⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Dreams Lie Beneath is a fantasy book about duelling magicians, a curse and battles against nightmares which come to life every new moon.

I really enjoyed it! I am a really big fan of the magic system and the world invented by the author, it is really unique and easy to follow. It kind of makes me want to live in such a world as a warden haha. I flew through the story as well; the writing was super easy to follow and with the way the story was written it was hard to put the book down once I started reading.

The beginning of the book felt a little bit expected, like her father and her losing the challenge and thus losing their home. While it was expected, I did really like how it was written and how it was a used as a base for the rest of the story to take off.

Clem is a protagonist who isn’t really like others. I like how she stands up for herself and how she takes fate into her own hands instead of doing nothing and watch what’ll happen. I wasn’t the biggest fan of her wanting to get revenge, as that will always come bit you (karma is a bitch haha), but I did like how she went about it, getting the disguise and trying to get close to Phelan.

The book is more plot focused than character focused, which is something you really notice while reading. It is something that I personally didn’t mind, while the characters had some flaws and weren’t as thought-out as character focused books, they fit perfectly in the story, Because the book was plot focused, the world-building was really extensive and full and I loved that. The book really seemed the flow and was very easy to follow.

The bits of dark fantasy and romance weren’t as prominent as they could’ve been, but I think that it was the right choice. Taking away from the plot and story and focusing more on the romance would’ve dimmed the experience while reading this book, I think.

Overall, it was a really magical and easy to follow story. I really enjoyed the direction the story took and the journey I went on while reading.