I would like to thank the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.

A book with a whole lot of potential that to me fell short multiple times right when things started getting interesting again. The premise of the book is original and unique. Seven people, their own identities down to their style of chair, wind up in the White Room together with no rhyme or reason at the start. There’s about every type of person represented and the reader gets to see them as they truly are, not by what is just on the outside. I must say, when the Guardian appeared it reminded me of the musical number from Grease, Beauty School Drop Out.

The story itself does not move very fast. I was bored by the second page but just knew things had to get better. I went back and checked on review sites to see that the ratings of this book are all over the chart, so it’s definitely not a book for everyone but there is a niche that it fits well into. I don’t have a problem with a book that isn’t a good fit for everyone, because nothing has a place in the world like that. So I continued on to see what the story would bring me.

The place the group was in was constantly changing. Items would appear out of nowhere and disappear without warning. As the room changed, so did the situations the seven would experience. The author picked up on the anxiety of everyone well, the nervous bickering, name calling, image slamming, etc. The way the human brain puts up a defense mechanism when dealt with stimuli that is unknown, scary and bewildering.

The chapters each start off with a heading and a picture. Some of the pictures really make you think, wondering what it means and others just seemed to be a bit out of place. The Guardian is a bit over the top but brings the readers interest back to him to try to help put some pieces of the puzzle together. Many times he talks in riddles, but knowing that you start analyzing what he says and does a bit more.

The end brings some resolution and understanding but at the same time leave you with questions. Being this is the first book in a series, doing so makes perfect sense. As I said before, this isn’t a book for everyone, but I really can’t gage who would like this book and who wouldn’t. It’s definitely worth finding out on your own. Speaking for myself, it was an interesting read but I really don’t have the urge to read further with the series. I might later on though, I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

John Dreamer sounded and looked like a winner. I love when books toy with the surreal and the subconscious and dreams have always been one of my favorite topics. So although my expectations weren’t sky-high, I was hoping for something at the very least semi-good.

No.

There is certainly a nugget of a good idea in it, but it’s very poorly executed. Simplistic, dumbed-down spelled-out writing. No nuance or subtlety. Preachy and eye-roll inducing. It boils down to a bunch of life lessons disguised as narrative, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. It’s a pity because it really could have been good, if it had been explored better. The characters were so formulaic, completely one-dimensional.

For some reason I feel like the author wrote this book with stupid readers in mind. So everything is clear as day, obvious, unimaginative. This saddens me more than any other flaw, and it is probably why it took me so long to power through the book and finish.

A major letdown in all aspects.

*Copy received from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review*

The book was really an easy-read. It took me around three hours to finish it.
John Dreamer is a kind of book that reminds you that your dreams are not impossible to fulfill as long as you have the courage and perseverance. It was really inspirational for me.

The characters may have personified different values and traits which we can encounter or discover in ourselves in different aspects of life. The setting of the book was cool. I felt like my imagination expanded a million times because of it.

Browsing through other reviews, some people liked it, some didn't. I'd say it's up to you.


Thanks to NetGalley.

This book is... weird, different so to say. Which really isn't bad at all. I liked the idea a lot, even if I was a bit confused at what it really was about at the beginning. Although I guess that was the point so I can't complain.

 

What actually surprised me is that I liked side characters way more than the main ones. The thing is, personally, I think they were much more developted and complex than Andy and John. We get to see them in their good, in their bad and we get these different kind of personalities with each of them and I really liked that. I got to love all five of them - even if some of them weren't in a story for a long period of time. Guardian was my personal favourite and I'd like to find out more about him in the future.

 

Then we have Andy and John... and insta-love (hey! That almost rhymes!). Look, I'm not saying it's impossible to fall in love in eight and a half seconds or whatever, but it's just so.incredibly.cliche. I just couldn't buy it. And I wish we got to find out more about them than mostly about them together. Sure we get bits of it here and there but Andy is swooning every time John looks at her before even 10% mark and it was just annoying and gag-worthy that I almost skipped those pages. We know shit about John till the end of a book except of only one piece of his life and why Andy felt like he knew him - and that's it. I don't care about how much swoony the guy is, I want to get to know him. Only that way, I can truly understand and connect to him. I'm sorry but I did not share Andy's obsessivness over him. I couldn't believe it enough.

 

On the other side though, this book is smart and inspirational. It gives hope, in some way. It makes you believe that your deepest dreams can come true and will if you only try. And that's what's really good about this book. It was almost easy to put Andy and John at the side and focus on more important, deeper things this book is about. Because of that and because of great, different side characters, I give it 3.5 stars. Another thing that was good was an open ending and even though there is a sequel coming its way, I can imagine what happened next and make my own ending which worked for this book. I will probably give a shot to the sequel as well.

 

Overall, an enjoying and mostly pleasant read with great message and an open ending.

John Dreamer - Elise Celine Definite flaws and needs some work, but still very enjoyable. Review coming up!