Review: Reswyt pulls you into a magical world...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 4, 2012
3.5 starsI really enjoyed Reswyt, the first installment of the Dreamline series. In some ways, it reminded me of 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'. I also felt like there was a spiritual aspect to the book (though not blatant) partly because the author's voice was one of reverence and partly because of the underlying themes of good vs. evil and free will. Though Reswyt is a YA novel, it certainly has the potential to challenge readers of every age group to deep thinking and personal reflection. Not sure if this was Mayer's intent or not, but it certainly did that for me.There were some timeline and editing issues in the book that should be addressed, but nothing that will keep you from progressing forward with the story. And an interesting story it is! The story alternates between point of views, though our main narrator is a young girl named Sabine, and realms. At first, these shifts were difficult to navigate as there was a lot of history up front and world-building taking place. The concepts were pretty abstract and not easily understood and it took a while for them to sink in. On one hand, it's fine because Sabine is having the same experience as the reader and you're learning right along-side her. On the other hand, I kept re-reading things to try and wrap my head around it which took me out of the book completely - at least for a small period of time. I found that the plot picked up and was the most engaging around 50-60%. At that point, I was excited and eager to get home from work to finish the rest of the book.What I liked most were the elements of ancient Egypt that were incorporated into the book - gods, beliefs, artifacts. It was very cool. The whole idea of the dream state (reswyt), the subconscious, and the rules while there were very imaginative and fun to read. I am loving the potential for a love triangle between Sabine, Josh, and Dylan. I'm hoping that gains some traction in the next book. Finally, Reswyt has some underlying mysteries which add depth to the story and will carry on into the next books. There are many questions that I'm looking forward to finding the answers to.