"Dreaming Awake" by Gwen Hayes

Do you find yourself watching The Nightmare Before Christmas during the holiday seasons while the rest of your friends watch Rudolph? Enjoy half-demons with sex appeal? How about Alice in Wonderland? If you answered yes to any of these, then you should check out Dreaming Awake, book two of Falling Under. 


*Warning: Spoilers to Falling Under (book one) are ahead*


Synopsis:
In the second novel to Gwen Hayes' Falling Under, Theia Alderson returns to her hometown of Serendipity Falls to discover that the time she spent in Under has changed her. She is struggling with demonic desires and her classmates are rapidly falling ill, possibly from Theia herself or her half-demon boyfriend, Haden Black. Can Theia overcome her new demon blood, or will it consume her, turning her into a monster? Not to mention the couple still has Haden's psycho demoness mother and queen of the Under world, Mara, chasing after them. It's only a matter of time before she finds them and punishes Theia for breaking her promise.

My Thoughts:
I was first introduced to this series by BookFairy JoJo, and immediately fell in love. It is a modern day Gothic twist on Alice in Wonderland, mixed in with Tim Burton's macabre talents. The plot is original and unique, which is something I always place a high importance on. The characters are wonderful and their relationships are solid and endearing. I love the connection between Theia and her two best friends, Donny and Ame. They're the kind of girls I wish I would have had around in high school. I also enjoy the dynamic of the group. It reminds me a little of the Scoobie Gang from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (always a good thing to be connected to. Joss Wheadon is a genius, after all). You had the boys who were trying to look after the girls, while in reality, the girls were totally more badass then the guys. The action was really amped up in this second book, making it quite an intense read.
I'm unaware of if there will be more in the series. I checked the authors site and could not locate anything more on it. However, I sincerely hope there will be, otherwise my rating might change haha.

My Rating: 4/5 Dancing Skeletons.


Teaser Pleasers:

• "I thought of every strong woman I knew about- my mother, Muriel, my best friends... Buffy the Vampire Slayer..."
• " 'Don't stop,' he said. 'You're the most wonderful dream in the world.'"