The Dreamhunter Duet #2
Juvenile Fiction
Macmillan
2007-02-20
Paperback
449
Owned
2008 Michael L Printz Honor Book
The dreamhunting began as a beautiful thing, when Tziga Hame discovered that he could enter the Place and share the dreams he found there with other people. But Tziga Hame has disappeared and Laura, his daughter, knows that the art of projecting dreams has turned sour. On St. Lazarus's Eve, when elite citizens gather at the Rainbow Opera to experience the sweet dream of Homecoming, Laura, determined to show them the truth, plunges them into the nightmare used to control the convict workers. The event marks the first blow in the battle for control of the Place, the source of dreams. Then, when Laura's cousin, Rose, uncovers evidence that the government has been building a secret rail line deep into the Place, Laura follows it to find out what lies at its end. As she struggles to counter the government's sinister plans, a deeper mystery surfaces, a puzzle only Laura can unravel, a puzzle having to do with the very nature of the Place. What is the Place, after all? And what does it want from her?
Inventive and richly imagined, Elizabeth Knox's dramatic conclusion will satisfy readers - whether or not they've read Book One.
Awhile back, I looked ahead to all of the books on the list, figuring out if I could borrow them from a library, read them on Oyster, or purchase a copy. At the same time, I discovered that this book, “Dreamquake” was part two of a “duet” — so I grabbed a copy of the first book as well, and I am so glad I did. Despite what the blurb says above, you DO need to read the first book to enjoy the second (in my opinion).
The first is Dreamhunter, and I actually felt like it was the stronger, more interesting of the two books. I think it if had been one complete book, with a little bit of paring down, it could have been even better. But that’s just me, and I’m not the author or her editor with their vision of what they wanted the books to be.
I’m always very jealous of books that have such amazing world-building — jealous because I could only wish to be so clever and come up with so much detail.
Some people probably won’t like the ending, it’s a little too neat, but I’m letting my overall satisfaction with the pair of books as whole carry me through on this one. Glad I read it and glad to continue to get read authors from other countries.
