Beth F
Sandy
bermudaonion (Kathy)
Stephanie
Trisha
Wake by Lisa McMann
For Janie Hannagan, life is a dream. Unfortunately, it isn’t HER dream.
Whenever Janie is within a certain proximity of someone who is asleep, she falls into their dreams. This is a bigger problem than it sounds when you’re in high school and your classmates begin to fall asleep in school with increasing regularity, particularly if you often have something resembling a seizure while you are in someone else’s dream.
“Wake” is oh-so-very high school: appearances are everything; the ‘cool’ kids can’t be bothered with people like Janie; and love is a heart-wrenching, tortured experience. I enjoy young adult fiction very much, but only when it is something more than just high school. I love the way Laurie Halse Anderson deals with real, tough problems in books like “Winter Girls,” I adore Westerfeld’s social commentary in the “Uglies” series, and Markus Zusak’s depiction of WWII in “The Book Thief” is awesome. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that “Wake” had a lot of depth. Sure, there was a message about looking beyond appearances and not letting preconceived notions make you judge people, plus there was a little about believing in yourself. None of that is really unique for a young adult book, though.
The style bothered me as well, everything was quite choppy. I’m nearly 100% positive that this was a deliberate choice by the author to mimic the disorienting state of dreams. In other words, it wasn’t because she is a bad writer, but the choice just didn’t work for me at all.
It sounds like I’ve been bashing this book for the entire review, but it really isn’t a bad book. It is entertaining and a very quick read. I wouldn’t caution you against picking this up, but I also wouldn’t recommend anyone rush out and get it. Of course, if you’re more interested in the premise of falling into dreams than I was, you might really enjoy it.
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Sorry this one was a disappointment. It sounds interesting, but I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea. Thanks for the honest review.
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Guest Post: Bill Surie, Author of HOLLY’S INBOX =-.
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This one sounds interesting to me, because I used to always wonder if maybe my life was really someone else’s dream. Yeah, I know, I was weird kid. Sorry it didn’t work for you.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Blog Improvement Project – Mid Year Review =-.
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I am not sure if this one is for me!
Thank You for the review!
.-= Veens´s last blog ..Just Listen by Sarah Dessen =-.
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I actually enjoyed this book, though I agree it could have used more depth and, well, plot. I’ve linked to your review from mine.
.-= NotNessie´s last blog ..Review: Testimony by Anita Shreve =-.
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I got interested in reading this book because of some positive reviews, and then my fifteen-year-old daughter told me she had read it already and didn’t like it much, for the same reasons you give in your review. So at least one high-schooler agrees!
.-= Jeanne´s last blog ..Finger Lickin’ Fifteen =-.
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i bought this on amazon a few days ago but it hasn’t arrived yet
thanx for the honest review
i think i’ll like it much better than you did though because i’m VERY interested in dreams
i may review it later
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I’m kinda sad to hear that you were less than engaged with this book. I recently purchased both books in the series. I’ll be interested to see how I feel about them when I get a chance to read them.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Me, Me, Me! =-.
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Sorry this one didn’t live up to the current YA standards. I appreciate your review so I can spend my reading time on something I’m bound to like better.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Where Are You? / Teaser Tuesday (July 14): Inventing Montana by Ted Leeson =-.
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This was a really great review. I hadn’t thought about the choppiness being like a dream. I thought FADE was way better than WAKE.
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