Before I Wake (Nightmare Chronicles, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Kathryn Smith (Author)
Key Phrases: The Dreaming, Kathryvt Smith, Kathrp Smith (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

You may call it a dream job . . .

And in some ways, you'd be right. I actually get paid to study people's dreams. It comes much easier than my employers at the Sleep Center suspect; after all, I, Dawn, am the daughter of the king of the dream world, and I can roam the dreams of others, battling the nightmares that plague them.

I call it a nightmare . . .

Honestly, I could use a good night's sleep. But ever since I met Noah Clarke, I'm even more torn between the two worlds: smart, sexy, and able to control his own dreams, Noah could be my perfect man—except he's being stalked in his sleep by an unearthly evil, hell-bent on destroying him . . . and the entire world.

About the Author

My husband says I have the best job in the world. The only thing that could top being paid to do what I love is if Avon Books decided that all their authors had to be hand-fed chocolate by Hugh Jackman, Gerard Butler, or John Cusack. But my husband probably wouldn't think so much of my job then, so instead I'll let him feed me chocolate and go on being forever thankful that I have the best job—and husband—in the world.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061340278
• ISBN-13: 978-0061340277
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #287,879 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Nightmare Chronicles Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing contemporary debut for Kathryn Smith, July 29, 2008

By	AndreaW "AndreaW" (USA) - See all my reviews

Dawn Riley is a Nightmare. She has always known this, but being the daughter of Morpheus, King of Dreams, and a mortal is not something that she is proud of or can speak about. So, she turned her back on the Dream Realm to try and live as normal a life as possible in the real world. She graduated from high school, went on to university and got her PhD in neuropsychology which helped land her a job at MacCallum Sleep & Dream Research Center in New York City. Noah Clarke is one of her patients and a lucid dreamer, able to change his dreams and bend them to his own will. When an evil presence starts stalking him in his sleep and altering his dreams, he knows there is only one person who can help him. Dawn must accept who she is in order to help Noah and they must work together to fight for their lives and a chance at love.

This book blew me away. I was so impressed by it in so many ways. First and foremost was how fresh and strong Kathryn Smith's contemporary voice is. Many historical authors have tried their hand at writing contemporaries and fallen short. Not Ms. Smith. Not only does she succeed, she does it with striking clarity.

I absolutely love Dawn. She is smart and funny and definitely someone I could be friends with. I love that she doesn't have the perfect body or perfect hair or perfect features, but is happy with the way she looks. She even jokes about her love of food. That she can laugh at herself made me like her even more. Her flaws and little quirks just added to her charm. She's so down-to-earth and one of the most likable heroines I've ever read. And because this story is told in first person, I felt like a good friend was telling me her story.

I also love Noah. He is an artist, so he's very creative and has such an eye for detail. Due to a tragedy in his past, he is pretty closed off and doesn't like to talk about it. This also makes him a little uptight and wanting to be in control. Eventually, he starts to open up to Dawn a little bit at a time. The thing I love most about him is that he likes Dawn just the way she is, even when he finds out what she is. It doesn't matter, he likes her for her. *sigh* What a guy.

Kathryn Smith has created such an incredible, comprehensive world with the Dream Realm. And the way that she mixes it with the real world is nothing short of amazing. The secondary characters in both worlds are remarkable and endearing. It is a combination of all of these things and more that make this story so compelling, so undeniably good that I could not put it down. I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. It really is that good. I am hungry for more and cannot wait until the second book in this series is released. Do not miss this one. I HIGHLY recommend it!

~Andrea
5 stars

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't close your eyes. When evil stalks your dreams, a Nightmare may be your only hope., August 16, 2008

By	melindeeloo (sb,ca) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Dawn, the half human daughter of the dream god King Morpheus, has shunned her father and his realm in order to be `normal' and fit into the human world. Still even though she tries to deny her heritage, the dream world calls to her and it has shaped her human profession as a dream therapist and a psychologist specializing in dream research. A subject of Dawn's own personal dream research project is sexy artist Noah. Though Noah is only human, Noah has his own power over dreams - as a lucid dreamer, Noah can control and alter his dreams. Dawn finds Noah incredibly attractive but has stifled those thoughts out of professional ethics, but that is about to change as suddenly Noah's dreams start to spin out of control.

When there is a sudden rash of people dieing in their sleep, Dawn begins to suspect that something is attacking and killing people from inside their dreams. And now that something is targeting Noah for an even more diabolical purpose. When Dawn has a disturbing encounter with the evil entity in her own dreams, Dawn realizes that she must claim her birthright and return to the Dream Realm and to her father. Morpheus is the only one who can help Dawn develop the powers that she will need to assume her rightful role as Nightmare, a guardian of dreams, in order to save Noah and defeat the evil that is stalking their dreams

With Before I Wake tying into the contemporary world in addition to the dream one, author Kathryn Smith makes a decent transition from the historical genre of her Templar vampires with only a bit of her roots showing through - instead of the descriptions of gowns and hairstyles, there were make-up centric details: their application, color selections and brands, but Smith does leave that behind once the action kicks in and the story starts to spend more time in the Dream Realm. And even though the scenes there are essentially dream sequences, which I don't normally like, the forays into the Dream Realm were smoothly integrated and essential to the story line. One thing that I really like about the story on the whole, was that even though Dawn has an inherent power, Dawn isn't instantly capable of wielding it and has to scramble to acquire some training in order to ensure her survival.

Dawn and Noah are well drawn characters. Dawn is an intelligent and, for the most part, likeable heroine and Noah was flawed but intriguing - I especially liked the insight gain through the brief exploration of Noah's art. Both have quite a bit of relationship baggage. Dawn has issues with her mother's dream coma abandonment of Dawn's human family -- Dawn's rift with her mother is a bit childish and annoying at times. Noah has some control freakiness stemming from his past and abusive father and is not keen on needing help from anyone. Noah's difficulty with the unevenness of power between he and Dawn, keep their relationship from being an easy one despite their intense attraction. The conflicts caused by Dawn's need to protect and Noah's unwillingness to seek help even when outclassed, causes some tiffs that serve to build the sexual tension between them early in the book, but also suggest that a long term happily ever after between the two is not a done deal.

Though there were major romantic elements in the story, Before I Wake looks to fall a bit more on the Urban Fantasy side of the fence, and it is a promising addition to the genre. Author Smith has only scratched the surface of both the Dream Realm and Dawn's role as Nightmare. There is such potential for further exploration on both of these fronts that I hope to see more from this original new series in the near future.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enteraining and different, February 3, 2009

By	Ithlilian "Bookthirsty Reader" - See all my reviews

A psychologist/dream analyzer that can actually step into your dreams is a pretty good basis for a book. Throw in a love interest, some family issues,a bad guy, and a really interesting dream world, and it gets even better. The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it seemed to end very abruptly. I wish there was a little more focus on Nightmare training, it was hard to believe the bad guy could go down so quickly. The characters were likable and realistic, and the story as a whole was believable. I'd love to read more about the characters coming into their powers and see what sort of plot there is to overthrow the dreamworld king. This book is a good series starter, I hope the rest doesn't disappoint.