Customer Reviews

School of Light

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love the idea behind the world in this book. In Dreamland, things are always changing according to the will of the Sleepers. One minute everyone in a town may look like they come from the Victorian Era, and the in the next the might all seem to belong on a pirate's ship. However, all of this takes a bit of getting used to. I hadn't read the first book before I read this one, and so it was hard for me to figure out what was metaphor and what was an actual physical change in the Dreamland at first. As far as the properties of the Dreamland go, the book got easier to read the further along I got. However, the only reason I finished this book is because I was on vacation and had nothing else to read. Most of the characters are so pretentious I couldn't hardly stand them, and the characters who aren't are generally not all that interesting. Juele made me want to scream in frusteration more than once. She's a follower, and continuously tries to remake herself in such a way that others will like her. ... Even though she could probably find friends who'd like her for who she is, she constantly tries to dress like the popular people and say Deep and Meaningful things about art. Also, it takes forever for the author to finally get to the plot, and it isn't even all that interesting a plot. The artists at the School of Light are all working together to make the castle look more aesthetically pleasing, and a group of those artists start to ruin everything when they decide they can handle the government better than the government officials themselves. While I loved the idea behind the setting for the book, there's a lot that could've been improved.

After reading Waking in Dreamland, I was very excited to pick up and delve into School of Light. This story is about Juele, a young girl in the Dreamland, that is accepted into the School of Light and is pulled into a huge set of problems that she must deal with her only talent, that of illusion.

I agree with many of the other reviewers. This book is thought-provoking in the thought of 'if this were real.' I also agree that the "plot should start before the first 200 pages." School of Light did get off to a slow start, but I think that those 200 pages were still fun to read.

Overall, School of Light is a great idea and it is indeed an easy read. I'm excited to read the next book...The Grand Tour...

Like Waking in Dreamland, I found that this novel had a unique perspective that made me think, even while being an easy read. Perhaps those who don't get it and wrote bad reviews are too set in their reading ways and should stick to predictible books. This was more than fun to read, it was different without being confusing. Defineitely recommended for anyone who should be reading SF or fantasy.

This is an incomphensible stew of absurd plot and tiresome teenage angst. You'd do better watching "Party of Five" or some other light entertainment. At least reality doesn't change around you. I kept hoping for an evil sort to come along and destroy all of the "illusions" and lend some stability to this confusing story.

***In my opinion, Jody Lynn Nye has created a twisted vision of what happens when we sleep. It is also VERY interesting! Who is to say Jody's world does NOT exist? I found this author's world of illusion to be fascinating! Juele is a character I hope to meet again some day. I enjoyed the book thoroughly.***

Sorry ma'am I didn't like your book. When reading a book I believe in a few things. The plot should start somewhere before the first 200 hundred pages. Character backgrounds and development don't need to be so well established as to make the first half of the book a bio for every character no matter how minor. Most importantly consistency is essential! If there is a set of physical laws in place, the character should follow them, unless explained for! The principle of the book was good. The main thing wrong though is that this book could have been done in less then 100 pages not more then 300.

The idea of a world where everything is illusory and anything can change at any time is fascinating, but the rest of the book in no way lives up to its premise. There are only about three characters in the entire book who aren't pretentious to the point of being repulsive, and those are fairly flat and uninteresting. There is virtually no plot, and the recurring idea that we should cover up what is real with our own illusions because they're prettier and more perfect disgusted me. And the characters' desperate reliance on symbolism, while somewhat logical in keeping with the theme of dreams, was tedious and overdone. A book I'm surprised I finished.

Imagine if Jodi's premise was indeed real. This is a thought provoking book worth reading if for no other reason than the fact that it creates an interesting fantasy to contemplate.