So... this book took me ages to read, and I'm not sure why. I'm not a fast reader by any means, and the book was certainly agreeable enough. I must admit right away I'm not big into fantasy, but I do enjoy mystery, which is what this mostly reads like, as well as mythology (I could be Misha's less cool cousin I guess). Maybe it was the document format or the voice of the main characters Byron - the fearless yet desperate father looking for his missing daughter, and Annabelle, the reclusive author with secrets. They are both older and heavy in their tones. Valerie, the missing girl's mom is just plain irritating - as she is meant to be if you're siding with Byron, the hero. Misha is an amazing sidekick, I'd say.

Now. let's get to the meaty stuff. So there is a very popular book series called Fairy Tale written by Annabelle Tobin, and kids and teens who are fans have been running away from home and disappearing. Byron Kidd, usually a skeptic and renwned journalist, refuses to accept the loss of his daughter Liza so he goes on let's say, an adventure. Almost everything is told through his diary and investigation - interviews, emails, etc - which is quite interesting of a format.

I'm nior sure if the fact that this tale felt ENDLESS was me connecting to the character or getting bored with the story, but it did feel that way at times - like a wild goose chase. Like losing sanity. Like the lines of mythology, fantasy and realistic fiction blurred almost completely. And to some extent that's the point.

Actually, therre's a degree of book inception here which only uncovered at the end, and that is genious. To build such a complex world is also something to be commended.
It was certainly not my favorite book, but it ended in a mostt satisfying way, so an extra star was due for that alone.

This book is a lot of things. It's written in the form of emails, articles and various pieces put together. I love that. Any person that wants to solve the mystery of this missing girl, will love that. However, it's lacking a lot of humanity. The father and the mother are writing emails as a divorced couple in the first few pages and it's not naturally written. It's like the author looked up how to write married couples or heard it on television. It's very dry. The idea of the daughter being spirited away, a father's struggle to find her and the mother being so completely checked out on finding her was off-putting as a parent. (And a parent in therapy) it just didn't harken as real, even in a book with magic in it. I really like the way it's being executed and the idea, but the way its written is lacking for me.

Dreambound by Dan Frey follows father Byron as he searches for his missing daughter, who ran away several months earlier and hasn’t been seen since.
I struggled with how to rate this book, and I’m settling on a 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It’s listed as a fantasy, but the fantasy aspects don’t truly come into play until around 60% and after. Up until that point, it’s basically an investigative missing persons story revolving around a fictional fantasy novel. It was also hard to embrace as a fantasy because it is written entirely in interview/journal entries/book excerpts. Even once we delve into the truly fantastical elements of the story, it still read like a news article; Given that the main character is a journalist trying to find his missing daughter, this makes sense, but it did take me a while to get on board with this documentary style of writing for a fantasy novel. While I did struggle with some parts of this book, by the end I was fully invested in Byron and his quest to find his daughter.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Dreambound in exchange for my honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

What is reality? How much can books influence our lives? How much truth is there in those old fairytales? How much power is there in a good storytelling? And just how far would you go to find your missing child?

This book, for me, ended up being a very good read. However, my dislike for the main character and his disdain for anyone who he sees as obstructing his search almost made me stop reading this book. Still, the last 25% of the book redeemed it (and the main character) enough for me to find the enjoyment that I was looking for. Give it a shot and hopefully you'll get as much out of it as I did.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Dreambound was a wonderful book! I was pleasantly surprised and impressed because I cannot always get into this style (it’s all done in journal entries, emails, transcripts and all that). In this case, though, it was incredibly well done and complete, I didn’t feel like anything was missing or skipped. It’s a favorite now that I will be rereading sometime.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

I requested this book because I had read Dan Frey's The Future is Yours and was amazed at how me spun a narrative that was pieced together through emails, texts, transcripts and the like. And that is the format he once again used in Dreambound - told via journal entries, texts, emails, book passages, etc. Dreambound is about Byron Kidd, a journalist looking for his runaway 12-year old daughter; the only one still actively looking months after her disappearance. She had been obsessed with a Harry Potter-like series of books titled Fairy Tale, featuring fairies, the fey and similar folklore, which spawned a rabid following and numerous films, merchandise and fandom including online fan fiction. Clues to her vanishing lead him from Boston to Hollywood, where, not only are there conventions and an epicenter of the books' fandom, but the author herself. He soon discovers that if he wants to find his daughter he may have to push aside his cynicism and start believing in "magic" if he wants her back.
While this sounds like the typical hero journey and bereft father desperately searching. But atypical of those kind of stories, this one doesn't have a lovable protagonist on a journey of discovery. Kidd starts off that way, but after a few text/email exchanges with his estranged wife, and having traveled to LA for about five minutes, his likability all but evaporates. Less than a third of the way into the book, he has alienated just about everyone, especially those he needs help from if he wants to complete his journey. By that point, he has lied, connived and manipulated everyone to get what he wants, thus turning them against him. And yet, somehow they all end up speaking with him again, despite how obnoxious he was, and continues to be. And all his correspondence with his (ex)wife always has her rambling on about her therapist, and how Byron is only making things worse for her while he is self destructing. Between that and his constant griping about how horrible everything and everyone in LA is, I was having a hard time wanting to continue reading about him. Which was too bad, because the overall plot was interesting and the writing again deftly managed to tell a story using unconventional means. On top of that, by the resolution part of the tale several aspects became eye-rollingly hard to digest as for the most part the fantasy aspects had been reasonably believable in context of the overall plot.
I rambled a bit there, but it's because this was a difficult review to write. I wanted to like the book more, but some of the heavy handedness of Kidd and the off-the-wall finale frustrated me. Overall I'd call this a 3.5* read but I'll be generous and round up instead of down to 4*.

Really enjoyed this book! I like this kind of format that Frey has written before- telling the story through emails, journal entries, etc.

Stories require a level of belief in them when told but also possess an ability to encourage belief, and belief is a powerful thing as demonstrated in Dreambound by Dan Frey.
After twelve-year-old Liza Kidd runs away from home and disappears the only clue left behind for her parents is a note saying that she’s taken off for the Hidden World, a magical place in the Fairy Tale series of novels. Her father Byron, a journalist with a reputation for sticking with the facts to uncover the truth, is determined to find out where Liza is and what happened to her and in his initial investigation learns that other children have disappeared in similar ways. Taking his investigation on the road to Los Angeles, the last place Liza’s cell phone pinged and coincidentally the city where the reclusive Fairy Tale author, Annabelle Tobin, lives, Byron’s search begins to uncover some fantastically unbelievable truths that exist within the city as well as in a world beyond. As objectivity starts to give way to belief in the morphing reality around him, Bryon slowly sheds his doubts and embraces the strange stories and world his daughter sought refuge in, earning him passage on a journey of epic proportions to rescue Liza while demonstrating his love for her.
Engendering the feeling of magic that consumes and invites imaginative thinking when reading fantasy, an adventure that bridges the gap between the reality of LA in this world with that of the reality of the Hidden World unfolds through a variety of formats, including emails, texts, interview transcripts, excerpts from books, online posts, and the investigation notes within a journal, as one father searches for his missing daughter. As this story develops, Byron becomes more convinced to believe and accept the unreal things happening around him, demonstrating a growth in his character that brings him closer to his daughter, even if they are worlds apart. With folklore incorporated throughout the novel there’s care taken in the depiction of the tales, in terms of the mythologies driving the Hidden World as well as the academic study of them from both a cultural and linguistic standpoint. The fantasy component of this story isn’t particularly overt for much of the novel and instead it lurks beneath the surface of a more factual, journalistic narrative in a capacity of “what if?” that slowly builds to be what is regardless of what might be objectively seen as true.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. I did find the main character annoying, but the overarching story world was well done and kept me reading in spite of the character.

It's a pretty easy read and worth the time.

Dreambound by Dan Frey was an exciting contemporary fantasy story.
A unique and compelling tale. I enjoyed following Byron’s story and seeing how it all unfolded.
The storyline was interesting and the characters well thought out with such great details that I was pulled in from the beginning till the end.
And the world building is fantastic. The kind of fantastical world you can see vividly when you close your eyes.

A well written and creative story that hooked me almost immediately.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Del Rey for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Well that was a different read.

This is a beautiful tale of a love between a father and daughter that knows no bounds.

The layout of this book is mostly interviews, emails, and transcripts. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a lot of “quotations” and regular dialogue.

It’s a good book with an interesting idea. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this on Netgallery.

This was a fun adventure that spoke to my Harry Potter-loving heart. While some of it was a bit hard to follow at times, overall the format and plotting really worked for me.

Thanks to Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the chance to read and review Dan Frey's 'Dreambound.'

I found the blurb intriguing and thought I'd give it a go but, honestly, enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to.

This is an intricate novel where you're being asked to decide what's real and what's not and the author, I think, very successfully keeps that is it/isn't it theme running strongly and successfully throughout the book without it becoming tiresome. At every point I expected the main character to wake up in restraints in a padded room.

That lead character - Byron - is a complex person. I swayed between thinking he was a hero and realizing he was, in some cases, a nasty piece of work. The excuse for his less heroic side was the fact that he'd do anything to rescue his daughter so I forgave him, eventually, but he really doesn't come across as the nicest guy.

There's also a gentle but affectionate theme of the fandom and cosplay surrounding these mega-series of fantasy novels and films that many could learn from - the ridicule that Byron feels for them is replaced by an understanding, an acceptance, and even an embrace of them.

It's a story of family dynamics, a father's love for his child, realization of poor choices, the power of the imagination, the power of acceptance, and the power of embrace.

I really enjoyed this one.

Dreambound by Dan Frey is a contemporary fantasy novel that takes readers on a thrilling journey through the magical underbelly of Los Angeles. When Byron Kidd's daughter disappears, he discovers that she has gone to explore the Hidden World, a magical land from a series of popular novels. As he investigates the whereabouts of dozens of missing children, Byron uncovers locations from the books that seem to be bleeding into the real world, and he must dive headfirst into the mystical secrets of Los Angeles to reunite with his child.

Told through a mix of journal entries, transcripts, emails, and excerpts from the novels, Dreambound is a fast-paced and immersive story of a father's love and determination to save his daughter. Author Dan Frey does an excellent job of blending the real world with the fantastical, creating a believable and intricate magical universe.

The characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional, particularly Byron, who starts off as a cynical and hard-nosed reporter but evolves throughout the story as he delves deeper into the magical realm. The book also touches on themes of grief, loss, and the power of imagination.

Overall, Dreambound is an engaging and captivating read that will keep readers hooked until the very end. It is a perfect blend of fantasy and contemporary fiction, with an intricate plot and well-crafted characters that will leave readers wanting more.

Have you ever read a book and wished that you could jump into it and disappear? If you have then Dreambound by Dan Frey is the book for you. The story is about a 12 year old girl who loves The Fairy Tales series by Annabelle Tobin. Liza dreams about living in The Hidden World and one day decides to try to find a portal into The Hidden World.
Byron is her father and a journalist, who discovers that his daughter is not the only child who has gone missing because they were searching for The Hidden World. Byron decides that he is going to find the connection between Liza's vanishing and her favorite novels, even if that connection alters his whole perception of reality.
I loved this story. I wish the Fairy Tales series was a real series of books because I would love them too. I wanted to run off into the Hidden World with Liza, just from the excerpts of the books. I loved the unique story structure of journals, interviews, videos, and story excerpts. It was like reading a book within a book. The elaborate world created by Dan Frey was original and fantastical. It was like I was inside the book as it was taking place.
This story is an amazing adventure into fantasy. It is also an emotional tale of a father's love for his daughter and the lengths he would go to protect her. It has touches of humor, sadness, anger but most of all magic. It's a magical tale that you will want to read again and again.
Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray Publishing for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

Remember when a great fantasy novel took you away? Did you look in your closet as a kid and hope to find the door to Narnia?
Dreambound is an homage to those stories and those feelings. A thrilling adventure against the backdrop of LA, we follow Byron Kidd as he tries. to locate his missing 12 year old daughter Liza.

Liza fell in love with the Harry Potteresque fairy tales of a reclusive author and left home to find their world. The very fact driven, unemotional and logical Byron is doing his best to follow her trail. Dan Frey masterfully blends fairy tales, transcripts, portions of the infamous books and retelling of old and ancient lore. You will be transported into this world and truly wonder if you ever come out. If you like tales of the fey, thrilling magic but have at least one foot in our current "real word" this story is for you! #RandomHouse #Dreambound #DanFrey

This well written book fell flat for me. I kept waiting for the expected fantasy portion to kick in...finally around 72% I think it was, a tiny bit was dribbled our way.

Now maybe my expectations were too high. I was thinking of something a la MAGIC KINGDOM: FOR SALE, even ALICE IN WONDERLAND. But other than a tiny peek at the aforementioned 72% there were no jumps to a fantasy land. BTW, that's when I gave up and moved on to a different book. Didn't even skim the end.

But, as I said, well written it was, in emails, text chats and so forth. A snotty wife irritated the hell out of me, She didn't want updates from her ex who was searching for the 16 year old missing daughter in the L.A. area,

Since I spent the first 35 years of my life in L.A., I was interested too in seeing L.A. through this storytellers eyes. It didn't do too badly, just seemed dated. Maybe that's me.

All in all, if you're looking for a fantasy read, look elsewhere. If you want something however, about love and never giving up hope, this may be for you. I didn't like the story, but gave it the third star (meaning it was ok) because it was well written

Dreambound is styled as an investigative story with interview transcripts, article excerpts, and journal entries detailing a father's attempt to find his missing daughter. Along the way, the story takes on magic of its own and draws you in. I love it when a book engages a reader in the act of reading itself.

This is going to be niche. The style is unique, and the disappearance is interesting. Stopped at 5% but could see this being an easy three stars, 4 for the right reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.