John Dreamer: Review

John Dreamer By Elise Celine
Publication Date: February 1, 2014
Visit the author's website HERE
Goodreads Summary:

Andy wasn’t usually sure about much, but she was absolutely certain this was the weirdest day of her life as she stood stranded in the middle of a great white room with six strangers. Well, they were mostly strangers. She could have sworn she’d seen the guy with the green eyes before, and maybe that was why he kept staring at her. 

When a man calling himself the Guardian appeared and said they had come to make their deepest dreams come true, they embark on an adventure none of them ever imagined, and the consequences of their actions would change them forever.

"John Dreamer" is the first in a series of books set in the confines of the Great White Room

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Find the Kindle edition for $5.99 today (3/31/14).

My Thoughts:
Can you believe it:: this was my third fiction book in 2014!! It's March already and I have only just completed my third fiction book. Please don't leave! I swear I AM normal! But not only should you find that a little crazy and weird, but I also want you to know that I probably found this book enjoyable on that fact alone. I was desperate for story! "John Dreamer" is a short book, around 200 pages or so, but I am a pretty slow reader, still I finished it in one afternoon.

This is a warning that things I discuss about what I like and didn't like about this novel could be considered a spoiler. Please continue at your own risk!!

I am going to start with things I didn't like so we can end on a positive note. First of all, the author does a good job of leading the reader. I wanted to know exactly what was happening: what was this white room? How did all the characters get there? Why were they chosen? And with a great amount of frustration, we never find out. We never get answers to any of our questions! This book is all about what is happening in that moment and nothing else. The reader must completely suspend all belief and just be ready to go with the flow. I think this book is the beginning of the series so I am assuming that book two will, hopefully, bring us back to our multitude of questions and answer at least a few of them. However, I am not sure I will continue on with the series. In the process of trying to lead the reader, I was lead right into confusion. I have NO clue what was going on in this story and I don't want to make the effort to find out :(

Along the same lines, we know nothing about the characters beyond what is occurring in the present. I didn't learn anything about their history, their memories, who they are and where they come from. In the White Room we get to see all the characters face a Big Moment and make a decision. After they do so, they get to leave the White Room, then the characters left and the reader get to see what they become. But it is just so hard to root for them. We don't know anything about them so we can't understand why they make the decisions that they do. Confused yet? I was.

The relationships between the two main characters was, as you can probably guess by now, lackluster. It needed more detail, it needed more history. The ending was so dramatic for hardly knowing each other beyond a few hours. And it was a great ending and would have been super great...if we'd been given more to go on throughout the novel. I STILL don't know anything about any of the characters involved.

My favorite part of it all? The photographs. Each chapter starts off with a great photograph that represents the characters in the novel perfectly. You can tell a lot of thought went into each picture and I can really appreciate that. It was a fun added benefit. You can get a small preview of what I mean by checking the author's website (link above).

I rated this one with 2 stars. I know I am not an author, but I feel like I can safely say: this one had a lot of potential. It lacks a lot of detail that could really draw the reader in. I did read it quickly (for me!) and was interested in it the whole way though. Other readers will be able to fly through in a few hours. Give this one a shot and let me know if I am off the mark!