Early Review: Dream On by Kerstin Gier

Dream On
By Kerstin Gier
Translated from German by Anthea Bell
Read: November 5 - 6, 2015
Published: May 3, 2016 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) 
Source: From Macmillan (THANK YOU!)
Tags: Dreams, Fantasy,YA, London
Series: Silver #2
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | Indiebound

Things seem to be going well for Liv Silver: she's adjusting to her new home (and her new family) in London; she has a burgeoning romance with Henry Harper, one of the cutest boys in school; and the girl who's been turning her dreams into nightmares, Anabel, is now locked up. But serenity doesn't last for long.

It seems that Liv's troubles are far from over--in fact, suddenly they're piling up. School gossip blogger Secrecy knows all of Liv's most intimate secrets, Henry might be hiding something from her, and at night Liv senses a dark presence following her through the corridors of the dream world. Does someone have a score to settle with Liv?

Romance, adventure, and danger abound in Dream On, the second book in the Silver trilogy. 

Note: See my thoughts on the first book in this series, Dream a Little Dream. 

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Dream On is the second book in the Silver Trilogy and the follow up to Dream a Little Dream. As with the first in this series, the reason I adore these books so much is because of the main character Liv Silver. I just love her voice. It is personable, chatty and a little bit scattered at times. I find her endlessly amusing and adorable. Even when angst and crazy things are happening, I am unable to get stressed out, while being inside of her head. I'm not at all sure how author Kerstin Gier achieves this feat, but she managed it with the heroine in her Ruby Red trilogy as well. This author also writes great relationships and this one has a host of them. I love Liv and her sister Mia's relationship as well as Liv's friendship with Grayson and her housekeeper Lottie. 

That said, I had a few issues with this book. First it took me quite a while to figure out what the plot of this installment was supposed to be. At least the first third of the story I was wondering where it was going. Thankfully, I was just enjoying Liv so much that it didn't matter too much to me. And lots of things happened in the beginning. I just didn't know where they were going. This is not a slow paced story in any way. Second, while I think the idea of a corridor with dream doors + people's ability to visit (and even manipulate) each other's dreams, is incredibly interesting, and I've enjoyed that set-up of the story so much, I've not been tremendously convinced of the agency of the villains in this installment. (spoiler) [They're basically vindictive mean girls (and boy) on a power trip with the use of dreams. I mean some of the things they've attempted have been really horrible and just over the top! It makes for an exciting story, but some of it is jut so crazy.] (end spoiler)

Liv's romance with Henry encounters some bumps in this story, which I was expecting, based on the way this author operates her middle books. He is a boy with a lot of secrets, who doesn't open up very well, and that causes some problems between him and Liv. The good thing is that we do find out more about him and their relationship was working itself out by the end of this installment. Also, they were able to work together despite the drama between them, which was quite refreshing to see. The bad thing is that everything isn't resolved, and I want some more explanation from him about some of his choices. I'm not at all ultimately worried about them, but I am eager for some more talking between them [and LOTS of groveling from Henry]. 

Overall, Dream On is a fun middle book, with a quirky song title that doesn't take itself too seriously. Much like the MC Liv. But this installment definitely has it's bumps, and I'm not overly convinced at why these "villains" are so out to get Liv and friends. Even so, I'm definitely invested in this series and eager to get to the last book.  

Love Triangle Factor: None (but some annoying behavior from Henry)
Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone