so unique and beautiful (both on the inside and on the cover outside)!! i had such a good time reading this and cannot wait to see what else rebecca ross puts out!

Rebecca Ross has a beautiful way of storytelling! She is an auto big for me from now on. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/Quill Tree Books for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

This was the perfect book to pick up at the start of fall. I scare easily, so I don’t like my books to be extremely scary, and this had just the right about of spookiness and dreaminess to match the fall vibes.

Look into this one if you like:
✨ unique worldbuilding
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ fantasy with romance that’s not the main focus of the book
✨ fairytale and dreamlike qualities to your fantasy

🎧 Chloe Dolandis did a fantastic job narrating the book - I’m glad I waited for this audio version! I tend to have some difficulty following fantasy audiobooks if I don’t read at least some of it with my eyes, and there were a couple of times that I was a bit confused. I might have spaced out and missed something, or it may just be how the book is formatted that a few scene changes were a bit confusing when done via audio without the visual of a larger break in the text.

Loved this original concept! The lore surrounding the magic and the mystery of the past was fascinating to immerse myself in!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A typical Rebecca Ross novel that's light on plot and tension, but heavy on character and prose. Not altogether bad, but tough to get through for me. I don't have a huge about to say about this book--not brilliant not bad. I enjoyed Ross's adult debut much, much more than this. Her natural writing style is suited for an adult audience rather than YA so I hope she keeps going down that road. While I think she Is a skilled writer, I don't think she has the "formula" that sells well in the YA book market.

Overall, this book was...OK.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

Rebecca Ross is a great writer. This book left me with quite a few fantastical mental images that have been stuck in my brain for quite a while now. The world of Dreams Lie Beneath felt vivid, a little scary, and absolutely intriguing. Did I love the love interest? Not really. The characters weren't my favorite, but the plot and world-building kept me coming back for more. I'll definitely be reading more books by this author!

This was so good! It gripped me from the very first page and I could not put this one down. I loved every page and need more!! I loved the slow progression of the story and the light romance was perfect. I would love to have a book set before this when the curse was actually created. Or even one set long after this to see how their world has changed.

I am a huge fan of The Queen’s Rising, so I was excited to read this new book by Rebecca Ross. I like the two main characters they were very complex and relatable. The writing is very beautiful and is filled with lush descriptions. However, the world building was very confusing. I did not really understand how magic works in this novel. Still, this novel is written in a fairytale feel! It has romance, revenge, and secrets! I recommend this for fans of Sorcery of Thorns, Spin the Dawn, and Uprooted!

I very much enjoyed this book. It was placed in such a unique world of fantasy and magic. I was so glad to have had a chance to read this. The banter, the twists, I was here for it.

Rebecca Ross never disappoints, let's be honest. For a YA fantasy stand alone which isn't my usual go to, this really hooked me. I loved the magic system which I think I would happily have read a lot more about since there were a few different types to learn, I loved the characters and plot twists not knowing who the true bad guy was until the end.
Full review on YouTube.

This was such a stunning book. Readers are treated with an amazing cover and the writing was so lyrical. Rebecca Ross did a phenomenal job with this novel! I cannot get over how beautifully it was written

Dreams Lie Beneath is fantastical, dark, full of depth and action, and will definitely find its home with YA fantasy readers.

Summary:
The realm of Azenor has spent years plagued by a curse. Every new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians—who serve as territory wardens—stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians arrive to challenge her, she is unknowingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets—as well as romance—begins to rise.

To fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn, Clementine must unite with her rival. But will their efforts be enough to save Azenor from the nightmares that lurk around every corner?

Overall, I relly enjoyed this book and can't wait until my copies come in for my classroom library!

I was lucky enough to be sent a galley box with an ARC of this book by the author. Thank you so much to Rebecca Ross! Here is this blurb I sent for the author's use:

As its title promises, Dreams Lie Beneath unfurls in sweeping visions of love, adventure, power, and revenge. The indomitable Clementine and the richly-rendered world of Azenor are bound to enchant readers in this dark and dazzling fantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Clementine Madigan wants to follow in her fathers foot steps and be the magician to her small town. She knows how to tame a nightmare and keep her people safe. But when 2 mysterious men challenge her and her father, she realizes there is far more at stake. Dreams Lie Beneath explores the horrors we grapple with when we lay our heads down at night and what it takes to break those fears. The magical world building done by Ross immerses the reader into the dark world of dreams. The story is expansive and is a little rushed due to the ground t must cover. I wonder if this could have been fleshed out a little more, characters and plot, if it had been divided into multiple books.

What a fantastic book! It took me months to read for COVID-related reasons, but I almost liked it better because of how drawn out the experience was. Enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance, a unique concept (a curse that causes nightmares to come alive and attack every new moon), amazing world building, high stakes, plot twists, characters I couldn't help but love -- this book has it all! Seriously, the romance was A+ and that's hard to pull off in a standalone novel of this type, for me at least. Loved this book.

I love this book! The plot is so original and beautiful. I bought a copy for the library and myself! Perfect for fantasy readers.

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 1/11/22.

Cover Story: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

This appropriately gloomy and magical looking, and mirrors do play a big part in the book. I like it!

The Deal:

A hundred years ago a duke was assassinated by his court, and, with his last breath, he used his magic to curse them into a dreamless existence, unable to die. That curse spread to all the land with the unintended side effect that once a month on the new moon, other people’s nightmares would sometimes come to life. This brought about dream wardens, magicians who take on the job of recording the dreams of those they live near so they can recognize the nightmares that appear on the new moon and more easily vanquish them.

Clementine’s father is the dream warden of their small village, and she his apprentice. Life is pretty idyllic, until on the September new moon two brothers come to town and challenge Clem’s father for the right to be dream warden. When Clem’s hesitation costs them their livelihood, her world is shattered, and she goes to increasing lengths to get her revenge. But there are other forces in play, and Clem is about to be in over her head…

BFF Charm: Yay

Yay BFF Charm
Clem longs to marry her magic and her passion for art, and, if you were to ask her father, she’s a bit reckless when she’s out killing nightmares. She makes a rash decision early on in the book that had me shaking my head, but, of course, without it she would’ve never gotten the answers she was looking for, so I guess: well-played, Clem. I liked her enough and would have no qualms about being her friend, but I’m not sure if we’d be the best of besties.

Swoonworthy Scale: 6

Clem manages to get a job (in disguise) with one of the magician brothers who stole her job from under her, and she’s hell-bent on making him pay. I’m sure I don’t need to explain where this may be headed.

Talky Talk: Surface-Level Fantasy

It’s hard to know what to say about this book. I think if I had to give you a thesis statement, it would be that overall I had a good time, but the book isn’t without its flaws. As a story concept, I was completely on board with the idea of a lost kingdom, a land beset by nightmares, and death-bed curses that need to be broken. I love a good fairy tale vibe. The page-to-page writing was also serviceable; I was swept up right off and easily spent a few hours in a row reading by the glow of Christmas tree light. (I saw some reviews that said the book was “confusing” to follow but I had no problems with that.)

But upon finishing the story—I have plot questions. A lot of plot questions. Even just writing out the curse parameters in The Deal above made me realize I am not quite sure how that all worked! There are parts I wish were longer and more fleshed out that probably could’ve answered those questions. I also would’ve liked more depth to the characters besides Clem. The nightmares they faced could’ve been scarier/higher-stakes.

Essentially, this is a rare instance where I would’ve preferred more books versus it being a standalone, because everything ended up, unfortunately, too surface-level for me to fall in love.

Bonus Factor: Magic

Open book with moving pages in front of a glowing blue sphere and twinkle lights
There are three different types of magic within this magic system one could specialize in, though we really only see the fighting magic. (The magical card game, Seven Wraiths, sounded very cool looking, and I kind of wish THAT was what featured on the cover now that I’m thinking about it.) Clem has a host of handy charms and spells she can use, though my favorite was shrinking things to make them easier to carry. This was one of those areas that suffered for the brevity of the story.

Relationship Status: Casual Work Friends

Book, we got along well enough during our company retreat. We both needed someone to talk to and commiserate with when they started talking about how we’re “like a family” again. Yet after we got back from that forced participation, a wave and a smile in the halls feels like more than enough interaction between us. It’s just not that deep.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Quill Tree Books. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Dreams Lie Beneathis available now.