"dream treaders" by wayne thomas batson

About the book (from the publisher): Book #1 in a trilogy from fantasy author Wayne Thomas Batson explores the concept of dreams and their effects on us.

People are fascinated by dreams, and the Bible has a great deal to say about them. From Jacob’s dream of the heavenly stairway in Genesis 28 to angels visiting Joseph during dreams in Matthew 1 to the Apostle John’s “waking dream” from which he obtained the book of Revelation—dreams have been powerful ingredients of God’s plan as revealed through Scripture.

Fourteen-year-old Archer Keaton discovers he has the ability to enter and explore his dreams. He is a dreamtreader, one of three selected from each generation. Their mission: to protect the waking world from the Nightmare Lord, who wreaks chaos in the Dream World. But as Archer’s dreams become more dangerous and threatening, so too does his waking life.

Rigby Thames, the new kid from England, builds a suspicious rock star-like following at Dresden High School a little too quickly. Even Archer’s best friend and confidant, Kara Windchil, seems taken in by the cool guy with the wild blond hair, which definitely rubs Archer the wrong way. Archer must face two foes in two worlds, but he cannot succeed alone. Archer sets off to find other dreamtreaders in a desperate attempt to defeat the enemy terrorizing his friends and family.

My take: Dream Treaders begins as Archer is in the dream world, trying to infiltrate Shadowkeep. He must get back to his anchor before the Nightmare Lord gets him. Confused? I was. I struggled to get my bearings in this world that made no sense. Had the author chosen to introduce Archer in the real world, then go to sleep and begin his work as a Dreamtreader, I could have followed along. But as it is written, I was very confused and hadn't yet formed any kind of attachment to Archer, so I wanted to stop reading. Had I not agreed to review the book, I would have.

And I would have missed out on a great YA/fantasy novel. By about the third chapter, I was flying through the pages, anxious to see what would happen next. The whole novel unfolds at breakneck speed, but once I had my bearings, the speed worked well. It does end in a cliffhanger, but as it's book one of a series, I'm fine with that.

So much YA fiction is geared toward girls, so it was refreshing to read a YA novel that would appeal to both genders. This would be a great series for junior high and high school age kids.

My rating: 4 stars

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About the author: Wayne Thomas Batson is the author of several bestselling novels, including The Door Within trilogy, The Isle series, and The Berinfell series. As a middle school reading teacher, Wayne writes adventures set in imaginative locales because he believes that we all dream of doing something that matters.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review from Amazon.com through its Vine reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”