Photo Credits: Free Photos, Анна Куликова Edited by Vaishali Title: Screamcatcher: Web World Author: Christy Breedlove Series: Web world Genre/Themes: Upper Young Adult Fantasy, Horror, Adventure Publisher: Hot Fire and Ice Young Adult Books Year of Publication: 2019 Version: E-Book kindly provided by the author ISBN: 978-1-68046-749-9 R E V I E W...
After being approached by Christy Breedlove, author of ‘Screamcatcher:Web World’ to review her book I was firstly reeled in by an isolated premise that I’d not seen done elsewhere - a dreamcatcher of old, concentrated with the nightmares of centuries, containing countless dark energies…surely that energy will thwart and implode on itself? Can a dreamcatcher full to the brim with saturated, slumbering memories contain such more? And would it take one more unbalanced dream to play with the fabric of precious space, snap it, activating a commencement that would kickoff an improbable chase of littered dreams? That’s what this story down to it’s toes - aside from young, promising Jory’s path - is about. ‘Some part of her wanted to surrender to a deep, relaxing sleep. Yet another part of her didn’t have the courage to face the nightmare that was sure to come. She finally let go of and fell into the netherworld.' As well as that - and this book’s fantastical cover - I was also beguiled by our reviewer/author correspondence because Breedlove is an author who is both perceptive and tactful of not only fellow authors but of the reviewer community. It’s very easy to make an impersonal request, to take a service for granted, but one of my main reasons for taking on this review request was Christy's genuine and open coversation. Breedlove is careful at nurturing communications with potential reviewers, and above all appreciative. So without a doubt I was good to go and appreciated Christy’s candid honesty, so firstly thank you for that Christy! ‘The thunder rolled on and on. A lightning bolt flashed against the window, capturing the room in a skeletal flash. Above her head, the dream catcher swayed on its thin wire. The tiny charms clicked against each other, sounding like a macabre wind chime.' ‘Screamcatcher’ at it’s implicit midpoint is a story about the unsteady survival of a group of teenagers as they find themselves on the most obscure Seeker’s quest in a world of nightmares brought to literal life. 17-year-old Jorlene ‘Jory’ Pike is the female lead along with her three friends we follow from the set out. It’s been roughly a month since Jory has been coping with a sudden loss that leaves her quite alone aside from the company of her Native American grandfather, Albert White Feather Pike, who owns a novelty outlet of Native American and modern paraphernalia - an echoic mix to Jory’s own heritage, and a heritage she knows of from old tales and teachings but never gave more than a little plausible thought to. ‘But, Grandfather, you have to understand that the ways and teachings of the old ones are so very lost in today’s culture. I don’t think I have the proper faith to make it work.' After a night of letting loose and having some teenage fun, Jory’s sleepover of four transforms into the ultimate nightmare. Garish weather, night terrors, and storms through the night begin the start of the queerness that comes upon waking…and this foursome start to wish that slumber was a constant, a better bet it would have been than waking to the collision of surreal oddities. Jory, Choice, Darcy and Lander quickly realise that survival has to take precedence above anything else. Fighting, preparing and protecting themselves, from what exactly? they don’t know. All they know is that they are pinnacle targets in a dreamcatcher’s world, enemies, foemen, adversaries disrupting a balance that nobody wants them to touch. Everything is primed and everyone is fit to defeat them. ‘Even the Gatherers were afraid, pumped up with fear and confusion and unable to solve the biggest riddle of all. What in the hell happened to humanity?' As an insistent, terrified but determined Jory peels away the layers of this truth they have fallen into, it seems that she is far more responsible for their current condition, and therefore doubly determined to put right what was wronged, to find their way back to a favored normality because what they wake up to is an achromatic world of the bizarre as much as it is seems otherworldly. With an enigmatical approach to this alternate, dystopian reality - as readers - we’re very much as perplexed and on the same playing field as Jory and her friends as they decipher their surroundings and interpret how on Earth they fell into this unearthly place. “This stuff really screws with your belief system. Strange thing is, I keep asking, why me?” “If all the Seekers, or the good people went to the inner reaches, it must mean all the worthless souls got left behind. We were left behind. So are we the worthless souls?" I ruminated quite constantly about what rating I would give this because although this story is the pinnacle of acceptance and adventure for Jory it didn’t feel like the biggest adventure for me. My reasons for giving Christy Breedlove’s ‘Screamcatcher’ a 3.5 star (an average but solid mark in my ballpark of ratings) was because I felt that this story was a strong tale with strong character direction and a keen premise that knew what it wanted to do. With the intention of a crossover the likes of which follow in ‘Jumanji’s’ footsteps, but with the dystopian content one might discover in the ‘Hunger Games’ and the adventure one might find in ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth' or ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ I could see the appeal in Breedlove’s purpose to write this and why she loves meshing these genres together, bringing back the authenticity of fun but cryptic and risky adventure. ‘The further in they went, the closer they were to the ultimate secret of this world.' I’ve never made it a secret that I enjoy character driven literature because like people characters are very much like water to earth, and without them a setting and a place is nothing more than unwatered earth. ‘Screamcatcher’ is character driven but for me I didn’t receive a strong sense of character from the characters. As the foursome plough forward on this ambiguous journey I felt a detachment from them, disengaged from their experience. After some consideration I realised that it was because we don’t hear enough of their thoughts and feelings as individuals, with the narrator mostly focussing on the fast-paced world around them and the harrows they must face on the next pedal. “It’s almost like you’re afraid to be happy. ‘Normal’ isn’t going to happen if you keep thinking abnormal is all around you.” ‘I don’t think Choice is a tool or a chump. I think he’s a prince and just doesn’t know it.' On this journey of vigilance, alertness and quick-acting instinct we were missing those personal, intimate moments between humans, the nurturing perhaps that would be shown during a situation such as this. Or even taking the time for personal conversation to energise relationships. Although this story naturally paves the way for organic bonds to form themselves as it’s four against the world I didn’t feel the connection as strongly between the characters. This truly would have strengthened the story, and good dose of some internal chatter from Jory would also have gone a long way. Tracking her thoughts would have enabled me to understand her feelings and overall would have given me more reason for investment. I’ll take Darcy and Lander for example - they are supposed to be in a relationship but it didn’t feel believable to me because I hardly knew anything about them and their character profiles, so when Darcy would make reference to her relationship with Lander it felt false and rehearsed. Her pining for him felt unreal. ‘All puzzles have a solution, Mazes have a path that leads to an end. For every question there’s an answer.' The writing is definitely easy to follow for any reader which I was glad for, but at times it did feel static for such a story of vivid imagination. I like the abstract view of the story because it’s that element of mysterious wonder that calls to our instinctive curiosity. Why? How? But there are few parts of this story that were confusing for me to make sense of -namely in the dreamcatcher world - so I think some things could use a tad more clarification for the reader. ‘fear is the taskmaster of all humanity. It doesn’t discriminate.' I do like precise details in a story because the details are essential in making a story feel authentic, and Breedlove definitely pays attention the fine details, such as the mapping of the dreamcatcher landscape and using dialogue well for description. Trekking through the wildness and running from wild creatures is a test not just of stamina but of perpetual endurance when there isn’t a solid hope that light will show itself at the end of the tunnel. Jory shows more fear than courage as the leader of this pack as they travel rough terrain to find some visual aspect of life and promise, with Choice (my favourite character) as her second in command to support her. “I never knew why you were so interested in me. I mean, from the very beginning of my school term.” “Because…when I first saw you in your freshman year, walking fast up and down the halls and across campus with that thick mane of hair flying behind, you reminded me of a beautiful horse - a thoroughbred.” She blinked. “A horse?” “Yeah. Like a big long-legged filly prancing around for all the world to see. You held yourself up different than the other girl, like you had some real important place to be. You had a look that said, ‘I’m on a roll. Don’t stop me now.’ I used to drift behind you so I could smell your hair conditioner.” She laughed. “No, really. Wherever you were going, I though it’d be fun to go there too, just see where the hell you were going." Creatures of fable, angry mobs, monsters of primordial time, ancestral nightmares, exploring the dangerous, and nightmares of old revolve around this story of a girl who starts to put more faith in her indigenous genes when the answers she needs - but didn’t expect - are the ones she turns to when logic doesn’t even reason with itself. Indifferent to her ethnic beginnings Jory finds herself in a place where she already has the answers when she looks closely enough. It’s the dreamcatcher’s whim and she’s just brought it’s nightmares to life. ‘You will remember. And she did. All of it, from the very beginning. “Dances with the wolves,” she said' I felt 5 feet in front of this team of seekers, but I also felt 5 feet behind with every rocky footfall they took. I undoubtedly give this story points for imagination and creativity, and for a lead girl who has direction and knowledge, mental strength and disciplined direction. I like that Jory doesn’t give up on her friends, not only does she show firm leadership but an overall sense of loyalty for her responsibilities and the people she’s trying to keep safe. Where Jory had near pleasant days and nightmarish nights, she’s now confronted with days that are nightmares manifested and nights that are spent dreamless. The irony of working through this logic condemning world with good sense is not lost on this pack of four. A place where lore is truth and freedom means accepting and following the unknown laws. I’m very much used to reading about Greek Gods and Goddesses and similarly written about mythology but i haven’t come across a lot of Native Indian mythology, especially executed in a fresh way such as this, and in this sense, ‘Screamcatcher’ really is a breath of fresh air while drawing from action/adventure style of the dystopian stories we love to read about. This story is told in a clear, simplistic style that’s welcoming, capturing grim wonder and dwindling desire. ‘The end of the valley held the elusive answer - the light of salvation.' I love the integration of tradition and spirituality in this story of web trapping, with the diverse addition of Indian lore that brings life to this story. I have to give this unique concept marks for ingenuity and Breedlove’s perspicacity in thinking up this idea of an ancient dreamcatcher stuffed to the brink with terrors that can’t be contained. No longer blessed with the colours and promises of their world, they are doomed to the Gatherers who seek them. Will they maintain their heads or yield to the worst this diabolical nightmare has to offer. Maintaining optimism has never been more difficult and strength is waning. With some soft, slow burn romance on the side, ‘Screamcatcher’ is a survivalist’s pursuance of will ruling fragility - It’s a Seeker’s book and a Pathfinder’s quest. Read this if you want to climb the web of the dreamcatcher! “The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the middle. All of the bad forces, visions and dreams enter onto the web where they are trapped and held. All of the good forces find their way into the center and slip through, to travel down the feather and bead path, arriving upon the sleeper. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will filter your visions and give you pleasant dreams. The bad ones will never pass.’" I gave this book 3.5 stars -Thank you so much to Christy for getting in touch and kindly offering me a copy of her work! :D C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Moderate use of expletives. Mentions drugs once. --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● 'Screamcatcher' by Christy J. Breedlove ● Guest Post With Christy J. Breedlove THIS PART MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!! C O N C E R N S/ T H O U G H T S 1) Nothing too major but I think some details could be thought over, i.e. when Jory mentions Choice as her boyfriend whey they aren't actually a couple at that point. 2) If Jory, Choice, Darcy and Lander are the only four meant to be caught in the Dreamcatcher I didn’t understand who the other Seeker’s were who apparently ‘didn’t make it’. If they were the only four there shouldn’t be any other Seekers surely? 3) I’m also confused as to why Jory and her friends were not seriously hurt in the stampede of Bison’s. Some bones would realistically have been broken. 4) I find it a bit difficult to accept Darcy’s and Lander’s relationship because there isn’t any intimacy or even companionship between them. Which was why it was quite surprising to me to hear that Darcy loves Lander. 5) Minor grammar issues. 6) There was a sex scene - not descriptive - in this I think was a tad too much for the YA genre. 7) When the story is focussed on what’s happening around the characters it’s difficult to understand what is coursing through their troubled, terrified minds and because of this I didn’t know how the characters were doing or how they were particularly managing their endurance on this daunting quest. A bit more intimacy to bring the focus back to the characters. I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers. Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! 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