Review: Dreamy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 16, 2012
"Dream Magic: Awakenings" by Dawn Harshaw, is so much more than its glib description on Amazon (and its rather uninspired book cover) even begin to suggest. This is an instance in which one ironically must state: "Don't believe the lack of attention surrounding this book."A bit YA--but for adults, too--the novel is based on the imaginative and delightful premise that in the dream realm there exist things like dream camp, at which you actually can be trained to conquer the demons of your dreams. You know, those nagging bad dreams that you keep having, and you don't know why.We become travelers in this dream world through a boy named Eric, whose reactions throughout are completely believable.  The tools of magic that author Harshaw would seem to genuinely endorse are explained plainly and sensibly, without pretense or fuss. What could read as hyperbole or preaching is kept in check by recognizably human actions by Eric and the other characters. (In fact, at times I wondered if the Harshaw herself realizes how well she writes.)  One hazards a guess that the author has read the Harry Potter books, though if so that is hardly a drawback. If you enjoy Harry Potter there's every reason to enjoy this book.Jon P. Bloch(The Kindle Book Review)