Jaime's Review of Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes

Dreaming Awake

Gwen Hayes

Paperback: 336 pages

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: NAL Trade (Penguin)

ISBN: 0451235541

Source: Finished copy from the Sacramento/San Francisco Book Review.

Rating: Loved

From Goodreads.
She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.

Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own.

And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start…

I read Falling Under and Dreaming Awake back to back and I have to admit where I liked Falling Under I loved Dreaming Awake! This is the rare case where the second book is better than the first. In book one I fell for Haden but really didn’t like Theia too much until the end in book 2 I really loved Theia she became so courageous and I liked that her attitude changed and she became more comfortable in her own skin. I always liked her friends especially Donny she reminded me a lot of myself.

This story was magical if you like dancing skeletons, faceless people, and women who have been cut apart and sewn back together which I do. It was the perfect amount of creepy for me. This was a sort of fairy tale but the handsome prince was a demon/human hybrid and the heroine was definitely not sweet or good (at least in book 2) and I loved that. I enjoy regular fairy tales, but I really liked the grittiness of this and that Up is literally Down; and stepping through the rabbit hole took you to a place of horror and pain but that it still had beauty. I believe this is the finale in the series but if Gwen chose to write more about Haden, Theia, and all of their friends I would definitely pick it up! I couldn't help but fall under!

I quoting a scene between Haden and Theia because I liked that even though things weren’t all sunshine and puppies they still loved each other.

Anger warmed my face and I turned away. “It sounds like you’re just mad I beat you to it.”

Haden grasped my wrist, pulling my attention back to him. “I would have come back to you.”

I twisted from his hand. “Unless you died.” He wanted to look away then, but I silently dared him to keep the eye contact. “You were going to rush headlong into some kind of war. What would happen to me---to all of us--- if you didn’t come back?”

“It’s a chance I have to take.”

He hadn’t used past tense. “you’re still going through with it?”

He closed his eyes. Getting that small distance from me made his words seem sharper, more forceful. 

“I will make sure she can no longer threaten you or those you care about. If it’s the last thing I do, I promise you that.”

I wanted to throw something, hit something. “I hate that you lied to me… that you’ve been lying.” I thought about how hard it had been to break ties with him when all along he’d been planning on doing the same.

“I lied because I love you. Everything I do is because I love you.”

Add Dreaming Awake to your Goodreads shelves.

Buy it now!