John Dreamer by Elise Celine

I was expecting a lot more from this book.  I was thinking that this would be a glimpse into the darkest corners of Andy's fears and dreams.  I was thinking that it would do more than gloss over the surface of seven characters.  I was thinking incorrectly.

This is 200 pages of cute.  Cute guy.  Cute girl.  Cute background cast, if a little quirky.  None of the featured people resonate with me, though.  It's hard to relate to anyone when you get only a glimpse of who they really are.  The fears they had to face for the dreams they wanted to achieve had potential.  If there were another 100 pages (at least), delving into the issues behind the surface stories, I might have been rooting for them a little harder. 

With seven people trapped in a room in  a dream world, it's understandable that friendships would form after a while.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of time, though, during which Andy sees everyone else as a close friend when each of them move on from the dream world to the real world.  The insta-love with John included, there's a little too much of an attachment being formed with these people. 

I really don't understand why there is suddenly a chapter written in the first person perspective of someone other than Andy.  None of the other characters spoke for themselves anywhere in the book.  It makes sense when you find out what Roy's fears and dreams really are, but it doesn't make sense to suddenly have another point of view when the others haven't been there. 

I can't say I'll be adding this to my collection.  It was an okay story without a lot of the grammatical corrections it could have used. 

Dream Girl by S. J. Lomas

This is a richly imagined fantasy novel for teens.  The dual narration gives the reader answers to questions that arise when reading a first-person point of view, and also gives insight to each protagonist. 

The characters leave a bit to be desired, I think.  They're a bit too flat, though they are written well.  The dialog is stilted and formal at times, too.  Given those issues, though, I did like this story. 
Christine and Gabriel give the reader two sides of a story that makes a couple of turns that the reader can't see coming.  I will definitely be watching out for a sequel.