Review: Hidden in Dreams

Hidden in Dreams by Davis Bunn

Book of Dreams #2

Howard Books – July 3, 2012

256 Pages – Fiction. Christian, Adult, Supernatural/Fantasy

http://www.davisbunn.com/

Facebook:  Yes

Twitter: @davisbunn

Source: Publisher for review

From Goodreads: It’s not about understanding the prophecy. It’s about outliving it. Dr. Elena Burroughs’s life is spiraling out of control. Her controversial stance on dream interpretation has cost her a job, a romance, and all credibility in academic circles. Her literary agent tries to leverage the outcry into a publicity tour, which soon attracts a quirky following. Among the skeptics and mystics is a condescending scientist. But Elena finds his research holds ominous parallels with her own. A certain dream pattern has foretold every major catastrophe stretching back to the dawn of civilization. And now this dream is repeating itself in countless nightmares across the globe. Elena is confronted with a harrowing realization: the clock is ticking down to a cataclysmic financial collapse. Her desperation mounts as the prediction infiltrates her own dreams. Will this scientist become an unlikely ally—and maybe something more? Could an ancient biblical secret about the power of dreams and visions offer them an escape?

My Thoughts:         
     I am not sure what I expected, but I was not disappointed. Not that I’m surprised since I really enjoyed Book of Dreams. Dr. Elena Burroughs returns and another journey starts with someone having a strange dream.  This journey takes her back out of her comfort zone and there seems to be a lot more at stake. But Elena is not the same person we met in the first book.  She has grown in some amazing ways. Elena is the only primary character that appears in the second book. The hopeful romance that was budding in the first book didn’t turn into anything. But it opened her up, making her receptive to the unexpected one she finds in this story. This pairing seemed closer to right, it was comfortable and not something born out of stress and being thrown together.

Besides the romance, the questions of faith are deeper. The leap of faith that Elena is asked to make is much more risky. I am happy to report that Elena has deeper strength that makes her more capable of facing the unknown this time around.  I think the events in the previous book made her that way, so it was nice to see some growth.  While I don’t want to ruin the “big reveal” , I have to admit that I wasn’t surprised by it. This was a very enjoyable read.

What's Next? This is the end of Elena's story. But Davis Bunn next work is  Lion of Babyon

3 stars * * *

I received a copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest review. 

Always Shine,

Starr K

Cover Image

Review: Book of Dreams

 

Elena Burroughs #1 

Howard Books  - Oct 4, 2011

352 pages - Adult, Fiction, Christian

www.davisbunn.com

Facebook: yes 

Twitter: @davisbunn

Source: Louisville Free Public Library 

Purpose: Received Book #2 for review 

Goodreads Summary: For Dr. Elena Burroughs, life is divided into two chapters—before and after the death of her husband. Today marks the point that her span of being a wife is equal to her span of being a widow. Even her success as a psychologist and her worldwide acclaim for a book on the interpretation of dreams is dimmed by an unspoken If only. Then a new patient arrives, one so private only her first name is given. Impeccably dressed and escorted by two bodyguards, Sandra recounts a frightening series of recurrent nightmares. Elena agrees to consider her case more carefully, convinced that something ominous may be at work here. Elena's interpretation of her dreams confirms that, indeed, the new patient and her family confront a powerful global network of dangerous forces. As the story unfolds, they face a key question of the Christian life: How do you understand and fulfill the will of God?

My Thoughts: I have to admit that I love it when I finish one good book and start another. That was my fear with this book. I had just finished reading a book that blew my mind away with its awesomeness, and I didn't really know anything about this book or this author. It's not fair, I know. And I soon found out that I had nothing to worry about. There was a point where I looked up and realized that I had just read a hundred pages, but it had felt as though I had just begun. This was a fast read, but only because it was a can't -put -down page turner. I couldn't  find a good stopping place so I just kept on reading. 

                 Bunn has found a fresh perspective on the supernatural topic of dreams and faith. Dreams and what to do about them/how to interpret them are popping up a lot, especially in YA literature. But I haven't read anything like this. This story is definitely action- packed  with some sinister  bad guys. It's balanced with good guys  who only want to do the right things. They are all connected  by dreams that appear to be from God. They all come to Dr. Burroughs who steps into new territory when asked to help a stranger figure out her dream. They can only agree that it is God moving them together, not that any of them understand it. 

                  This was a great read with characters that came life. The setting of Oxford often alternated between success and failure.  Sometimes I remembered that the story was taking place in Oxford, this happened when the scenery was brought to the forefront or when the buildings were named and described. Other than that it felt that the story could take place anywhere. I don't think that this is a bad thing though. 

What's Next? Hidden in Dreams

4 stars ****

Always Shine, 

Starr K