Book Recap: Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes

Cover Inspection:
The cover is probably the best thing about this book.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…
When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.
Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own.
And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start…

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	2.5
Writing	3.0
Characters	2.5
Ending	3.0
Overall Rating	2.5 Good! (85% to 88%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
The story is set in a small town called Serendipity Falls.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
After she was rescued by her friends from Under, Theia is back. Downside? She's now cursed with demon blood.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
So Theia is back from Under, and she's finally home. She's going back to school. But uncertainty lingers: how will the blood oath with Mara affect her? She now has urges to feed on souls while people are asleep. In this book, Theia is slowly losing her humanity. Moreover, people are getting sick, and Mara is still after her.

LOVE:
I loved the interaction (especially the private ones) between Theia and Haden. I would like to compare it with chocolate - rich, decadent, and sexy. Moreover, I found it cute the fact that both of them are actually treading uncharted waters when it comes to dating. They're both clueless! It's cute! The chapters near the end (the big nightmare) was fantastic! I liked the fact that there were so many otherworldly creatures, such as goblins and skeletons. It's a big nightmare about losing one's face, pregnancy, and death.

NO LOVE:
The story was a bit predictable... at least for me. Plus, I feel that some lines are meant to be funny, but somehow, I didn't find them as such. In fact, I think they're corny. The scenes in the story changed abruptly. So, I found it confusing. I didn't know if the scene was merely deja vu, or if Theia is in Under, if it's merely an ordinary dream, or if it's reality. (Hence, the title "Dreaming Awake) But then again, maybe it's part of the story to confuse the reader, just as Theia is confused. It also annoyed me that Theia and Haden are so good at hiding things from each other. (Well... what can you expect? They're basically demons.) And there wouldn't be a story if they revealed everything.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
When it comes to the characters, I liked Varnie. What can I say? I like psychic surfers in drag.

FAVORITE LINE:
Honestly, no line, no scene struck me.

MUSINGS:
I don't know why I chose to read this book. I didn't like the first one. Probably because the cover is so pretty. I really do not have much to say about this book except that it was a mediocre read. It was entertaining enough that I managed to finish it. But nothing really stood out. Nothing really special. Amidst really good books, this one would be drowned at the bottom.

DOODLES:
No book trailer. Let me know if you find it!

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Gwen Hayes

SIMILAR READS:
A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: moderate
violence: moderate
sexual content: moderate
mature themes: moderate
age recommendation: 13+