4.5 stars for Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross
Synopsis:
The realm of Azenor has spent years plagued by a curse. Every new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians—who serve as territory wardens—stand between people and their worst dreams.
Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians arrive to challenge her, she is unknowingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets—as well as romance—begins to rise.
To fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn, Clementine must unite with her rival. But will their efforts be enough to save Azenor from the nightmares that lurk around every corner?
I received an advanced ebook copy of Dreams Lie Beneath from Harper360YA via Edelweiss+ and I'm so happy I did! I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt like I could immediately immerse myself in this world and visualize not only the characters but the setting as well. Since this is a standalone book, being able to world-build quickly (and well) is super important from a reader standpoint. If I'm only going to get this one book to fall in love with this world, it needs to happen fast. And the author delivered on this.
I was immediately drawn to Clementine and the magic system crafted in this book. Clem has fire, drive, and some recklessness in her and that really spoke to me. I will never get enough of reading strong female characters. You know from the beginning that there's something special and different about Clem...you just don't know exactly what it is yet. Same with the magic. Not only do I love the different types of magic in this story (and that the author does such a good job of giving us an understanding of it without being boring or taking away from the story), the idea of nightmares coming to life every new moon is a truly terrifying thought. I've had some nightmares that have been incredibly hard to shake and I would not like the idea of them walking the streets.
Clem and Phelan are definitely at the center of the story, but all the other characters play a huge role as well. If they aren't actively related to the curse, then they add depth to Clementine's situation and emotions. While the enemies-to-lovers trope is my favorite, I did feel, at times, that it was rushed a little in this book. That could also be due to the fact that it's a standalone novel and so some of that forgiveness and growing as to be done faster in the storyline. It didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story, it was just something I noticed. All-in-all, I'm sad it's a standalone which I guess means the author did her job well. I would 100% read another book set in this world!
At the beginning of the story, Clementine grabs a couple of fresh cherry galettes as she rushes out the door to go retrieve a nightmare from someone in town. The galettes come up several times throughout the story and after looking up what a galette was, I decided to try making one myself. I couldn't find cherries at the store, so I decided to make a strawberry chocolate galette instead. I read online that often there's some sort of jam layer that goes down between the fruit and the crust to keep away the dreaded soggy bottom. I used some melted chocolate on mine, but I really should have used something like Nutella or maybe even cream cheese. While I think the galette turned out okay, it definitely needs some work. I didn't really have a recipe so I need to try again and tweak a couple of things. All-in-all, I think it was a good first attempt and I'm sure Clem would be happy to serve as a taste tester.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kim
Commentaires