Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson

Dreamland
by Robert L. Anderson

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Release date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Hardback: 336 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
Afterward, Dea blamed it all on Toby. She knew it wasn't nice to blame a cat. It was definitely immature. But that was life: one big chain reaction, a series of sparks and explosions.

Odea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never broken the rules.

Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town. For the first time in her life, Dea feels normal. But both Dea and Connor have secrets, and as she is increasingly drawn to Connor’s dreams—and nightmares—the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate, putting everyone she loves in danger.

Zombie sightings:
note: there are some zombie references, but because I read an ARC I cannot say for sure if they made it into the final copy

My two-bits:

This fantasy includes a couple thriller scenes that kept me wondering to the end. But for the most part contemporary YA stuff going on.

I liked the take on dreams and dreaming including the related quotes at the start of each chapter. It caused pause for thought on the subject in general.

The characters were likable and developed well. There is a coming of age moment for the main character, Odea. Loved the nickname for Odea's friend - Gollum.

There are some romance bits which also is a force that drives this story.

side note: reminded me of Neil Gaiman's graphic novel series, Sandman

About the author:

Robert L. Anderson grew up in Brooklyn and graduated college in 2004 with a degree in philosophy. Since then, he has lived in five states and twelve countries, and on three continents.

Dreamland is his first novel.

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* review copy courtesy of Epic Reads

Clean Slate Read-A-Thon

Clean Slate Read-A-Thon
January 10-17, 2016
sponsored by Latte Nights Reviews, Novel Ink & Lost in Lit
Details & signup (here)
#CleanSlateReadathon
So, what exactly is the Clean Slate Read-A-Thon? This read-a-thon is only for books that we didn’t get to in 2015…that were released in 2015. Any 2015 released we didn’t read is eligible for this read-a-thon. We want to start this year off with a clean slate so let’s get those 2015 released off our TBR and let it slim down!

My list:

Dreamland
by Robert L. Anderson
-Fantasy, YA
Amazon | Goodreads | my review

The Fill-In Boyfriend
by Kasie West
-Romance, YA
Amazon | Goodreads | my review

Inheritance
by Lisa Forrest
-Fantasy, YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Inventing Madness
by J.G. Schwartz
-historical, magic
Amazon | Goodreads

Vote for Remi
by Leanna Lehman
-YA
Amazon | Goodreads

Stacking the Shelves - 8.22.15

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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For Review:

Silent Circle
(The Witches Circle #1)
by Cassandra Larsen
-Fantasy, Witches, YA
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Call Of Gelduur
(The Norrland Saga Book 1)
by Jack Alriksson
-Fantasy
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Devil and Winnie Flynn
by Micol Ostow
illustrated by David Ostow
-Paranormal, YA
courtesy of SOHO Teen -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Echoes
by Laura Tisdall
-SciFi,YA
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

A Window Opens
by Elisabeth Egan
-Chick-lit
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2015 -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
Won from contest:

Dreamland
by Robert L. Anderson
-Fantasy, YA
courtesy of Epic Reads @epicreads -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
=====> Wasn't expecting this one. Looks good :-)

Library:

The Boys in the Boat:
Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown
-Non-fiction, Sports
Amazon | Goodreads
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.

The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.

Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant.

=====> listening to audio version

UNBOXING:

From Uppercase package (details & signup):
A hand-selected young adult book & fun bookish item, delivered monthly #UppercaseBox

ENTER to win a free one year subscription (here).


August Box includes:
* Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson
* Signed bookplate from Shanna Swendson
* Book cover steampunk bookmark from Compass Rose Design
* Button for Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer
* Peter Pan temporary tattoo from Litographs

Rebel Mechanics
by Shanna Swendson
-Mystery, Steampunk, YA
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2015
Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
A sixteen-year-old governess becomes a spy in this alternative U.S. history where the British control with magic and the colonists rebel by inventing.

It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family—but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister—but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause—but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.


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* some of these may be offered as giveaways within the next two months

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers