Book Review: Wake (Dream Catcher #1)

Title: Wake (Dream Catcher, #1)
Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Simon+Schuster, 2008
Page total: 210 pages
Date read: (first read) Dec 5th, 2009
Genre(s): Paranormal; Young-Adult

Reviewed by Ginny

December 9, 2005, 12:55 pm
Janie Hannagan’s math book slips from her fingers. She grips the edge of the table in the school library. Everything goes black and silent.

Seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagan gets sucked into other people’s dreams. She can’t control her ability of entering other people’s dreams, nor can she stop the consequences that come with it. When somebody near her falls asleep and is having a dream, Janie instantly gets sucked into it. First, her vision goes away and she loses the contact to the reality. Instead, she’s now an observant of a person’s dream. Second, her fingers go numb and she can’t feel anything anymore. She can’t know whether she’s standing or sitting or lying around. And third, if it’s a nightmare, she gets paralyzed and can’t move at all. She’s caught in the dream until the dreamer wakes up.
She can’t tell anyone about her ability -or rather curse if you think about it- because she has no one to tell. She was brought up without her father and with an alcoholic mother who spends no mind on Janie and who is drunk. And they’re poor. So Janie’s working her ass off at a nursing house to earn money. Her biggest goal is to get the hell out of this place she calls home and go to college with the help of a scholarship. But her already complicate life gets more complicated when she meets Cabel, loyal, sexy, with some secrets of his own.

First off, let me tell you that I LOVE this book. I LOVE it. Now I’ll tell you why.
For impatient people, I love this book because I love the heroine, the hero, the writing style, the plot and some other minor characters. Seriously, what could one wish for more?
For curious readers, I’ll elaborate it a bit.
Lisa McMann has created great, memorable characters. They are all unique and likable. Janie is an amazing heroine. She’s tough, hard-working and realistic. Her family is pretty much messed up, but that doesn’t drag her down, nor does she try to fit in to the rich people. She stands up for herself. If you have met people in your life who think they’re superior to you just because their parents have more money than they can possibly spend on, you’ll be able to relate to Janie. Cabel is sexy, fiercely loyal, and he cares a great deal about Janie. He has sense of humor, and he just warms my heart! *happy sigh*
The author uses present 3rd person PoV, and added with ellipsis (incomplete sentences), it makes the story gripping, suspenseful and compelling. I read this book in one setting. And also, since it is important to know who much time Janie spends in her gotten-sucked-into-dream-state, the exact time is often given.
In this book, there are quite a bit swear words, so it bothered me just a little bit, but other than that, a terrific read. Definitely recommended to anyone. Some people say that hate the writing style and thus hate the book, but it’s worth a try.

Quotes: (it's all inside quotes, so it won't make much of sense unless you have read the book first)

"Captain looks at Janie closely. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," she says. "You're gonna have a heck of a shiner by the time the day's over. Did you black out?"

"I...uh..." Janie shrugs. "I really have no idea."

"Yes, I think she did." Cabel cuts in. "I'm going to need to watch her all day. And probably all night, too," he adds. Very, very seriously.

The captain throws a rubber eraser at him and sends him out for coffee."

"That was the goth stage, where I decided I'd never get the girl of my dreams because of my scars. Not to mention my hairstyle. But then she slammed a door handle into my gut. And when a girl does that to a boy, it means she likes him."