A Dream within a Dream

Dream Magic: Awakenings by Dawn Harshaw

Disclaimer:  I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Summary: Eric, a young boy, has enough of nightmares ruining his dreams. Determined to grow stronger, he tackles magical disciplines one at a time - be it flying, blade magic, or telepathy - and stares down his fears. But, will he survive the battles and the trial of nightmare mastery? And at what cost?

"Dream Magic: Awakenings" reaches for deep metaphysical concepts and uses introspective experiences to offer an immersive feeling of MAGIC.

Review: A combination of magic guide and how a young boy learns to face his fears. 

I must admit that I found this book quite weird at first. I understand the nightmare part and the idea of dream magic, but not why each chapter seemed to be devoted a different type of magic. A plot soon developed though, which was nice and I grew to like the fact that each chapter was dedicated to a different magic type. I always like magic classes in whatever shape or form and it was fun to pretend to be in magic school. The book really does read like a magic guide that one could easily pick up if they were trying to learn magic (and if magic were real, which I wish it was). 

I liked all the characters and always got a kick out of Kyle and Lyle. I would have liked to learn about the real world (aka the non-dreaming world) and what Eric's life was like. How does being in the dream world affect the real world? Could he get stuck in a dream for days, months, years? I liked the idea of the characters working their way up to becoming a nightmare fighter. What happens if nightmares are allowed to run rampant? And why do kids do the fighting? The last chapter was incredibly creepy and stomach turning and most certainly a nightmare.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those interested in how magic works, magic guides, or nightmares.