Began reading: 8.2.2016
Completed reading: 14.2.2016
Overall rating: 4 stars
Unlike most seventeen-year-olds, Joshlyn Weaver has a sacred duty, to enter the Dream universe we all share and defeat nightmares. To fail is to release those nightmares into the world, with all the emotional turmoil they cause.
But despite Josh's reputation as a dream-walking prodigy, she's haunted by her mistakes. A lapse in judgement and the death of someone she loved has left her doubting. Now she's been assigned an apprentice, a boy whose steady gaze appears to see right through her, and she's almost as afraid of getting close to someone again as she is of getting them killed.
Then strangers with impossible powers begin appearing in the Dream and it isn't just Will that Josh has to protect - it's the whole world.
Dreamfire by Kit Alloway is a young adult novel that consists of genres including fantasy, romance and mystery. I was anxious about reading this book, as I thought it might be suited to a younger audience. I was pleasantly surprised! I actually really enjoyed the plot and most of the characters.
The novel was well-written, despite a few spelling and grammatical errors. The dreams, characters and situations were described in detail. Alloway also utilised literary techniques, such as metaphors, to add depth to the writing. I noted some quotes from the book that were really good. These include:
‘…Better to wear too many coats than freeze to death in a bush’ (p. 24).
…One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it… (p. 83).
Forgive me, Ian, for missing you so much I’ll settle for your ghost (p. 228).
Her need to move was closely tied to her desire to escape her own skin (p. 243).
‘I called Ian words I’d never spoken out loud before. He called me worse. We’d been together so long, we knew exactly how to hurt each other’ (p. 264).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
The structure of the book was clearly defined, which made it easier for me to follow. I could easily identify where the complication and resolution were, which helped with keeping the plot interesting. Also, character development was evident, especially in Joshlyn and Will. For example, Joshlyn began as a cautious girl, who didn’t want to form close relationships with anyone for fear that she would harm them. As the story progresses, Joshlyn learns that not everything is her fault, and she can’t go on trying to shut people out from her life. This development kept me turning the page, as I wanted to see how each character would respond to the change.
I really liked the secondary characters, as they were varied and interesting. In the beginning, I didn’t like Winsor — especially what she did to Joshlyn. However, when Joshlyn confronted her and they made up, I began to forgive her. *WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* When Winsor was placed in a coma and Joshlyn kept wanting to visit her, it almost brought me to tears. Aside from Winsor, the other characters were unique and differed from each other. I liked Deloise and Whim, and I thought it was adorable that they ended up together! This part was extremely adorable:
‘You are never allowed to scare me like that again,’ Deloise informed Josh. ‘I was nearly out of my mind.’
‘She was,’ Whim agreed. ‘I had to make out with her for half an hour to calm her down.’
‘Whim!’ Deloise cried, and she turned and smacked him with a kitchen towel. ‘That never happened,’ she told Josh, but she had flushed bright pink.
It totally happened, Whim mouthed to Josh.
If it did, Josh mouthed back, I’m going to kick your ass.
It never happened, Whim agreed (pp. 347-348).
The romance was so realistic. *WARNING: SPOILER* Josh and Will didn’t announce their feelings for each other until the end of the book. Although they kissed a few times throughout the book, the timing of their announcement was perfect. It made it realistic and complete, as I saw it coming and I was wondering when they would say how they felt.
This may be due to my horrible sense of humour, but I found some parts of the book funny. They may not have been intentional, but some parts amused me. For example, in a dream about a mob trying to get inside a house, Josh and Will tried to help the dreamer by convincing her that there was nothing to be afraid of, when this happened:
Josh tried to help and the woman chucked a glass sea lion at her.
It hit Josh in the face. ‘Ouch!’ (p. 76).
Another example was when Josh and Will were trying to help a gothic girl in a candy church. They were hiding in a candy coffin, from a witch who was upset about them eating the church’s candy, when the girl began to grope Will. It was just so random and funny.
As I said, it may not have been Alloway’s intention, but I found it humorous. I loved that there was some humour in the novel, as it made me chuckle and enjoy the book a bit more.
I found the concept of the Dream to be a bit confusing at times. Some dreams were described in great detail and were easy to imagine; however, there were some dreams that left me thinking, the hell did I just read?
For example, I could imagine how a woman could be afraid of a mob and tries to close all the blinds so she can’t see the faces, or a woman who is afraid of her dad and ends up being shot by him; however, I couldn’t imagine different archways with different dreams in each. I don’t know, but some things just left me so confused.
*WARNING: SPOILER* Some parts of the plot were predictable, especially with Josh and Will’s disagreements and Josh being the True Dream Walker; however, there were a few plot twists that left me reeling. *WARNING: SPOILER* For example, Peregrine being evil, Gloves using Ian’s body, and Ian’s soul being confused with Haley’s body. I thought that Haley was a suspicious character, especially when he went through Josh’s scroll, but I was glad that this turned out to be false. Similarly, I was surprised that Josh’s scroll was false. These plot twists were interesting, and kept me hooked to the book.
My favourite character was Joshlyn, as she was responsible, loyal, badass and clever. She really cared about her friends and family, and it was disheartening when she was so hard on herself. As I mentioned previously, I liked the secondary characters too, as they added interest and depth to the plot.
Will bothered me for a while, especially when he disobeyed Joshlyn. I understand that she needed his help, and she could have been killed if it weren’t for Will, but every time he went against Josh’s wishes, I felt like I wanted to yell at him.
Again, I did want to slap Winsor a couple of times, especially after knowing that she seduced Ian and wouldn’t apologise for it. Her arrogant personality made me want to scream. But I’m glad that she and Josh made up. Speaking of slapping, I really despise Peregrine. I mean, HOW DARE HE?! He is so evil, so heartless and so rude. I really hope Josh gets her revenge in the next book!
I have a couple of favourite parts in the book, including Josh’s birthday, her battle with Feodor and the epilogue. Firstly, I would have loved to have witnessed Josh’s birthday, as it sounded so pretty and fun. Her battle with Feodor would have been intense and epic to see, which is why I enjoyed reading it. Finally, the epilogue was SO GOOD! It was a major plot twist, which will carry on in the next book, and I’m so looking forward to it. The epilogue was my favourite part out of these sections, as it was a mixture of danger and calm together. When I finished it, I think my face was like this:
Recommendation time! If you like the Spellcaster series and the Firebird series by Claudia Gray, and The Twixt series by Dawn Metcalf, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Inception, The Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, and the Harry Potter series.
I will also be reviewing the second book of the Dreamfire series: Dreamfever. Keep an eye out for that!
Happy reading!
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