Editorial Content for Dreamers Often Lie
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Reviewer (text)
From the stunningly talented author who wrote The Books of Elsewhere series and STARRY EYED comes DREAMERS OFTEN LIE, a book full of whimsy, fantasy and adventure! Jacqueline West brings her trademark poetic and hauntingly enchanting writing style to her newest book, DREAMERS OFTEN LIE, with ease. She incorporates elements of Shakespeare's time-honored and beloved stories into the fast-paced world of today’s teenager.
This story literally starts with a bang, as the main character, Jaye, receives a head injury at the very beginning of the book. It maintains this fast pace throughout the story as there is a cliffhanger on every page. After Jaye’s head injury, she hallucinates and has an incredibly difficult time distinguishing reality from fantasy --- or, more accurately, from delusion. However, she insists she is fine and demands to be sent home from the hospital in order to keep her lead role in the school’s play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” But soon Jaye begins to spiral into delusion after one of her supposed “hallucinations” comes to life. As Jaye gradually loses her grip on reality, she is left wondering if she can trust those around her, or, more importantly, if she can trust herself.
"Jacqueline West brings her trademark poetic and hauntingly enchanting writing style to her newest book, DREAMERS OFTEN LIE, with ease...I absolutely loved this book!"
I absolutely loved this book! There were two aspects of this book that I felt best conveyed the author’s writing expertise and the story as a whole. These two aspects were the author’s use of magic realism and talent for character development. West seamlessly blends the real world and Jaye’s perceived hallucinations into the same story, setting and plotline, all at once. The fact that the main character is an unreliable narrator makes the story much more compelling and suspenseful to read. The character development is incredible: each character in the story seems to go through multiple stages, morphing and blossoming into a different person by the end. For example, one character goes from a close childhood friend to a distant stranger to a passionate love interest --- all in the same book!
Despite all of its strong points, this book had just one downfall: the ending. The book seemed to end abruptly and I was left confused. I re-read the last chapter, but I still couldn’t make sense of it. I then re-read the last three chapters and I was still left confused by the ending. Some books leave the reader with a feeling of awe and enchantment after the ending, but this one just left me dazed and confused. The ending, however, this is just a minor pitfall compared to the rest of the book, and some readers may enjoy the mystery.
To conclude, I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13 as there are some scenes of violence and physical injury as well as emotional pain. More specifically, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy fantasy, the paranormal or love triangles. This book is an especially compelling read for those who enjoy theatre, Shakespeare and school theatre productions.
Teaser
Jaye wakes up in the hospital, disoriented, and beset by a slippery morphing of reality into something else. She repeatedly sees a boy who she feels like she knows --- but that's impossible. Determined to get back to school and back to "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in which she's starring, she lies to her sister, her mom, and her doctors --- she’s fine, she says. But then on her first day back, she takes a seat in class . . . next to the mysterious boy.
Promo
Jaye wakes up in the hospital, disoriented, and beset by a slippery morphing of reality into something else. She repeatedly sees a boy who she feels like she knows --- but that's impossible. Determined to get back to school and back to "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in which she's starring, she lies to her sister, her mom, and her doctors --- she’s fine, she says. But then on her first day back, she takes a seat in class . . . next to the mysterious boy.
About the Book
LIAR meets "Romeo and Juliet" in this Shakespeare-inspired young adult novel about whether to trust yourself when everyone is telling you your instincts are wrong --- for fans of Holly Black, Laini Taylor, and Black Swan, by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline West.
Jaye wakes up in the hospital, disoriented, and beset by a slippery morphing of reality into something else. She repeatedly sees a boy who she feels like she knows --- but that's impossible. Determined to get back to school and back to A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which she's starring, she lies to her sister, her mom, and her doctors --- she’s fine, she says. She’s fine, she’s fine, she’s fine. But then on her first day back, she takes a seat in class . . . next to the mysterious boy. Queasy with anxiety ("I can’t see you," she hisses at him, "because you’re not really here"), Jaye realizes this boy is, in fact, real. And he has no idea what she's talking about. Caught between this fascinating, empathetic new kid and her childhood friend turned recent love interest, Jaye begins to notice unnerving similarities between her circumstances and those of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays. Tingling banter and clandestine meet-ups give way to darker, muddier incidents. As things escalate to a frightening pitch, how much of what's happening is real, how much is in Jaye's head, and how much does it matter as she's hurtling toward a fateful end over which she seems to have no control?
