Wow. Am I so, so glad I randomly picked this up while browsing the new book section of my library. I had never heard of it before. I was drawn to it bWow. Am I so, so glad I randomly picked this up while browsing the new book section of my library. I had never heard of it before. I was drawn to it by the beautiful cover, soft pages, and floppy paperback. (Though I have to ask, why is this book called "Dreambound"? Having finished it now, I don't quite get it. Like at all. Why not "The Hidden World"? or something? Anyyywaaayy, this does not impact my rating, clearly, but I just had to say it.)
This is an epistolary/mixed media novel, completely told through emails/interviews/journals/etc. Now, if you know me, this is not typically my favorite way to consume a story. However, it just really worked here and I had no issue with the narrative structure. Dreambound is a fairy tale for adults--bordering on urban fantasy, which I *do* absolutely love. I was very immersed in the story, so much so I read most of it in just a couple sittings, and really wished I could stay up all night finishing it. I haven't felt that way about a book in a long time. I also listened along to the audiobook for much of my reading experience, and I thought it was excellent. It is narrated by a full cast, and I think they did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.
The themes in this book are twofold. The surface level story is about how far a father will go to save his daughter, while he comes to terms with the fact that he largely had himself to blame for driving her away in the first place. The dad, Byron James starts out as a pretty big dick, who only cares about what's "real" and "just the facts". I can understand some of the negative reviews saying he was an ass, because, well yes, he was. BUT he is called out for this fact multiple times by pretty much every other person he interacts with. Also, he does learn and change and grow as the story progresses... I enjoyed his character arc and thought it was well done. So yeah, I don't fully agree with this critique. Sidenote, I adored Misha as Byron's reluctant sidekick. She was a great character and I loved the role she played in Byron's journey.
Moving on. The second, underlying theme in this book was a love of stories, storytelling, and belief in the fantastical. I enjoyed how much affection was shown towards fandom, conventions, cosplay, and fanfiction, as by the end of the book Byron comes to appreciate the goodness and community that comes out of these things. I never thought a book like this would inspire me to keep writing fanfic, but, here we are!
I thought the pacing of this book was very good, and I was never bored. The unraveling of the mystery was so well done, in my opinion, and I very much enjoyed the little tidbits of fantasy and folklore stories we got sprinkled throughout. The ending was bittersweet and I thought it all came together very well.
This book was not perfect. However, it reminded me of why I love reading, and particularly why I love reading fantasy and being a part of fandom culture. And for that, I couldn't give it anything less than 5 stars....more
This book wasn't perfect, but good lord if Will/James isn't one of the hottest couples I've ever read about in my life This book wasn't perfect, but good lord if Will/James isn't one of the hottest couples I've ever read about in my life ...more
This book was fantastic and reminded me why I love epic fantasy!! It’s like Game of Thrones but with Indian mythology… I think this book deserves moreThis book was fantastic and reminded me why I love epic fantasy!! It’s like Game of Thrones but with Indian mythology… I think this book deserves more hype!! It was highly entertaining and even laugh out loud funny. I could definitely tell that the author also works as a comedian. This book is “grimdark” and has its share of violence and battles, but the humor and lighter moments just landed so perfectly in my opinion, so that the book never felt too dark or depressing. I really enjoyed the characters, although I don’t have a particular favorite or anything. The politics were interesting and the story kept me engaged, which is definitely impressive in a 600+ page book. And that epilogue… wow I’m just so intrigued, and really looking forward to continuing the series!...more
I enjoyed this book a good amount but it didn't get to that 5 star I hoped for. It's probably my fault that I put this book on pause for so long, but I enjoyed this book a good amount but it didn't get to that 5 star I hoped for. It's probably my fault that I put this book on pause for so long, but I had a pretty hard time following all the different magic systems, names, places, and plots going on in this book. It was a bit too complex, and not in a good way. I'm mostly here for the characters and relationships though, honestly. My main ships are still shipping, and that pleases me. There were a few new relationships in this volume that I was getting into as well. Small complaint: I do feel like everyone was kind of paired off a little too neatly, though.
Overall, I enjoyed this volume similarly to the first in the series, and I'm looking forward to finishing out the trilogy. This is a solid fantasy series with a great cast of LGBT characters!...more
Easy 5 star rating. I loved this book from beginning to end! It was so so good. It had everything I love about high fantasy, with plenty of unique aspEasy 5 star rating. I loved this book from beginning to end! It was so so good. It had everything I love about high fantasy, with plenty of unique aspects in it to keep me interested and intrigued. The Black Coast also excelled in showing-not-telling. I don't think there was a single info-dumpy moment in this entire 600+ page book, at least not that I recall. The worldbuilding was immaculate and so well-woven into the story and through the development of the characters. I'm so glad I already bought the sequel because let me just say, that last chapter and epilogue... yeah I'm obsessed and I need MORE!...more
I’m disappointed I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to after I gave book one 5 stars. I was enjoying it enough in the beginning and liked beinI’m disappointed I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to after I gave book one 5 stars. I was enjoying it enough in the beginning and liked being back in this world. However, the book was sooo long and the plot felt really convoluted. It had a large amount of characters and I had a hard time keeping track of them all and their connections to each other, on top of all the politics. I’m hoping it gets better in the concluding book with a much tighter plot....more
3.5 stars This is a hard one to rate/review. It took me a while to get into. Once I did get into it I flew through it, but I still was never super conn3.5 stars This is a hard one to rate/review. It took me a while to get into. Once I did get into it I flew through it, but I still was never super connected, you know? The world building was interesting but I do think there was too much going on, and so we couldn’t go as in depth into the characters or the main magic system as I would have liked. The ending felt really rushed as well. I personally think this could have been stretched into a duology and it would have been better for it. ...more
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