Review: John Dreamer by Elise Celine

John Dreamer

by Elise Celine

Publisher: AuthorBuzz

Publication Date: February 1st, 2014

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy

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.
  -John Dreamer on Goodreads

 First Sentence:

I found myself in the middle of a great white room.

Last Sentence:

Then everything went black and I couldn't see anymore.

  This book is so difficult for me to rate. At times, I thought it deserved nothing less than five stars. At other times, I was tempted to post my first DNF. But I finished it, so here we are. The message that Elise Celine puts inside of John Dreamer is a poignant one that I think readers should pay attention to. Yet I feel like the actual story hindered her efforts more than it helped. The plot was very intriguing, but I don't think the main character and love interest were well developed enough to deliver the story in the way they were meant to.

  Andy falls flat as a main character. As a character, she never interested me. It wasn't because she was horrible or anything. She just wasn't anything. She was Bella Swan absolutely bland. John Dreamer, the love interest, was no better. If this story had been told by a different character, I would have enjoyed it so much more. There was one chapter that was this way, and it was easily my favorite. And I won't even mention the insta-love. Eight point five seconds, people.

  But there is no denying that Elise Celine is a talented writer. She is very good at building her world and selling you on it. Her idea for this plot is something that piqued my interest, and I felt like she stayed true to it. The underlying messages in this book are a welcome change to the themes in so many other young adult books. I was impressed with how Elise Celine handled them.

  If you can look over the boring main character and insta-love, this book is a very good fit for young adult fans. It has a striking plot that flows well. A second book in the series is being written, so lets hope that Andy becomes more developed and interesting as her story progresses. 

Cliff hanger warning: This book ends on quite a large cliff hanger. There is at least one sequel being written for this book, though. 

**I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley, AuthorBuzz, and Elise Celine.

Find John Dreamer on: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Connect with Elise Celine on: Goodreads | Website