Dream by the Shadows

Gr 9 Up–“In the kingdom of Noctis, to dream was to die.” This memorable line introduces readers to Esmer Havenfall and the very broken world that she inhabits. Esmer’s family serves an important role in their village and in the kingdom as authority figures who assist in the never-ending struggle against a terrible illness known as the Corruption that possesses people in their dreams. Esmer is 18 and living her life in the shadow of the death of her older sister. A series of tragic events forces Esmer into the Dream Realm, where she encounters the Shadow Bringer, a man with mysterious and dangerous powers. Together, Esmer and the Shadow Bringer must defeat the demons that killed her sister and too many others to free themselves from a torturous captivity and restore order in the waking world. Karlie’s novel sometimes struggles in the building and interweaving of characters and details to create a strong and steady fantasy narrative. Despite an engaging beginning and flawed but endearing main characters, the narrative quickly gets bogged down in worldbuilding that leaves readers with only a partial, murky understanding of Noctis and the Dream Realm that seems to rule its destiny. Where this YA romantasy really excels, however, is in its vivid use of language and ability to convey passion without being explicit. Characters cue white.