Review: The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

HCI Teens – October 3, 2011

http://jgabrielgates.com/

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Twitter: @TheTracksBooks

Source: Netgalley

This galley was given to me, free, in exchange for my honest review.

Read what this book is about here.

My Thoughts:               

Finally! I don’t know how long this book has been sitting around on my kindle waiting to be read. Let’s just say that it has been way too long.  I can’t even say it’s because I thought that I wouldn’t like it – I knew that I would. I could come up with some excuses as to why it took so long, but that part doesn’t matter. What matters now is the fact that I have read it and I loved it. If I had any sort of complaint it would be that the ending didn’t feel like complete closure. It is one of those that leaves some things to be interpreted by the reader, which means that it could be left alone and never touched again or Gates can write a second book and continue it. While I definitely wouldn’t mind another Caleb/Christine adventure, I would have liked a more definite ending. That being sad, I still loved this book! I still would recommend everyone to go out and read this book. Now on to the good stuff.

                The beginning was awesome as an introduction to the creepiness that would later become more prominent. It immediately grabbed my attention and made me wonder what was going on. There seems to be so much that is bubbling right under the surface waiting for its time to get out. I love knowing that something is wrong and not immediately knowing what it is. Christine is in what is essentially a refurbished insane asylum, but if she was lucid enough to send the letter then maybe she’s not that crazy.  I really liked the way that Caleb’s character progressed throughout the book. I loved the fact that he is a high school graduate with the aspirations of nobleness- he wants to go to Africa and make a difference. How often do you really see that type of character in a high school student in a YA novel? Caleb is not just a good kid; he is a good kid with the dream of changing the world from the beginning.

                He doesn’t know that he is already destined to do great things and face an oppressive evil. How do you  not help evil when you don’t know what evil is asking you to do? Christine surprised me –she really was crazy, a little. But she was strong enough to overcome the loss of her twin sister, her witch of a mother and the fact that something was done to her brain. There was strength in her that I didn’t expect to find.  I liked that the heroes had their own pasts to overcome, and that they all stepped up even though they didn’t think that they could.  I can't forget about Bean, truly the trusted sidekick. I love his humor and know that he's cracking jokes even on the ethereal side. And yea, this is going to contradict my first opinion of the ending (sort of). The ending wasn’t a happy ending; it was a well-deserved break for the heroes of the story. It didn’t necessarily provide the closure that I wanted, but it provided hope for any future adventures. Because whatever they face next, they can say that they survived the end of the world – this time. 

Recommendation: I think that if you have not had a chance to read this, you should put it on your TBR list. It is definitely worth reading.Go get a copy today!!

Always Shine, 

Starr K