#dreams lie beneath

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

Cozy 🩵

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[bookishlyvintage]

Divine Rivals, Rebecca Ross [more details]

[edenblossom5]

currently reading: "dreams lie beneath" by rebecca ross

synopsis

A story about magic and the captivating power of dreams.

A curse plagues the realm of Azenor-during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm's curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.

[jsalim-art]

Finished "A Sky Beyond a Storm". This is my next read: Dreams Lie Beneath one of my special edition Owlcrate books.

[andreai04]

One does not realize how powerful a dream is, in the sleeping world as well as the waking one, until it has been stolen from them.

[inlovewithquotes]

Sometimes things must break before they can be made whole again, so that they can be forged into something stronger.

-Dreams Lie Beneath

[the-thimble-reader]

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Dreams Lie Beneath | Author: Rebecca Ross | Publisher: Quill Tree Books (2021)

[elisemightcanread]

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

Strong character development? No

Loveable characters? Nope

Diverse cast of characters? Absolutely Not

Flaws of characters a main focus? Nope.

Dreams Lie Beneath is a book of missed opportunities.

Revenge stories are usually easy to get into because of how cathartic they are. Except in this story the revenge is over something that narratively feels so small that the want for revenge comes across as more petty than just.

Spoilers Below:

Clementine wants revenge on Lennox and Phelan because Lennox challenged her father to become the magician of their town and won. Sure he wasn't polite about it but neither were Clementine and her father and he won fair and square. This is something that is so easily "fixable" that Clementine can simply challenge Lennox on the next new moon and win her town back. The only reason she doesn't is because her and her father think that would be morally wrong. But revenge is ok I guess? Clementine and her father don't even have to leave their town but they get up and go the next day and then we keep being told they're heart broken despite actively choosing to leave and then not win their spot back.

I think this could have been saved by having there be some in canon law about a magician not being allowed to reclaim their or their mentor's town and that they have to leave town if they lose a challenge. That way their hate towards Lennox and Phelan would feel justified since they would have actually lost their home in a way they can't get back.

Instead they just come off as childish and prideful but the narrative wants you to be on their side.

The revenge itself is also very petty but kind of pointless. Clementine decides to disguise herself, become Phelan's assistant, and then write an expose about his family. Except that Lennox and Phelan are nobles and I don't see how anyone would believe or care about an article written by a random girl who lost to Lennox in a fight. I'm 100% sure the repercussions would be worse for her than them.

Writing wise the story is all tell and basically no show.

For example: We're told that Clementine is an artist but when she gives up her artistic skill for her disguise we never see her grieve its loss. She just fully accepts she can't make art anymore. There's some moments where she looks at paintings and thinks "I can't do that anymore, that's sad" but that's the most we get. I just really wish there was a scene where she picks up her sketchbook and tries but her skill is just gone and she gets upset about it. I honestly thought that she maybe didn't lose her skill at all because she doesn't try to make any art until the end of the book. Also turns out she didn't lose her ability to make art forever she just has to practice to get back to where she was at previously and while that's incredibly frustrating as a creator it's not nearly as terrifying as the idea that you'll never get that skill back no matter what you do. So even there the stakes are gone and any meaning behind giving up her art is essentially gone.

We're also told repeatedly that Phelan is a good guy but the most we see him do is not leave his work partner for dead and being rich enough to pay the taxes for his part of town (this is never implied to effect him monetarily). Phelan is also supposed to be a good magician but he's never successfully protected his portion of town in the new moons he's worked there and has actually been heavily injured while trying to do so twice. From a reader's perspective he comes across as a pitifully bad magician (at least in terms of fighting nightmares which is his job). Sorry Phelan but you're not beating those nepotism allegations.

In terms of characterization none of the cast feel like real people. They're all bland and 1 dimensional. Clementine is an artist who can't do art and wants revenge, Phelan is a good rich guy, Imonie is a motherly archetype. After reading the book I'm still not able to describe who the characters are as people.

The romance is also just lust at first sight but the characters and the narrative think it's love. It's supposed to be enemies to lovers but I never believe that Clementine hates him.

The magic system isn't explored at all. There's three schools of magic: avertana, metamara, and deviah. The most information we get on them is that avertana is "practical magic," metamara is "stage magic," and deviah is basically enchanting anything that can be considered art, even armor. These distinctions aren't made clear as there's never any clear explanation as to what counts as practical and what counts as stage. Also practical magic can be used to place enchantments on rooms (which one could argue that architecture is a form of artistry) but only deviah can be used to enchant armor.

There's nothing wrong with writing a simple magic system but if you're going to split it up why not make each type of magic distinct?

Overall Dreams Lie Beneath is a frustrating read that had the potential to be a whole lot more than it was.

Started: Sunday July 28 2024 Finished: Wednesday August 7 2024

[between-the-pages657]

Ah…that explains why Phelan and Clem don’t dream.

[stardustjimin]

currently reading 5th book of Rebecca Ross' and i want to say that i really love her writing. it's beautiful and her books (the one i already read and am reading now) are always page turner. she's really a good storyteller.

(and i really love all the characters! they're so lovable)

[allyofavonlea]

★★☆☆☆ (2.75 stars)

A true Rebecca Ross story, rife with enchanting prose, tender romances, a hint of bittersweet longing, and a tiny bit of heartbreak along the way.

The story follows Clementine, who seeks revenge on the two magicians who usurped her family’s wardenship of her small town. She begins working with one of the two magicians, Phelan, and uncovers a whirlwind of secrets along with a centuries-old conflict between powerful players.

This was not my favorite of Ross’s works by a long shot but I still enjoyed the worldbuilding and relationships between her chatacters which Ross really excels at. Despite this, it took me several weeks to get through, because the story itself didn’t grasp me the same way her other books have.

Still, the dreaming-based magic system and the countless deceptions within the story were great fun to read.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

Review: Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

Author: Rebecca RossPublisher: Quill Tree BooksReceived: Own (OwlCrate) I’ve been meaning to sit down and read Rebecca Ross’ works for years now. But when one of her books, Dreams Lie Beneath, was included in one of my OwlCrate boxes, I knew that the wait was over (for me at least), and I am SO glad to finally say that I am in love with her writing style. Clementine Madigan is a warden. It is…

[hragon]

I've been reading more this year and I've seen tier lists floating around the internet, so I thought it would be fun to make my own and update it as I go along.

[wonkyreads]

Every year I challenge myself to read outside of my comfort zone and in recent years that’s meant a distinct lack of five star reads. This year’s no different as I only reached fifteen, but looking back on it not all of my top ten ended up being five star reads. Sometimes it’s a book that was almost perfect and stuck with me anyway. Sometimes it had major flaws, but meant so much to me I have to love it anyway. I don’t believe and going back and changing my snap-decision ratings because I clearly felt them at one point, but I’ll let this list be more reflective of how I feel now.

So, without further ado:

My Top 10 Best Reads of 2022

10. Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

- My entire review on Goodreads for this is “no notes” and I feel like that says more than I ever could. In Azenor, nightmares come to life on the full moon. Clementine and her father are there to fight them, but when they’re ousted from their village, Clementine seeks revenge. I adored the characters and their choices and the world-building. Honestly, no notes.

9. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

- Warbreaker is not my favorite Sanderson book, but it’s still a Sanderson book. Which makes it very good. Warbreaker follows two princesses, the God King one of them must marry (and all the politics that come with that), a bored lesser god playing detective, and an immortal with loads of baggage (and a talking sword). I think this book is so interesting to talk about because it presents so many sides to a couple different arguments, though I’m partial to the conversation this book has about religion. Sanderson delves into religious conversations often (in a good way), but I think it shines best in Warbreaker. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the arguments I got to have after it.

8. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

- The Golden Enclaves is the third and final book in Novik’s Scholomance series so I’m not going to give much plot away. Basically there’s a magic system using language, a bunch of monsters attempting to eat children, and a school built to stop that from happening built in the void becoming a bit of a gauntlet. I think this was a fantastic end to the series and it re-contextualized everything I thought I know in the best way. I wanted to turn around and reread the whole thing again, which is high praise from me as I’ve only felt that way once before.

7. House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski

- Told in nesting story lines, House of Leaves is about an aspiring tattoo artist named Johnny Truant and a dead blind man named Zámpano and a prize-winning, globe-trotting photographer named Will Navidson. Or maybe just one of them. Or maybe none of them. On the surface it’s about Navidson moving into a house with his family, documenting it on film because he doesn’t know how to stop working, and then the book quickly spirals into varying levels of insanity. This book is written in a way that is meant to make you feel crazy. It’s a pure joy to dig into, but it’s definitely not for everyone. There are passages that must be read in a mirror, a letter in the references that needs to be decoded, hidden messages in footnote markers, and a chapter that is itself truly a labyrinth. It’s so easy to understand now how people become obsessed with it. I could talk about it for hours, honestly.

6. Babel by RF Kuang

- Babel follows Robin Swift, orphaned in Canton and whisked away to London to be properly raised and trained to go to Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation. The magic system and history this book gives us is such a beautiful way to get across Kuang’s messages. I genuinely thought this was going to be my book of the year, but that drag in the middle I kept trying to forget about definitely still exists. It’s an incredibly ambitious book, there’s bound to be flaws. In my heart it still wins, but rationally, there were books I enjoyed more. Just know that I utterly adored everything about this, except some of the pacing.

5. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

- I’m not sure how to explain this book outside of just the fact that it’s brutal. Told through the perspectives of three very different characters, this book explores rape culture and sexual assault and does so unflinchingly. Seriously, don’t read this book unless you know you can handle that because I truly mean BRUTAL when I say it. This book left a mark and it fully intended to. The conversation The Female of the Species provided was met with equally strong characters, grim humor, and a fantastically tight plot line. Just all around a great, dark read.

4. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

- Making this list is forcing me to recognize how often the books I love are just incredibly harsh, brutal things. Hell Followed with Us is about a near dystopian/apocalyptic future where a fundamentalist cult infects people with bio weapons and a ragtag group of young survivors living out of an old LGBTQ+ Center attempt to fight back. It follows an insanely diverse set of characters and tells a story filled with so much rage and religious abuse that it genuinely had me gasping for air at times. This book has a decently long list of trigger warnings, including body horror and religious themes, but my god is it so underrated and worth the read. There are lines in this book that I’m still thinking about and I read it all the way back in July.

3. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

- And now a swift departure from dark, heavy books. I didn’t know what to expect from this book when it’s tagline boasted low to no stakes. I was worried I’d be bored or that the editing would lack in ways I’ve been seeing more and more in my latest book choices. Instead I got the most adorable fantasy about Viv, who just wants to settle down into something softer. She’s spent years adventuring and doing questionable and violent things, but things don’t have to stay what they started as. She throws all of herself into opening a cafe in a city that’s never even heard of coffee and struggles with that while picking up the most beautiful found family I’ve read in a while. Don’t be put off by the lowness of the stakes, this book feels like a warm cup of coffee, but it has its drama too. This book means so much more to me than I went in expecting and it’s not often I read a book that I’m genuinely grateful to have read.

2. Letters to a Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke

- I’ve loved Rilke’s poetry for a long time and so this collection of letters has been on my TBR for years. I should have read it sooner. These letters provide pages and pages of advice, less about poetry and more about life, and they do it so beautifully. What gets me about these letters, though, is their context. Rilke is taking time to send them to a young man he doesn’t know who’s begging him for advice when Rilke himself has barely made it out of his own woods. These are correspondences between two young men, just steps away from each other in their walks of life, both still looking for clarity. They’re beautiful words I know I’ll read again and again. The annotating I did and will continue to do with this book is insane.

Honorable Mentions

1. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

- A slow build into utter chaos that made me want to read more of Crichton’s brand of science fiction.

2. You’d Be Home By Now by Kathleen Glasgow

- A beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of the opioid epidemic. Another great book from Glasgow.

3. Nemesis Games by James SA Corey

- Easily my favorite in this series (so far). The stakes were so high, I loved every perspective, and for the first time I wasn’t questioning plot choices.

4. And Every Morning the Walk Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

- Short and sweet, made me cry in under 100 pages. It reminded me so much of Saturn by Sleeping at Last.

And last, but not least, #1:

What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

- The seventh book I read this year (out of 153), this criminally underrated masterpiece still has my whole damn heart. It’s beautiful, thoughtfully written, and just absolutely, brutally violent. What Beauty There Is follows two teenagers with a lot on their plates as they struggle to make decisions that affect lives, not just their own. Jack has to take care of his younger brother now that his mother’s gone and plans to track down the drug money that sent his father to prison. Ava’s been taught to trust no one and lives a life of isolation with no control until her father goes after the same drug money Jack is desperate to find. They both have to make very tough choices on what to do and who to trust. This book hurts. It promises at the beginning that things will only get worse, but watching it all unravel filled me with so much anxiety and dread and hope that I’m quite certain this book will haunt me for years to come.