Review: John Dreamer by Elise Celine

John Dreamer

by Elise Celine 

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy
Publisher: AuthorBuzz
Publication Date: February 2014
Format: E-Book
Page Count: 203
Source: Netgalley (thank you!)

Goodreads Synopsis: Andy wasn’t usually sure about much, but she was absolutely certain this was the weirdest day of her life as she stood stranded in the middle of a great white room with six strangers. Well, they were mostly strangers. She could have sworn she’d seen the guy with the green eyes before, and maybe that was why he kept staring at her.

When a man calling himself the Guardian appeared and said they had come to make their deepest dreams come true, they embark on an adventure none of them ever imagined, and the consequences of their actions would change them forever.

"John Dreamer" is the first in a series of books set in the confines of the Great White Room.

GOODREADS . AMAZON 

Review: When I found this book on Netgalley, I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis. It seemed like mostly a contemporary, and that is right up my alley. While there are certainly fantasy elements in the book, I love that it was not necessarily the main focus. Instead, the focus seemed to be on the characters and their emotions, which was a very nice change in a "fantasy" setting. Not only was I interested because of the synopsis, but look at that cover! It means so much more once you've read the book and know what it is about, too. I feel like it ties together and depicts the story perfectly. 

I really loved how Breakfast Club-ish this book was for me. We are introduced to seven teenagers who are practically strangers, as they all show up together in a Great White Room, unsure of why they are all there together. It turns out, they are all dealing with some pretty difficult things in their lives; Olivia is the spoiled rich girl, Marcus is the genius, Matty is overweight and insecure, Linda is shy and quiet, Roy is a bully, John was raised without a father, and then we have our main character Andy who is dealing with some pretty big problems of their own. 

Another very cool feature of this book was the Guardians. They want these individuals to find their dreams, but they also show them that they're not going to make it easy on them. They have to face some difficult things and make changes in their lives, moving through dream-like phases in order to make these things happen. I think that this is a very important aspect of the story because it shows every reader, young and old alike, that people can persevere through the most difficult of situations as long as you're willing to make changes. 

I have to admit, I even really liked the romance that occurred in this book. I was a little worried at first about it because I was not sure how I would feel about two kids being thrown together in the same room, and then suddenly falling in love. However, there is much more to it than that (won't share any more than that, don't want to give any spoilers). I really ended up enjoying the romance between Andy and John, which was a very nice surprise. 

This book was beautifully written by Celine. It was something that I did not want to put down, and something that had me still thinking as I finished it off. It shows so many important things in such a short amount of time, and that is the sign of a very well written book. While I was a bit thrown by the ending, I realized that it was just the first book in a series, and now I cannot wait to read the book(s) that follow. I would strongly recommend this book for everyone.

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0