The Scary Reviews

Genre: Thriller
Length: 400 Pages
Publisher: Del Ray
Release date: September 12, 2023
Synopsis:

In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, a father must investigate the magical underbelly of Los Angeles to find his daughter, who has seemingly disappeared into the fantastical universe of her favorite books.

When Byron Kidd’s twelve-year-old daughter vanishes, the only clue is a note claiming that she’s taken off to explore the Hidden World, a magical land from a series of popular novels. She is not the only child to seek out this imaginary realm in recent years, and Byron—a cynical and hard-nosed reporter—is determined to discover the whereabouts of dozens of missing kids.

Byron secures a high-profile interview with Annabelle Tobin, the eccentric author of the books, and heads off to her palatial home in the Hollywood Hills. But the truth Byron discovers is more fantastic than he ever could have dreamed.

As he unearths locations from the books that seem to be bleeding into the real world, he must shed his doubts and dive headfirst into the mystical secrets of Los Angeles if he hopes to reunite with his child. Soon Byron finds himself on his own epic journey—but if he’s not careful, he could be the next one to disappear.

Told through journal entries, transcripts, emails, and excerpts from Tobin’s novels, Dreambound is a spellbinding homage to Los Angeles and an immersive and fast-paced story of how far a father will go—even delving into impossible worlds—to save his daughter.

Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review

Dreambound is told through a series of journal entries, interviews, and emails, Byron spends the majority of Dreambound trying to find his daughter Liza, who is obsessed with a fantasy series. Byron is convinced the series holds some magical power, which he struggles to understand.

I loved the story being told through the various formats, and the book started off with a lot of potential. Byron’s desperate search and belief Liza is still alive after running away displays the level a parent will go to, and the emotional toll it had on him. I was all in on Dan Frey’s work to build the world in Dreambound and quite a few characters were really fleshed out nicely. On the down side, it was a bit of a stretch that Liza, being 12, was able to travel across the country on her own. And, somewhere near the end Dreambound fell short of sticking its landing and I couldn’t buy Byron’s time on the ‘other side’. At this point in the story is where Dan Frey lost me, as any constant reader knows, the conclusion is the hardest to nail down. It’s kind of ironic, because the author in Dreambound had trouble ending her own book, as does Dan Fey getting Dreambound wrapped up without rushing.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Link to purchase Dreambound