The Vault of Dreamers Blog Tour {Review & Giveaway}

I'm so thrilled to have The Vault of Dreamers Blog Tour stopping by today with my Review and a Giveaway...

The Vault of Dreamers

by Caragh M. O'Brien

8/16/14

Roaring Brook Press

From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own.
 
The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success:  every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

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In a not so distant future, the prestigious Forge School is the place to be. This famous art school is the subject of the country’s most watched reality show. Students’ every waking moment is televised and more fans equals more potential money. In hopes of enhancing creativity, students are given a pill that makes them sleep deeply for twelve hours every night. Newcomer Rosie Sinclair begins to skip her pills and what she finds lurking in the school at night is the stuff of nightmares. The deeper Rosie digs into the sinister happenings at the school, the more blurred she finds her own mind becoming.

Caragh O’Brien’s The Vault of Dreamers is an entertaining mix of twisty intrigue, romance, and innovative sci-fi elements. Smartly crafted, with a compelling premise and engaging characters, I found this to be quite the addicting read.

Told from Rosie’s perspective, the story unfolds slowly, but not boringly so. I like that readers only know as much as Rosie knows and must discover this world with her. This creates such a fascinatingly unreliable narrative and a kind of hauntingly blurred atmosphere that kept me captivated and on my toes. There’s this psychologically thrilling element of never quite knowing what’s real or who to trust. Rosie finds herself caught up in this twisted, yet irresistible, game of cat and mouse, and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns. The sci-fi and medical elements surrounding the world of dreams are unique and cool, but feel both overwhelming and lacking at times. There’s something very thought-provoking and relevant about the reality show aspect of the premise. O’Brien deftly explores the provocative ideas of voyeurism, privacy, and how being watched can affect every aspect of human behavior.

I like that the story is told from Rosie’s perspective and I found her head to be a complex, intriguing place to be. Rosie is surrounded by an eclectic group of people and I wish more time was spent on the development of the secondary characters...not because these characters aren’t likeable and interesting, they totally are. I just wish we got to know them (especially Burnham and Janice) on a deeper level. Rosie’s love interest, Linus, is given proper attention and development, but I’m still not entirely sure what to make of this mystery boy! Their romance is sweet and endearing, and I found their interaction charming, but I’m glad O’Brien didn’t overshadow the other aspects of the story with these romantic elements.

I’ve seen many mixed feelings about the ambiguous ending, but I really like! It totally caught me off guard and, although maybe a bit rushed, the ending feels both final and full of possibilities.

My Final Thoughts: With an exciting and thought-provoking premise, The Vault of Dreamers intrigued, entertained, and challenged me in some pretty awesome ways!

MY RATING

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Caragh M. O’Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O’Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write young adult novels.

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CHECK OUT ALL THE TOUR STOPS

THE VAULT OF DREAMERS Blog Tour

        September 9 | Ex Libris Kate & The Book Monsters

       September 10 | Book Hounds & Candace's Book Blog

        September 11 | Mundie Moms & Word Spelunking

       September 12 | My Bookish Ways & Working for the Mandroid

         September 13 | Fiction Fare

         September 14 | Icey Books & My 5 Monkeys

         September 15 | SciFi Chick & Supernatural Snark

         September 16 | YA Interrobang & I’d So Rather be Reading

         September 17 | Fiktshun & Book Briefs

        September 18 | Michelle & Leslie’s Book Picks & The Irish Banana Review

         September 19 | Alice Marvels & Forever Young Adult

      September 20 | Good Choice Reading & Step into Fiction