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|---|---|---|
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| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample |
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Review by:
Justin Dennis
on Dec. 15, 2011 :
Personally, I've never read much contemporary fantasy, but this book has really made me enjoy the genre.
Now I love my fair share of elves, faeries, dragons, and wizards (not exactly a fan of vampires), but this book did a very good job of incorporating fantasy into the regular life of Ricky.
Anyway, for a quick overview, you basically have Ricky, who is just a regular kid who has funny dreams about someone named Calith with crazy-colored hair. But then his dreams start to become real, as in Calith appears before him in real life. Without giving anything away, all I can really let you know is that there are dream-worlds that don't exist in any physical place but are just kind of, there. Vayan is the leader of one, Venn, and Saxen is the leader of another, Kelrinna. As Ricky gets dragged into the competition between these two real-dream-worlds, he learns that Calith was raised by Vayan, but left and was taken in by Saxen. Because of his past, nobody trusts Calith, and being the temperamental brat he is, I don't blame them.
Calith was an interesting character because of this storyline. You want to smack him across the face as he sasses everyone, but then again you feel exactly how he is trapped by unfortunate circumstances. I found myself second guessing how I felt about Calith on every other page, and that's the sign of a very well designed character.
Ricky is your classic main character. Bored of his regular life, trying to get involved in this magical world, yet always being blocked out and not really let into everything. You have to feel bad for Ricky, who only wants a little excitement in his life and ends up getting into a whole mess more of trouble.
Another character who becomes more prevalent about halfway through the book is Louise, Jem's younger sister. She plays an interesting role because it isn't the typical main character falls for the one female character scenario. Calith sees her as symbolic of everything he's never had: freedom, friendship, love, and to not be judged. But being as she's Ricky's sister, and Ricky disapproves, it gets the reader asking: should Calith really like Louise like that? Or is it wrong because it's Ricky's sister?
As you can tell, the book gets you to ask a lot of questions and guess your feelings about characters, and I think that any book that can make me think is a good book. The story moves quickly and I was never able to anticipate where it was headed next. The way they use their powers to jump between real and dream worlds is really cool, and almost unexplainable, but the author does a good job of describing very detailed mental powers. I think it would be cool to see how this story would be portrayed in a movie with their powers.
So if you're looking for a good fantasy read, I would most definitely recommend Edge of Dreams, and I will be eagerly awaiting the second book, Flashpoint.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)