Dreams of Shadows Review

Dreams of Shadows comes across as a compendium of sorts when first read. Almost every other chapter is devoted to a different kind of supernatural creature taken up from many different kinds of lore. To my surprise, this didn't deter the story too much since the beginning--after the prologue--takes its time getting started. In fact, it made me want to read on in order to see these creatures in action. and as the action and plot found its momentum and its theme or message became more apparent, the informative breaks of supernatural creatures didn't appear so much.

The main theme being right in the title: dreams.

Now, this may come off as a bit obvious, but the dreams I that I target as the main theme of the novel are more the kind that aren't achieved rather than the kind that are. That's where a sense of realism comes to play. People, fairies and creatures of different origins are all aspiring for something that blinds them the more they try to either obtain it or protect it. Even the opening comes off as a fairy tail romance ready to be drowned the moment you think it comes across as cliche. Whether it's Colby's taste for adventure or Ewan's wish to be part of the fairies, the book turns them into tragedies.

The problem presents itself in the end, where it basically degenerates into a fight and then that's it. That's when I saw the characters as pieces, not the characters I wish I saw them as. They all had a part to be played and played it well, but it came across as hollow, and in a weird way, I think they were meant to be just that, pieces. i'm not saying that I came away from this without caring for any single character, but that they were overshadowed by the story the author wanted to tell. 

Not to mention that the magic here is of the wild kind, so don't expect many reasons for some of the grander spots of wielding the unknown.

I'm throwing three stars at this book. I almost gave it four, but towards the end, the corruption of plot and magic to tell a more depressing story ripped that star right out of my hands.