Review: Dreams Lie Beneath

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book had a really unique premise. Magicians are tasked with recording the nightmares of the people within their jurisdiction, and on the new moon they fight and dispel the nightmares come to life. Clementine is her father's apprentice and he is the Warden of the small town they live in. The both have magic, and help the people deal with the frightening things they see when they sleep. Clem's father is challenged for his Wardenship, and when he and Clem fail to vanquish the nightmare before the other team of magicians, they must leave their home and start a new life. Clementine is determined to regain their home and their position as wardens of the small town she loves. What she doesn't know is that she is connected to the curse that causes the nightmare and her quest for vengeance may lead her down a path she never expected.

While I thought the magic system was really unique, I did feel the different kinds of magic could have been explained a bit more. This may be personal preference, but I like a bit more detail when it comes to magic systems and how they work. There was never really an explanation as to why some people had certain types of magic and how others were able to obtaining it through schooling. I have many questions about the magic that were never explained. I also thought the pacing was off. I feel like this could have been a duology as the latter part of the book takes us away from the original plot and could have been a story on it's own. It does all come together but I feel like certain things needed more explanation or development. There is a slow burn romance that is very tame. There are a few kisses and longing glances, I think they hold hands once or twice.

This was an enjoyable YA fantasy/romance, but it was missing something for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular either. I've read a few of Ross' other books and have really enjoyed them. I look forward to reading her work in the future.

I received an arc of the audiobook via Netgalley, but I found that I couldn't follow the synthetic voice at all. If you are an audio listener you know that the narrator is key to listening to the story that the author has penned. I ended up waiting for the final audio version with a real narrator, which was a much more enjoyable experience. Chloe Dolandis did a really nice job narrating this.

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