The Waking: Dreams of the Dead: Dreams of the Dead

This is a really suspenseful read; it's really more suspense than horror, but still pretty scary. I could not read this book at night and had to read most of it during the day, like at work. I really enjoyed the setting of Japan, which you don't often see in YA novels; it's fun to go abroad through reading. The myths used were a really fresh and original take on a tired subject (vampires) and really utilized the setting and history of Japan to that advantage. I loved reading about the friendships Kara made during her time there and just how similar Japan's students can be to our own. The climax of the story seemed rushed and abrupt, though the ending gives us a breather and a bit of time to come out of the climax and story, which was nice. Overall, a really scary read and definitely one to be considered if you're wanting a book to scare the beejeezus out of you and want a fresh take on an oft-used subject in horror.

Kara Foster and her father just moved to Japan to follow their dreams after the death of Kara's mother. She is the American girl, an outsider. Then she meets Sakura, another outsider at the private school. Sakura is haunted by her sister's death that happened during the previous school year. Then, Kara starts having nightmares. Other students turn up dead. But who is killing them? The story went on pretty slow from the start. Being a supernatural book, I was confused about it until it really picked up the pace, which was actually not until the last few chapters. That being said, I wish the book had been paced differently to make it more interesting. However, I was interested in the Japanese culture included in the story. I enjoyed the characters, though sometimes I did not understand Kara. DREAMS OF THE DEAD ended on a cliffhanger that intrigued me enough to want to know what will happen in the next book in the series. Reviewed by: Ashley B

I found out about The Waking: Dreams of the Dead through Lenore who had a Bloomsbury contest going on, which I was lucky enough to win. Before I found out about that, and the second I saw the book in the contest post, it was put into my TBR pile. The book sounded interesting to begin with, and then I went to the site to read the prologue, and that first sentence of the prologue coupled with the end of it, dragged me in completely. "Akane Murakami died for a boy she did not love." The Waking:Dreams of the Dead, Prologue "The whole of Miyazu Bay seemed comprised of her tears. Even the sky wept as she died. For a boy she did not love." The Waking:Dreams of the Dead, Prologue The prologue of Dreams of the Dead was one of the best and most intriguing, vividly detailed, introduction chapters I have ever read, not to mention tremendously heartbreaking. That very first sentence is what pulled me into Dreams of the Dead, and the imagary, culture and folklore is what kept me until the very end. Dreams of the Dead was amazing, simple as that. The plot is original, the characters are likable (or not likable, depending on who you're talking about...), and there's so much Japanese culture. I loved learning about the schools and customs that are used there that resemble nothing we have in the US. As well as the lore and beliefs about the dead that the Japanese have. The only problem with learning these things however, is that I have no outside personal knowledge of any of those things, so I have to take the authors word for it, unless I want a couple hours of research ahead of me! Not to mention, it's scary. Not `OMG gonna pee myself' scary, but `holy mother of baby Jesus what is going on' scary. And Thomas' vivid descriptions of everything just intensifies that ten fold. I've heard a few reviews say that the book was slow for them, and might be for major horror fans, but it wasn't for me. Not even a little bit. It was gripping and thrilling, and I read the entire thing in one whole sitting. I did stop to eat dinner, but the entire time, I was sitting there thinking about what happened next, I didn't even finish eating, I wanted to get back to reading it so badly! A few of the names and places in the book are slightly confusing to me, which is why it's rating is lacking 1/2 a star. I remember a few times Thomas would mention something, and the only thing that would go through my mind was "what in the world is he talking about?" Which I would then have to look up the words for, but it doesn't hinder the story very much, even if you don't want to look up the words, it's very easy to move on from them without it effecting the story at all. I LOVED the twist in the plot as we got nearer to the end and figuring out who or rather what was tormenting Kara, her friends, and the school! I did not expect it to turn out the way that it did, but when it did turn out that way I loved learning about it! And that is all I can say about the matter,

Christopher Golden, author of The Boys Are Back in Town and coauthor of The Map of Moments, takes a journey away from his usual stories of the magical and horrific to tell a story of a different kind of horror and the macabre for a younger audience. Because of this, Golden is writing under the pseudonym of Thomas Randall, taking us to Japan and its complex culture and ancient supernatural legends. Kara Foster's mother was killed in a car crash, leaving her and her father alone. After years of studying Japanese culture and learning the language, they emigrate to Miyazu City where tall and blond Kara will be starting at a new school where her father teaches English. She is terrified, wanting to make friends and fit in, but also knowing she is a gaijin or foreigner, and will have to work hard to gain the respect of others. She eventually befriends the rebellious Sakura and learns of the dark history of Sakura's sister at Monju-no-Chie school. On the spit of land known as Ama-no-Hashidate she was murdered by a group of school girls for having the love of a boy she had no intention of returning. And now those girls are started to turn up dead, through mysterious circumstances, while they all appear to be having terrible nightmares involving girls without faces and terrifying cats with sharp claws and teeth - Kara included. Sakura believes it to be the haunting spirit of her sister, exacting revenge, but as Kara discovers, it is something much worse. Christopher Golden has outdone himself in taking the reader deep into Japanese culture, quick to explain how and why habits and characteristics are different, but at the same time he has a great horror story at the heart of Dreams of the Dead that will keep you riveted to the very end. And the good news is this is the first of a ongoing series by Thomas Randall and includes the prologue and first chapter to the next book in the series, Spirits of the Noh. [...]

Kara Foster moves to Japan, after her mom's death. Her dad has received a job offer at a private school. She is a complete outsider and becomes friends with Sakura. Sakura is also an outsider that is dealing her sister's unsolved murder. It seems that no one cares that a beautiful girl was murdered, right behind the school. The other students go on as, if nothing has happened. Sadly, that doesn't last for long. Kara begins to have nightmares and a few of her fellow classmates start turning up dead. Is Sakura getting back at those she thinks are responsible for her sister's death? Or has her dead sister come back to take revenge for herself? I am a huge fan of all things scary, so when I heard about this book. I got excited. I loved how dreams played a big part of this book, because it is something that I believe in. It was really interesting and hard to put down. Kara is like any other normal sixteen year old girl, except that she is in Japan and learning a whole new way to live in a sense. She is also dealing with the grief from her mother. She was very strong and able to handle anything thrown at her. I found the Japanese culture to be very fantasising. The mysterious and scary atmosphere reminded me of Nightmare on Elm Street and The Devouring mixed together. I recommend this book, if you are looking for a spooky read for Fall.