5 Stars
Publishers:
Date of publication: November 30th, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Series: The Muse Chronicles
We Own the Sky – Book 1 (review here)
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – Book 2
Where you can find Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming: Amazon
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
To find her Muse, she must first find herself.
Sylvia Baker used to live for music: constantly listening to artists like M83 and Moonlight Bride, writing songs, and playing drums in a band. But now, the soundtrack of her life is silence. If she lets the music back in, she’s worried she will return to her delusions about the Muses–the mystical beings who inspire artists to create art. She’s worried she’ll have to face the wounds of losing Vincent, her Muse, her love.
She tries to move on, immersing herself in the real world–working at the grocery store, mending her relationships with her friends and her father, and developing a new love for hiking. But in her dreams, she is forced to face the questions growing in her heart.
What if they never were delusions? What if a vicious battle between the traditional Greek Muses and modern Earthly Muses tore her from the world of the Muses? What if she never lost Vincent at all? And what if he’s the one who needs to be saved?
My review:
In my experience, books that come 2nd in a series usually fall short of my expectations. But, there are those rare books that live up to the first book. Sometimes, they even exceed it. This is the case with Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.
I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I was caught up in Sylvia’s struggle to keep her mental health. I was caught up in the Muses’ issues. I was plain caught up in the book. It was that good.
I want to say that the author had a note at the beginning of the book and I loved that she included it. She said that you can find playlists for the songs in the book on Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music. So, do what I did. Make a list of artists/songs and make a playlist. I wish I had read the book while listening to it.
Hurry Up. We’re Dreaming was not like We Own the Sky. This book focused on Sylvia and her struggle to keep up her mental health. Vincent and the Muses’ issues were there but the majority of the book was about Sylvia.
The music is gone from Sylvia’s life. Since she has gotten home from Riverview, she has not listened to music, discussed music or played music. My heart broke for her. She was not the vibrant person that I loved in the last book. She was flat, almost dull. I didn’t think that she would ever come out of it. When she did, I wanted to cheer. Actually, I think I might have whispered “Yes” because I was reading in bed.
I loved how the book focused on her fractured relationships and how she repaired them. The one that got to me the most was her relationship with her father. He was hurting because she was hurting and he didn’t know how to reach or comfort her. The breakdown he had towards the end of the book made me cry. As a parent, I related to what he said. I didn’t relate to how he handled it, though.
Her relationships with her friends were more difficult to repair. Trust had been broken and Sylvia had to build up trust again. I liked how the author took the quietest person in Sylvia’s group and started the friendship rebuilding there. The one friend that I felt Sylvia shouldn’t have let back in was Bianca. Bianca rubbed me the wrong way most of the book. She was self-absorbed and I didn’t feel that she added anything to the story.
I thought that the Muses’ storyline was excellent also. Like I stated in my last review, I get where Clio is coming from. If I had woken up from a 500-year sleep to see what she saw, I would have taken action too. I wouldn’t have gone the way she did but she did think she was doing good. I did get a Hunger Games type vibe when they got the Earth Muses from NYC together. Well, an artsy Hunger Games type vibe.
I thought that Vann made the perfect villain. He was a disturbed person before he was turned in Book 1. In Book 2, he became even more unhinged. I was not surprised when he did what he did. It went perfectly with his personality. I am surprised that he gave up on the search for Sylvia so quickly and easily, though. But considering what happened in NYC and what happened after NYC, I got it. He had bigger fish to fry.
Vincent drove me nuts. He seesawed between wanting to see Sylvia and keeping away from her. At one point, I was like “Make up your mind!!!“. I still loved him but man, he needed to stick to a plan. In the end, though, it was Vincent that helped Sylvia remember who she was. When they finally got back together, my heart went all mushy.
The end of the book was a huge surprise. HUGE. While I saw some things coming, I most definitely see what happened coming. I cannot wait to read book 3!! I need to find out what happens!!!
What I liked about Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming:
A) Strong storylines
B) Relatable characters
C) Excellent world and character building
What I disliked about Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming:
A) How Sylvia’s father handled her issues after she got out of Riverview.
B) Bianca. She drove me nuts.
C). Vincent seesawing back and forth between not seeing Sylvia and seeing her.
I would give Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming a rating of Older Teen. There is no sex. There is kissing but nothing else. There is mild violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.
There are triggers in this book. They are mention of past drug use, alcoholism, mental illness, and bullying. If you are triggered by any of these, I suggest not to read the book.
This is a book that I would recommend to family and friends. I would give them a heads up about the triggers. I would definitely reread this book.
I would like to thank Sara Crawford for allowing me to read and review Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.
All opinions stated in this review of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming are mine.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**