Some Notes on Practical Dreaming offers an ambitious and atmospheric entry into the dark academia genre, set within the eerie halls of Auchter House. Robertson’s prose is often lush and lyrical, with a magic system that is pretty unique! At its best, the novel explores themes of mental health, identity, and found family with depth and tenderness, especially through its central character, Sam, and her complex and loving circle of friends.

However, the novel’s beauty is at times its own stumbling block. The dense, metaphor laden writing (while evocative!!!) can become overwhelming at times, and tends to obscure the plot, making it difficult to follow. Every sentence is overdone, and it made me tired sometimes. The pacing lags in places and I was confused about the rules of the magic system most of the time.

Despite these issues I found the characters reasonably endearing. I think, personally, Sam was not a good lens.

I did enjoy untangling the poetic prose but this is truly not an accessible read (and that's coming from someone who LOVES a challenging read).

I truly thought this would be a book right up my alley, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I was initially drawn in by the gothic setting and the promise of a unique magic system—but despite that strong foundation, the characters and plot felt strangely lifeless.

I found myself confused for most of the story. The magic system is never fully explained, and the characters’ motivations remain murky. One moment a character is a friend, the next an enemy, and then suddenly one is dead(?) with little explanation of how or why. Events seem to happen without buildup or clarity, leaving me disconnected and unsure of what was even going on.

This book had a lot of potential, and I really wanted to love it. But at the halfway point, I realized I couldn’t bring myself to continue. I still want to know how it ends, yet I don’t feel invested enough to push through.

Additionally, I’m not sure if this was an error in my ARC on Netgalley, but several pages appeared to duplicate themselves or were possibly out of order. If this was a formatting issue, it certainly added to the confusion.

I couldn't get into the prose of this book and dnf'd. I'm very sorry but this book reads very immaturely. Although an interesting concept, it just wasn't for me. I felt like it tried to be a bit too much like Harry Potter in parts, and personally I just could not get on with the prose which is why I personally dnf'd.

Oh this book was fantastic! Such a good story... I loved every single second of it... 5 star read from me. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.

I went into this book with strong expectations just based off of the description and was NOT DISAPPOINTED. (4.5 stars particularly)

This book offered settings and characters that were beautifully written while the plot and the underlying themes made me feel things. I found the main character Sam to be deeply relatable at times and occasionally that made her character difficult to read about but I very much appreciated how much the author commited to her character. I absolutely loved her and her group of friends. Each one of them felt important to me among their group, I particularly loved her nuanced relationships with Tate and Sid.
The themes that this book sought out to explore with the setting of Auchter House and it's inhabitants were also well written in such a way that it got the point across without shoving it in the reader's face.

The one downside for me was that I wish we spent more time at Auchter House than we did. It would have helped to understand the mystery, intrigue and connections to the characters way better while also playing into the spooky dark academia setting. But I found that this was a flaw I could look past while reading the rest of the book. Additionally, the magic system of this book was also fascinating and I feel like we could have gotten more of that if there had been more time at Auchter House, but I enjoyed what I got of it regardless.

First and foremost I'd like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an eArc of this book.

Some Notes on Practical Dreaming [SMNOPD] was a literature masterpiece weaving lyrical writing and a gripping storyline together seamlessly. Every sentence on every page, nestled into every line of this book transports you into the vast landscape of this amazing book.

Clare Robertson did a wonderful job of successfully showcasing the turbulent and often times exhaustive train of thought that our MC, Sam, has. She created this space where no matter what happened Sam's friends, Bridge, Nina, Sid and ultimately Tate always accepted and loved her for who she was. Not who they thought she was, or they thought she could be, but for who she was in every single moment that they had.

What happens with Sid in this turbulent story feels like a metaphor to me, at least. A disturbing visual of the effort that women expend to make sure everything runs smoothly and how men take advantage of that.

The book felt like something that had a deeper message around every corner just waiting and praying for someone to analyze.

Now onto my rating, while the book is a masterpiece in lyrical writing and evocative imaging, at times it did feel overdone and exhausting to read. Every sense, every emotion was flipped and extrapolated within these dense sentences that made for some morbidly morose settings.

There was also some confusion on my part about what role Sam actually played in the whole scheme of things, why she was important, why she was the turning point, why her? Maybe it did get explained but I couldn't understand it? That's the only thing that left me with a bitter aftertaste.

All-in-all this book was such a good read and I can't wait to read the final copy !!

This has all the hallmarks of a great read for fans of dark academia: an isolated university with magical secrets, dream-based powers, a missing best friend, and a narrator with a fraught past. The concept is intriguing, and there are moments of real atmosphere and tension that pulled me in.

Unfortunately, the plot didn’t fully connect for me. The pacing dragged in places, and I found myself wishing for clearer stakes and a tighter throughline. Sam’s motivations often felt more like they were serving genre expectations than arising from her own internal logic, which made it hard to stay emotionally invested.

There’s definitely an audience for this book, especially readers who enjoy moody settings and themes of found family—but for me, the story didn’t quite land.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Beautiful book that is an absolutely ethereal read. The story itself unfolds like a dream and had the reader questioning what is really happening and what is in the mind of the narrator as she dreams. I found myself drawn into this unique universe and rooting for our main character throughout.

We follow Sam, who is at Autcher House, an elite school with some very unusual studies. Sam and her friends are dreamers and focus on the magic of dreaming things into being. A map, a ticket, or even a weapon. Sam, struggles with accepting herself and has a history of mental ill was which made her feel unworthy of so many things. The school is her favorite place and she has found love and acceptance for the first time.

However, very quickly she realizes that things aren’t always as they seem and her beloved home may not be so safe at all when her friend is taken. She has to fight her own demons and the school itself to get her back.

The journey itself is surreal, and we love that Sam discovers she is so much more capable and loved than she has ever believed possible.

This book is beautifully written but there are so many metaphors that at times it can seem to drag a bit to get on with the story at times. I also feel that some things just aren’t explained well, but that also goes with the dream like quality of the writing and story so I don’t feel like this is a true critique of the book. It’s absolutely a slow burn story, as Sam has so much to figure out as the story goes on.

The author did an incredible job of immersing you in what feels like a dream for the whole novel. I would say that the first third of the book did seem a little slow until I got a better feel for the characters and the magic system. So absolutely buckle up for that slow burn. It totally paid off as the last third was so worth it.

Sam Sheridan estudia en Auchter House, una universidad remota y misteriosa donde los sueños no solo se interpretan: se manipulan, se estudian y se convierten en herramientas tangibles. Sam es una soñadora práctica, capaz de crear objetos reales dentro de sus sueños y traerlos a la vigilia. El problema es que su talento es inestable, su método desordenado y su miedo al fracaso paralizante.

En medio de exámenes que la arrastran al límite, amistades intensas y una creciente sensación de que hay algo profundamente inquietante escondido en los rincones de la Casa, Sam empieza a perder el control. Cuando una puerta cerrada desde siempre comienza a responder desde el otro lado, y los sueños se tiñen de horror y sangre, Sam deberá enfrentarse no solo a la oscuridad que habita en Auchter, sino también a la que vive dentro de ella.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

This book is insanely good. All of the characters have depth and they practically sing on the page. The plot has twists and turns and keeps you hooked in. I love the mysterious academy. The world building is done insanely well. The writing itself is stellar.
I was left without words.

Thank you to the author for allowing me an e-ARC for this book!
Unfortunately I didn’t finish this book as I found it quite hard to focus on and I was a bit lost with the direction of the book at times. I don’t think it was a book I’d enjoy but that is not reflective of the author or their writing skills which is why I’ve given it 3 stars! The percentage of the book I did read showed great writing skills and this book is going to be perfect for some people

I truly do not have the words nor the intelligence to explain just how incredible this book is. I am of the extraordinary good fortune to be friends with the author, and while naturally that was always going to have coloured my opinions coming out of this book - I can truly say if this had been some complete stranger I’d have said the exact same thing.

But from the incredibly privileged position of having been there (usually pissing her off via text message) through a good chunk of lifetime and writing process. I know for a fact just how much love was poured into this book.

And every page sings with that.

Now of course love doesn’t always good book make. Ask my me x Bucky Barnes fanfictions from me teenage years. So without that context is this a good book?

In every describable way.

This feels like an absolute love letter to fantastical academia with undertones of horror that truly leave your heart racing.

1. Characters

Saying I have a favourite character of this book genuinely feels like being asked to pick a favourite kid. Gun to my head? Bridge with Tate as an incredibly close runner up. They’re so fleshed out, they’re funny and intelligent without being facetious and absolutely stand out from the crowd.

Sam is beautiful. If that woman has 0 fans I am dead, and honestly probably raging in heaven about how good this book is. She is heartbreaking, strong, funny and realistic. Tate is everything you could want in a partner and I’m frankly furious he’s not real, kind, warm, hilarious and a backbone to this story. The entire cast is gorgeous and I could go on forever and ever. But if everyone loved the way these characters loved one another in a fictional goddamn book, the world would be far better for it.

Everything is written with such absolute passion, depth and dimension that you truly feel like the characters were sat parroting in her ear with every word typed.

2. Plot

I truly cannot put into words how good this plot is. It’s got a mysterious Scottish academy with a lake and dangerous professors. A mental health rep that leaves your heart aching and watching Sam grow through it is astonishingly beautiful. You’ve got a roadtrip with a group of dear friends and several crashes (as you do). And some good old fashioned fight sequences with a villain you truly want to knock the teeth out of.

The twist I already knew (I read the first version of this years ago and get to say nah nah nee nah nah for it) but it’s so beautifully foreshadowed and interwoven into this book that it slaps you like a brick wall when it finally comes to light.

3. World building

This left me mad practical dreaming isn’t a thing. Truly.

and also not entirely unconvinced that Robertson isn’t actually a Dreamer because how she wrote such a novel magic system in such an in depth way? I truly can’t fathom it.

4. Language and Theme

Robertson writes in a way that both makes you fall in love with the world and feel entirely afraid of it in the space of a breath. The poor woman has been borderline harassed since Tuesday (when I began reading) with quotes and words to the effect of “omg” “you’re an evil cow” and “marry me.” If I were to tattoo myself in all the gorgeous favourite bits of pose from this book, I’d have no skin left.

Love and friendship particularly she writes with such absolute voice and precision that makes you pine to feel that kind of love (though I’m admittedly a lonely feckwit so that could well just be me.)

Do I recommend this book? Without a breath of hesitation.

I wanted to love this book. The premise seemed like what I usually enjoy. But the writing made it incredibly difficult to get into, and unfortunately, I ended up DNF-ing pretty early.

From the first few pages, the prose felt dense and meandering. Sentences stretched on without clear direction, piling metaphor on metaphor in a way that often obscured the meaning rather than deepening it. One early passage reads:

“She was eighteen and still unused to a reality where she was definitely not dying or imminently going to be, so enough things were impossible without the involvement of the even vaguely metaphysical.”

That’s a single sentence, and all of what I read feels like that: long, tangled, and hard to untangle emotionally or narratively. It’s a style that might work better in small doses or with more structure, but here it overwhelmed the story and left me constantly trying to decode what was actually happening.

I stopped reading less than a quarter of the way through. I found myself rereading passages just to grasp the basic meaning, and not in a rewarding, layered way; more in a “what did I just read?” way. I never felt grounded in the character’s experience or in the world itself.