Kerry Shafer
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Paperback: 304 Pages
Publication: January 28, 2014
by Ace
Vivian Maylor is trying to hold it together. But her attempts to build a life with the man she loves seem doomed by the dragon inside her yearning to break free. Vivian is a dreamshifter, the last line of defense between reality and the dreamworld, and the only one of her kind.
Weston Jennings also believes he is the only one of his kind. He fears his powers as a dreamshifter, and resists learning to control them. After suffering a tragic loss, Weston heads deep into the woods of the Pacific Northwest to embrace a safe life of solitude. But when a terrible mistake leads to an innocent’s death, his guilt drives him to his former home, where he encounters what he never thought he would find: another shifter.
Now Vivian and Weston must work together to defeat a new threat to the dreamworld.
Wakeworld is a beautifully written story with a unique concept. I love a good fantasy with a world (or worlds in this case) that is well crafted and believable, and I very much like the concept of having the dreamworld, the between, and the wakeworld (of our current reality). As a constant day dreamer, I am particularly fond of the idea of a dreamworld and of dreamshifters. The dragons, sorcerers, and penguin guardians just make it better.
The characters are interesting and well-developed. They were people whose lives I could become invested in. I especially like how the story alternates points of view, as it let me get to know each character more, and it gave the story more dimension. Though hesitant to embrace her identity, Vivian is a strong character, and I have high hopes for her continued growth in the next book. I also like Weston. There’s something about a broken character that really pull at my heartstrings. The other characters are wonderful as well. However, I feel like I could appreciate some of the characters a lot more after raeding Between, the first book in the series, and I do plan on remedying this in the near future!
The story is fast-paced. While it kept me turning the pages, wanting to know what happens next, I do wish that it spent a little more time with descriptions. The worlds in this book are fantastic and have the potential to be so much more. I really wanted to spend a little more time with the scenery and world building. There is so much intricacy here and a lot of potential for future development as the series progresses.
While it is possible to read Wakeworld without having read Between, I do recommend reading the first book beforehand. It would have given me a better perspective to start with.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, I do!
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Kerry Schafer is licensed both as a Mental Health Professional and an RN, and spends most of her daylight hours helping people–usually even with a smile. In books, she gets to blow stuff up, preferably with something more interesting than a bomb. Dragons are good; exploding giant slime toads are even better. She has published two novels with Ace Books: BETWEEN, which was released in January 2013, and WAKEWORLD, slated to hit stores in January 2014. She is also the author of THE DREAM WARS novellas, available where electronic books are sold.
Kerry and her Viking live in Colville, Washington, in a little house surrounded by rocks, trees, and gangs of deer and wild turkeys.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Kerry Schafer says
Thank you so much for being a stop on my tour, and for the lovely review!