5 stars

Since I've started reading books from Helen Harper, I've been hooked. Sure, there are a few errors that even as a non-English native I can spot, but that doesn't bother me much as they remain sparse. It might also be that I got used to the way Harper writes, which makes my reading go really smoothly.

Yet again, Harper sets another world and it was really strange at first because Zoe is quite different from Ivy (Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic series) and Mack (Blood Destiny series). Obviously, all three of them are not the same at all, they live worlds apart in all the possible meanings of the saying. But I could see from the start that Ivy and Mack had some personality traits in common, in that they were quite strong. Zoe, though, seemed fragile, vulnerable, and it's so believable that it's a bit hard to get past that at first. She's agoraphobic and you really feel for her, as well as expect her to be frown into danger but don't quite know what she'll do about it. Slowly, though, her resemblance with Ivy and Mack starts to show as she steps more and more often in the Dreamlands. There is more to her than her agoraphobia and for that I am thankful to the author, because Zoe here shows more layers to her personality.
However, as the plot thickens and we are all be left wondering what the hell she just got herself into at the end of this book, I can't help but wonder if she has that many dimensions after all. Her vulnerable state was a result of the agoraphobia, and while I'm happy that she's so observant (and thus shows another part of her), it feels as if the Dreamlands make her show her wits and bravery, but I don't know what to make of that. What is left of her, now? I've got the weird feeling that I don't really know her after all, and half of me can't wait to start reading the next book while the other half is afraid to be disappointed.

Other than Zoe's character (whom I now don't know what to make of), I need to underline how amazing I think this new world is. No wizards, shifters or vampires here, but just a world of dreams and nightmares, of something in bewteen reality and irreality, but always really balanced as you keep track of where the book is taking you, in which world you stand. I toyed with the idea of a character able to see other people's dreams but didn't quite know what to make out of it, although I always loved the idea. So, to have a series focused on that particular world, just made my day when I came upon it and I really enjoy discovering it with Zoe. Don't get me wrong, I also loved Harper's other books (including Wraith), but it's also a nice change not to start in a world you try to make some sense of as a reader while all the characters already know what's going on, but instead to stay as clueless as the main character as the story advances.
This world is so peculiar it caught me a bit by surprise and I couldn't stop reading. When I woke up to finish the book, I couldn't bring myself to open the shutters. Somehow, having the feeling it was still night time felt right and I can't really explain why I felt that need, but my guess is it has to do with the world the book brings you into. It's a really strange feeling and I don't know what to make of it, but it's not uncomfortable. This book definitely is particular for me.

My thoughts on the ending, though, are the same as those I have on Zoe: I don't know what to make out of that. But we can see that, in a way, it's only the beginning and it is as if the second book was a missing part rather than an entire other story, so I'll see how it goes next.

I won't say much on the other characters. The Mayor sure leaves an impression, as do some others, but I don't quite know what to make of them. I'll just wait and see what the author has in store for them. After all, it's only the beginning of the series.

In any case, I really love this book and would definitely recommend it as it stands out from the other UF books I've read at least world-wise. The characters... Well, I'll let you form your own opinion on the matter, as I've yet to form mine. Happy reading to those who take the leap! ( )