Dreams Lie Beneath audiobook

continuing my deep dive into RRs bibliography to determine if she belongs on my favourite authors list. and with this book... i think she might!i really enjoyed the unique plot, atmospheric world-building, relatable characters, and pretty writing. theres honestly nothing to not like about this.and can you believe this is a standalone?! i feel like the ability to create a single, self-contained YA fantasy story has been lost nowadays, so i will always praise when an author can do it well. all in all, this is another great book by RR and one i would easily recommend.↠ 4.5 stars

Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss, mansplain, manipulate and malewife. All portrayed in this book. A masterpiece.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!4 starsDreams Lie Beneath is magical and captivating, the best kind of fairytale to become enraptured with. Rebecca Ross has crafted a promising debut with whimsical writing, an intricate storyline, and phenomenal world building, some so luscious and terrifying that it captures you from the moment you first set sight on the world of Azenor.This book follows Clementine Madigan, the daughter of two talented magicians, as well as gifted herself, in the art of guarding humans from their own nightmares. She and her father guard their hometown of Hereswith, where on each new moon the villagers’ nightmares come to life. That is, until one new moon arrives, and along with it, two young magicians bent on challenging Clementine and her father for the role of dream warden of Hereswith. Blinded by rage and revenge, Clementine disguises herself and unites with one of the young magicians, Phelan, intent of reclaiming her home.But what she does not account for is how Phelan may be different than she first believed him to be, and that the new moon nightmares may be hiding much more sinister beneath. "But sometimes things must break before they can be made whole again, so that they can be forged into something stronger." It would be an injustice to this wondrous story to fail to mention the exquisite world building and magic system. While the premise of this novel is intriguing, it is nothing compared to what lies inside. Rebecca Ross is a master storyteller, so skilled with her words that I felt immediately enraptured from the first few chapters. The walls of my bedroom faded away, replaced by the nightmarish, yet dream-like surroundings of the world of Azenor.The magic of this realm is unlike anything I have ever read or heard about—and I can say that without a single doubt in my mind. Ross’ story is truly unique, something entirely her own, and entirely magnificent.And just as amazing, if not more so, is the plot and storyline of the book. Dreams Lie Beneath has too many twists to count, as it dances the line between a dream and a nightmare. The last quarter of this book eliminated any pre-conceived notions I held towards the story, with a twist I never could have imagined. Ross holds the same skill with her worldbuilding as with her ability to weave together words to form breathtaking lines.What appears to be a straight-forward young adult fantasy novel is really anything but, as Ross subtly adds in details that seem to be simple at first but are apart of a much bigger plot than I had guessed. She is a genius at subtle storytelling, achieving an ending that is only that much more spectacular because of it. "One does not realize how powerful a dream is, in the sleeping world as well as the waking one, until it has been stolen from them." And now, to touch upon the reason why this book was, unfortunately, not a full five stars for me.While the storytelling, world, and magic was wondrous and captivating, it was not enough to make the story a favorite for me. Objectively, this book is fantastic—well-written, masterfully told, and meticulously organized. But subjectively, I simply could not connect to the characters.This book would have a much lower rating for me if I had not been able to connect to the main character, Clementine, but luckily, she was the only character I truly liked. Clem is fierce and snarky, talented and ambitious. With similar traits to Jude from The Cruel Prince, she is an unapologetic heroine, and easily admirable to me. I don’t think she will become one of my all-time favorite female characters, but she was fantastic compared to the rest of the cast of the story.While Clementine was wonderful, the rest of the characters in the story felt a bit…well, boring. I hate to say it because I enjoyed the rest of this story so much, but it’s true. It really dampened my enjoyment throughout some parts of the book. And yes, this group of characters includes Phelan, the love interest of this book.I have a feeling that many people will absolutely love Phelan. He is a classic young adult fantasy protagonist—broody, mysterious, but adorable and sweet. As I mentioned before, I really wanted to love him, and the only reason I did not is because I felt disconnected from his character. He is objectively a very well-written character, but subjectively, he’s just not for me I suppose. Even so, I will not be surprised if he becomes very popular among readers when this book releases.While most of the characters were a miss for me, I have a feeling they will receive more development as the series continued, and I am excited to hopefully fall in love with them. "You challenged me as if you were a nightmare on a new moon." I truly cannot rave enough about Dreams Lie Beneath. Having been compared to books like The Night Circus and Sorcery of Thorns I would even go so far as to say it exceeds those stories. This book is a hidden gem, one that would be a crime to not give a chance. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.Release Date: November 2, 2021Page Count: 496 pagesPerfect for fans of: The Cruel Prince, The Night Circus, Sorcery of ThornsRepresentation: a sapphic relationship between two side charactersTropes: enemies to lovers, hidden identities, forced proximity, rival families (and much more)

This was my first time receiving a book from an OwlCrate box. My mother kindly ordered me a subscription for three boxes as a Christmas present. The monetary expense, plus getting them shipped up here to Nova Scotia? You don't want to know. Is it worth it? Definitely. Dreams Lie Beneath is a beautiful book. I got an autographed copy with a blue hardcover and illustrated dust jacket, but the greatest part of all is the story in itself. Rebecca Ross seamlessly weaves together the struggles and enigma of magicians within the world of Azenor.Clementine "Clem" Madigan is the protagonist (this name threw me off because there's a large-scale gardening chain store in this province called "Farmer Clem's", and the Clem mascot is male). Anyway, as the talented and gifted daughter of two mages, Clem has a lot of power, but when this is threatened by some possibly very dangerous opponents, Clem has to team up with an unlikely source to protect herself, her family and her hometown. What she isn't aware of is that something much darker is lurking straight ahead. Ross brings readers into a tangled web of not only fantasy, but also the sinister depths of a world doused in nightmares.Dreams Lie Beneath is often a long-winded book, with a great deal of world-building. More plot-focused than character-focused, it won't be right for every reader, but fans of dark fantasy, romantic fantasy and even the mystery genre will find elements of everything they love in this book. To the best of my knowledge, the generic version of Dreams Lie Beneath also has a pretty emerald green cover illustrated with a character on it, so every edition is a visual artwork, as well.

Be patient, be shrewd. Holy moly ME OH MY…. This book was EPIC. I loved every second. The second I started this book I just couldn’t put it down and it only took me a day to read it because I just had to keep going. My first thoughts when I read through it were “why the heck did they name their child Clementine?! Are they hoping she’ll hang out with Apple Martin and Blanket Jackson in the weird name kids club?! Madness” and then I discovered her nickname was anna Clem and I thought that was super cute. I really really liked Phelan from the get go, and my gut screamed at me that Phelan and Clem should be together and live long happy lives with each other, so imagine my surprise when that new moon battle happens and I’m supposed to dislike him?! No, I just couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I was firmly in team Phelan and I wasn’t going to change my mind. I didn’t like Clem’s dad, Ambrose, from the beginning, again.. Ambrose?.. come on… some of these names really annoyed me… but I digress, good ole Ambie really pissed me off from the get go, I got a weird vibe from him and I just didn’t trust him. Mazarine, however, I trusted from the get go, mostly because everyone was telling Clem to stay away from her. Anyways, this was a lovely quick read and I loved it, I wish the names of the characters were better… a lot better… but other than that the only other thing that was kind of weird to me was how you could just stay inside and lock the doors because the nightmares couldn’t get into your house uninvited… so then what’s the point of the dream wardens?? Surely you all can just stay inside your house every new moon and be done with it? I dunno… but that and the names aside I loved every second of this book. It’s one I would happily read again. If you like books with magic, rivals, enemies to lovers then I think you'll enjoy this read!

This book exceeded all of my expectations. It was the perfect mix of fantasy, action and romance. I’m not even sure if this is my final rating— it might be bummed up to a 5-star read. If you thought the front cover was stunning, the inside is just as stunning. This is a book you definitely need to look out for! I’m finishing up my book review so hopefully it’ll be up by the end of this week so stay tuned!

A brilliant and creative masterpiece. Ross writes beautifully, vividly, realistically - the entire story is a DREAM. It's raw and gripping but also descriptive and lovely. A delicious treat. I related to Clem, the heroine - surprisingly, we're both rather intelligent but also can be vengeful and manipulative but at the same time rather sorry and worried and intimidated even though we pretend we're not. And I was impressed by Phelan (because honestly, I love how he is one of the few people Clem - or me for that matter - can ever look up to =). The world and setting is Victorian-inspired and DUELING MAGICIANS PEOPLE. Dreams/nightmares coming alive! I'm always in for that. :DSo yeah.... I'm still trying to recover. (WHY is it that it's the most brilliant books that I have the most difficulty writing reviews for??!! o.O) So yep. Naturally a proper Review To Come!

Per pero PEROOOOOOOO 🖤🖤🖤Con lo que me gusta a mí que se explote todo el tema de los sueños, aquí ha sido una pasada, y tanto la trama como los personajes me han encantado

Rebecca Ross es una autora que me gusta mucho y suelo disfrutar muchísimo de sus libros. Esta no ha sido una excepción y me ha parecido una lectura maravillosa.🌹La prosa de la autora me resulta bellísima. Es como adentrarte en un cuento de hadas, misterioso y con un montón de peligros, en este caso, pesadillas. Es una pasada lo bien que consigue trasmitir la autora toda la belleza y misterio del lugar que ha creado.🌹En ese sentido, la ambientación es uno de los grandes puntos fuertes de la novela, creando una gran asmósfera llena de fantasía, maldiciones, sueños... me ha encandilado. Me ha recordado mucho a la trilogía de Caraval y todo lo que me hizo sentir, un lugar de sueños🌹La trama me ha parecido bastante original, el tema de la maldición, las pesadillas cobrando forma, los magos guardianes de los pueblos...en cuanto empecé a leer quedé totalmente fascinada y no pude parar hasta el final.🌹Los personajes me han gustado muchísimo. Clem/Anna es una chica con la que he empatizado bastante y me ha parecido muy fuerte y valiente, con sus defectos también. Le he cogido mucho cariño, todo el amor que profesa hacia su familia y el deseo de venganza por haberle sido arrebatado el hogar. Phelan también me ha conquistado, lo he adorado. En cuanto a los personajes secundarios, muchos me han resultado interesantes y quería saber más de ellos mientras iba leyendo.🌹Se trata de un libro autoconclusivo, y queda todo bien cerrado y explicado al final. Me ha convencido.🥀 La única parte negativa, y no es algo malo del todo, es que me esperaba un poquito más de la historia de amor. A ver, no me malinterpreteis, es preciosa. Es un enemie to lovers que se va cociendo a fuego lento. Simplemente, me hubiese gustado un poquito más de tira y afloja. Tengo la sensación como si me faltara algo. Pero está genial, de verdad.Os recomiendo muchísimo esta novela, y en general, a la autora. Estoy deseando leer más libros suyos.4,5/5🌟🌟🌟🌟

¡Qué historia tan maravillosa! No decae en ningún instante y engancha demasiado. .What a wonderful story! It does not decay at any time and hooks too much.

5 stars, thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book! "One does not realize how powerful a dream is, in the sleeping world as well as the waking one, until it has been stolen from them." I'm awed by this book. Full of magic and dreams, this story immediately draws you in with its beautiful writing and bewitching characters. Right from the start, I could tell this was a book to be remembered. Dreams Lie Beneath is the type of book people have been wanting to read, and fellow readers will fall in love with it, just as I have. This book swept me away in a world full of both dreams and nightmares.This novel had tropes I love (enemies to lovers, revenge arc, hidden identities, one bed, just to name a few) and characters I adore (A Mr. Darcy inspired love interest? He had my heart the moment he appeared on page). Truly, the small components of this book add together to make a beautiful, whole master-piece. I couldn't get enough if it, the writing, the characters, the world, the romance, and so much more. "You challenged me as if you were a nightmare on a new moon." One of the many things I admired in this book is the magic and world itself. While complex, Ross does an excellent job of dropping information subtly, and slowly everything starts to click together. The magic itself was amazing, and full of surprises I had never thought of before. I mean, what would you do if nightmares could became reality every new moon? I love the magic Ross created, and the world full of curses and power surrounding it. Clementine was an amazing main character, and I loved her fierce, independent personality. Due to events in the novel, she must give up a part of herself to get what she wants, and I was awed by her drive and determination. She's truly a character to admire. Her quick wit and strong will were apparent the entire book, even if her plans were derailed by a handsome sorcerer that's not as evil as she would have liked. "But sometimes things must break before they can be made whole again, so that they can be forged into something stronger." The mysterious plot was an added bonus to this already spectacular novel. At first, I thought this was going to be a character driven book, but then you start to realize that something sinister lies beneath the surface, and that it's not something to be ignored. The twists and turns of such a darkness were a pleasure to read, and full of surprises I didn't see coming.All together, Dreams Lie Beneath is more than the sum of its beautifully made parts. It's something new, something unique, a collection of dreaminess and mystery. Past fans of Rebecca Ross won't be disappointed by this new addition to her works, and new readers will fall in love with her wonderful skill at storytelling. "He turned my fire into smoke, my wind into dust, my light into shadows."

Reread via audio! LOVED IT! I think I still enjoyed it more the first time because I was in the perfect mood/ setting for it. But the audio was pretty good too! I just the love swoony slow burn romance between these two!Original review: "But sometimes things must break before they can be made whole again, so they can be forged into something stronger." This was just such a beautifully written story that has me captivated. It was just what I was looking for.. something calming and atmospheric but still packed with a great plot and characters. Plus a sweet slowburn romance that made me swoon! 😍 I've read every book by Rebecca but her newest one (which is on my list) and she never fails to steal my heart with her eloquent writing that feels so effortless to read.

Some authors are so gifted that I want to weep and thank them for contributing to grace us with their work. Becca Ross is one such author. Dreams Lie Beneath is stunning in how magic is infused in every page - in how stories are connected and bigger than you could possibly imagine. Clementine is a character I could read 100 stories about. She’s bold and impulsive and clever. And the story within the story - the seven wraiths - was so well crafted and surprising. A pure delight from start to finish. A must read Fantasy of the year.