Sleepless

Reader reviewed by Justine

I was excited about Cyn Balog's novel Sleepless right from the beginning because of the fresh, fabulous-sounding premise, and I'm happy to say that it does not disappoint!

Reader reviewed by Yan

Sleepless was a novel of mystery, drama, and suspense. We start off with New Orleans where the magic is seemingly everywhere. Bring that back to Emmas hometown and were stuck with a duh duh duh&mystery! So basically everyones dying: Murder, drowning, suicide, you name it, theyve done it.

Theres a lot of a build up in the first few chapters. The prologue gave a startling dialogue where Emmas father talks about Emma and how she sleepwalks which relates to the case where many of the children murdering in their sleep. The action, however, dies a bit and were left with drugs and drama. The characters also falter a little. Not so much where youre left scratching your heads though.

Then it picks up again towards the middle with&murder! Now were talking. So the mystery thriller aspect of the book finally reveals itself and the reader is captured in a scene by scene as the characters struggle to stay awake and figure out what the hecks going on.

In some areas the question of New Orleans is a start but left unanswered. How does the scene from New Orleans connect to the true reason behind the murder? The sleepwalking girl was said to be controlled by voodoo yet the ending of the novel Emma was controlled by something else entirely. I didnt, however, expect the turn of events. Surprising.

Reader reviewed by Reader Rabbit 1

Years ago, Trinity helped in the capture of Rafe, a crazed murderer. And, she did it by dreaming. Ever since she was seven, Trinity's been able to "dream walk". Simply put, her dreams put her in the position of knowing things that she doesn't want to know. Now 18, her life's at risk because of that very "gift". Rafe has escaped and all he wants is to kill her.


Minus the supernatural plotline, Sleepless is very stereotypical. Trinity is "Goth Girl" and her best friend-"Soccer Star". They're hoping that this year will be a "summer of change". Trinity meets a hot guy who she's suspicious of at first and then...well, you can guess what happens. The beginning of the book turned me off because of this but I continued after reading this review.


So, despite all that, is it strange to say that I liked it? The characters own up to the stereotypes right away and after a bumpy few chapters, the story becomes, well, fun, fast, and funny. The novel is peppered with slang, and while sometimes some of the dialogue rang untrue, most of it was realistic. But, the main reason why I liked it was because of Trinity. She's a tough, sarcastic character and reading the novel through her narration alternated between being mostly amusing, sometimes scary and never boring.

Reader reviewed by Dominique

Ever since she foresaw her friends murder and alerted the police, Trinity has been dubbed the Dream Girl. Although the police had arrived too late to save her friend, they apprehended the murder. Despite the fact that Rafe was caught, Trinity can hardly rest easyRafe was deemed mentally insane, and thus, could not be thrown into jail. Instead, he was put into a mental institution. Trinity knows that Rafe was not mentally insane, a psychopathic murderer, perhaps, but not insane. But with the help of a slimy lawyer who would do anything for money, Rafe got away with just going to a mental hospital. Things dont get any better when the lawyer who got Rafe out of a prison sentences son, Dan, shows up at Trinitys front door. He says he wishes to apologize, and promises to help her if she ever needed it. Even after hearing him out, Trinity still finds him hard to believe, despite the fact he vehemently claims that he is against what his father does.


Trinity tries to live as normal a life as she can, but its hardly easy when she has disturbing dreams that often foretell something. Shes been purposefully aloof for her whole life, not getting close to anyone because of her fear of being rejected as a crazy girl with weird dreams. However, her best friend, Coral, wants her to open up and live a little. Go out for some fun and parties, have a boyfriend, and enjoy the summer. But Trinity is too used to her seclusion, and hardly wants to venture out.


But that is all about to change&


When Trinity suddenly gets dreams about Rafe plotting his next murder, she freaks outbecause Rafe is after her now. With her mother away on a trip and Coral away at soccer camp, Trinity impulsively calls Dan and asks him for help. The two flee Trinitys home to a motel, trying to figure out their next step. Trinitys fears are confirmed when they find out that Rafe has escaped from the insane asylum. After some thought, Trinity and Dan start digging around for some leads, hoping to find Rafe before he finds Trinity and kills her. But its all easier said than done, especially since Trinity is not the only one who can dream walk.


Rafe also possesses dream walking abilities, and appears multiple times in Trinitys dreams, apparently drawing power from his pain as he cuts himself. He tries to reach Trinity physically in her dreams, but Trinity narrowly evades capture. Having shunned her abilities all her life, Trinity hardly knows the extent of her powers. As Dan and Trinity try to learn more, Trinity tries to say awake so Rafe cannot harm her while she is sleeping. But with time running low, and Rafes powers seemingly manifesting, Trinity may not have much longer to live if they cannot find a way out of this psychopaths murderous path!


I liked how Trinity grew and matured as a character, trying to get over her guilt of not being able to help her friend and believing all her life she was a freak. I dont want to give too much away, but the quote from Spiderman With great power comes great responsibility, comes to mind when I think of Trinitys ability, which could go real far if only she would embrace it and not shy away from it! Though it would be understandable for any teen to want to shun an unusual and unnerving ability like Trinitys and want to be like a normal teenager!


Sleepless was a well written, suspenseful story thatll keep readers hooked from page one! With a thrilling plot and a nice touch of romance, Sleepless will keep readers up late to finish this action-packed novel. Trinitys fear was especially well expressed and believable, helping take readers on an exciting ride throughout the whole book! I really enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to Terri Clarks future novels! Fans of Wake by Lisa McMann will love Sleepless!

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Trinity is a very unique girl with the ability to dream walk. Trinity doesnt view this as a blessing; rather, she sees it as a curse. Because of this so-called skill, Trinity has to deal with a whole mess of everyones deep dark secrets that shed rather not know. This has only affected her negatively, causing her to grow up faster than she wants to and be reluctant to make friends, not to mention making her like a freak. But theres only one real thing that makes it the most difficult for Trinity to deal with her unwanted dreams: the fact that she knew a girl named Kiri was going to be murdered but couldnt save her in time. The fact that she helped catch the murderer Rafe is no consolation for this. But now Trinity has far more important things to worry about, namely the fact that Rafe has escaped from the insane asylum he was wrongly placed in and is coming to kill Trinity in her dreams. When she sleeps, nothing is sacred or safe, not even her own life.

Sleepless is a fast-paced and exciting debut from Terri Clark. Theres a perfect mix of mysticism, action, and even romance. Trinity was a funny and believable main character. While her school nickname Goth Girl didnt seem completely fitting at all times despite the fact that Trinity had a preference for wearing dark colors, the rest of her character was very well-developed. I liked that Trinity could nearly always keep her head about her except when she was a little too close to a particularly hot guy; this is one of her qualities that made her so real. Sometimes Trinitys relationship with Dan seemed a tad artificial because Dan was such a perfect fit for Trinity, but at the same time, it made the romantic part of this story all the more sweet. Trinitys ability to dream walk never seemed fake or superficial, which is something I appreciated. Sleepless has a fantastic combination of suspenseful plot and credible characters to make an incredible story I wholly enjoyed.

Readers who liked Lisa McManns novel Wake are sure to enjoy Sleepless. Even if you havent read Wake but still like romance, action, and the supernatural, you should definitely check out this awesome story. I most definitely recommend this fast and fun read, and I hope that there will be a sequel or at least another novel by Terri Clark.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com