All girl gangs, throw downs, and a quest?  This description was unlike anything I'd read before, and with this beautiful cover, I couldn't resist.

Such intriguing and creative world-building.  Mega City is a matriarchal society led by a beloved woman, and men are primarily considered secondary citizens.  It's a gritty, dangerous way of life, with gangs gaining power and moving up the food chain through physical battles against each other.  At the age of seven, girls are sent to soldier training camps.  Many of the citizens are hooked on pills that induce lucid dreaming, that are also a used as a form of payment.  It's not an easy way of life by any means.  The only thing I had difficulty buying into was eleven and twelve-year-old girls having the capacity to take down much older teens - it just seemed too young.

Nalah and her gang are tightly bonded, and consider each other family.  The dynamics between the crew are messy, heartfelt, and difficult at times, but completely realistic.  Nalah's strong loyalty to them and need to secure their futures through obtaining a spot in The Towers is the driving focus of the story - until some hard truths are revealed.  Nalah's character arc is sensational, and really made the story for me.  Her journey from having such strong beliefs about herself and her environment to questioning everything she thought she knew is compelling.

Dealing in Dreams is dark at times, full of action, and surprising revelations, and a book I'd recommend to dystopia and sci-fi fans.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

The writing and the story was completely spectacular. It was heart wrenching and I couldn't put it down. Definitely want myself a finished copy of this book!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was really fun and creative while still sticking to the issues and action needed in a dystopia. I loved how it touched on gender roles and recognized that an all-girl world has issues just as much as an all-male world does. My only concern for the book was that it felt a little fast for the pacing of the plot.