Dreamquake

by Elizabeth Knox

I have mixed feelings on this book. About halfway into it I would have given it 2 stars at best. It was slow and aimless. It seemed like there was no real purpose or point to it anymore. Oftentimes the characters didn't seem to be doing anything, and the times when they were, the description was very vague, which I found frustrating in a book with an otherwise omniscient 3rd person narrative. Because the narration was in 3rd person, the perspective hopped from one character to another, sometimes even in the middle of a chapter. This was usually clear, but it did make it difficult to remember what was happening with everyone at a particular time.

Just as I was starting to get tired of Laura's obsession with her Sandman, all the prep for ball, Cas Doren's mysterious dirty dealings, and Chorley's almost pointless investigations, the book finally picked up some steam, and as we neared the end, we finally got some answers.

The explanation of what The Place is and why it exists was especially interesting - and nothing like what I had imagined. The conclusion had just the right amount of resolution. The second half of this book was so much better than the first half!

I'd actually love to see this book and it's predecessor combined into one abridged version. I think a lot of the unnecessary and confusing parts could be cut out and the stuff that would be left would be an exciting, well-paced fantasy/mystery adventure!