Review - Dream Spinner

Dream Spinner
by Bonnie Dobkin

I'm a bit confused about this book. I didn't like it, but I can't quite put my finger on why I disliked it as much as I did. And I'm even more confused as to why it currently has a 5-star rating on Amazon.com...

Jori lost her father in a car accident. Soon after that, her younger sister went missing. Then, one day, Jori stumbles across a creepy old man, his sentient pet spider, and his greatest treasure: a tapestry woven out of people's dreams. Jori soon realizes that her sister is being held prisoner inside the tapestry, and it's up to her to rescue her.

(That's my own description of the plot, and it's slightly different from the official one. I found the one on the book itself to be somewhat inaccurate and misleading. For example, I wouldn't call a person who has one friend "popular". And the stuff about reuniting with the dead father was misleading, at best.)

This book is listed as a young adult read. Unfortunately (and this may be why I had so many problems with it), it comes off as a book for much younger children... so much so that when the teenage protagonist kisses a love interest, it's rather jarring. I could not put my finger on how old Jori and her friends were supposed to be. Based on the fact that they were teenagers in high school (and yet Jori still had her father driving her around), I'd say they were supposed to be about fifteen. The problem is, they were written as though they were about eleven. This book is about dreams... teenagers' dreams, for the most part. And yet we've got a landscape populated by William Wallace, pharaohs, swamp hags, and talking wolves and unicorns.

And yet, I wouldn't give this book to younger children, either. We've got characters being lured into a derelict house by a creepy old man with only slight misgivings ("Well, we might end up murdered, but he says he's got something special to show me behind that door, so I'm going to go have a look!"). We've got some bad language that really wasn't necessary, and it came across as a desperate attempt to seem hip. Having a character say "shit" a lot does not make him seem more like a teenager. And I don't like recommending books for younger readers that have problems with the English language. There were two spots in the book where the editing went awry (extra words appeared in the sentence, as if the editor couldn't decide on which one, and so included both). There was an instance of "it's" being used as a possessive (gah!). And "pharaoh" was spelled wrong multiple times... including in a chapter title!

It took me ages to get through this one because I just wasn't enjoying it. Perhaps if I had gone into it with different expectations -- namely, that this was a book for a much younger audience -- I would have enjoyed it more. Then again, I probably wouldn't have. Ultimately, Dream Spinner reads rather like someone's weird dream. And while dreams are often relevant to the person having them, they're usually pretty boring to everybody else. As Max Beerbohm said, "People who insist on telling their dreams are among the terrors of the breakfast table."

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 1/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Overall: 2.4 out of 5

In My Mailbox (12)

I think I actually ordered this bunch of books (online) before I went to the bookstore last week. In any case, I've got more books! I didn't realize that Before I Fall and Storm Glass were so thick. Yikes. I think that I'm probably set for books for the rest of the year!

Anyway, here's what was in my mailbox (literally):

Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Dream Spinner
by Bonnie Dobkin

Disfigured by a car accident that also killed her dad, Jori has been transformed from a popular high school student into a bitter loner. Fatherless, isolated, and betrayed by her best friend, Jori is angry at the world. And now her sister Lisa has disappeared, unable to cope with the changes in her family. Walking home from school one day, Jori stumbles upon a strange house and meets Professor DePris, who shows her a living tapestry woven from dreams. Distrustful of the eccentric old man and the telepathic spider who weaves for him, she resists entering the dream tapestry until she realizes her sister is trapped inside. It’s up to Jori to enter the tapestry and rescue Lisa from the monstrous old man who is feasting on her fantasies. But how can Jori convince Lisa to leave this fantastic, yet dangerous, world where anything—even reuniting with their father—is possible?

Evil?
by Timothy Carter

Book of Stuart, Chapter 1:10.

10 And, yea verily, Stuart did commit the Sin of Onan in the shower. And this was witnessed by his own brother who did cry out unto their mother. And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
11 And the townspeople rose up against him and all Onaners, calling upon one another to tear the youthful sinners limb from unclean limb. And there was much pants wetting.
12 And lo, Stuart did join forces with the demon, Fon Pyre, and together they did set forth to discover the cause of the town's trouble.
13 And, hark! A pair of fallen angels would plant seeds of hatred unto the townspeople. And on the seventh day, Stuart did vow to rip the fallen angels a new one and layeth upon them an epic smacketh-down.

Storm Glass
by Maria V. Snyder

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed…powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.


Yes! I'm finally going to start the Glass series. I keep hearing good things about it. And I've been waiting for Before I Fall for ages. The other two... well, they just looked interesting. And Evil? looks like it could be pretty funny.



What was in your "mailbox" this week?



In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.