping hooks. Don't just manifest "power" or "essence" or "self" as a physical object without explanation. What does the Underworld have to do with the construction of her dagger? Why has nobody mentioned the Underworld before that object became necessary? And the father's appearing out of nowhere smacked of deus-ex-machina, even though we already knew he was prepared to intervene if needed. Whut? I don't care if it's the first bit of a series -- these world-building details need better explanation than "it is what it is," especially if all the characters take whatever "it is" at face value.
Other negatives: Product Placement. Lawdy, but I hate product placement in urban fantasy. We already know it's contemporary. Stop using brand names. Stop using tv shows. Stop using specific actor references. It dates the book even after three months have passed, y'all. Also, the narration would flow along fine & dandy for much of the novel, then jar me awake with really dreadful slang insertions that belong in YA if they belong anywhere (and I'm not a fan of them in YA, either). Expressions like w00t & yayee me (yes, spelled that way) don't add personality or humor -- what works in television voiceovers reads stupidly on paper.
Lastly, the plotting felt more like YA (aside from the sex scenes & a squicky rape scene early on -- that stuff was adult, natch) in that Dawn has Mommy Abandonment Issues & rebelliousness against Daddy because he's not the guy who raised her like a normal father. She's not confident around men & has fallen for the resident mysterious bad-boy on her dream therapy caseload. When she finally decides to embrace her heritage & save the man she loves, she goes through "training sessions" with some hottie Dreamkin badass. Even as she improves her skills in The Dreaming, her victory is solidified by Daddy Dearest's intervention....etc, etc. So yeah, it has a distinct YA flavor that was odd for a narrator that's 28 years old.
So, yeah -- not a bad book, but I won't actively seek future installments.
February 16, 2015
THIS IS SO NOT MY TYPE OF BOOK AT ALL!!!!!
Proof that you can not judge books by their covers. I first saw this in a German bookshop and seriously, HOW gorgeous is that cover?! And the blurb made it sound okay as well... and then I finally found a copy in English and argh.
Okay, so I did quite like Dawn, she was a good main character, though often her narration bugged me. Seriously, there were cases of WTF and W00t (with zeros!) in the narration. And she said "yayee me" a lot and ugh. I just couldn't take it seriously. I also did not see anything special in Noah, he was just too typically The Obvious Hero and bleh.
Also, there were way too many words at times. Using five words in place of one, overstating the obvious, drilling things in, too much description. I was reading this on the bus to/from the Cotswolds on Thursday and at one point I came across the line "So I tossed on a bright pink chenille turtleneck sweater" and spent about five minutes rewording that to Beth. So I tossed on... a sweater. My pink sweater. My pink turtleneck. A turtleneck... see?! Do we need to know so much detail? Do we need to know that she's putting on x colour Sephora lip-gloss and y shade Mac eyeshadow, instead of just "some make-up"?!
And there were also waaaay too many pop-culture references, that have mostly already become far too dated. And in some cases, their usage becomes a hindrance when the reader doesn't get them. Palming a description of something off as "it was a bit like The Matrix" does not make sense to someone who has not seen said film. This book has so many references like that that it's really going to suffer even more in years to come when most of the things referenced slip out of common knowledge, because a LOT of them were obscure even only about three years on. (I know a lot of people have seen The Matrix, but there were so many others where I'd never even heard of the actor/show/band/etc.) It's lucky that I've seen Forrest Gump because there were a lot of mentions of that, but that was at least good film to pick as well because a lot of people have seen it over the years and it's stood the test of time, and that's kind of what you need when it comes to references like that. If you want it to make sense, pick something that's been around a while and STAYED around - like the Psycho reference. Don't pick something that's big in 2008 because by 2011 you might have people going, who? /rant
I'm probably being generous giving this two stars, but I was at least kept interested through to the end and despite all the things that annoyed me, there weren't any points where the writing itself was laughable - just frustrating and not my cup of tea! Reeeeeally not at all, not in any kind of universe.
Also, "chair legs". SERIOUSLY. No.
Proof that you can not judge books by their covers. I first saw this in a German bookshop and seriously, HOW gorgeous is that cover?! And the blurb made it sound okay as well... and then I finally found a copy in English and argh.
Okay, so I did quite like Dawn, she was a good main character, though often her narration bugged me. Seriously, there were cases of WTF and W00t (with zeros!) in the narration. And she said "yayee me" a lot and ugh. I just couldn't take it seriously. I also did not see anything special in Noah, he was just too typically The Obvious Hero and bleh.
Also, there were way too many words at times. Using five words in place of one, overstating the obvious, drilling things in, too much description. I was reading this on the bus to/from the Cotswolds on Thursday and at one point I came across the line "So I tossed on a bright pink chenille turtleneck sweater" and spent about five minutes rewording that to Beth. So I tossed on... a sweater. My pink sweater. My pink turtleneck. A turtleneck... see?! Do we need to know so much detail? Do we need to know that she's putting on x colour Sephora lip-gloss and y shade Mac eyeshadow, instead of just "some make-up"?!
And there were also waaaay too many pop-culture references, that have mostly already become far too dated. And in some cases, their usage becomes a hindrance when the reader doesn't get them. Palming a description of something off as "it was a bit like The Matrix" does not make sense to someone who has not seen said film. This book has so many references like that that it's really going to suffer even more in years to come when most of the things referenced slip out of common knowledge, because a LOT of them were obscure even only about three years on. (I know a lot of people have seen The Matrix, but there were so many others where I'd never even heard of the actor/show/band/etc.) It's lucky that I've seen Forrest Gump because there were a lot of mentions of that, but that was at least good film to pick as well because a lot of people have seen it over the years and it's stood the test of time, and that's kind of what you need when it comes to references like that. If you want it to make sense, pick something that's been around a while and STAYED around - like the Psycho reference. Don't pick something that's big in 2008 because by 2011 you might have people going, who? /rant
I'm probably being generous giving this two stars, but I was at least kept interested through to the end and despite all the things that annoyed me, there weren't any points where the writing itself was laughable - just frustrating and not my cup of tea! Reeeeeally not at all, not in any kind of universe.
Also, "chair legs". SERIOUSLY. No.
January 12, 2011
A psychologist/dream analyzer that can actually step into your dreams is a pretty good basis for a book. Throw in a love interest, some family issues,a bad guy, and a really interesting dream world, and it gets even better. The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it seemed to end very abruptly. I wish there was a little more focus on Nightmare training, it was hard to believe the bad guy could go down so quickly. The characters were likable and realistic, and the story as a whole was believable. I'd love to read more about the characters coming into their powers and see what sort of plot there is to overthrow the dreamworld king. This book is a good series starter, I hope the rest doesn't disappoint.
September 27, 2011
Enjoyable concept, but a bit slow to start. It read more like a YA book - simpler style. Typical UF though, lots of questions left unanswered with not enough resolution to even the main storyline. I probably will read the second book, but not right away.
July 26, 2011
I had high hopes for this book, but what started out as interesting just ended up annoying. This author should get money for product placing, there was nothing in there that wasn't identified by product name. She couldn't just have indian food, she had to name each dish, each makeup product etc etc. Half the book was product names. The male lead was pretty pathetic, and you never find out much about him.
June 25, 2012
While this book has an interesting view of the dream world, the romance part is kind of lacking. The doctor/patient thing is almost creepy (he's more of a study participant than someone seeking help) and the two characters have mild disagreements and then storm off and not talk to each other for days. Like teenagers. Only, of course, there's the possibility either will be killed in the meantime but who cares when someone has hurt feelings!
June 30, 2016
Because of a misunderstanding, this book made it into the youth shelve in my library and I read it, expecting just another young adult fantasy romance novel. Well, it's not young adult fiction. It is erotica.
And it's not even good. I mean, well, if you like non-consensual acts, maybe... and if you don't have a problem with women that somehow enjoy rape, that is. If you still want to read it, I can only give you a strong trigger warning - but really, don't waste your time with it.
And it's not even good. I mean, well, if you like non-consensual acts, maybe... and if you don't have a problem with women that somehow enjoy rape, that is. If you still want to read it, I can only give you a strong trigger warning - but really, don't waste your time with it.
May 1, 2017
Nach 170 Seiten abgebrochen
Das Buch ist leider so gar nicht mein Stil, weder vom Schreibstil, noch vom Inhalt her. Ich habe mich beim Lesen gelangweilt, Mensch, und ich glaube wirklich nicht, dass die restlichen 300 Seiten irgendwas geändert hätten, wenn ich dem Buch fast 40% gegeben habe, mich zu überzeugen
Das Buch ist leider so gar nicht mein Stil, weder vom Schreibstil, noch vom Inhalt her. Ich habe mich beim Lesen gelangweilt, Mensch, und ich glaube wirklich nicht, dass die restlichen 300 Seiten irgendwas geändert hätten, wenn ich dem Buch fast 40% gegeben habe, mich zu überzeugen
June 8, 2024
"Tochter der Träume" hat mich interessiert, weil es zwar Urban Fantasy ist, aber in eine ganz andere Richtung geht, als viele andere Fantasybücher. Keine Feen/Fae, Elfen, Hexen etc., sondern das Traumreich und Morpheus stehen hier im Vordergrund. Als großer Fan von "The Sandman" hat mich das natürlich interessiert und ich war sehr gespannt auf die Umsetzung.
Die Grundidee der Story fand ich auch sehr überzeugend. Morpheus Tochter, die nicht richtig Mensch und nicht richtig Traumwesen ist, sich aber beruflich mit Schlaf & Traumdeutung beschäftigt - das war zwar naheliegend, aber sehr spannend. Auch, dass sie durch ihre "Abstammung" in einen Konflikt gerät, weil sie in der Traumwelt nicht vollends akzeptiert wird, finde ich sehr gut. Morpheus ist auch nicht unantastbar, was der ganzen Story ein bisschen mehr Tiefe und auch Spannung gibt.
Insgesamt waren die vorkommenden Charaktere ganz ok ausgearbeitet. Bei dem ein oder anderen (Varek) hätte ich gerne noch mehr Szenen gehabt, so fühlt es sich ziemlich unausgereift an. Wenig glaubwürdig war für mich leider das Alter der Protagonisten, die um die 30 sein sollten, sich häufig aber eher wie 16 benehmen. Dazu passt dann leider auch der Schreibstil der Autorin, der an der ein oder anderen Stelle schon sehr plump war. Da hätte man sprachlich mit Sicherheit noch einiges mehr rausholen können.
Im Ganzen war es aber doch ein spannendes Buch, das ich gerne gelesen habe. Der zweite Teil wird mit Sicherheit auch noch bei mir einziehen dürfen!
Die Grundidee der Story fand ich auch sehr überzeugend. Morpheus Tochter, die nicht richtig Mensch und nicht richtig Traumwesen ist, sich aber beruflich mit Schlaf & Traumdeutung beschäftigt - das war zwar naheliegend, aber sehr spannend. Auch, dass sie durch ihre "Abstammung" in einen Konflikt gerät, weil sie in der Traumwelt nicht vollends akzeptiert wird, finde ich sehr gut. Morpheus ist auch nicht unantastbar, was der ganzen Story ein bisschen mehr Tiefe und auch Spannung gibt.
Insgesamt waren die vorkommenden Charaktere ganz ok ausgearbeitet. Bei dem ein oder anderen (Varek) hätte ich gerne noch mehr Szenen gehabt, so fühlt es sich ziemlich unausgereift an. Wenig glaubwürdig war für mich leider das Alter der Protagonisten, die um die 30 sein sollten, sich häufig aber eher wie 16 benehmen. Dazu passt dann leider auch der Schreibstil der Autorin, der an der ein oder anderen Stelle schon sehr plump war. Da hätte man sprachlich mit Sicherheit noch einiges mehr rausholen können.
Im Ganzen war es aber doch ein spannendes Buch, das ich gerne gelesen habe. Der zweite Teil wird mit Sicherheit auch noch bei mir einziehen dürfen!
January 13, 2021
Die Titelheldin war mir am Anfang noch ganz sympathisch, als sie sich in ihren Träumen einen Schauspieler vorstellte von dem ich auch mal ein Bild auf meinem Desktop hatte. Etwas irritierend fand ich allerdings, dass ich zwischendurch mal das Gefühl hatte, die Autorin hätte Werbeverträge mit bestimmten Kosmetikfirmen. Ich konnte mir nämlich nicht erklären, warum die Heldin als Ich-Erzähler erwähnte, was genau sie an Make-Up auflegt. Es würde doch reichen, zu erwähnen, dass man Schminke benutzt, aber es interessiert doch keinen von welcher Marke und welche Farbnuance? Ansonsten fand ich das Buch aber angenehm zu lesen. Die Idee einer Titelheldin, die die Tochter des Gottes der Träume und daher halb Traumwesen ist, fand ich mal was neues. Es hätte gerne etwas mehr Traumwelt und etwas weniger Liebesgeschichte sein dürfen. Den Teil fand ich etwas seicht, aber die Geschichte hat mir auf jeden Fall gut genug gefallen, um Band 2 auch noch zu lesen.
July 15, 2020
This story reminded me of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters series and Dream-Hunters series. Kathryn Smith filled this tale with intriguing mythology around the dream realm. I am excited to read more about Dawn’s Nightmare powers in the next novel and find out how she and Noah’s relationship works out. Dawn and Noah were an interesting couple who didn’t seem to fit together at first, but become a hot and fierce pair. The villain in this story was written perfectly and I hated him, but respected his ambition. This story pulled me in from the beginning and wouldn’t let go, just like a fabulous dream you don’t want to end.
February 8, 2025
Almost a DNF.
It had an interesting premise. A heroine who is a dreamkin? Sign me up.
Sadly, her snarkiness was a bit too much. In fact, it almost felt like the author was speaking as herself through this character, I don’t know why it read like that to me. Maybe it was the excessive references to what she did or didn’t like? And the hero is a bit flat. At the end of the day, all we really know is he is a rich painter who dreams strongly and has an abusive mother. It’s almost like he’s decoration.
Will be reselling this copy. Not interested in the rest of the stories if there are any.
It had an interesting premise. A heroine who is a dreamkin? Sign me up.
Sadly, her snarkiness was a bit too much. In fact, it almost felt like the author was speaking as herself through this character, I don’t know why it read like that to me. Maybe it was the excessive references to what she did or didn’t like? And the hero is a bit flat. At the end of the day, all we really know is he is a rich painter who dreams strongly and has an abusive mother. It’s almost like he’s decoration.
Will be reselling this copy. Not interested in the rest of the stories if there are any.
June 25, 2019
Me gustó el argumento del mundo de los sueños, como se entreteje con el mundo real. Una parte de mi aún no cree que ese mundo no sea más que imaginario, a pesar de las '' evidencias '' de su impacto en la vida de la protagonista. Me pareció muy insta-love el romance de los protagonistas pero no estuvo mal. Creo que esta novela pudo ser mucho mejor, le faltó algo para hacerla más atrayente.
March 17, 2017
I only gave away 2 stars because Dawn makes a pretty tough protagonist. Otherwise, this book was pure agony. Do not recommend.
February 5, 2023
War früher eins meiner Lieblings Bücher
Maybe liebe ich das jetzt auch nur so, weil es nostalgisch ist
Maybe liebe ich das jetzt auch nur so, weil es nostalgisch ist
January 31, 2025
3.5 stars
July 31, 2025
The heroine is a nightmare; literally. Her father is the God of the dream world but her mother is human and married to another man. The heroine has always judged her mother for that selfishness. The woman may have doted on the heroine because she was the daughter of the immortal but the rest of the family have been seemingly tossed aside as her mother not choses to sleep permanently to be with her lover. This paired with the desire to live a decently human life has driven the heroine to forsake her powers and ignore her calling. But she can't ignore it completely. And so she gets an education and now studies dreams. This is where she meets the hero.
Strong, odd at times but so damn handsome it almost hurts to look at him- she finds this man intensely fascinating. It's the way he can shape his dreams that draws her in. When in a nightmare, he has the ability to morph it into something else, anything else. And she's attracted to him for that strength- well among other things. But her fear over losing her job makes her think twice about doing anything about that attraction- also, she may not be fat but size 12 is hardly thin and she does have self consciousness about her figure. But when the hero comes to her, not as a patient but as a man who knows what she is, she is stunned. His dreams are trying to kill him, he tells her. And she knows that whatever creature raped her in her dreams is now tormenting the hero. She knows she has to stop it, whatever it is and she knows she needs her father to do it. It's the desire to see the thing that hurt her and that's slowly killing the hero destroyed that mends the fences between father and estranged daughter. Not completely, feelings are still raw and the heroine doesn't like his behavior or his push for her to accept her job as a nightmare. But he begins to train her to defeat this thing and she needs all the help she can get. Meanwhile in the earthly plain, her relationship with her patient has developed far past doctor and patient appropriateness. He is a damaged man, control issues stemming from his abusive childhood make his defensive whenever he thinks people imagine him to be weak. And the heroine does. Just as she feels weak towards this draw towards him, he feels the same. But the fact that he's just a human and she a nightmare makes him feel vulnerable towards this creature tormenting them. He can't do anything to protect himself or her and he hates it. He's bitter towards it and it's the cause of most of their fights. The heroine admits she wants to 'fix' him and all his demons but he needs to live so she can love him- this is most pressing. So she'll do anything she can to kill the terror and save the man before time for both of them runs out.
This book had a very interesting dynamic between contemporary romance and fantasy. I enjoyed the domesticated behavior between the hero and heroine. It felt comfortable and easy-the only sore spot of their budding relationship was the Terror after them. The hero would get defensive and testy whenever perceived as weak but it reality he was very strong and able for a man being hunted by a creature from another dimension. He was cool and calm- he was that artist loft man in a t-shirt and jeans. He was described as being pretty intense and as the reader, I got that. He was free with his thoughts and emotions and even though he could be irrational at times, he was quick to smooth things over. The book was written from the heroines perspective so the main focus was on her. Though she was trained in psychology she herself had major mommy and daddy issues as well as issues with herself and her destiny. She started off as being a bit timid, not wanting to make waves but as the story progressed she grew stronger. She voiced her opinions and stood her ground. I enjoyed the developing relationship between the heroine and hero but thought the plot to be a little slow- it could have been shorter in length to cut down on the repetition of scenes. All in all it was a good book- not as good as I recall it being the first time around but good all the same.
Strong, odd at times but so damn handsome it almost hurts to look at him- she finds this man intensely fascinating. It's the way he can shape his dreams that draws her in. When in a nightmare, he has the ability to morph it into something else, anything else. And she's attracted to him for that strength- well among other things. But her fear over losing her job makes her think twice about doing anything about that attraction- also, she may not be fat but size 12 is hardly thin and she does have self consciousness about her figure. But when the hero comes to her, not as a patient but as a man who knows what she is, she is stunned. His dreams are trying to kill him, he tells her. And she knows that whatever creature raped her in her dreams is now tormenting the hero. She knows she has to stop it, whatever it is and she knows she needs her father to do it. It's the desire to see the thing that hurt her and that's slowly killing the hero destroyed that mends the fences between father and estranged daughter. Not completely, feelings are still raw and the heroine doesn't like his behavior or his push for her to accept her job as a nightmare. But he begins to train her to defeat this thing and she needs all the help she can get. Meanwhile in the earthly plain, her relationship with her patient has developed far past doctor and patient appropriateness. He is a damaged man, control issues stemming from his abusive childhood make his defensive whenever he thinks people imagine him to be weak. And the heroine does. Just as she feels weak towards this draw towards him, he feels the same. But the fact that he's just a human and she a nightmare makes him feel vulnerable towards this creature tormenting them. He can't do anything to protect himself or her and he hates it. He's bitter towards it and it's the cause of most of their fights. The heroine admits she wants to 'fix' him and all his demons but he needs to live so she can love him- this is most pressing. So she'll do anything she can to kill the terror and save the man before time for both of them runs out.
This book had a very interesting dynamic between contemporary romance and fantasy. I enjoyed the domesticated behavior between the hero and heroine. It felt comfortable and easy-the only sore spot of their budding relationship was the Terror after them. The hero would get defensive and testy whenever perceived as weak but it reality he was very strong and able for a man being hunted by a creature from another dimension. He was cool and calm- he was that artist loft man in a t-shirt and jeans. He was described as being pretty intense and as the reader, I got that. He was free with his thoughts and emotions and even though he could be irrational at times, he was quick to smooth things over. The book was written from the heroines perspective so the main focus was on her. Though she was trained in psychology she herself had major mommy and daddy issues as well as issues with herself and her destiny. She started off as being a bit timid, not wanting to make waves but as the story progressed she grew stronger. She voiced her opinions and stood her ground. I enjoyed the developing relationship between the heroine and hero but thought the plot to be a little slow- it could have been shorter in length to cut down on the repetition of scenes. All in all it was a good book- not as good as I recall it being the first time around but good all the same.
July 31, 2011
Rezension auch hier: http://buechertruhe.blogspot.com/2011...
Inhalt:
Die 27 jährige Dawn ist die Tochter von Morpheus, dem König der Träume. Halb ist sie ein Traumwesen, halb menschlich, denn ihre Mutter ist eine Sterbliche. Dawn arbeitet als Psychologin in der Traumforschung, ihr Lieblingspatient ist der gutaussehende Noah, der unter Alpträumen leidet. Doch dann wird auch sie von einem Dämon in ihren Träumen heimgesucht. Sie ist schockiert, als sie erfährt, dass ihr Dämon derselbe ist, der auch Noah verfolgt. Ist das Zufall oder liegt dem etwas viel Größeres zu Grunde?
Meine Meinung:
"Tochter der Träume" ist leicht zu lesender Roman für Zwischendurch. Seine Stärken liegen in der Grundidee. Man merkt, dass die Autorin sich gut in die Materie eingefunden hat und es ist interessant zu lesen, wie sie sich die Traumwelt von dem Traumgott Morpheus vorstellt.
Morpheus, der Gott des Traumes. Eine mysthische Gestalt, die in diesem Buch leider nur eine Nebenrolle spielt. Dafür ist seine Tochter die Hauptperson. Leider hat sich so rein gar nichts Mystisches an sich. Sie kommt mir plump, naiv und gefühlsverwirrt herüber. Sie wird bedroht, jede Nacht - in ihren Träumen - könnte sie wieder auf ihn treffen. Der, der sie - brutal? - missbraucht hat. Dawn hat Angst, doch kommt diese Angst und die Bedrohlichkeit des Dämons nie wirklich herüber.
Zu Beginn wird erwähnt, dass Menschen im Schlaf aus unerfindlichen Gründen sterben. Den Aspekt fand ich total interessant, nur leider hat ihn die Autorin als Hintergrundinformation stehen gelassen. Klar erfährt man, warum sie letztlich sterben. Aber dennoch wird es zu wenig aufgegriffen. Ich finde, die Autorin hat nicht die richtigen Schwerpunkte gesetzt. Mit der Hervorhebung mancher Szenen und Beziehungen hätte mir die Geschichte um einiges besser gefallen.
Man merkt, dass die Autorin hauptsächlich erotische Literatur schreibt. Oft standen die erotischen Szenen - wenig abwechselungsreich - im Vordergrund. Hätte nicht sein müssen, denn leider war es oft zum falschen Zeitpunkt und unpassend. Sowieso habe ich Dawn und Noah ihre Liebe nicht richtig ab. Zwischen den beiden war es eher ein "Übereinanderherfallen". Selbst die Frage, ob sie sich bekommen oder nicht, wurde nie gestellt, sie waren von Anfang an (mehr oder weniger) zusammen.
Zum Cover: Es gefällt mir richtig gut! Was man auf dem Bild leider nicht sieht ist, dass es auf dem Cover glänzende Schnörkel und Blumenmuster gibt. Das verleiht dem Cover einen edlen Touch. Auch die Titelwahl finde ich gut! Mir gefällt der Originaltitel einen Hauch besser, aber der deutsche Titel ist auch sehr treffend.
Insgesamt ist eine Liebesgeschichte mit spannenden und mystischen Elementen, die nicht in die Tiefe geht, dafür aber mit Leichtigkeit und Ideenreichtum punktet.
Inhalt:
Die 27 jährige Dawn ist die Tochter von Morpheus, dem König der Träume. Halb ist sie ein Traumwesen, halb menschlich, denn ihre Mutter ist eine Sterbliche. Dawn arbeitet als Psychologin in der Traumforschung, ihr Lieblingspatient ist der gutaussehende Noah, der unter Alpträumen leidet. Doch dann wird auch sie von einem Dämon in ihren Träumen heimgesucht. Sie ist schockiert, als sie erfährt, dass ihr Dämon derselbe ist, der auch Noah verfolgt. Ist das Zufall oder liegt dem etwas viel Größeres zu Grunde?
Meine Meinung:
"Tochter der Träume" ist leicht zu lesender Roman für Zwischendurch. Seine Stärken liegen in der Grundidee. Man merkt, dass die Autorin sich gut in die Materie eingefunden hat und es ist interessant zu lesen, wie sie sich die Traumwelt von dem Traumgott Morpheus vorstellt.
Morpheus, der Gott des Traumes. Eine mysthische Gestalt, die in diesem Buch leider nur eine Nebenrolle spielt. Dafür ist seine Tochter die Hauptperson. Leider hat sich so rein gar nichts Mystisches an sich. Sie kommt mir plump, naiv und gefühlsverwirrt herüber. Sie wird bedroht, jede Nacht - in ihren Träumen - könnte sie wieder auf ihn treffen. Der, der sie - brutal? - missbraucht hat. Dawn hat Angst, doch kommt diese Angst und die Bedrohlichkeit des Dämons nie wirklich herüber.
Zu Beginn wird erwähnt, dass Menschen im Schlaf aus unerfindlichen Gründen sterben. Den Aspekt fand ich total interessant, nur leider hat ihn die Autorin als Hintergrundinformation stehen gelassen. Klar erfährt man, warum sie letztlich sterben. Aber dennoch wird es zu wenig aufgegriffen. Ich finde, die Autorin hat nicht die richtigen Schwerpunkte gesetzt. Mit der Hervorhebung mancher Szenen und Beziehungen hätte mir die Geschichte um einiges besser gefallen.
Man merkt, dass die Autorin hauptsächlich erotische Literatur schreibt. Oft standen die erotischen Szenen - wenig abwechselungsreich - im Vordergrund. Hätte nicht sein müssen, denn leider war es oft zum falschen Zeitpunkt und unpassend. Sowieso habe ich Dawn und Noah ihre Liebe nicht richtig ab. Zwischen den beiden war es eher ein "Übereinanderherfallen". Selbst die Frage, ob sie sich bekommen oder nicht, wurde nie gestellt, sie waren von Anfang an (mehr oder weniger) zusammen.
Zum Cover: Es gefällt mir richtig gut! Was man auf dem Bild leider nicht sieht ist, dass es auf dem Cover glänzende Schnörkel und Blumenmuster gibt. Das verleiht dem Cover einen edlen Touch. Auch die Titelwahl finde ich gut! Mir gefällt der Originaltitel einen Hauch besser, aber der deutsche Titel ist auch sehr treffend.
Insgesamt ist eine Liebesgeschichte mit spannenden und mystischen Elementen, die nicht in die Tiefe geht, dafür aber mit Leichtigkeit und Ideenreichtum punktet.
December 7, 2012
Die Reise in deinen eigenen Traum – und Albträume werden Wirklichkeit.
Wenn wir träumen verarbeiten wir die Dinge, die unsere Seele belasten um uns den freudigen Seiten des Lebens zuwenden zu können. Doch was, wenn ein dunkler Traumdämon deine Träume so verzerrt, dass du sogar Angst vorm Einschlafen hast?
An Dawn’s Seite, lernen wir das Leben eines Traumwesens kennen, denn solch eines ist sie. Die Tochter von Morpheus, dem König der Träume und als Wächterin ist es ihre Aufgabe, die Träume der Menschen zu bewachen, dessen sie sich aber abgewendet hat, denn sie lebt lieber als Halbwesen unter den Menschen.
Die Story konnte mich nur am Ende überzeugen, denn mich langweilte es – mal mehr, mal weniger stark.
Ich war sehr gespannt, ob mich das Buch von dem Genre Fantasy mitreißen kann, in dem keine Vampire, Dhampire oder Werwölfe eine Rolle spielen. Leider konnte es dies nicht erfüllen, was aber darauf schließen lässt, dass Fantasy in der Regel nicht so mein Fall ist.
Freunde der phantastischen Welten werden hier aber definitiv kein schlechtes Buch lesen. Es konnte mich nur einfach nicht überzeugen, was sicherlich nicht auf die Idee und oder die gesamte Geschichte zurückzuführen ist. Es hat mir gezeigt, dass dieses Genre nicht für mich geeignet ist, woran aber der ein oder andere sein Vergnügen haben wird.
Neben einer schönen Liebesgeschichte überraschten mich allerdings die erotisch prickelnden Passagen ;)
Daher kann ich dem Buch auch keine schlechte Bewertung geben, denn ich habe keine Vergleichsmöglichkeiten und denke dennoch, dass es eine gelungene Geschichte ist. Ob ich den 2. Teil lesen werde, weiß ich allerdings noch nicht, denn jener liegt schon auf meinem SuB.
Fazit
Träume, Dämonen, phantasievolle Welten – dies bringt das Buch mit sich und für Freunde des Fantasy-Genres sicherlich keine schlechte Story. Für mich war es nur leider nichts, denn diese Lektüre zeigte mir mal wieder, dass ich mit dem fantasylastigen nichts anfangen kann.
Wenn wir träumen verarbeiten wir die Dinge, die unsere Seele belasten um uns den freudigen Seiten des Lebens zuwenden zu können. Doch was, wenn ein dunkler Traumdämon deine Träume so verzerrt, dass du sogar Angst vorm Einschlafen hast?
An Dawn’s Seite, lernen wir das Leben eines Traumwesens kennen, denn solch eines ist sie. Die Tochter von Morpheus, dem König der Träume und als Wächterin ist es ihre Aufgabe, die Träume der Menschen zu bewachen, dessen sie sich aber abgewendet hat, denn sie lebt lieber als Halbwesen unter den Menschen.
Die Story konnte mich nur am Ende überzeugen, denn mich langweilte es – mal mehr, mal weniger stark.
Ich war sehr gespannt, ob mich das Buch von dem Genre Fantasy mitreißen kann, in dem keine Vampire, Dhampire oder Werwölfe eine Rolle spielen. Leider konnte es dies nicht erfüllen, was aber darauf schließen lässt, dass Fantasy in der Regel nicht so mein Fall ist.
Freunde der phantastischen Welten werden hier aber definitiv kein schlechtes Buch lesen. Es konnte mich nur einfach nicht überzeugen, was sicherlich nicht auf die Idee und oder die gesamte Geschichte zurückzuführen ist. Es hat mir gezeigt, dass dieses Genre nicht für mich geeignet ist, woran aber der ein oder andere sein Vergnügen haben wird.
Neben einer schönen Liebesgeschichte überraschten mich allerdings die erotisch prickelnden Passagen ;)
Daher kann ich dem Buch auch keine schlechte Bewertung geben, denn ich habe keine Vergleichsmöglichkeiten und denke dennoch, dass es eine gelungene Geschichte ist. Ob ich den 2. Teil lesen werde, weiß ich allerdings noch nicht, denn jener liegt schon auf meinem SuB.
Fazit
Träume, Dämonen, phantasievolle Welten – dies bringt das Buch mit sich und für Freunde des Fantasy-Genres sicherlich keine schlechte Story. Für mich war es nur leider nichts, denn diese Lektüre zeigte mir mal wieder, dass ich mit dem fantasylastigen nichts anfangen kann.
February 2, 2016
Inhalt:
Als ein älterer Mann ruft >>Diese Frau ist ein Traum!<<, halten die Umstehenden das für ein Kompliment. Dawn hingegen denkt: Verdammt, woher weiß er das? Denn Dawns Vater ist Morpheus, der König der Träume - aber mit diesem Teil der Familie will die junge Frau nichts zu tun haben. Sie möchte ein normales Leben führen, auf dem Sofa liegen, TV-Serien schauen und von ihrer heimlichen Liebe träumen, dem Künstler Noah. Dann aber beginnt ein geheimnisvoller Killer, seine Opfer im Schlaf zu töten. Dawn erfährt, dass es sich um einen Traumdämon handelt, den nur sie allein aufhalten kann. Und zwar möglichst schnell, denn Noah schwebt in großer Gefahr...
Zum Buch:
Eine wirklich toll geschriebene Geschichte, mit sowohl lustigen als auch ernsten Momenten. Die Thematik das mehr hinter den Träumen stecken als nur Träume finde ich richtig spannend und ist so interessant geschrieben, das man als Leser regelrecht in die Geschichte gezogen wird.
Protagonisten:
Für Dawn ist ihr Job eine Berufung. Sie ist intelligent, klug, besitzt eine grosse innere Stärke und ist ein Genussmensch. Wie jede Frau sollte sie sich mehr zutrauen und sich nicht verunsichern lassen. Mir war sie sympathisch, da sie für mich sehr realistisch dargestellt war und zur Abwechslung mal eine Frau mit Kurven ist die Größe 42 trägt.
Noah versucht immer aufrichtig zu sein, obwohl sein Leben von traurigen Erlebnissen überschattet wird. Er kämpft immer wieder gegen seine Vergangenheit an und will zeigen das er nicht mehr der hilflose kleine Junge ist, von damals. Er besitzt eine gutes Maß an Empathie und hat ein Gespür für außergewöhnliche Dinge und weiß genau was und wen er will.
Meinung:
Das Buch konnte mich wirklich begeistern. Die Verzierungen bei jeder Kapitelüberschrift gleichen denen, die wir auf dem Cover sehen und ziehen sich so, wie ein roter Faden, durch das komplette Buch. Ich fand die Geschichte angenehm zu lesen und alles sehr gut verständlich und detailliert beschrieben.
Als ein älterer Mann ruft >>Diese Frau ist ein Traum!<<, halten die Umstehenden das für ein Kompliment. Dawn hingegen denkt: Verdammt, woher weiß er das? Denn Dawns Vater ist Morpheus, der König der Träume - aber mit diesem Teil der Familie will die junge Frau nichts zu tun haben. Sie möchte ein normales Leben führen, auf dem Sofa liegen, TV-Serien schauen und von ihrer heimlichen Liebe träumen, dem Künstler Noah. Dann aber beginnt ein geheimnisvoller Killer, seine Opfer im Schlaf zu töten. Dawn erfährt, dass es sich um einen Traumdämon handelt, den nur sie allein aufhalten kann. Und zwar möglichst schnell, denn Noah schwebt in großer Gefahr...
Zum Buch:
Eine wirklich toll geschriebene Geschichte, mit sowohl lustigen als auch ernsten Momenten. Die Thematik das mehr hinter den Träumen stecken als nur Träume finde ich richtig spannend und ist so interessant geschrieben, das man als Leser regelrecht in die Geschichte gezogen wird.
Protagonisten:
Für Dawn ist ihr Job eine Berufung. Sie ist intelligent, klug, besitzt eine grosse innere Stärke und ist ein Genussmensch. Wie jede Frau sollte sie sich mehr zutrauen und sich nicht verunsichern lassen. Mir war sie sympathisch, da sie für mich sehr realistisch dargestellt war und zur Abwechslung mal eine Frau mit Kurven ist die Größe 42 trägt.
Noah versucht immer aufrichtig zu sein, obwohl sein Leben von traurigen Erlebnissen überschattet wird. Er kämpft immer wieder gegen seine Vergangenheit an und will zeigen das er nicht mehr der hilflose kleine Junge ist, von damals. Er besitzt eine gutes Maß an Empathie und hat ein Gespür für außergewöhnliche Dinge und weiß genau was und wen er will.
Meinung:
Das Buch konnte mich wirklich begeistern. Die Verzierungen bei jeder Kapitelüberschrift gleichen denen, die wir auf dem Cover sehen und ziehen sich so, wie ein roter Faden, durch das komplette Buch. Ich fand die Geschichte angenehm zu lesen und alles sehr gut verständlich und detailliert beschrieben.
June 6, 2010
I really liked this one. I was doing alot of stopping and starting with it though. partly because I was also reading other books at the same time. I love Noah and Dawn together as well as individuals. The dream world is a fascinating subject and this author does it justice when explaining how it works in this particular world and how humans as well as the immortals are effected by this and how this world can be manipulated. All of this is shown to you without it coming off too sci-fi. It has "meat" to it and the plot as well as the characters involved will keep you captivated. I love Dawn's father, Morpheus.. AWESOME DAD! and Verek who is loyal to Morpheus and must teach Dawn the ways of her father's world.
Dawn is half humman/immortal. She is the 1st of her kind. An anomaly. People from her Father's world do not know whether to worship or fear her because she is Morpheus's daughter, who happens to not only be the God of Dreams but the King of their people in the dream realm. There are certain things that Dawn can do that her father cannot and he is suppose to be the most powerful. Of course as all kings do, Morpheus has enemies, who seek to destroy him, because he fell in love with a human and had a child. Dawn for most of her life has chosen to live among the human world trying to deny her immortal half. Ironically she is a dream psycologist. This is how she meets Noah and starts a chain of events that will cause her to make the choice of dealing with her legacy. Her relationship with her Father and her Mother(who she resents) and her human family who knows nothing about who she really is and what their mother has done. This is a very interesting read. I highly recommend it. I've already started the 2nd book in this series and so far that has been just as interesting.
Dawn is half humman/immortal. She is the 1st of her kind. An anomaly. People from her Father's world do not know whether to worship or fear her because she is Morpheus's daughter, who happens to not only be the God of Dreams but the King of their people in the dream realm. There are certain things that Dawn can do that her father cannot and he is suppose to be the most powerful. Of course as all kings do, Morpheus has enemies, who seek to destroy him, because he fell in love with a human and had a child. Dawn for most of her life has chosen to live among the human world trying to deny her immortal half. Ironically she is a dream psycologist. This is how she meets Noah and starts a chain of events that will cause her to make the choice of dealing with her legacy. Her relationship with her Father and her Mother(who she resents) and her human family who knows nothing about who she really is and what their mother has done. This is a very interesting read. I highly recommend it. I've already started the 2nd book in this series and so far that has been just as interesting.
August 25, 2014
3 e 1/2
"Se devo restare legato a te nei miei sogni, anche tu lo rimarrai a me, Doc. Se tu sei spaventata da quello che c’è tra di noi, io non lo sono. So che pensi di farcela da sola, ma non ce la farai. Hai bisogno di me. E io di te."
Ho trovato poche volte l'ambientazione onirica ma la trovo davvero affascinante *ç* specie se, come in questo caso, è mischiata ad un pizzico di mitologia grazie alla presenza del Dio dei sogni Morfeo (che a dire il vero per essere una creatura super-potente si fa infinocchiare dal cattivo di turno abbastanza facilmente XD) e all'accenno del fratello Icelo che purtroppo però non appare! D: Dawn mi è piaciuta, mi ha ricordato Bridget Jones con la sua irresistibile ironia, la lotta con il cibo e le disavventure amorose XD Dawn si rende conto che il suo atteggiamento da struzzo nei confronti del padre e della sua metà soprannaturale l'ha resa ignorante e impotente di fronte al pericolo che si trova a fronteggiare ma è disposta ad inghiottire rancori e orgoglio e a rimboccarsi le maniche per imparare, sia pur in ritardo, ad usare i suoi poteri. Meno riuscito il personaggio di Noah, certo è sexy, passionale, famoso artista etc etc ma ho condiviso le perplessità di Dawn sul loro rapporto e non ne sono rimasta convinta fino in fondo, anche perché non avendo il suo POV non sappiamo quello che pensa e pur intuendo un passato di violenza rimane tutto avvolto nel mistero... In effetti arrivati all'epilogo ci si rende conto che molte cose sono rimaste in sospeso e attendono risposta e/o approfondimento perché tirate via così XD Però non mi risulta che il secondo (e ultimo) libro della serie sia stato pubblicato da noi e mi chiedo se potrò mai conoscere il finale ç__ç
"Se devo restare legato a te nei miei sogni, anche tu lo rimarrai a me, Doc. Se tu sei spaventata da quello che c’è tra di noi, io non lo sono. So che pensi di farcela da sola, ma non ce la farai. Hai bisogno di me. E io di te."
Ho trovato poche volte l'ambientazione onirica ma la trovo davvero affascinante *ç* specie se, come in questo caso, è mischiata ad un pizzico di mitologia grazie alla presenza del Dio dei sogni Morfeo (che a dire il vero per essere una creatura super-potente si fa infinocchiare dal cattivo di turno abbastanza facilmente XD) e all'accenno del fratello Icelo che purtroppo però non appare! D: Dawn mi è piaciuta, mi ha ricordato Bridget Jones con la sua irresistibile ironia, la lotta con il cibo e le disavventure amorose XD Dawn si rende conto che il suo atteggiamento da struzzo nei confronti del padre e della sua metà soprannaturale l'ha resa ignorante e impotente di fronte al pericolo che si trova a fronteggiare ma è disposta ad inghiottire rancori e orgoglio e a rimboccarsi le maniche per imparare, sia pur in ritardo, ad usare i suoi poteri. Meno riuscito il personaggio di Noah, certo è sexy, passionale, famoso artista etc etc ma ho condiviso le perplessità di Dawn sul loro rapporto e non ne sono rimasta convinta fino in fondo, anche perché non avendo il suo POV non sappiamo quello che pensa e pur intuendo un passato di violenza rimane tutto avvolto nel mistero... In effetti arrivati all'epilogo ci si rende conto che molte cose sono rimaste in sospeso e attendono risposta e/o approfondimento perché tirate via così XD Però non mi risulta che il secondo (e ultimo) libro della serie sia stato pubblicato da noi e mi chiedo se potrò mai conoscere il finale ç__ç
August 14, 2008
I picked this up of the paperback table at Borders because of Sherrilyn Kenyon's front cover recommendation. Dawn is a sleep specialist working on a dream study at a sleep clinic. She's also a Nightmare--a being that is able to enter people's dreams and manipulate them. Not only that, she's the daughter of Morpheus, king of the dreamworld, and she's not supposed to exist. When Noah, one of her clients in her dream study and the subject of an unprofessional crush, is attacked in his dreams by a Night Terror, Dawn realizes that it is tied to a rash of SUNDS cases and that she is the only one who can stop it.
I thought that this book had a clever new premise and focused on a little-used off-shoot of Greek mythology in the character of Morpheus. Dawn is an interesting main character who has a lot of background issues with her estranged father and mother and her human family and the fact that her existence is questioned and not necessarily supported by the residents of the dreamworld. Comparisons could be made to Kenyon's Dreamhunters series, but this series-beginner has more in common with Moning's Darkfever series and Armintrout's Blood Ties series in that it seems like it will focus on one character in Dawn, rather than several in the Dreamhunters books. I look forward to trying the next book.
I thought that this book had a clever new premise and focused on a little-used off-shoot of Greek mythology in the character of Morpheus. Dawn is an interesting main character who has a lot of background issues with her estranged father and mother and her human family and the fact that her existence is questioned and not necessarily supported by the residents of the dreamworld. Comparisons could be made to Kenyon's Dreamhunters series, but this series-beginner has more in common with Moning's Darkfever series and Armintrout's Blood Ties series in that it seems like it will focus on one character in Dawn, rather than several in the Dreamhunters books. I look forward to trying the next book.
January 5, 2016
wow this book snared me from the first.page and didnt let me go til the end!
Heroine: She was pretty badass but had enough vulnerable moments to keep her realistic and likeable. i also liked that the main character is more realistic..an average size girl with normal girl fears despite her...otherness.
Hero: Broody almost overly so but just short of that line. but he was very sweet even if occasionally attitudinal and i loved how beautiful he made the heroine feel. Would've liked to see more development regarding his past but overall a solid hero.
Romance: Pretty good but i felt like the trust issues between the character never really got resolved more they got swept under the rug and lost in the action.
Sex scenes: Pretty hot...nothing super special but pretty steamworthy.
Plot: Really really fascinating. I love the mix of myth, action, and romance. this book struck the perfect balance between all the elements.
Writing:love the attention to detail about the mythological aspects of it. The author wasn't afraid to go to a dark place and i really appreciated that. Didnt find any errors or readability issues so that was appreciated as well.
Bottom line: loved it and cant wait to read the next book!
Heroine: She was pretty badass but had enough vulnerable moments to keep her realistic and likeable. i also liked that the main character is more realistic..an average size girl with normal girl fears despite her...otherness.
Hero: Broody almost overly so but just short of that line. but he was very sweet even if occasionally attitudinal and i loved how beautiful he made the heroine feel. Would've liked to see more development regarding his past but overall a solid hero.
Romance: Pretty good but i felt like the trust issues between the character never really got resolved more they got swept under the rug and lost in the action.
Sex scenes: Pretty hot...nothing super special but pretty steamworthy.
Plot: Really really fascinating. I love the mix of myth, action, and romance. this book struck the perfect balance between all the elements.
Writing:love the attention to detail about the mythological aspects of it. The author wasn't afraid to go to a dark place and i really appreciated that. Didnt find any errors or readability issues so that was appreciated as well.
Bottom line: loved it and cant wait to read the next book!
March 23, 2009
Dawn Riley is a psychologist working in a sleep clinic. She also happens to be a semi immortal being - the daughter of Morpheus. Something is stalking and killing people in the dream realm including a guy she has the hots for in a sleep study.
The two are attracted to one another and things heat up as the terror stalking people targets both Dawn and her lust object Noah.
I started out really enjoying this novel. It was a nice change from vampires, werewolves etc but about midway through the book the author drops some major threads. Another being in the dream realm is supposed to be training Dawn but she has a couple of sessions with him and he disappears. Her room mate is targeted by the terror but she isn't all that worried as dreamkin are allegedly looking out for her even though the terror has proven he can fool other beings in the dream realm. Dawn is supposed to be helping another being, Antwoine, reunite with his love in exchange for information but, whoops , can't be bothered, etc I know I am sounding abit harsh about this book. It isn't bad and at times entertaining but the author needs to work on her worldbuilding skills.
The two are attracted to one another and things heat up as the terror stalking people targets both Dawn and her lust object Noah.
I started out really enjoying this novel. It was a nice change from vampires, werewolves etc but about midway through the book the author drops some major threads. Another being in the dream realm is supposed to be training Dawn but she has a couple of sessions with him and he disappears. Her room mate is targeted by the terror but she isn't all that worried as dreamkin are allegedly looking out for her even though the terror has proven he can fool other beings in the dream realm. Dawn is supposed to be helping another being, Antwoine, reunite with his love in exchange for information but, whoops , can't be bothered, etc I know I am sounding abit harsh about this book. It isn't bad and at times entertaining but the author needs to work on her worldbuilding skills.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2009
This is my first Kathryn Smith book and I'm happy to say it won't be my last!
The premise sounded interesting and Smith definitely delivered, I was hooked from the first page. It was well written and the loves scenes were scorching. Though my only complaint is that Noah felt hot and cold, at times I wasn't sure if he really did care for Dawn and his 'I'm a man I should be able to protect myself I don't need my woman to do it for me' act got a little tiring. I understand it must be disconcerting for a man to need a woman, especially a woman he's interested in, to save him but come on Noah- she's the daughter of Morpheus and she can't help that.
I wanted to re-visit the Noah's dream in which it appeared to Dawn who 'walked in' on it that he was beating his mother and he shut her out. But I guess this is a series and would want readers to keep reading :) There's also the issue with Dawn's mother who I like her, I find selfish, leaving behind a loving husband and several children making them believe she can't wake from sleep when she's in fact still alive but in the arms of her dream lover.
I can't wait for the next installment and to read Kathryn Smith's other work.
The premise sounded interesting and Smith definitely delivered, I was hooked from the first page. It was well written and the loves scenes were scorching. Though my only complaint is that Noah felt hot and cold, at times I wasn't sure if he really did care for Dawn and his 'I'm a man I should be able to protect myself I don't need my woman to do it for me' act got a little tiring. I understand it must be disconcerting for a man to need a woman, especially a woman he's interested in, to save him but come on Noah- she's the daughter of Morpheus and she can't help that.
I wanted to re-visit the Noah's dream in which it appeared to Dawn who 'walked in' on it that he was beating his mother and he shut her out. But I guess this is a series and would want readers to keep reading :) There's also the issue with Dawn's mother who I like her, I find selfish, leaving behind a loving husband and several children making them believe she can't wake from sleep when she's in fact still alive but in the arms of her dream lover.
I can't wait for the next installment and to read Kathryn Smith's other work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2014
L’autrice ha creato un Regno parallelo al mondo degli umani, in cui uomini e donne si recano ogni notte attraverso i loro sogni, anche se ovviamente si tratta di un viaggio mentale, non fisico. Questo Regno è sotto il controllo del Dio Morfeo. Dawn, in quanto metà umana e metà Incubo, è in grado di vivere in entrambi i mondi, spostandosi con facilità dall’uno all’altro. Proprio la sua natura rappresenta la grande paura che Dawn è costretta ad affrontare per sconfiggere Karatos e accettando di essere a metà tra i mondi vincerà sul Terrore. Il compito di Dawn, in quanto Incubo, è proteggere i sognatori, primo tra tutti Noah, che Karatos vuole usare per poter vivere nel mondo degli uomini.
La storia si conclude felicemente, ma alcune questioni rimangono aperte: la madre di Dawn, in coma volontario per poter vivere con Morfeo nel suo Regno, si sveglierà e affronterà la sua famiglia sulla Terra oppure li ha veramente abbandonati senza nessuna spiegazione? Dawn aiuterà Antwoine a ritrovare la sua Succube, come gli aveva promesso? Senza contare il passato misterioso e violento di Noah, di cui la scrittrice non dà spiegazioni.
La storia si conclude felicemente, ma alcune questioni rimangono aperte: la madre di Dawn, in coma volontario per poter vivere con Morfeo nel suo Regno, si sveglierà e affronterà la sua famiglia sulla Terra oppure li ha veramente abbandonati senza nessuna spiegazione? Dawn aiuterà Antwoine a ritrovare la sua Succube, come gli aveva promesso? Senza contare il passato misterioso e violento di Noah, di cui la scrittrice non dà spiegazioni.
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