Review: Dream A Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Dream A Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Book One of the Silver Trilogy

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) 

Publication Date: April 14, 2015

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yep, Liv’s dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially this one where she’s in a graveyard at night, watching four boys perform dark magic rituals. 

The really weird thing is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They’re classmates from her new school in London, the school where’s she’s starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But they seem to know things about her in real life that they couldn't possibly know, which is mystifying. Then again, Liv could never resist a good mystery. . . .

What I Liked:

Kerstin Gier does it again! I wish all of her books could be picked up by USA publishers, because I've been quite in love with her books since Ruby Red was published in the United States, in 2011. The Ruby Red trilogy is one of my favorite series of all time!

In this new series, Liv is leaving one place for another, but her new home has some... interesting people to it. Her and her younger sister, Mia, are constantly traveling and moving, as their mother is a professor (their father is as well, but the parents are divorced). The girls show up in London, and the first person their mother introduces them to? Surprise - her boyfriend! Whom she will be marrying, and Liv and Mia will being moving in to his house. Liv's soon-to-be stepbrother, is a strange, quite one, and her soon-to-be-stepsister is pushy and a bit rude, and her soon-to-be-stepfather is old and just a bother in general. Attending school means meeting new people, and Liv immediately meets Grayson's friends - Arthur, Jasper, and Henry. Things get weird when Liv starts dreaming, and the four boys are in her dreams. Or she's in theirs. When they want her to join their strange dream group, Liv is skeptical, but she joins. But perhaps things aren't so plausible - perhaps things are much more sinister than they appear...

One thing that strikes me in all of Gier's books is the humor. I love how funny Liv's voice is, how Gier makes Liv a tiny bit awkward, a lot sweet, and a bit sarcastic, in a funny way. This book is hilarious, even if there are parts that are very serious, and borderline scary.

I liked Liv. She has a distinct voice, and it's so great to watch the story unfold from her perspective. She likes logic and science, and likes to figure things out. She joins the boys and their bizarre rituals, but mostly she wants to help them, and wants to prove to herself that demons aren't real. See, the boys tried to summon a demon who will grant their hearts' desire. On Halloween. Wild.

I like the boys. There are four of them, one of them being the stepbrother (Grayson), the other three being his friends. They're all described as super good-looking, like shampoo commercial guys. Each has their own personality. Jasper is very rambunctious, and doesn't really take things seriously. Grayson is a bit protective. Arthur... he's an odd one (and you'll see why, at the end of this book). Henry is the mysterious and brooding one, but he's also very sweet.

Another thing that I really liked about this book is the sister-sister relationship! Usually, the younger sister is SO ANNOYING, and I dislike her a lot (like, genuinely dislike her, not dislike her as the kid sister). Mia is about five years younger, but she's mature for her age, yet fun like a child should be. I liked her a lot, which surprised me. 

The story is quite interesting and goes by very quickly. I was really strapped for time this week (soooo many exams and papers and research), but I finished this one faster than I expected. I love how Gier writes - her writing is beautiful, but also very easy to read and pay attention to. Seriously, anyone could read her books, translated or not, and know her writing style and voice.

There IS romance in this book! Check out my Swoon Thursday post from yesterday (March 12th) if you want a little insight on the romance. The love interest is pretty swoony, and he's more than a love interest - he plays quite pivotal roles in the book. No love triangle, and while Liv becomes infatuated with the love interest pretty quickly, I wouldn't call it insta-love. More like insta-interest. There are no declarations of love or serious feelings, so no insta-love. The romance is really sweet, but also very subtle and a bit in the background compared to the story.

The story was intriguing and almost scary at some points! Dreams are beautiful and scary places. I didn't see the climax coming - and it occurs pretty late, around 90% of the book. But I couldn't stop reading. This book wraps up pretty nicely, but in a way that you KNOW there will be more books (hence, the Silver Trilogy). No cliffhanger though, yay!

What I Did Not Like:

Nothing in particular - I might have wanted a little more from the romance, but I know how Gier writes in the romance into the story of her books, and it's always very slow and subtle. Which is cool, I'm fine with that.

Would I Recommend It:

Yes! Great paranormal/fantasy read, set in the contemporary world. This one was fun and easy and quick, and not to mention lush in details and gorgeous in writing. And the cover is pretty great! I liked the original USA cover, but this new cover is spectacular. In any case, I'd recommend any Gier book I've read (now four), this one included!

Rating:

4 stars. I'll definitely be reading book two as soon as I can get my hands on it! Noooow, please! I wonder if there are editions in Spanish (bilingual for the win!)... I'll buy one of those, if I have to!

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