#Review - Neverwake by Amy Plum #YALit #Horror

Series: Dreamfall # 2
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense

Nightmare on Elm Street meets Scream in this thrilling and chilling sequel to Dreamfall—which Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series, called “remarkable, riveting, disorienting, and dark.”

For most people, nightmares always come to an end. But for Cata, Ant, and the others, there may be no escape from theirs. After an experimental treatment meant to cure their insomnia went horribly wrong, the teens were dragged into a shared dreamworld where their most terrifying fears became reality.

The six of them have no way of waking up. And they’re beginning to realize that if they die here, they might actually die in the real world. One of the dreamers is already gone, and anyone could be next. The only thing they know for certain is that they have to work together to survive. But as they learn the truth about one another’s pasts, they soon discover they are trapped with something far worse than their nightmares….

Perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux, Danielle Vega, and Kendare Blake, Neverwake is the final book in this spine-tingling duology full of action, suspense, and horror—and it is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.

 

"In their dreams, nobody can hear them scream"

Neverwake is the second and final installment in author Amy Plum's Dreamfall duology. The series was partly inspired by the 90s film Flatliners, which was remade into a September 2017 movie. Neverwake picks up right where Dreamfall left off. In case you haven't yet read this series, I'll briefly summarize for you. In the beginning, there were 7 teenagers who agreed to become patients in a sleep research study. The teens include Cata, Fergus, Ant, Remi, Sinclair, Beth Ann and a 7th which we find out the identity of in this installment. 

Each of the participants suffer from a litany of diagnosis from PTSD, to Narcolepsy, to surviving the brutal murder of ones family. Things went wrong almost immediately from the start of this series. The teens now find themselves in a nightmare on Elm Street type dreamscape where each of their dreams come to life and there's not a single good thing to say about dreams coming to life and attempting to kill you. Things have progressively gotten worse as the story has progressed.

Neverwake is told from three alternating POV's: two teens in the experiment (Cata and Ant) & Jaime, a mixed race 20 year old who is observing the test from the outside world. Jamie (gender unknown) is a Yale premed student who signed on to take notes and witness what was supposed to be a scientific break through, but has since become a horror show, may be their only hope of surviving. The author skillfully creates (and distinguishes) the voices of the novel’s diverse cast.

Dreamfall is a horror series made all the more scary because so much of it is grounded in reality. Amy Plum researched the various sleep disorders and the science behind them, and she consulted with medical professionals. Although the Dreamfall series is scary, Amy has worked in the perfect amount of romantic tension to add some levity to the story. After all, when you have seven teens in a life-or-death situation, there’s bound to be some chemistry.

I have to say that my favorite character has to be Ant. Ant is something of a phenom who we learn a great deal about thanks to her being a major player in this story. We learn about her past, and why she always wears a hat, gloves, notebook and pen and why she relied on a character named George to make decisions for her. Her behavior makes perfect since once Plum reveals a particular personality trait. I also loved her connection to Cata and Fergus. It is Ant who figures out a key parts of this story as well. Just call her a genius, yeah?

I won't spoil who the villain of this story is. It's pretty much been spoiled by more than a few viewers, including some I follow. I will say that the reader was previously given a warning that one of the teens is a killer, and that the survivors have to not only watch their backs from the nightmares they are forced to live, but one of their own as well. I kind of felt sorry for both Cata as well as Fergus. They pretty much had the worst sort of parental units, but each found a way to escape in their own ways.

Recommended: Yes, absolutely 

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