Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling / vibe so was very excited for this, but unfortunately found it confusing at times and was a bit underwhelmed.

I loved the concept of this book however found the plot slow and at times difficult to get through. In saying that, I would still be interested in reading book 2 and hopeful that the pacing is better.

The world the author created was very interesting and I loved the slow burn romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

“You ache for the unknown, where the rest of your life—every possibility, every hope for the future—waits, but you can’t move.”

‘Dream by the Shadows’ is a gothic young adult fantasy set in a dark dream world unlike anything I’ve ever read before. As our cursed heroine, Esmer, fights to save her brother and herself, the line between dreams and nightmares has never been so blurred.

The worldbuilding was certainly the highlight of this Beauty and the Beast x The Labyrinth x Phantom of the Opera inspired tale. Among a sea of fae-filled fantasy novels, ‘Dream by the Shadows’ sparkles in its uniqueness. The concept of dream-walking, the Weavers, the Light and Shadow Bringers, the citadels each in the awake world and the dream world - all of these were different from what I’ve read before. Each aspect of the worldbuilding had fantastic naming and were enrapturing in their own right. It is definitely a world I could get lost in.

For a young adult novel, ‘Dream by the Shadows’ covers many dark topics, including grief, death of a family member, self-loathing and isolation. Many of these themes will speak to young readers of this generation, in which social media can often enhance a young person’s self-hatred and loneliness by unrealistic images posted online. For me, most notably was the idea in this book that dreams are something dangerous, and how quickly they can twist and turn into something else entirely. For me, this iterated the thought that dreams aren’t always what they live up to, no matter how beautiful they might seem.

“Dreams weren’t meant for this. Fear, sorrow, hatred—dreams were meant to quell these things. Not ignite or reaffirm them.”

Unfortunately, I don’t feel like the characters were particularly engaging or had changed enough by the end of the book. Even when there seemed to be a shift of mindset or some character development, both main characters seemed to contradict some of the things they had just got better at only a couple of pages later. It felt kind of like a “two steps forward, ten steps backward” sort of character development. Esmer and the Shadow Bringer are the very epitome of a slow-burn romance, though it seemed very out-of-place when compared to their character development arcs. I don’t believe either of them had developed enough for the romance to appear when it did, especially when Esmer detested him for much of the book. 10/10 points for the awesome character names like Esmer, Erebus and Mithras, though.

There is no doubt that Karlie can write beautifully and create fantastical, whimsical worlds. There were, however, two things that I just didn’t particularly enjoy. The first was the excessive descriptions of scents - so many different aromas are listed together at several places, and I found it difficult to imagine how Esmer could single out even one smell out of the cloud of way-too-many that were presented. The pacing also felt off. At the midpoint of the book and during the second half, where there was a time limit on the character’s actions, the sense of urgency was just not there for me, and I felt like it was slow and dragging when it should have been rushing and intense.

Ultimately, I think ‘Dream by the Shadows’ is a wonderful read, given that it is a debut novel. The imagination behind this book is incredible, and I hope that the final book of the duology answers everything left unsaid.

“Wherever you go, I will go, too. I’m not afraid anymore.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette ANZ for sending me a digital ARC of ‘Dream by the Shadows’. All opinions shared in this review are my own.

3/5

“At one time or another, we are all nearly demons.”

Dream by the Shadows by Logan Karlie is a fast-paced, gothic fantasy meets romance. Well, that’s what everyone is saying. They are right, of course. The story is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast and Howl’s Moving Castle–but it’s so much more.

At its core, Dream of the Shadows is a conversation on dreams, their purpose, and our autonomy. Logan Karlie seamlessly challenges how our perception of ourselves, namely our self-criticisms and faults, manifest in the world around us–becoming the undercurrent of our personal and interpersonal relationships.

The story follows Esmer as she and her family feebly run away from Corruption; an irreversible illness brought on when a demon possesses a person during their dreams. Only an elixir, taken before sleep, can ensure their safety. But when her parents are accused of a crime, leaving her without access to the elixir, she finds herself repeatedly landing in the dream reality of the Shadow Bringer–who is responsible for the Corruption.

My only criticism was that I didn’t feel a connection to the characters. It’s not like they lacked lore–they were overflowing with it. But it felt too fast. Perhaps this is due to the premise–whereby learning of the characters’ experiences through their own memories, it inherently distances the character and thereby the reader, from their experiences.

Thank you netgalley for this arc. I do love beauty and the beast and labyrinth so much. this book for me had some interesting concepts with dreamscapes and honestly, the main characters were good. Definitely a slow burn. I would honestly give it a 3.25⭐️

@thebookishtype_hau

Unfortunately I decided to DNF at 40%. The premise was amazing but I found it quite hard to follow the story due to the formating on the version I received. I had to keep zooming in to read on my phone as the file wouldn't load on my kindle. Could only read a few pages at a time and it was difficult to get into the story. I will try again when the book is released later this year.

The synopsis had me so intrigued and excited. I love world building, its so important to set the tone and create that imagery, however I felt that the author was trying to explain so much in such short time. I felt like I was consistently missing something and I kept going back to reread parts that i thought I had missed or maybe skimmed over, but never actually figuring out what was missing...

The overall plot in theory is exciting, dreamscapes and subconscious villain and hidden identity type tropes with a decent slow burn but theres so much worldbuilding, the rest of the story doesnt get the chance to shine.

Its a decent read, I did enjoy it on the whole and I can appreciate the direction it was going, but I do wish there was more character development for Esmer. Perhaps this book is just laying a deep foundation for book 2.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, and I think with the next book it will have a chance to develop more! The world building is heavy and hard to follow at times (think When The Moon Hatched style), but I really enjoyed the world and the magic system.
There’s a bit of romance, but it is a sloooooooow burn! I can’t wait to see more of it in book 2!

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Dream by the Shadows
✒️ Logan Karlie
🗓 12th August 2025
💫💫.5

Thank you @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Okay, I saw that it was supposed to be; a Beauty and the Beast meets Labyrinth but what I got was underwhelming. I got so confused. It is as simple as that.

In the Kingdom of Noctis when you sleep and dream you are at the mercy of the Shadow Bringer as he steals your soul. So our FMC Esmer, falls asleep, has a dream when she usually doesn't dream, finds out that the Shadow Bringer is not who everyone thinks he is and about 90% in they finally give into their feelings and that's it.

I unfortunately did not feel connected to the characters, nor did I feel like they were connected to each other. It just fell flat for me and I just wanted so much more.

It is a duology, so maybe book two can fill in the plot holes...