Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel. I really enjoyed it. By mixing YA fantasy with the POV of a crusty, middle-aged male main character named Byron Kidd, it kind of worked, I'm at a point in my life where I can't really stomach any more YA fantasy, but I can go on the same journey as Byron Kidd in rediscovering my inner child. The embedded scholarship around fantasy itself, through the character of Misha, and through the excerpted Sir Henry book, added an additional layer that adults can appreciate and that don't just feel like recycled Hollywood schlock. Byron's journey in understanding his shortcomings as a father felt genuine and heartfelt, so his quest to find his daughter did not fall into stereotype either. I realize this style of novel may not be for everyone, but I thought it was very well done.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @RandomHouse for the e-ARC and opportunity to provide feedback.

Part Lev Grossman's "The Magicians," part "The Chronicles of Narnia." Dan Frey's "Dreambound" is a fantastical journey about a father's search for his missing daughter in the twisted underbelly of Los Angeles. Combining wonderous fantasy elements with a dark. mysterious realism, "Dreambound" takes the reader on an adventure that pays homage to some of the greatest fairytales and their modern retellings. Dan Frey's expression of the profound grief of losing a loved one is heartbreaking in its execution. Written in epistolary fashion, "Dreambound" is a must-read for urban fantasy and sci-fi enthusiasts alike.

WOW...I really fell for this one.

It reads so fast you don’t really notice the writing, the words. Is that good? Bad? In this case it is irrelevant whether the writing is brilliant or poetic or whatever, because you so want to find out what happens next. Now that it is over I think there is a fair amount of cliched parts, sometimes clumsy or unnatural dialog.

Maybe there is some improbable character development. Maybe. But he gives you something to hold onto in the story to ease over any of that. I see some reviews feel there is some misogyny, and I think I see what them mean. BUT it is “light” misogyny. So not perfect.

However it is a LOT of fun. Plus to feel that longing to get back to reading a book as soon as you can just to see what comes next. THAT is a great feeling.

One final point….i have said before in my reviews I am kind of a cynical curmudgeon, so it is odd that I recognize the author’s maudlin storytelling as it goes by, YET I love it and suddenly I am crying at father/daughter emotional interplay ( even though I have no daughter and am not a father). So yeah, this book turned me into a crybaby at the end

addendum: I remembered I meant to add this scene where the two main characters are talking about traditional folktales or just stories involving a rescue. Byron is the father and Misha the young hip scholar on fairy tales.

MISHA: But there aren’t that many parent-rescues-child stories. There are more of the other way around! In “Beauty and the Beast,” it’s Belle that rescues her father, and in the Grimm story “The Carnation,” it’s the son who rescues his mother. But dad-rescuing-kid is all over the movies of the last thirty years.

So the question that interests me is…why? What changed?

BYRON: Maybe us modern dads are just better. More connected to our kids. And we like to imagine that if shit went down, we could save the ones we love.

MISHA: I kinda think it’s the opposite. That modern dads are full of guilt, ’cause they all work too much, and modern kids all feel abandoned. | Location 2041-2044

I don't know if it "meta" or what, but from a quick web search I think he is a new father. Just makes you think.

<i>Dreambound</i> took me by surprise. A girl goes missing in the manner of her favorite book series, and her father has to go down the rabbit hole to find her. It's an epistolary novel, made up of notebook entries, emails, and excerpts from the <i>Fairy Tale</i> novels. I wasn't expecting this book to be as moving as it turned out to be; <i>Dreambound</i> is about stories and how they can save us, about being seen and understood, about fandom and creation and Los Angeles and a bunch of other things besides. Part detective story, part urban fantasy, part <i>high</i> fantasy, it reminded me of Tim Powers and his tales of hidden worlds hiding in plain sight in California. If you enjoy Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series and/or John Scalzi's <i>Redshirts</i>, this book's for you. I highly recommend it.

I tried to get into this one. I requested it and looked forward to reading it after reading Frey's other novel via Netgalley. This one just wasn't for me. I felt nothing between Byron and his ex. I could have cared less for his lost daughter. I honestly think it was the way it was written as correspondence and a disjointed, uncaring narrative.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this one. I will not be posting a review online as I didn't care to finish it.

This is a great book for any parents wanting to raise a future fantasy reader. The story had these pieces of warmth in it that really gave me the vibe of what the author describes in the author's note as a love letter to reading.

I absolutely loved the format of this story. The difference between the sections kept me interested and invested in how these parts would come together.

It's definitely something I recommend to fans of fantasy!

Out September 12, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I would say this was a 3.5. I absolutely loved how this story was told in journal entries, interviews, emails, etc. I thought that was wonderful. And the story was intriguing. I'm not quite sure didn't work the best for me? I got halfway through and then didn't read a word of it for a week, so something lost my attention I'm just not sure what exactly.

I really wanted to love this. I thought the premise of children disappearing related to a super popular YA portal series was amazing, and I expected this to be a cross of Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series with Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. And in a way, it was, but unfortunately I found the main character deeply unlikable and, more than that, his actions seemed so random that I couldn’t get comfortable in the story. I’m all for a good redemption arc, but that redemption has to be earned, and it didn’t ring true for me here.

I also think it’s possible that the way the story is told—through journal entries, emails, and recorded interviews—just wasn’t for me and made me feel disconnected from the story.

I’m sure there are other people out there who’ll love this, but the rating here is just my experience with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House!

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

This was a really cool concept with good world-building and character development. I would like to read more in this world.

The author did an excellent job in maintaining a narrative and telling the story through multiple formats. The book is a series of journal entries, transcribed interviews, excerpts from old books and emails. It begins with a hand written note a daughter leaves for her parents letting them know why she is running away. The way it ends ties it all together beautifully.

Los Angeles is the perfect setting. It’s a place where reality and fantasy comes together every day in the business of the movies. In this book, that overlap takes on a much different perspective. The author does a fine job of taking his knowledge of the city and putting it to use in the story.

One final observation. This book is exactly like- yet nothing like- a book I recently read “ And Put Away Childish Things” by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Two very talented authors have managed to take a similar idea and create compelling and memorable stories. If you liked that one, you will like this one, and vice versa!

“As humans, we are desperate to be seen. But if we’re not careful, we can warp the world in ways we might not like. Which means we outfit to be more mindful about which stories we tell.”

Foremost, the cover of this book is gorgeous. It’s initially what caught my eye and garnered my interest. I am most definitely one who tends to (sometimes unfortunately, but in this case, fortunately) judge a book by its cover, so whoever designed this book deserves the highest of kudos.

Secondly, the way that this book was written was really enjoyable for me. I loved the different formats, and the way that the journal entries were written more as thoughts rather than interests. There were some sentences, or rather “thoughts” I suppose, that were marked through. They seemed to be darker thoughts or things that the main character Byron changed his mind about thinking. This was super relatable for me as I tend to think this way as well. I sometimes will think something in my head that may not be the nicest thing or may be a bit “dark”, and then immediately feel bad or also think to myself “what I ACTUALLY meant was…”. Byron seemed to write in his journal this way a lot, and I just really felt validated by that knowing I’m not the only person who does this. That’s not necessarily a major deal pertaining to this book, but it was for me personally.

Third of all, I want to touch on the dedication this author has to Los Angeles. From reading this, as someone who has never traveled to LA, I was pretty easily able to picture everything that was described out. I was able to paint a pretty clear map in my head of the city, as well as the fantastical world the city was based on. This automatically earns a lot of respect from me, as I can tell the author really did their research and paid great homage to this city.

Finally, I do want to say that the characters themselves were not my favorites. I just personally was not able to connect with any of them, other than the way Byron wrote in his journal. Even with that I feel myself more connected to the author rather than the character themselves. Other than that, I really don’t have anything negative to say about this book. It was a super enjoyable read and I would recommend this to any person who loves fantasy and to any parents of younger children. I definitely see this book making it into my top 10 favorites of the year, and maybe even my top 5.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dreambound was SUCH an intriguing read! The summary of 'a father on the hunt for his daughter who went to look for a world she's read about in her books' is what originally pulled me into this book, but honestly I was more than hooked from the moment I started reading. Truly I loved the way the story was told, as you don't normally (or at least i don't normally) see books told from the perspective of emails, interviews, journals vs the normal 1st/3rd person. There were also a few surprising twists and turns that kept me on my toes wondering what would happen next. Overall this book makes me want to get out and explore my own area to see what magic I can find for myself and I cannot thank #NetGalley enough for letting me read this copy in advance!

Dreambound was a wonderful novel. I enjoyed the speculative elements, as well as the power of storytelling. Great writing, kept my interest even though it was long

*I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley. Thank you!

2023 has been my year to really dive into some fantasy novels in a way I never have before, and Dreambound definitely fits the bill. In this novel, you get a mixture of fantasy, journalism, academia, family relations, how to find your place to fit in as a child, and so much more. It made me think quite a bit about a non-fiction book I also read recently called, "Trust Kids! Stories on Youth Autonomy and Confronting Adult Supremacy" by Carla Bergman. What happens in Dreambound is a prime example of what can happen when we don't listen to children—when we ignore their needs, feelings, and desires. Children are people, too, and Dreambound plays out a gripping scenario, mixing fantasy and reality, of what can happen when a child feels unheard.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. This book is about the power of stories, the power of faith and belief, and escapism. This book is beautiful. At first reading it, I really identified with our protagonist Byron’s daughter Liza and with Misha. Byron is probably Gen X but came across like the worst version of a Boomer especially at the start of the book. It made him very believable as a character. But seeing his growth over the course of the book, his ability to accept that there may be things in this world that he doesn’t understand, and it’s okay… it was very cool and gave me a lot of hope for myself and my own future development. Maybe it’s never too late to be the best version of yourself. This book and aspects of it have so many parallels, many of which they call out explicitly, but I just keep coming back to how gorgeous it all was. I flew through it in two nights because I couldn’t stop but I may need to go back and reread it because I am sure there are things that I missed.

"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."

Who hasn't wanted to just disappear into their favorite book?

Dreambound is an epistolary novel about fatherhood and the transformative magic of stories that somehow manages to fit comfortably in the space between nostalgic childhood fairytale and adult urban fantasy.
The narrative unfolds through various mediums including emails, interview transcripts and excerpts from a fictional bestselling series of books about a hidden world of fairies and other eldritch creatures. I really liked the non-traditional storytelling format although tonal shifts between various elements seemed abrupt at times.
The pacing was on point with well timed reveals along the way and I stayed up way too late reading this book from start to finish because I simply couldn’t put it down.
This is honestly the first time I can recall seeing a father-as-rescuer trope in literature and I’m absolutely here for it. Byron Kidd is a bitter and angry mess of a main character who comes across as self-righteous and judgmental at times but he always feels incredibly human. I could appreciate his rage and desperation to find his daughter while not always agreeing with his stance on certain issues.
Overall I really enjoyed this one and absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a contemporary fantasy that feels a little different from everything else on the shelves.

(3.5 stars rounded up to 4) Dreambound is a contemporary fantasy novel that follows journalist Byron Kidd as he searches for his missing daughter, Liza, who disappeared 6 months prior leaving behind a goodbye note in her favorite book, Fairytale. Byron is convinced that not only is Liza still alive and out there, but that the Fairytale books and their cult like following play a part in her disappearance. Byron sets out across the country to Los Angles to investigate, using some not so honest methods to secure interviews with people close to the books and their fan base. The further Byron gets, the less things make sense, and he finds himself needing to suspend his disbeliefs in order to explore the magical counterpart to Los Angeles.

Rather than reading like a traditional novel, this story is told through email threads, journal entries, interviews, and other various methods of research/communication that were used by our main character, Byron, during his investigation. The premise of this story coupled with the unique story telling style were fascinating and made for a gripping read.

I really enjoyed the way that as this book went on, the lines between reality and its magical counterpart became more and more blurred. Byron’s character was quite headstrong, so watching him struggle with his own perception of reality and eventually give in to the surreal and unexplainable was quite entertaining. The way this book depicts a story (in this case the Fairytale books) coming to life if you truly believe added a very magical element to the overall plot.

The one issue that I had while reading this book was my struggle to connect with the main character, Byron. At times I found Byron to be a bit misogynistic and judgmental, which made it difficult initially to get into this book as the story is told from his perspective. I often felt that I fell into the categories of people that he was judging unfairly throughout the story, which made his commentary irritating to read at times. Luckily as the story went on, he did seem to loosen up his views a bit and become less rigid, but I would have liked to see a little bit more of a character arc from him.

Despite some of my issues with Byron, this book did hit on a few personal notes for me, and I found myself surprisingly emotional while reading the last two chapters.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. A full review will be posted on my Tiktok (@readwithlys) in the week before publication date.

In this thrilling contemporary fantasy novel, Byron, an investigative journalist and 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.

Frey approached the literary style of this novel a little non traditionally, as an epistolary story, written mostly in interviews, emails, and journal entries. It was fun to watch the writing style transform with Byron throughout the story and think overall this is a great use of the literary toolbox readers don’t always get to see.

Dreambound follows Byron Kidd as he attempts to unravel the mystery of his twelve-year-old daughter’s disappearance. His investigation takes him from the east coast to Los Angeles and throws him into a twisted web of fantastical stories and secrets. The story is told through mixed media elements, including emails, interview transcripts, and Byron’s investigative notes.

My opinions on this novel are clearly in the minority at the time of writing this review. The story, writing, and characters very much work for a lot of readers, but it all was just very much not for me.

Our protagonist, Byron, is self-righteous, egotistical, and misogynistic. While watching other people - actors, writers, and directors - do their actual jobs, he writes in his notes that the room stank of desperation. He’s doing real work, of course, but everyone else doing their jobs is just desperate. He tells a female character, who is at this point mostly just a stranger, that she should “get over herself” and “do it already” in reference to having a baby. Just do it already. This is after the character tells him that she’s not ready to have children yet. But sure, just suck it up do it already. Byron also implies that having a child can alleviate anxiety and depression and give someone a purpose in life. Seems like a pretty bold statement and also a pretty terrible reason to become a parent, but maybe that's just me.

There are also some other little misogynistic nuggets tucked throughout the book. One female character is described as an adult with an absurd obsession with children’s toys and stories. Another, the author of the books at the center of the mystery, implies that it is strange that grown women have tattoos from her books. A third is really just an archetype of a “dumb blonde,” who collects crystals, drinks smoothies, and uses the word “like” in every other sentence. At one point, while looking at photos of his 12 year old daughter, Byron muses that, while she was beautiful, she didn’t have a “beyond-her-years sultriness” that her peers used to “attract male attention.” Byron also says that he’s proud of his daughter for not needing to be sexualized at her age. He’s writing this in his investigative notes. About 12 year old girls. What 12 year old girl asks for men to sexualize them? No, thank you.

The mixed media storytelling is a really interesting style. At the start, it made the novel a compulsive and quick read, as things moved quickly through emails and forum/Reddit posts. However, a lot of the entries felt tonally off to me. Emails between (somewhat estranged) spouses begin with incredibly professional phrases: Hope that you’re well; I’m writing to share. Are you writing to your boss or someone share a child with, because I honestly can’t tell. The investigative notes started to feel a bit like just a place to get big chunks of narrative in, including Byron’s morning routine and his commutes across LA. Byron also kept having to tell himself to stick to the facts in his own investigative notes. I wish he had taken his own advice before he lamented about driving in LA for the third time.

The pacing was slow, with the majority of the action and story ramping up in the last 20% of the book. The middle was filled with Byron calling women quirky for having hobbies and trying to bribe, blackmail, and threaten people into giving him information. The ending was predictable by the time it finally happened.

Overall, I wish I’d had a better time with Dreambound. I’ve enjoyed mixed media storytelling in the past and the synopsis sounded very interesting. There were just too many glaring issues for me to have anything but an uncomfortable at best and infuriating at worst time with this one.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey Books and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.