Gone by Lisa McMann

This is the third and final book in the Dream Catcher trilogy by Lisa McMann.

My review of #1: Wake.
My review of #2: Fade.

Note - This will contain spoilers from the first and second novel in this trilogy. Read at your own risk :)

Ever since Janie found out exactly what was going to happen to her if she continued using her dream catching abilities, she's been conflicted as to what she wants to do.

On the one hand, she could keep delving into others dreams and eventually lose her eyesight and the functioning of her hands, or she could be alone for the rest of her life and avoid all human contact to live a solitary life.

Not really ideal for a girl who is helplessly in love with Cabel. Who, by the way, keeps having horrible nightmares about Janie, but can't seem to remember them when he wakes up. Doesn't bode well for their relationship, that's for sure.

But then, something happened that was extremely unexpected... Janie's father shows up. The father that she has never met in her entire life. The man she has never really thought of all of these years.

Unfortunately he shows up at the hospital in a severe coma after having a brain tumor. So Janie can't really talk to him to ask him all of the questions that keep popping into her head.

Now, Janie has the hardest decision to make in her life. Stay with the love of her life and slowly deteriorate or leave him, disappear, and be alone until old age. She's not sure how she will choose, but some unexpected news comes into view that will make Janie's decision a lot easier to choose what her future will hold. To find out, read Gone by Lisa McMann, the final conclusion to the Dream Catcher trilogy.

My Thoughts/Reflections
My reaction to this book in one word?

Eh.

That's right, Eh. I dunno, it just didn't do it for me. I loved the second novel, there was a back story to follow plus the actiony part where Janie was busting some teachers.

But this novel was about Janie choosing what she wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, that was a huge decision and I respect the author for showing that it literally tore Janie up in two when trying to decide. But THAT'S. ALL. THAT. HAPPENED.

Nothing else significant happened. Sure, her father came. But we didn't get any satisfaction from that event.

I dunno, I was greatly disappointed with this novel.

It was a fast read, I flew through it, but it wasn't satisfying for me.

At least I was able to finish the series and I didn't have to wait extremely long for it to be released. I definitely would have been more angry if I had.

So, overall, I enjoyed the series as a whole, but wouldn't buy it for my own collection. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it and have read almost all of Lisa McMann's novels, but that's as far as I would go.

This would definitely be a book for anyone who started the series to read so they can finish the story and see what happens to Janie and Cabel. For one just starting this series with this book, don't do it. You'll be confused and spoil the first and second novels, which I thought were better.

I'll be keeping my eye out for more of Lisa McMann's novels, which will be happening soon with a new series she's starting and the first novel will be released in January 2013. It sounds a little bit like the Dream Catcher series, so I might just wait until all 4 novels are out before I start that.

Fade by Lisa McMann

This is the second book in the Dream Catcher trilogy by Lisa McMann.

My review of #1: Wake.

Note - There will be spoilers from the first novel in the trilogy, so if you don't want to find out what happens in the first book, Wake, you probably shouldn't continue reading this review.

Janie finally has a purpose. After finding out that Cabel works for a hush, hush government agency that narcs on people doing illegal activities, things have been different for Janie. Especially since she can now use her dreaming abilities to help find details out.

And now Janie is officially employed there and has her first assignment: find out if there is illegal student/teacher relationships at her high school.

Oh, and her and Cabel are dating, but can't make it public yet from the last assignment Cabel was on a few months ago.

So now Janie has to find her inner flirt and figure out if one of the teachers is taking advantage of his/her students. And fight Cabel every second because he doesn't like her getting into danger.

Janie is also learning how to manipulate the dreams she's sucked into, getting out of the dreams she doesn't want to be in, and learning more about what this ability will do to her.

Let's just say that Janie isn't bored anymore and has found a reason why her abilities can be a good thing.

But then Janie gets sucked into a nightmare that she has to figure out before it's too late. And time is running out as this is Janie's last semester in high school.

Will Janie be able to figure out if there is a teacher/student relationship before the next illegal activity happens? Can Janie and Cabel find a way to work together without Cabel getting upset every time Janie goes into something dangerous? Read the second novel in this trilogy, Fade, by Lisa McMann to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I think this novel was even better than the first in her series! I'm really growing to like Janie and think she's extremely brave for taking her ability and using it for good, while also learning how to control it so it doesn't control her anymore.

Janie is also learning to take care of her body and is working out more, eating right, etc. so it's nice to see that her character has developed a lot since the first novel.

And I love that she is an undercover "cop" working. She definitely needed something in her life to go right and it seemed that she got a lot working for her after joining the force.

It was very entertaining reading about Janie flirting with potential teachers who might be having the illegal relationship with students. She's not much of a flirt and it showed in the description.

I've always had a soft spot for Cabel after what he's been through, but the way he acted when Janie got back from a mission kind of bothered me. Yes, he needs to know that Janie is safe, but Janie has been able to take care of herself for 18 years. I think she can handle whatever comes her way. Cabel doesn't act like it and it really rubbed me the wrong way.

I'm so excited to read the last and final book of this series, Gone. I'm intrigued to see what the title means - hopefully nothing too sad. And speaking of the last book, I have it in my hands right now and am going to start it ASAP!

I think that readers would find this very entertaining and something unique from what's been published now. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a little mystery with a little supernatural aspect.

Okay, off to read the next one!

Wake by Lisa McMann

This is the first novel in the Dream Catcher trilogy by Lisa McMann.

The first time it happened, Janie was 8 years old. One minute she was awake. The next, she was sucked into a dream; only it wasn't hers. And she couldn't wake up until the dreamer woke up.

Then, when Janie had her first sleepover, she was sucked into the dreams of both girls sleeping next to her: Janie's best friend Carrier and Janie's enemy, Melinda.

After that, Janie tried to stay away from crowds and if she ever saw someone drifting off in class, she ran from the room as fast as she could.

Because if the dreams are intense, Janie becomes paralyzed and can't find a way out of the dream. And if they are extremely intense, Janie has seizures she can't control. So it's better to find a way out of the dream than to be stuck in it for a long period of time.

Janie can't turn to her mother for help, since all she does is drink her life away in her room. Janie has never known her father, and this isn't the news to tell her friends for an afternoon chat.

On a trip to a school event, Janie found herself switching dreams for 4 consecutive hours. The only thing that got her through that trip was Cabel, who had no idea what was going on.

Well, that was before Janie got sucked into his dream. And the weird thing is, Cabel was sucked into the dream as well, and saw Janie watching his dream. Then he sorta figured it out.

Janie realizes that she needs to find a way to control this "gift" because it's getting out of control. Especially when Janie sees a gruesome dream that has chilled her to the bone. And she's seen a lot of unique dreams in her 17 years.

Will Janie be able to trust Cabel with this secret? Will she be able to figure out how to control her dreams before she gets hurt? Read the first in this completed trilogy, Wake, by Lisa McMann to find out!

My Thoughts/ReflectionsThis is the third novel I've read of McMann's and ironically, I've read them out of order from when she published them! I've reviewed both of her novels on my blog: Cryer's Cross and Dead to You.

And I haven't been disappointed by her work yet! I really enjoyed the beginning to this trilogy. Being sucked into other people's dreams is not as fun as it may sound, but Janie has been able to handle this unique gift that she never asked for.

McMann wrote this very differently. She jumped from scene to scene, some of them being from years ago reliving how Janie first handled the dream catching. And she wrote it based on the day and the time, which I'm really awful at looking at so I couldn't keep track of the time span very easily.

However, I really liked Cabel. When Janie heard that he was dealing drugs and dating a cheerleader, she stayed away from Cabel. She didn't need that complication in her life along with the dream jumping as well. Even though she felt a strong connection with Cabel.

But Cabel was very determined to talked to Janie. He left her notes and went to her house - anything to get her attention.

I could not imagine jumping from one person's dream to another and seeing their innermost unconscious thoughts. Heck, I don't even like dreaming my own personal dreams, so looking in on others would be tiring.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading McMann's first books that she published! Because this series is already complete, I don't have to wait around for the second or third. And actually, I have the second one right next to me that I am going to start shortly!

I would definitely recommend this book to readers. It's different because it's about dreaming, but also has everyday problems like how Janie lives in a trailer and gets bullied at school.

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

The town of Cryer's Cross is not very big. There are less than 250 people. Most of the families are farmers, and the high school consists of 1 room - where all 4 years sit and have one teacher. Think of it as "Little House on the Prairie" if you will.

At the end of Kendall's junior year, a girl, Tiffany Quinn, went missing. They searched for her over the summer, but was unable to find her.

When coming back to school to start her senior year, the news about Tiffany started to die down. Now the buzz was about the new kids: Marlena and Jacian Obregon.

Kendall still did her usual routine at school: put the trash can the right way, put the markers in rainbow order, open the windows and straighten the desks. She has OCD and needs to have things in an exact way, or she starts to get jittery.

After a few weeks at school, Kendall's best friend Nico starts to act odd. He spaces off, doesn't have a conversation, and wanders away.

Then a few days after that, Nico disappears just like Tiffany did...

There was a search party, but just like Tiffany, no one was able to figure out where he went.

When Kendall started hearing voices coming from the desk Nico sat at, she thought she was going crazy. A desk can't talk to her. Later on, though, Kendall forgot about the weirdness of the talking desk and decided to listen to what it was saying.

She could help Nico. But at what price?

My Thoughts/Reflections
I think Lisa McMann is starting to be my new favorite mystery/suspense YA author! She did a fantastic job with this story, weaving mystery and supernatural together to create a great story.

I read another novel by her, (I reviewed Dead to You here) which was a little different than this novel, but just as suspenseful.

I've never met anyone who has OCD (not that I know of, anyway) so while I couldn't relate to Kendall, I thought she had a handle on her disease. She didn't announce it to everyone. In fact, Nico was the only one who really knew about it, so when he disappeared, it made hiding her OCD habits hard for Kendall at first.

Jacian was by far my favorite character. He was the silent, stay-away, moody new guy who was mad about moving during senior year to a town-but-really-country/town-area from a big city. When he found out about Kendall having OCD, he didn't make fun of her, but let her be herself.

The mystery and supernatural aspect of this story could have been stronger. The reader didn't really get answers until the end of the book and it seemed almost rushed.

Lisa McMann did leave this book open for a sequel to come out, with the "ghost" factor after the last few pages. It will be interesting if she writes another one and where she would go with it.

I really enjoyed this story. I read reviews that said they didn't like Kendall and thought this story gave them goosebumps, but I found it a quick read that kept my attention until the very end.

For anyone looking to read a suspense/mystery story with a little paranormal, I would definitely recommend this novel. With the above cover, it could appeal to guy readers, even though it's a female narrator, so I would say any audience could enjoy this novel.

I also think reluctant readers would like this novel as it's unique and dark in some areas. It's very easy to read and, once you get into the story, very fast paced.

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

For 9 years, Ethan has been missing from home. He was abducted right outside of his house when he was 7 and, now, at 16, he is finally coming home.

Only he can't remember anything that happened before the abduction.

Ethan has been on the run for the last year. He happened to see a missing child's website and a "futuristic" photo of himself - the ones where the cops change a photo from when the child was missing to what they should look like today.

After that, Ethan was introduced to his family again: his mother, father, younger brother Blake, and his younger sister, Gracie, who wasn't even born when Ethan was taken.

Everything happened very quickly for Ethan when he was taken home, but he assumed that everything will go back to normal after the initial shock of being back home.

That wasn't the case. There were still some who questioned why Ethan couldn't remember the first 7 years of his life, and there was a lot of tension for Ethan.

However, Ethan was finally in a stable home after years of living on the streets. He got along great with his parents and with Gracie, had a girlfriend he was crazy about, and was actually doing well in school.

Will the tension die down for Ethan? Will he feel completely at home soon? Read Dead to You to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. This book was filled with intense scenes that sometimes made my jaw drop. I can't imagine finding out that I was kidnapped 9 years ago and being re-introduced to my family who looked for me for years.

I can see why Ethan felt overwhelmed at first.

This book definitely took me by surprise and kept me guessing throughout the novel.

I don't want to say too much and give spoilers, so I'll just say that Lisa McMann wrote a great novel and now I might read her trilogy that I've heard so much about, Wake (Dream Catcher), to see if her other works are this good.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone, and the narrator was a male so it is a good book for teen guys as well as girls.