Monday, May 9, 2011

Wake, Fade, and Gone: the Dreamcatcher Series by Lisa McMann

                                                                                               
When I added Wake, a choice I made based on its accomplishment as a 2011 Gateway nominee (and now, WINNER! Yay!), I didn't even know that it was the first installment of a fun, suspenseful series unlike any I've ever read.

Wake introduced me to Janie Hannagan, a teen girl who has a special "gift" for finding her way into the dreams of anyone sleeping within close proximity. When Janie attends sleep overs and when her perpetually-intoxicated mother manages to leave her bedroom door open, Janie is sucked into dream worlds she cannot understand, control or escape (yet). Janie is a bit of a loner, so keeping her secret under wraps has been fairly simple; she flies low under the radar and intends to live that way as long as she possibly can. But when Cabel, a fellow classmate, begins to take notice of Janie's sudden, nearly violent "naps," Janie finds herself unable to hide her secret any longer.
As the series continues through Fade and Gone, Janie begins to discover the truth about her abilities. How can there be other dream-catchers that have lived before her without her knowing they existed? Will Janie learn to use her abilities and risk her life to help others, or will she choose to live her life on the fringes, free from her curse?

I enjoyed the suspense of the series and the twists that McMann included in this series. The romantic aspect was a little cheesy at times, but I wouldn't judge the quality of the series on that single aspect. McMann did a great job at building suspense, dispersing intense action throughout, and developing amazingly vivid imagery to bring to life all of Janie's ventures into others' dreams. 

Ratings (abbreviated version):
Wake: 4Q; 5P
Fade: 5Q; 5P
Gone: 5Q; 5P

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