Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
Series: Dreams and Shadows #1
Published by Harper Voyager
Published on: February 26 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 448
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Amazon | Book Depo | Chapters | Kobo | GoodReads
A brilliantly crafted modern tale from acclaimed film critic and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill—part Neil Gaiman, part Guillermo Del Toro, part William S. Burroughs—that charts the lives of two boys from their star-crossed childhood in the realm of magic and mystery to their anguished adulthoods
There is another world than our own—one no closer than a kiss and one no further than our nightmares—where all the stuff of which dreams are made is real and magic is just a step away. But once you see that world, you will never be the same.
Dreams and Shadows takes us beyond this veil. Once bold explorers and youthful denizens of this magical realm, Ewan is now an Austin musician who just met his dream girl, and Colby, meanwhile, cannot escape the consequences of an innocent wish. But while Ewan and Colby left the Limestone Kingdom as children, it has never forgotten them. And in a world where angels relax on rooftops, whiskey-swilling genies argue metaphysics with foul-mouthed wizards, and monsters in the shadows feed on fear, you can never outrun your fate.
Dreams and Shadows is a stunning and evocative debut about the magic and monsters in our world and in our self.
The first thing that the blurb for this book tells you is that Dreams and Shadows is written by an acclaimed film critic and screenwriter . . .
And you can tell.
Okay . . . But what does that mean?
Well, it means that the book is written like a TV series. Maybe even an entire season of a TV series, and b/c of that, I think I’ve figured out a quick way to test whether or not you’d like this book.
Did you like Lost? B/c Lost is:
1. Dark and twisty.
If you want to know what kind of person someone is, crash them onto an (seemingly) uninhabited island with limited resources, and sit back and watch their true natures emerge. Also—LOTS of death. Lots of violent death.
2. A TV series, and thus episodic.
If you’re like me, you watched season after season of Lost, never knowing what the bloody heck was going on. You kept getting insights into what made the individual characters tick, and the action was enough to keep you enthralled and coming back for more, BUT. You never knew. What the bloody heck. WAS GOING ON.
3. Full of “coincidence.”
Almost all of the passengers on Oceanic Flight 815 were strangers.
Except they weren’t.
As events unfolded, you learned how interconnected everyone and everything was, far beyond the realm of believable randomness. Something larger was at work, something or someone, behind the scenes, pulling strings, cutting threads . . . But who? And why?
So even if you haven’t watched Lost, based on those descriptions/explanations, you should be able to determine whether or not this book is for you.
B/c it is NOT for everyone.
While no one was marooned on a tropical island, the typical Fae temperament is eerily similar to the Id-like tendencies many of the characters on Lost succumbed to when removed from civilized society.
But they’re Fae. So they’re worse.
The Fae in this book are not the lovely and benevolent Fae that are so often depicted in modern books and movies. They aren’t even the cold and indifferent Elves from LOTR, or the mostly mischievous and meddlesome (<——accidental alliteration!) with the odd malevolent creature tossed in to keep things interesting Fae that are most commonly found in PNR and UF these days.
Nope, these are nasty, cruel, and calculating Fae. Self-serving Fae. Murderous b/c it’s FUN Fae.
There are also several striking similarities between Dreams and Shadows and Thomas Harris’s Hannibal Lector series.
*shudders*
Personal Anecdotal Story Alert: Red Dragon is single-handedly responsible for my refusal to ever watch scary movies again.
The same evening that I saw the movie, I woke up inexplicably in the middle of the night (and when I say, “inexplicably,” I mean, “b/c the movie was HELLISHLY creepy, and I wasn’t sleeping soundly anyway”), and in that mostly incoherent, but still managing to process some thought state, I registered that I couldn’t move my arm b/c it was asleep . . . But when I went to move it with my other arm, all I felt was cold, limp weight, so I FREAKED OUT, and tried to throw “it” across the room.
Tried to throw. My own arm. Across the room.
B/c it wasn’t my arm, you see. It was the arm of a dead person, and it was clearly in my bed b/c Red Dragon guy was downstairs, and would come upstairs at any moment to make me “become.” (And if you don’t know what “the becoming” is . . . trust me, you don’t want to.)
True story. *facepalms self*
So when Ewan refers to the ceremony that will transform him from Changeling to full-blown Fairy as his “becoming,” I nearly lost my mind.
Then a few chapters later when one of the most feared fairies is described as skinning her victims alive:
“Then she’ll drape your skin outside over a tree branch until it dries to leather and then she’ll wear it as a belt so she can keep you close to her forever!”
So . . . yeah. Creeptastic.
Add to that the fact that I have only a very vague idea (that is quite possibly dead wrong) about what the Big Picture is, and well, in addition to liking your UF creepy and horrific, you’d also need to be very, very patient to enjoy this book. And I did. This kind of book isn’t my favorite, but it was still enjoyable. But a lot of people aren’t okay with having HUH?! plastered across their face the entire time they’re reading a book. And some of the people that are (like me), stop being okay when lots of pertinent information isn’t revealed in that last 10-15%. Oh, the bare bones is revealed over the course of the book: Colby = good, Fae = bad, etc., but a clear course of action to accomplish an obvious objective? Not by a long shot.
And so, fair reader, I leave the decision in your hands. *cue ominous music* Choose wisely . . .
My name is Jessica and I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’m trying my hand at writing, but mostly I read. My favorite genres are Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and the YA versions of those genres, but if there is a book of a different color getting lots of buzz, I’ll read it too, just to be informed. If I’m not reading or writing, I’m probably on Goodreads or Pinterest or baking blueberry pies because I love them.
LOL! This is review is hilarious!!! Sometimes, when I watch my face I get creeped out that I’d open my eyes and see a woman in white with lots of hair staring at me from behind. This is from watching too much Asian dramas! So I can totally understand throwing your own arm across the room 😉
As for the book, I think I would enjoy this but I have to in the mood for something dark and twisty and confusing as hell. So I will definitely try this out, but I have to get ready for it.
Or it could be from watching too much Supernatural 😉 That’s what freaks me out when I’m all by myself, LOL. And yes, if you’re prepared for it, I think (if you like creepy and horrific) that you’d absolutely like it. I was unprepared and I STILL liked it.
Cold evil fae are my very favorite kind. On the other hand there are so many author references in the blurb it feels like it is trying to hard. On the other hand I kinda liked Red Dragon. On the other hand if it leads me trying to thrown dead arms around that is a very slippery slope I would assume.
Actually it kinda looks interesting to me, murderous fae and all.
There actually weren’t any Lost crossovers like there were with Hannibal Lector—the book just had that same kind of feel to it. And if those books/movies didn’t freak you the hell out (like they did me), I doubt you would even notice. But, yes . . . throwing your own arm across the room IS a slippery slope, so there was no getting it past me 😉
Whoops, you were talking about the blurb, not me, LOL. Yeah, I don’t much pay attention to author comparisons in blurbs. I find that they’re seldom accurate . . .
I am not sure the whole tv series thing would work for me
I don’t think it’s for everyone. More of a niche book.
I never would have picked up that this was a dark story from the synopsis – it sounded like it could have been a fun world that only the boys saw, thanks to their fae-touched eyes. Well, except for that word “anguished”….
Honesty, I wouldn’t have picked up this book b/c the first thing they say is the writer is a film critic and screenwriter – that turns me off. All I care about is if he can write a book. It should be at the end of the synopsis.
I’m a little spitfire, huh? My non-cranky pill Rx ran out :S
I didn’t either. I went into it totally blind, and then was like . . . WTH? And isn’t it funny how easily we can pass over words like “anguished” altogether when we get it in our heads that we know what kind of book something is going to be? I do it ALL the time.
And again, I totally passed over the film critic, etc. I only saw it when I was partway in, and figured that reading the blurb couldn’t possibly confuse me more, LOL. And I’m not picking up on the cranky, but get thee to a doctor 😉 Running out of pills is never good!
I have to admit that when a blurb compares themselves to other authors it immediately sounds alert bells in my head and in my opinion if you compare yourself in part to Neil Gaiman then you had better have written a damn good book. But even if I overlooked that I know that I am not brave enough to take on creeptastic. I have nightmares as it is and I don’t need any new fodder for my imagination. Thanks for keeping me safe and sane. I’ll pass on this one. 🙂
You are welcome! This one definitely has nightmare potential. Oh, it’s not straight-up horror scary, but it’s pretty gruesome in places. Might not have read it, if I had known in advance . . . then again with it being Fae-focused, maybe I would have. As for author comparisons . . . I don’t pay attention to them. Not even a little bit. They annoy me, and I don’t like going into a book annoyed. If I want to read Neil Gaiman, I’ll read Neil Gaiman. End of 😉 See—now I’m annoyed. Why do they even do that? Blah.
lol…sorry I didn’t mean to get you stirred up. At least I’m not the only one that gets annoyed by them. 🙂
I don’t know, but I wish they’d stop. Not fooling anybody! 😉
Love this review! 🙂 This book makes me very curious from it’s description alone, but I’m not one for horror/scary stuff… so don’t know. I am curious though.
Thank you! And that’s exactly what I would have said if our roles were reversed, LOL. But I just dove into it head-long b/c I saw “brilliantly crafted” and “Fae.” Still I liked it though. I think you’ve got a decent shot too, since you’ll know what you’re getting into 😉
Oh I didn’t know this one but I’m curious I confess because of the faes. I think it’s fun to have a film critic and screenwriter for a book but I don’t know him. I only read something like that for Lee Goldberg because he was writing with Janet Evanovich but I didn’t have the feeling of a TV show like you had here. But well as a whole I’m not sure it’s for me. I think I would have looked for the things that the book make me think all along.
I know exactly what you mean b/c that’s how I am too. I was constantly looking for clues trying to get a better grasp on the hints (was that even a hint?) type deal. Still it was interesting . . I’ll probably read the next book when it comes out. Maybe some of my questions will get answered 😉
Red dragon is that horrifying . Yeeesh . I do love Hannibal , the tv show though . And I love fae . Ranging from the cutesy to the downright evil . Do you know if this book is only in ebook format ?
Tnx for the review Jessica
I don’t think it would have been quite that horrifying were it not for a series of unfortunate events, LOL. It was definitely scary in that Misery (Stephen King) kind of way, but it wasn’t It (also Stephen King) scary. Or maybe it was . . . Whatever, it was psychologically scary as crap. I can tell you definitively that this book is available in both paperback and hardback 😉
I love the premise, the surprise revelations and connections, even the nasty fae are right up my alley. I think I will like this one very much
That is a distinct possibility, I think. I had half a dozen people in mind when I was thinking about who would like this book, and you were one of them.
OMG I LITERALLY LOL when you described trying to throw your own arm across the room. I’ve never seen that movie and I don’t know if I want to now – I get creeped out so easily, I probably wouldn’t fall asleep at all! I’m so intensely curious about this book now. I really think I would enjoy it!
Laughing on the outside, crying on the inside, Berls 😉 I can’t even talk about it. It’s been over 10 years since I saw it (I know this b/c I was still living with my parents, and trying to sleep in the room I grew up in when that happened, LOL), but I am still totally creeped out by the things that happened in this movie. But you very well could like the book—no where near as creepy as Red Dragon *shudders*
I think I have read more stories with twisted dark fey instead of “nice” ones. You know I only watched the first season of Lost and never really got into it. I like to by the end of a book or season know more than what I was given. And I am not one of those people that just HAVE to know and keep pushing forward with a tv show since I rarely watch much ot it. I used to be that kind of a reader but now I am totally not. I do have this on my shelf but I think it might end up waiting til retirement *wink*
Oh yeah remember when i had bought the smoke bone book in paperback….i then found a hardcover of book 1 on my shelf then recently bought the hardback of book two this weekend since a friend bought me the hardcover of 3 lol. I am such a nut for having bought two sets of the first two and still havent read any of them!
I think I probably have too. EXCEPT the nasty Fae are usually tempered by not-so-nasty Fae. Rarely have I come across a book with Fae so uniformly malicious. And I binge-watched Lost when I was in college. I don’t know if I would have stuck with it, if I had been watching it on a weekly basis—I don’t much like to actually watch tv shows on tv. I hate the idea of planning my life around a box, you know?
And that. Is. Hilarious! I have hard and e-copies of some books, but the only time I have both hard and paperback is before I’ve had a chance to sell the hardback to the used book store when the paperback of an UF series comes out. I don’t have room for all those massive Mercy Thompson or The Hollows (etc.) books, but I’m not willing to wait until the paperback comes out, so there you go. Maybe I’m the only one who does that . . .
Ok..you have me from Lost to dark and gritty Fae.
Well that was easy, LOL 😉
Fantastic review, Jessica! I think I liked it much more than you (4.5/5 stars read) because I enjoy the hell out f creepy Fae (I blame Meredith Gentry series by LKH). This book also reminded me of War for The Oaks – one of the earliest UF book from the 80s 🙂
Thank you! Part of my bias is admittedly from my bad Red Dragon experience, LOL, but I did still enjoy it. And I have read Meredith Gentry, but I haven’t come across War for the Oaks, so I will have to look in to that.
Excellent review, Jessica!!! I will have to think about reading this one. I did enjoy watching Lost. And Red Dragon was completely creepy! Ugh! I was reading it on a flight and the man sitting next to me said “That is the scariest book I’ve ever read!” I didn’t watch the movie though – the book creeped me out enough. 😉 Dreams and Shadows does sound intriguing…
Thanks, Brandee! And seriously—I’m can’t come up with much (book or movie) that is creepier than Red Dragon. And sometimes creepy is fine . . . if you know that’s what you’re getting. But me? Naw, I like to just dive in w/o reading blurbs or anything, LOL. You’d think I’d have learned by now . . .
What a funny review. I liked all your Lost analogies and even though I liked the show, it still to this day bugs me that I never knew what the hell was going on, and your whole Red Dragon dream, too funny. I have this book for review and I am on the fence as to whether I will read it, leaning toward not.
Thank you, Heidi! And yes, feel free to use me as a cautionary excuse 😉 ALSO—the Red Dragon dream is only funny b/c it didn’t happen to you, LOL.
I never watched one episode of Lost, but I thought by the buttons you picked to describe this book that I would love this story, but your over all rating has a little worried (I do understand your feelings)….I think I’ll will check it out after all tho. I hope I can find it on audio, if not now, soon 🙂
Thanks!
If you like creepy, then you should definitely try this book. Creepy isn’t really my thing, so that’s why my rating wasn’t extremely high, but that’s a personal preference. I hope you can find it on audio too 😉
I’ve read more evil Fae than nice. And they drive me nuts because you never know what’s real or if they are tricking the character. I don’t mind dark or creepy but that constant manipulation crap they do…grrrr lol
The cover really remind she of Shadow and Bone though.
I don’t scare easily but Silence of the Lambs gave me nightmares for weeks. Not Hannibal but the other serial killer. things that 8can* happen scare me more.
I gave up on Lost. I need my answers at a certain point!
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
See, I like the complicated manipulation crap, LOL. It’s the creepy that bothers me.
And you’re the second person who’s made that cover comparison today—I didn’t even notice. I told the other person that I was too bothered by all the similar book titles (Dreams and Shadows, Shadow and Bone, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, etc.) to pay attention to the cover.
And I wasn’t a fan of either or them—Hannibal Lector OR the, “It puts the lotion on its skin,” guy. *shudders*
I gave up on Lost too . . .
I am so torn. I actually picked up the ebook of this when it was a sale but it’s been put on the backburner and some of the so-so ratings I’ve seen hasn’t helped. I see your three star and it made me think nothing was going to change, but then I read your review….argghhhh, I loved Lost! Or I should rephrase that as I loved Lost, before it got too twisty, too convoluted and to be honest, just too damn stupid.
Still, I like mysterious and strange stories like that, so I guess my question is, is the payoff worth it? And you know me, I love being terrified. Dammit, now I’m second guessing myself all over again and wondering if I should bump this back up on my to-read list. Look what you’ve done!
You were actually one of the handful of people I had in mind when I wrote this review. I know how you love creepy, and this book has an incredible creep factor. And so far, the book is like early Lost (before I gave up on the convolutedness). The only thing I think you might find objectionable is that even at the end of the book, there’s no clearly defined plan. I have no idea what the endgame is here. I still think you’d like it for the creep alone. But you won’t be terrified. When I say “horrific” in this instance, I mean “gruesome.” Does that help?
Thanks! Yes, that helps immensely. Sold!
(And I don’t care that I already have the book, I’ll have you know I’m still totally blaming this one on you!) 😉
No, I get it, LOL. I have hundreds of books that I have no idea when I’ll get around to reading, so if they get shoved to the front of the line . . . But at least this way, if you don’t like it, I won’t have to feel quite as bad b/c you did already own it 😉 I do think you’ll like it though.
Think you should definitely give this one a read. It was wonderfully eery, creepy and intriguing. The best fae book I have read.
:)) Seriously awesome review!! I’m sorry about the arm moment, lol, but I will admit Hannibal Lecter is one of my top fav ever characters, the freaky/sneaky/smart-as-hell/utterly-vicious combo gets me every time. I’ve read the books, watched all the movies related, and am watching the TV series now (**squeeeee**). I just fangirled over Dr. Lecter, yep, that just happened, lol!
Lost though, not my cuppa. I was constantly doing the WTH face and twitching all over when I began watching it, and a few episodes into season 1 I was like “Hell no. Just no.” Lol. It was good, sure, but not for more, definitely.
So now I’m torn here, lol! Must consider this carefully…
Thanks, Livia! And yeah, that wasn’t my finest moment, LOL.
So you know all about “the becoming”! *shudders* I still see their empty eyes after TEN YEARS. Gah. I need therapy b/c of that movie. As for Lost . . . your problem there sounds like my problem here, so I don’t know . . . maybe wait until the next book is out and see if it offers more resolution? B/c I’m pretty sure that if Lost made you twitch, this will too.
Ohhh, yes, the Becoming was… something, lol. One of many somethings, if I may say so, lol.
Yeah, I think I’ll give the series time to evolve, hehe. Lawd knows I don’t need more frustration in my life, so much happening already on account of so many series, sigh.
Two peas, one pod 😉 The next book is coming out very soon (maybe next week?), so one way or another, we should find out if questions start getting answered. *crosses fingers*
Well…. Dreams and Shadows certainly sounds different Jessica. I can tell how conflicted you are about it. I’m not sure if it would be a book I’d pick up. Thanks for sharing your thoughts though!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Any time, Naomi 😉 And yeah . . . different and conflicted. That about covers it, LOL.
Ohhh I’m tempted. x) I mean, the whole dead-arm-throwing-story is what’s got me interested. Plus you managed to freak ME OUT JUST READING THE REVIEW. Okay, okay. *breathes deeply* Maybe this book isn’t for me? Haha! The episodic like style is the only draw back in my personal opinion…it sounds like it could grate on the nerves a little. Heh. Anyway! Keeping this book on the radar!
Yeah, it’s definitely freaky, and I wasn’t an enormous fan of the episodic feel either—I like tangible progress to be made in my books. In this one, you’re just kind of floating along, banging into creepy things periodically.
Omg, Jessica … I’m going to pee myself from laughing so hard at your dead arm story. Okay, sorry, but that is some funny stuff right there. I’m actually intrigued by this book.
Dead arms are the WORST, lol! But if you’re in the mood for creepy, give it a shot. I don’t mind it, as long as I’m prepared for it, and if it hadn’t been for the Red Dragon connection, I probably would have liked this more 😉
You had me at “Murderous b/c it’s FUN Fae.” Cuz I am obvi weird.
No, no! Even after I discovered what kind of book this was, I was down with it (b/c FAE). It wasn’t until the Red Dragon flashback that I was less than enthusiastic, and that is purely a situational issue 😉
Wow, somehow you make us want to read every book you review Jessica, I like the idea of the interwoven plot and everything! I haven’t seen Lost yet but I’ve heard people are left hanging which is frustrating, lol. Lovely review!
Wow thanks, Jeann! And yes, I was so frustrated with Lost that I eventually gave it up (but only after binge-watching multiple seasons, LOL). Hopefully we’ll get more resolution in these books 😉
LOL! Love the story. 😉
Believe it or not, I never watched Lost, for some reason I just..I don’t know, didn’t and by the time I wanted to I was so far behind it was daunting and overwhelming to think about catching up.
Fantastic review Jessica, I love a good creepy read every now and then.
Thank you! I only watched Lost b/c of a leftover crush on Matthew Fox from his Party of Five days, LOL. And absolutely, I love creep on occasion. So long as it doesn’t have me making an idiot of myself in the middle of the night 😉
Hmmm. I’m thinking this might not be for me Jessica! I like dark and twisty for sure, but the episodic thing and the never really knowing what’s going on would drive me crazy I think! I started out watching Lost and then had to give up for that very reason. I get tired of being in the dark after a while, no matter how intrigued I am by the little pinpricks of light granted to me along the way.
Oh, and Red Dragon? Sweet Baby Jesus. Traumatized.
I do not blame you at all, Jenny. Sometimes dark a twisty works for me too, but I prefer The Witch of Duva brand of dark and twisty, and the never knowing thing—NOT my favorite. Still I would have been okay it there had been a Big Reveal . . . but there wasn’t. It this book had been about anything other than Fae, I would have hated it. But Fae 😉
And you and me both, dollface! You and me both!
The premise sounds good but I don’t know. I tried to watch Lost many times and just couldn’t. Yes, I’m one of the few that didn’t watch Lost. So I don’t know, I don’t think I’d enjoy this style of book.
Thank you for the honest-awesomesause review.
No, thank YOU for being so awesomesause yourself 😉 And you might be one of the few who NEVER watched Lost, but trust me—of those who did, many (MANY) of us called it quits well before the show was actually over. I can only be strung along for so long . . . and I might read the next book in the series, but if there are still no answers at the end of it . . . no bueno.
O_O
Well. This book sounds….disturbing.
The whole not really knowing anything until the last section of the book really reminds me of White Space. That book was pretty disturbing too.
DISTURBING BOOKS ALL ROUND WOOHOO!
I had really wanted to read that one too, until I heard how bizarre and pointless it was. Maybe it’s us, LOL. B/c clearly there’s a market for it . . .
Have I told you recently how much I love your reviews Jessica? ‘Cause I do!!! I did enjoy the one season of Lost that I watched even if I spent most of it in WTH-land. My puzzle solving brain just had fits with that one LOL! But after that first season I never got to see the rest (I never got home from work in time to watch) and you know what? I wasn’t really sad about it so obviously I wasn’t missing something that I couldn’t live without. Seems like that might be the case with DREAMS AND SHADOWS.
Oh, and with your arm falling asleep and trying to throw it across the room? Well, I don’t ever think that there is a dead severed arm in bed with me when I wake up when my arm is asleep, but I do have a MAJOR freak out. Sit up in bed and sling my arm around like a crazy person because my sleep addled mind can’t figure out what the hell is going on!
Hahahaha!! I hate the sleep-addled portion of the morning, but MAN is it funny. And thank you! I love your reviews too. And your interviews. You give good interviews, Traci 😉 And I don’t know if you’d like this one or not, but I would definitely wait until the series is further along before picking it up. Maybe next book we’ll get some answers . . . then again, maybe not. One can hope.
I’m still laughing about you slinging your arm around!! I can see it. You know, I think only someone who’s experienced something like that can really appreciate it, LOL.
Oh, this sounds interesting! I’ll probably wait until the next book is to start the series. I love venturing over to the “Dark Side” every now and then. I watched all of Lost…let’s not go there…haha Great review Jessica!
Oops! I meant wait until the next book is out 😉
Gotcha 😉
Thanks, Lori! And that’s probably a good plan. I mean, I’m crossing my fingers that we get such answers, but if wishes were horses . . .
You do have me curious, but I may library book the first one to see if it is for me. I do like dark and twisty, but Lost did lose me I think after a couple of seasons or so…
HA! Lost lost you! *snickers* Sorry . . . sometimes I can’t help it. But seriously, this is totally the kind of book that I’d get from the library. Much safer that way. And hey—that’s what they’re for 😉
Oh geez, yeah Lost was one crazy ride. I’m not sure if this would be for me. The creepy stuff is not for me, but I don’t think I could handle not knowing things or understanding what was happening. The thing with Lost was that even when we had all the pieces, I still felt lost. I need to go through and watch it all in a row so I can remember it all. It was all so twisty and confusing! I loved it and hated it at the same time.
That pretty much describes exactly how I felt about this book—I loved it, and I hated it at the same time. I keep going back and forth about whether or not I want to read the next book, or wait until the series is finished. I’d rather wait, but I’m afraid that if I do, I’ll never pick it up again. Looks like neither of us is sure, LOL.
That synopsis is super intriguing, but I’m not sure if this is for me. Seems way out there. “Almost all of the passengers on Oceanic Flight 815 were strangers. Except they weren’t.” O.O I don’t know if this one is genius or just really messes with your mind haha.
Can it be both, LOL? That was one of the parts about the show that didn’t completely frustrate and agonize me. I definitely think the show’s writers had to be pretty genius to keep coming up with noncontradictory ways for the characters to be tied together. In this book, it was more about the manipulation aspect (how all those people wound-up on the same plane) then the interconnectedness. Regardless, it’s definitely not a book for everyone, so if you aren’t making grabby hands, I’d either avoid it entirely, or try to get it from the library . . .
Haha, it most definitely can be. I’ll probably take your advice on that, books that confuse me just make me so frustrated when I don’t get it 😉 Had the same experience with The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist and that didn’t end so well 😛
I haven’t read that one, but I’ll be sure to avoid it 😉
love your review. I enjoyed lost.. the first few seasons I did watch. I need to catch up!! I just read a great Fae UF book and really enjoyed it 🙂 The skinning quote is a bit creepy but I could deal with it!
I refuse to watch movies like Red Dragon and things that completely freak my brain out…
Chanzie @ Mean Who You Are.
Thank you! And you don’t really need to, LOL. Nothing ever got explained, really.
And I refuse to watch them now too 😉
Loved this one! But have to confess I have not see Lost or Red Dragon … hmmm.
If you loved this, chances are you’ll love those too!
Hmmmm…I’m actually a bit intrigued. I loved Lost ( my family became addicted to it on Netflix and watched it back to back) and I like the sound of the summary with its dark fae, BUT, I have to have some sort of closure/explanation at the end or I go nuts!
By the way, I now have that picture of you *throwing* your hand LOL across the room. I almost spit out my coffee this morning reading that 😉
Well, the next book is coming out next week I think, so hopefully neither of us will have to wait very long before we find out if there’s any kind of closure. So yay! for that 😉
And that seems to be the common response, LOL. Gah, it was awful!
It’s written like a TV series? I guess that’s different, something to get used to.
I just mean that it feels very episodic. In most books, even it the authors holds on the very end, you feel like a specific task was accomplished. It may only be one step in the process, but a box can be checked off at the end of the book. In a TV series (like Lost), it can feel more like a point on a map. Only you don’t no where the map leads, or why you’re going there. This book is like that.
Oh, Jessica… that dream. Mckenzie and I are both in tears right now. Since I can be southern with you… bless your heart! I am a huge Hannibal fan and LOVE The Red Dragon, but I feel for you and your arm — truly, I do. You have me so curious about this book! “Murderous because it’s FUN fae.” I just can’t pass that up. I’m choosing to add this to my TBR. Amazing review!
Thanks, Michele, LOL. And YES . . . Murderous because it’s FUN fae . . . that pretty much sums these guys up. If you’re into creepy Hannibal-like things, I’d say this book is definitely for you 😉
I think I would enjoy this, if only for the pacing. Since I have very little time, episodic books are a best choice for me, and this being influenced by television, I’m assuming the pacing is much faster than usual. I rarely read horror of any kind, but every so often I must step out of my comfort zone.
Thanks for making me laugh on a Sunday morning!
The pacing in this book is on the fast side, but mostly what I meant when I said it was episodic (especially in reference to LOST) was that it flashes back and forth between the past and present. You’ll be reading about one character, and then you’ll flashback to a pertinent part of that characters past. That will happen a few times, then you’ll be switch to another character’s POV and the same thing will happen. Each time that happens, it feels like an episode. That’s what it felt like to me anyway. And I’m a big believer in stepping out of one’s comfort zone occasionally as well. And you’re welcome, LOL.
Your Red Dragon story is creepy because I freak out anytime I wake up to a fully asleep limb. *shudder*
This sounds like a very creepy story. I like creepy stories (not scary movies though) although the episode set-up can be hit or miss. I’m intrigued enough to add to my wishilst though.
Sorry, I missed your comment! So you get me, don’t you? *shudders*
If you like creepy, then you could definitely like this one. If you do get around to reading it, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts 😉