My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:

3.5 out of 5.0 stars

I liked this book. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was enjoyable. The idea behind the story was pretty cool, though.

Also, I watched the DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) based on the book and it was nothing like the book. The only thing they got right was that these people are reincarnations of King Arthur’s court. So, yeah…

The very worst thing about this book is the way Ellie’s character behaves. She just doesn’t act like a normal teenage girl; more like the way adults think normal teenage girls act than a real girl. Oh, and I don’t mean this in the way the character’s mother means it when she tells Ellie that she’s not normal.

The very best thing about this book is the way the Arthurian legend ties in with everything.

I'm not really sure how to review this type of book. It's not what I normally read, but I definitely enjoyed it. I disliked the lackadaisical underage smoking and drinking, but I suppose that's reality. I definitely loved the fact that while these teenagers were typical in their vices, they weren't shown as moronic or stupid. In fact, they're quite well-read and intelligent!

My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

The very worst thing about this book is that it reminds you of just how much damage one person can do to the world when given the right (or wrong) motivation. (Yeah, really, that’s all I can come up with… Sorry.)

The very best thing about this book is Herbert’s genius. The science is believable and so are the politics; it’s all wound together into an amazing story that is even more terrifying considering the scientific advances in the three decades since the story was written.

So, Dawn messaged me on Goodreads about two weeks ago about this book asking me to read it and offer feedback. Naturally I wasn't turning down a free book! I started reading it and very quickly fell into the story...

The characters are all quite likable! I never wanted to reach through and strangle any of them - and that's unusual for me! Eric is the main character and our introduction to him is in his nightmare. He ends up in Dream Camp and the Playground in a dream reality almost immediately, but he's as confused as we are about his new location.

Hmmm... I'm going to interrupt myself with a quick bit of background: You don't dream alone. When you dream, you have the potential to log on (in a manner of speaking) to a community dream where magic, flying, friendship, and the ability to help others battle nightmares is possible.

He's met by Annie who acts a bit like a tour guide before handing him off to some younger and very energetic twins - Kyle and Lyle. She also gives him a book called the "Dreamers Handbook." The start of every chapter is marked with an excerpt from this book. (Dawn, please write this book! This would be an awesome additional read!) Kyle and Lyle introduce Eric to his two new best friends, Lucy and Rose.

Now, in this new reality, lots of things are possible as I mentioned above and to learn these possibilities, there are classes. Classes without tests, grades, or attendance requirements. Except for the nightmare battling classes, of course. You have to pass a final exam for those before you're allowed to visit the Outpost and help fight off other people's nightmares.

The story is enjoyable, by the way; you get sucked in easily and want to read more, but for a while there doesn't seem to be much of a plot. It reads more like a diary or journal than anything else. This (luckily) doesn't detract from the story! There are a few spots where you think "oh, plot point!" when something happens - ie: overhearing a conversation about a mysterious villain - but it doesn't seem to go far in this book. The only main goals that we see would be mastering a few individual courses (like flying and sword magic) and passing the final exam to be allowed to battle nightmares.

Passage of time is very difficult to mark because the characters are never shown awake with one small exception of Eric waking up and remembering something from Dream Camp. It's not a major issue, because the story flows regardless, but it would definitely add some extra depth to the story. (I would love a little drabble with Eric forgetting he can't fly in the real world. That would be hilarious. Or even a short story with the trio managing a real world meet-up to hang out.) And maybe I missed it, but I don't think ages are ever given. Based on behavior and thoughts, I would guess between 14 and 16.

I gave this book a strong 4 out of 5 - if goodreads allowed half stars, it would be 4.5, but it still needs a bit of tweaking before I can give 5 stars.

With all the above being said, I have to say that I will definitely be looking forward to more stories from Dawn and I'm hoping that this story is meant to be the first in a series! Keep us informed!

My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:

0.5 out of 5.0 stars

The very worst thing about this book is the writing, the characters, the headache it gave me, the stupidity it encourages, the fact that Lauren Kate seems to think that high school students/teenagers can be placed into neat little boxes and labeled accordingly only to be repackaged just as neatly when they enter the next grade, the… Well, I could go on and on. This book single-handedly killed off at least 10% of my brain cells.

The very best thing about this book is the cover. *sigh* This is a recurring theme with her books.

Well, this might be a bit more enjoyable if I understood more of it. The introduction I read was helpful, but I still couldn't glean much meaning from the text. I'll try rereading another day when I can devote more time to it.

I absolutely adored this book! Cath is so much like me, it's scary. I love fanfic (mostly reading, but also writing), I hate large gatherings of people, I'm not so great with change, but if given the right incentive, like Cath, I can overcome my issues and deal with the world.

I wish the book had continued just a little longer to show what happened

Spoiler

not really a spoiler, but just in case -- through the end of the school year instead of cutting out a bit early

, but I'm also extremely hopeful that Rowell will leave it as a one shot.

I loved being able to understand the fanfic terms which really helped pull me into the story and makes me think that Rowell has her own library of fanfics floating around the intertubes somewhere (I'll have to google it). I would be interested in seeing/reading the "canon" Simon/Baz stories that Cath fanfics about. :-D

While Simon and Baz are obviously stand-ins for Harry and Draco (and while I have read some Harry/Draco slash fic), I was amused to learn that the Harry Potter series still exists in addition to this new entirely fiction series. Also, after finishing this book I was immediately required to go read some fanfic - Draco/Hermione is the best!!!

If you're a fan of fanfic, a hardcore fan of anything, or just curious, you should read this book. I don't normally post a "you would like this if" type of recommendation, but you will. :-p