Estella and the Dream Traveler is a beautifully imaginative novel that blends romance, magic, and a touch of sci-fi in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. Set in a near-future Silicon Valley, it follows Estella Larsen—a modern-day witch and grieving widow—who’s trying to rebuild her life while raising two daughters and rediscovering her creative voice through poetry.

What makes this story shine is its emotional depth. Estella’s connection with Caelum, a dream traveler from her past life in medieval Budapest, is tender and philosophical. Their love story isn’t just about romance—it’s about purpose, healing, and the idea that some bonds transcend time.

The writing is lyrical without being overly ornate, and the themes of reincarnation, destiny, and creative power are woven in with a gentle touch. There’s a cosmic battle at play, too, with “half-souls” trying to stop Estella from writing a book that could unite humanity. It’s ambitious, but the story stays grounded in Estella’s personal journey.

If you enjoy magical realism with heart, and stories that explore love through lifetimes, this one’s worth curling up with. It’s a soulful read that leaves you thinking about the power of words—and the people who help us find them.

With thanks to Mercedes Paradiso, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was really a good book to read. It was so interesting. I like the characters and the plot. Everything went well. The most part that bought my attention is about witches and it was really cool to add that in the story. I want to say a big thank you on Netgalley and the author for letting me read this amazing book.

DNF’d at 11%, giving 2⭐️ for coherence alone, but I simply didn’t have it in me to force myself to finish this. The primary driver behind my rating is the writing. The story is comprehensible, but it’s entirely lackluster. The descriptions are uninspiring and inconsistent. Using ChatGPT to check the weather, giving specific street names, explaining the ice used in whiskey tumblers, but also not bothering to go the distance to be realistic about how real estate transactions work. Beyond that, more time is spent describing that ice in a glass of whiskey than the FMC’s inner monologue and nonverbal cues when meeting the MMC for the first time or the background on witches in the world.

To that end, there was absolutely no chemistry when the MCs met. It was pure insta love, or at least insta lust, for the FMC, who only just got around to spreading her deceased husband’s ashes. The reason for such reaction is understandable—they share a past she knows nothing about—but it would’ve made so much more sense for her to be confused about her level of interest in him, rather than instantly want to jump him. To be unable to pull away from the conversation, unable to look away, unable to ignore him (and she does ignore him to the point she doesn’t realize he’s left). It just gave a whole lot of nothing.

My other main complaint, which ties into my issue above re: the MC chemistry, is the blatant telling instead of showing. Quotes include: “Her fear of judgment has prevented her from sharing her inner world with others, which had led to profound loneliness.” “Give her a dream, a song, or even a random conversation with a stranger, and she’ll look for deeper significance. That’s just what she does.” Estella considers a polite compliment from her date a testament to how she’s wowed him without any insight to show that it’s anything more than polite/etiquette. Interacting with a server and nodding at someone she knows is considered “engaging” in contrast to her date without any indication her date is boring or rude or self-absorbed or oblivious—all of which could’ve happened and we could’ve avoided overhyping trivial interactions that give nothing more than mundane and run of the mill. And beyond that, the level of just dumping random information, like the name of every person mentioned, how dream travel works in chapter 2, is over the top. It destroys any sense of curiosity or tension or suspense, especially when over explaining plot details and world building that should be revealed gradually and organically. The author clearly has a vision for how everything works and instead of building that vision through the story, she just explains it all as if this is a textbook.

The characters themselves are so so lacking in dimension. Caelum drinks and is obsessed with Estella. Estella has two kids and wants to be a writer. Instead of showing us anything real about these characters, everything around them and that they do feel like props and set pieces. Estella’s kids pitch a fit when she’s leaving for her date because they want their dad. Instead of taking this opportunity to show the depth of Estella’s care for her children or her commiseration with them or her emotions in any way, the babysitter whips out some cookies and the moment passes. Also Estella is giving author self-insert who is “not like other girls”. I understand that characters often have pieces of their creators, but I know maybe 3 things about the author and they’re all prominent parts of Estella explained in the first 11% of the book, right down to sharing the name of their poetry collection.

Overall, I couldn’t force myself to keep going. The inherent flaws in the craft and the lack of tension in the plot and absence of chemistry between any of the characters really just made this a miss for me. I was super excited to read this ARC (received through NetGalley), but the initial problems didn’t resolve—they just kept getting worse actually—and life is too short to keep going on a book that is frustrating you so much.

I really enjoyed Estella and the Dream Traveler! Estella, a mother to two girls, and now a widow, must forge her own path in life. As a witch with the power to see visions, she is haunted by images of a faceless man - one she knew in another life who would do anything he can to be with her again. As she picks up her life and moves to a new city, she unknowingly sets into motion her destiny. As she fights conflicting feelings of grief and love, she discovers she is exactly where she is meant to be.

This tale about the power of friendship and love is cute and heart warming. I enjoyed experiencing the friendship grow between all of the characters as they all discover that they have a common goal - stop evil. I wish the importance of Estella writing a book would have been expanded on and that the ending had a little more depth, but all in all, this is a cozy and cute read that I was able to finish in a day!

A love story that transcends time and space. Estella and the dream traveler is a riveting, heartwarming and beautifully written philosophical romance that will take you on a journey to feel love that is undiluted and craved in time.

Estella Larsen who is trying to navigate through her life with her dreams of writing after the tragic loss of husband's death. Having two adorable daughters, she wants to focus on providing a fresh start to the three of them so she along with Kaitlin and Mina move to a new house. And although her lineage steeped in magic and her being a witch Estella knew that things were about to change.

Upon a chance encounter with the enigmatic Caelum Di Rosa stirs something in Estella. As her drum instructor there feels like a connection that is old and comforting yet somewhere far away in the distance.

However the world is in dire situation as a group of half- souls are about to wreck havoc and to save the world from annihilation, Estella must venture into her writing ability and write a book that will unite humanity. As the fight begins their love is tested and challenged.

Will the chaos rip them apart or will their eternal love will withstand it?

It's a beautiful story, the kind that stays with you even after completing it. There's an undeniable addictive streak of engaging narration and captivating plot with memorable characters that just drew me in. I knew this would a five stars read the moment I heard about it and I was not disappointed. The themes of time travel, magic, love, longing, found family, emotional vulnerabilities, grief, hope, attraction, understanding and fate are deeply explored through the events that transpired in both Estella's and Caelum's lives.

I'd highly recommend this book to all readers who are looking for an engaging philosophical witchy romance novel with superbly crafted twists and

I really loved the concept of being able to travel between dreams and I loved the little family the travellers created amongst themselves to watch out for Estella making sure that herself and her daughters are taken care of.
If anything I would have prefered the book to have been a bit longer so you get the chance to hear more about Hungaria and Estellas backstory.

I especially loved the mention of Thunder & Daisy I thought that was a beautiful well thought out little ode to the author.

The only thing I did find a little bit difficult to keep up with was the amount of characters being continously introducted and the similarities in names specifically amongst the mmc.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 5 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

"He's explored countless minds, but it's hers he connects with. He's loved in many lives, too, but none of those loves were quite like Estella."

"Estella likes gardens, so he's planting one for her."
may every girl have that in life.

"Life is to be lived, not a precious moment wasted or diluted."

"In their eyes, they're one. Without a word, without a touch, they're closer than ever."

i'd like to start off my review by saying that i'm so thankful for the exclusive invite to be among the first to read estella and the dream traveler, i really appreciate it!

this novel was unlike any fantasy type of story that i have read. the book is so unique, and different from what i usually read. to be more specific, the story is set in the very near future, in 2028, and it has magical elements which are witches and dream travelers.

moving on to the characters, let's start with estella and caelum, our two main characters. estella is a witch with the gift of vision, and different witches can have different types of gifts. on the other hand, caelum is a dream traveler. this means that he can travel to all kinds of places while he sleeps. the concept of dream travelers is really interesting to me, and i will think of dreams differently now that i've read this book. i really loved the found family in this book because estella and caelum found a few nice people that they could trust and stick together with.

i recommend paying attention to the cover of the book, because there are little but important details that appear in the story. i love when that happens! i also want to point out that this book is written in third person, and while i usually don't enjoy that as much as first person, it was done really well that i liked it! the book is also written in dual pov so we get to see what both estella and caelum are up to.

overall, i really enjoyed reading this book! i recommend if you like romantasy or magical realism. and as for tropes, if you enjoy the chosen one, fated love, found family, and second chance, then you are going to like it!

and if you haven't already, check out the author's poetry book, thunder and daisy! the poems are beautifully written and whether you already like poetry, or want to try reading something new, i totally recommend checking it out as well!

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and Mercedes Paradiso for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗