Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult/Young Adult Crossover
Summary:
Laura comes from a world similar to our own except for one difference:
it is next to the Place, an unfathomable land that fosters dreams of
every kind and is inaccessible to all but a select few, the
Dreamhunters. These are individuals with special gifts: the ability to
catch larger-than-life dreams and relay them to audiences in the
magnificent dream palace, the Rainbow Opera. People travel from all
around to experience the benefits of the hunters’ unique visions. Now
fifteen-year-old Laura and her cousin Rose, daughters of Dreamhunters,
are eligible to test themselves at the Place and find out whether they
qualify for the passage. But nothing can prepare them for what they are
about to discover. For within the Place lies a horrific secret kept
hidden by corrupt members of the government. And when Laura’s father,
the man who discovered the Place, disappears, she realizes that this
secret has the power to destroy everyone she loves . . .
Lucinda’s Views:
This
book is a well-written jaunt into an alternate Australia set in the
Edwardian era. The difference is that in this Australia, there are
people that can capture dreams and share them with others. They are
called Dreamhunters, and the best are well-paid celebrities, so that
almost every person desires to join their ranks. Laura and Rose are no
exception.
This alternate world is well-imagined and
keeps developing as the plot progresses in a believable manner. The
ending does not provide any sort of resolution to the reader, but it is
clearly stated on the cover that it is part of a duet, and other than
that one caveat, the plot is well-paced, develops in an absorbing
manner, and the cliff-hanger at the end of the novel leaves the reader
eager for more.
Laura and Rose are likable and the
mysterious disappearance of Laura’s father just serves to bolster the
reader’s affinity for them. If you like to read fantasy and are looking
for a new world, with well-developed characters to explore this is the
book for you.