76 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, February 19, 2008
Dreams can usually be categorized as our source of entertainment while we are sleeping. Although we sometimes may not remember them, they often take us on a journey that we may (or may not) want to happen. For Janie Hannagan, though, dreams are her worst nightmares.
Not like any other normal teenage girl, Janie witnesses the dreams that anyone within close proximity is dreaming. Of course, she doesn't really want this to happen, but it has been going on ever since she was eight. Janie is able to see the ordinary dreams, from falling to drowning to going to work without wearing any pants. Along with that, she is able to see people's secrets and what they desire the most.
There is nothing Janie can do about this but to just keep the knowledge to herself. That all changes when Cable, the guy who everyone thought was a pothead and a dealer, enters her life as she enters his dreams. Half the time, the dreams are somewhat sweet and romantic, but then other times she witnesses the nightmares that have been haunting him.
As Janie tries to sort out not only his dreams but her own feelings for Cable, she learns that the only way to survive her reactions towards other people's dreams is to control them -- and to help the people complete the tasks that they so desperately want to accomplish.
Every now and then a novel gets published and becomes a work of art that we all will long remember. WAKE is one of those novels that is not only unique but also mesmerizing and exhilarating. With her debut novel, Lisa McMann creates something that will be on our minds and change the way we think about what we read.
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well Conceived, Questionably Executed, January 15, 2010
This review is from: Wake (Wake Series, Book 1) (Paperback)
THREE QUICK POINTS:
* Point 1: It's rather short. With abrupt, sometimes awkward, sentence structures.
* Point 2: This is either a `love it' or `hate it' book, yet somehow I managed to be squarely in the middle, loving some aspects and hating others.
* Point 3: The characters remind me of Bella Swan and Eward Cullen (Twilight) in their inexplicable love with little justification that just somehow seems to work for the story.
SHORT SYNOPSIS:
Janie Hanagan has a special ability: she inexplicably plunges into the dreams of others. She discovered this unique ability when she was eight, but didn't understand it until much later. As she aged, her episodes increased and through her interactions, she discovered the hopes, fears, and desires of those around her. Then she tumbles into a nightmare while driving one day. Eventually she discovers it belongs to a mysterious guy named Cabel, who eventually helps Janie come to terms with her ability and Janie helps him come to terms with his own twisted history.
MY THOUGHTS:
I was torn between three and four stars, because I love the story's premise, but I'm not fond of the holes and superficial development.
Wake falls into the category of well conceived, but questionably executed. Rarely do I say this about a book, but it needs to be longer. It's convoluted in places and anemic overall; otherwise it would have rated as one of the better books I've read.
The format of the date and time for sections was a nice touch. The description of the dreams, the terseness of the sentences, and the vague descriptions all contributed to the dreamlike quality of the book.
What didn't work well for the story, however, was the lack of details, back story, and transitions. The development of the relationship between Janie and Cabel was suspect. (It's difficult to give an example without spoilers.) And the cat and mouse game they played while Cabel was withholding information from Janie, leaving her with nothing to go on except rumors and conjecture, seemed trite. And let's not even get started on the big reveal of Cabel's secret, or the secret itself--that entire section, which came at the end, changed the tone, style, and tempo of the book. Suddenly, what made the book a unique and exciting read dissipated into thin air and it felt as though I were reading a completely different book than the one I started.
Other readers might love it for its simplicity, but for me, it was too simple. So simple that the story seemed disjointed. The end was more like an afterthought added for a bit of action than a deliberate thread in the story.
The next novel in the series, Fade, is said to complete the Janie/Cabel story, but frankly, the story shouldn't have been broken into two books. All in all, though, it was a quick and easy read and I will most likely check out Fade from the library to see what happens next.
Note for parents or sensitive readers: This book is targeted to young adults (girls in general), but it does have some coarse language and underage alcohol/drug use. It's probably along the lines of what young people face today. While it's not hardcore, or even condoning its use, I thought I should go ahead and mention it.
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39 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Didn't Reach Its Potential, May 1, 2008
Janie Hannagan has a gift -- or rather a curse -- for being sucked into other people's dreams whenever they're sleeping nearby. She is witness to funny things; strange things; typical, boring things; and, in one instance, something so disturbing she won't even drive on Waverly Road any more. With the help of resident hottie Cabel Strumheller, Janie must discover whose terrifying dream she beheld, and what is wrong with her that she was able to see it in the first place.
When I started this book, I didn't like it. Then it got better, at which point I was quite into it, then it got worse again, and it didn't recover. The mystery McMann introduces is enough to keep a reader up at night for more than one reason, but it peters off shortly after its establishment and is ultimately unfulfilling. In addition, it seems people fall asleep a lot more often in this story than they do in real life, presumably a tactic to keep Janie's special ability at the forefront of readers' minds.
Though possessing an intriguing premise, there is one semi-major flaw that for me made the entire foundation of the story unsound. Dreams are people's subconscious ramblings, not their conscious thoughts. Most of the dreams upon which Janie intrudes bear significant consequence to the plot, but in my experience the majority of real-life dreams mean very little.
On a more positive note, the writing style is fast-paced and unique, adding a distinguished and enticing flare to the novel.
I would say that Lisa McMann's debut into young adult fiction didn't quite reach its potential, but the idea behind it is promising enough for me to have high hopes for its sequel, Fade.
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