Book Review: The Book of Dreams by Morgan Reilly
Want to know if The Book of Dreams by Morgan Reilly is worth the read? Here’s my full review to help you decide
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read our full affiliate disclosure here
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Book of Dreams Info
Author: Morgan Reilly
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Where to buy The Book of Dreams
The Book of Dreams Summary
Grief.
Rory had grown used to her mother’s absence, visiting her primarily in dreams while she led a human kingdom to fulfill a magical deal. With Rory’s blend of herbs, she created a tea that gives the drinker deep, lucid dreams where they can build a world of their heart’s desire. But when her mother dies, Rory struggles with the grief that follows, a grief that mingles with bitterness that cuts into the soft places of her heart.
Betrayal.
A villager is found dead, and blame falls on Rory’s dream tea. But Rory’s road to proving her innocence becomes complicated when the villager’s betrothed wants revenge, aided in secret by someone Rory trusts…
Anger.
Angered and betrayed, Rory races against time to meet with those in power who can prove her innocence and stop the madmen on her heels, navigating the growing shadows within her to keep from losing what matters most–new friends, a new love, a chance at a new life…
But she’s cursed, her mind haunted. She can’t sleep, she can’t dream, and her nightmares are becoming real.
The Book of Dreams Review
The Book of Dreams is a mixed bag for me because whilst I did rate this book a 3 out of 5 my review below will not reflect this rating as much because I have A LOT to talk about.
I will break down my review using the CAWPILE method from the Book Roast.
Let’s get started with the review before I lose the plot because I yapped too much in the beginning.
Character: 5/10
The only character that I liked and enjoyed in this book was Enya. This is because Enya as a character felt like she had more depth and nuance and honestly was more interesting when compared to the main characters.
I found Enya’s vulnerability, intelligence, and humor fun and engaging to read which is great because her character also allowed the other characters to shine and show different aspects to their personalities.
Then, we have Rory and Locke
Rory is our main character and on paper, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with her characterization but in my eyes, she reads kinda bland. She hit all the notes on what a female lead should be; brave, slight damsel in distress vibes, independent, etc.
There was not much about Rory that could make her stick out from the gaggle of heroines from books or manhwas that I have been consuming at a very alarming rate. The amount of manhwa I have been reading is ungodly at this point.
Locke on the other hand is our male lead and is your classic brooding, tortured, misunderstood hero, and again I usually like these types of characterisation. I am all for the Duke of the North trope but again Locke like Rory fell flat for me.
I don’t and can’t relate nor empathize or sympathize with his internal struggle.
Locke’s guilt over his brother’s death should have added depth especially since it was the main factor as to why Locke went into self-exile but it just left me even more confused and thinking “That’s it?”.
I state this because his sister became the Queen of Thurin and she seems to be doing a good job and his parents still love him so what is going on exactly?
Also, I didn’t buy the chemistry between Locke and Rory and I’ll discuss this more when we get to the writing section of the review.
Atmosphere: 5/10
The world in The Book of Dreams had a lot of potential especially when it comes to its magic system but execution of its worldbuilding was a bit lacklustre and left me wanting more.
The biggest gripe I had with The Book of Dreams was the pacing and the travel time. The characters move between locations so quickly that I didn’t get a good sense of how big or complex the world was supposed to be. They’d travel from one town to the next with no real obstacles, making the journey feel too easy. I wanted more tension, more stakes—something to make me *feel* the vastness and danger of the world they were navigating.
If you take out the fact that they’re being hunted down by Durak and the goons, the traveling time and experience for Rory and the gang is relatively easy. I am not saying I want them to suffer unnecessarily but by making the journey seem easy it makes the reader less invested in the characters because you would feel like they’re going to be fine due to the main character’s plot armor.
Another thing that took me out of my immersion when reading this book was the mental gymnastics I put myself through trying to justify Rory’s initial plan to have a meeting with the Elders of Melia to prove her innocence was a good idea.
Like Rory, gworl, you had no proof, no nothing even if you met with the Elders it’ll be your word against Gideons. Like what did you think was going to happen? They’d believe you from the get-go and everybody has a happy ending?
Writing: 5/10
Before I give my criticism on the writing of this book I want to preface that I gave it a 5 out of 10 because I genuinely felt that with time the author’s writing would only get better because I saw glimmers of promise, it just needs to be refined through experience.
Now let’s begin.
To be quite frank it was hard for me to stay engaged with this book because the more I read the more questions I had for everything that’s happening in the book. It didn’t help that the writing felt disjointed and choppy.
I felt like there was no flow or fluidity between the chapters; no connective tissue if I want to be fancy about it. Reading the chapters I can literally envision the bullet points that the author wants to include in a certain chapter. I genuinely feel like the author should have delved deeper into why certain plot points had to happen not only within the chapter itself but also overall. This is to avoid the book reading like it has too many filler scenes.
I say this because there were quite a few times in the book that Rory forgo speed in running from Durak and his goons to help towns folks who were injured or sick.
Now my question isn’t why did Rory do that because I understand that her characterization is that she is a kind and selfless person but the question is more what was the author’s motive in putting that plot point there specifically.
As a reader, it felt redundant because it didn’t add any depth of character to Rory or the rest, and neither did it push the plot forward. It all just felt so unnecessary.
Another qualm I have is with the magic system within The Book of Dreams which follows a soft magic system. I am neutral in my stance on whichever system of magic an author uses as long as they can explain it well.
For me, the author didn’t explain the magic system well because I felt that since there was no baseline on how the magic worked the author used it to suit whatever that could make Rory get out of a bind.
I mean Rory starts with basic earth magic which makes sense because she is earthborn but then towards the end she was able to control the weather when she was really emotional. How? Wasn’t explained. Did she do it again? Nope. So, why include it if it’s not going to be explained further.
Not only can Rory conveniently be able to control the weather to thwart Durak and the gang but when it is time for the intervention meeting between Queen of Thurin, Glyni, and Gideon and Rory, she suddenly can cast a truth spell.
WHERE WAS THIS ABILITY WHEN SHE NEEDED IT ALL THE WAY AT THE START OF THE BOOK??????
If she had this power all along, I really question why are we gallivanting about the countryside then. As our sister in Christ, Cardi B, says, WHAT WAS THE REASON?
Don’t even get me started on the different breeds of magic folks in this book.
What is the difference between earthborn and chaosborn? How do their powers work? What about witches then? How does Enya’s powers work?
Another thing I’d like to point out it’s so annoying for me to read how we would get some intense actions scenes with a dash of betrayal here and there and literally the next scene is a happy family reunion as if the fight didn’t just happen a minute ago. The whiplash I feel is understated!
I NEED ME SOME ANSWERS
How did the antagonist teach Enya, who isn’t earthborn or chaosborn, dark magic? This is where I feel like the soft magic system comes back to bite the author because instead of being awed by the interesting magic system, I am just even more perplexed.
Plot: 5/10
Was the plot in the same room as us?
This was my thought when I finished reading The Book of Dreams by Morgan Reilly.
The books felt like a whole lot of something but also nothing at the same time. There was a lot of running and frolicking around to get to a destination, they’d reach the destination, Durak and the gang caught up and they would have a scuffle and rinse and repeat. It started to aggravate me, not gonna lie.
At the start of the book, we are told that Rory’s mom made a deal with the human king to save their people. What was the deal? I honestly have no idea and I am unsure if I just missed a few paragraphs explaining this or what. Anyways, tangentially because of said deal, Rory feels like it’s her responsibility to rejuvenate/replenish/restore the Ghostlands but before she could put pen to paper she was already framed for murder by Gideon.
Talking about restoring the Ghostlands, my question is why? What is in it for Rory? Why must it be her that restores the Ghostlands? Is there a prophecy I missed? I don’t know because like the magic system previously discussed these plot points are not explained again.
But all this pales in comparison to the absolute pure rage I felt when the true antagonist was finally revealed.
The antagonists reasoning to frame Rory for the murder of Gideon’s fiancee was purely because they wanted revenge on Gideon. After all, Gideon went to their parents to strike up a deal and basically, he made a deal with the devil since they’re Chaosborn but the deal went south and Gideon wasn’t happy so he alerted the elders about the presence of Chaosborn and the antagonists parents were soon executed or something like that.
So, Rory is just COLLATERAL DAMAGE in this nonsensical revenge plot by some side character we completely forgot about halfway through the book?
My biggest pet peeve in books is when the plot twist comes out of BLOODY NOWHERE. The moment a book has this, it’s an automatic no for me. My enjoyment of the book is completely tarnished now because I feel like I was made a fool of and I just wasted my time.
And don’t even get me started on the pacing towards the end—it was a mess. Things escalated too quickly and then just fizzled out without a satisfying resolution.
For example, Rory’s mission to revive the Ghostlands seemed important, but by the end, it was resolved so quickly and easily that it felt pointless. She gets there, her father and Liora are conveniently waiting to help her, and within what feels like five minutes, the Ghostlands are restored.
Like okay? What was all the fuss about then if Rory could fix it in what seems like 5-minutes? The stakes were so low it made me wonder why we were supposed to care in the first place.
AND WHY KILL ENYA! She was my fav!
I know from how I have been yappin about the things I didn’t enjoy in regards to the plot of The Book of Dreams the rating I gave doesn’t make sense but the thing is, the plot of this book on paper is solid the problem was the execution of it.
Intrigue: 5/10
Hope. Hope that all my questions will have answer by the end of the book. BUT IT WAS ALL FOR NAUGHT.
Logic: 4/10
The logic was not logic-ing
I have already discussed the magic system and how that was weird for me in this section I will talk about HOW THE FUCK DID Gideon get to Thurin so fast?!
Was he traveling behind Durak and the goons? If so why? Why did Durak catch up to Rory on the way to the castle in Thurin but then they needed to go get Gideon after the fight? Because everybody needed to get on a ship to sail to Thurin so wouldn’t it be best if everybody just went at the same time?
The character motivations were also all over the place. Rory wants to revive the Ghostlands, but why? I still don’t fully understand what her goal was or why it mattered. Locke’s whole redemption arc was equally vague. He feels guilty about his brother’s death, but the actual atonement? Nowhere to be found. And the antagonists revenge plot? Over-the-top and nonsensical.
Enjoyment: 5/10
Now, for best part: Did I enjoy it? Honestly, there were some moments that I genuinely liked and the author does have talent inw riting because I was fully immersed when it came to the action and fighting scens. I was intrigued by the world and the characters, but as the story went on, things just fell apart. The rushed pacing, unanswered questions, and plot twist that might as well have been the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs from how unforeseen it was, took away from what could’ve been a really engaging fantasy story. After everything, I was more frustrated than entertained.
Conclusion
So, there you have it. My review of The Book of Dreams by Morgan Reilly. The had some interesting ideas, but unfortunately execution wise the book didn’t deliver on their premise. The characters were underdeveloped, the writing was choppy, and the plot left me with way too many unanswered questions.
In the end, I’m giving this one a 3 out of 5 stars. It’s not a terrible read and if you’re someone who can overlook these flaws and just enjoy a fantasy adventure, then this book is the book for you. But for me, it was a bit of a letdown.
More books by Morgan Reilly
If you enjoy my review of The Book of Dreams by Morgan Reilly then you might enjoy my other reviews
Book Review: Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
Book Review: City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Book Review: Absolution by Anna Tan
