Wake by Lisa McMann

Book Blurb

Not all dreams are sweet.  For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody- notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....


My Review

Wake is about Janie, a girl who can't help the fact that anytime anyone falls asleep near her, she gets pulled into their dream.  The style of writing is a bit jerky.  Here's a sample from the text:

"Captain comes in.

Closes the door.

Sits behind her desk and takes a sip of coffee.  Crosses her legs.  Leans back in her chair and looks at the two teenagers."

I found the writing off-putting, but it might just be not my cup of tea.  


Characters and Relationship
I liked the characters, Janie and Cabel, and I liked the way their relationship unfolded.  However, this book just raised a bunch of questions.  Why isn't an 18 year old more curious about her unique ability? Why can she do this?  What is she going to do with this?  I have way more questions than impressions of either character.    


Plot
I thought this was a very cool idea for a book.  I love supernatural elements, and I find dreams fascinating. As intrigued as I was in Janie's ability, I was frustrated by the many plotlines that were just left hanging.  I hate finishing a book and feeling like there was no resolution, and I definitely got that feeling with this one.


Overall
I know the author left the book in a way that will inspire readers to buy book #2 in the series.  I'm not going to rush to do it.  I think that the series could get a lot better from here, but for this one, I give it 2 stars.