Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dream Magic: Awakenings

by Dawn Harshaw (Goodreads Author)

3.38 of 5 stars 3.38 · rating details · 21 ratings · 16 reviews

Eric, a young boy, has enough of nightmares ruining his dreams. Determined to grow stronger, he tackles magical disciplines one at a time - be it flying, blade magic, or telepathy - and stares down his fears. But, will he survive the battles and the trial of nightmare mastery? And at what cost?

"Dream Magic: Awakenings" reaches for deep metaphysical concepts and uses intros...more

160 pages

Published

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Most Interesting Magic System

492nd out of 927 books — 2,841 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 39)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 12, 2013 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review On Blog: Tumbling In Books

The story follows a teenage boy, Eric who has had enough nightmares ruining his dreams. After a terrifying nightmare about goblins chasing him, all of a sudden Eric finds himself in a strange greenery place called Dream Camp. There many people in the dream camp, raging from toddlers and up. Eric quickly makes friends with two teenagers, Lucy and Rose who very recently found their way there. The three of them take classes and learn how to master magic in their dre...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is another one I've had for a while, so apologies to the author for keeping you waiting. I had a spare hour and a bit tonight and as this book is only 155 pages long I decided I could read it in one.
Eric suffers from nightmares and is fed up of them, he then finds himself in 'dream camp' a place where you can go to learn how to fight your demons and learn dream skills. I think the concept behind this is excellent, it would...more I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is another one I've had for a while, so apologies to the author for keeping you waiting. I had a spare hour and a bit tonight and as this book is only 155 pages long I decided I could read it in one.
Eric suffers from nightmares and is fed up of them, he then finds himself in 'dream camp' a place where you can go to learn how to fight your demons and learn dream skills. I think the concept behind this is excellent, it would be really fun.
Once there he makes friends with two girls Rose and Lucy and together they spend their time learning skills from flying, teleportation, conjuring fire, water, air etc. Basically magic! They have different 'teachers' to guide them in their skills.
I liked the basic innocence of the characters and their willingness to learn, the skills themself sounded cool too. I liked their lesson in flying, not sure I would have the courage to jump!
The only downside to this is that there is a lot of explaining with each new skill, a bit of backstory of how that skill works and has been learnt, I found myself skimming over parts of this just wanting to find out how they do and what use it has to them. I wanted there to be more relevance to them learning the skills, as it got a bit repetitive with each chapter just having them learn something else but never really use it. Towards the end there is a battle with Goblin like creatures where they then use their new found skills so it becomes worth it, but it's a heck of a lot of build up to get there. I don't know maybe I was missing the point a bit.
I'm not saying I didn't like the book, because I actually did, it was a fun little read and a great idea, it just took me longer to read than I thought it would and was a little slow in places. But the characters charm and chemistry pulled me through - I wanted to know what happened to them in the end which is what kept me going. That's always a good thing if you can get invested in the characters.
If you're looking for a quick magic read with a sense of charm and a look into a whole new dream world then this book will be perfect for you.
In the end I'm glad I read it. :D
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Once Upon rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was really good from the beginning to the end of the whole book. If your looking for a fast read you will love this book.

I got into this book really fast because I am a big Harry Potter fan and love books about magic and spells. Its kinda neat to go back to books like Harry Potter because after Twilight came out all people cared about was werewolves and vampires. They ended up forgetting about the magical world of Harry Potter. So its pretty neat to get a book about magic and spells ag...more

like · see review

Aug 18, 2012 Nada rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is said to seem some what like Harry Potter in different ways. That's what motivated me to read this book.

Dream Magic: Awakenings. The book title speaks for itself. It's a book about Magic in your dreams, and Eric; the boy the book revolves around, is a young boy who fights nightmares and learns magic in his dreams. Well, that's how I see and understand it.

This story line was original. But it did seem like some of the books that I've read in the past.

The way the book was written was...more

like · see review

Oct 18, 2012 Tiffany (Book Cover Justice) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Dream Magic: Awakenings is the story of Eric, a teenage boy who has had way too many nightmares. After a terrifying nightmare featuring goblins, Eric finds himself in a strange dream camp. There are a lot of other people in the camp, ranging from toddlers and up, and Eric quickly makes friends with Lucy and Rose, two other teenagers who have recently found their way there. While at camp, the three of them take classes and learn how to master magic in their dreams, the only way to ultimately mast...more Dream Magic: Awakenings is the story of Eric, a teenage boy who has had way too many nightmares. After a terrifying nightmare featuring goblins, Eric finds himself in a strange dream camp. There are a lot of other people in the camp, ranging from toddlers and up, and Eric quickly makes friends with Lucy and Rose, two other teenagers who have recently found their way there. While at camp, the three of them take classes and learn how to master magic in their dreams, the only way to ultimately master their nightmares.

The Characters:
Eric, the main character, was friendly and likable, the same as Rose and Lucy. While we spend a lot of time with them, I didn't get drawn into them as much as I would have liked. Since the book takes place while they are dreaming, I felt like we didn't get a chance to really know about their day to day lives and it was harder to connect with them. I didn't think this was as important with the smaller side characters, like Lyle and Kyle the crazy brothers who love to stir up trouble. I found them refreshing and funny and knew something fun was around the corner when they came around.

The Setting:
Since this story takes place at Dream Camp, somewhere imaginary, it was extremely important that the author paint a vivid picture for us. Thankfully, she does just that. Harshaw does a wonderful job of walking us through the camp and surrounding areas, describing each location in fantastic detail, never failing to give us as complete a picture as an actual photograph. I had no trouble walking around the camp in my head along with the characters.

The Storyline:
I have crazy dreams on a regular basis, almost every night. I liked the idea of Eric and the others meeting up at the camp every night to learn how to overcome their nightmares. Each chapter is a new lesson in magic, whether it be teleportation, flying (my personal favorite) or even demonology. Each lesson brings new struggles to the trio. As I said before, I would have liked to have learned more about their day to day lives, when they weren't sleeping, but it wasn't necessarily important to the story.

The Writing:
Excellent! The story progresses at a steady rate and each chapter has a fun new obstacle for Eric and the girls to complete.

Overall, this book was very interesting and much different from anything that I've read lately. If you are a magic fan or find dreams fascinating, then this is definitely the book for you.(less)

like · see review

Aug 22, 2012 Priya rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I read a fantasy novel, my usual concern is that the supernatural element will be vague and unconvincing. This is definitely not a concern when it comes to this book. It is no doubt that a lot of thought and work went into creating the magic of this world. Every little thing was explained in detail. Instead of simply stating that they could teleport, the author mentioned how. It was almost as if I studied the Dreamer's Handbook along with Eric (much beyond getting to know the name or the wo...more

like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

PDF free via author for honest review

This book had a "Harry Potter" feel to it for me, which, seeing I loved the Harry Potter books was a good thing for me. Instead of going to a far away place filled with magic, Eric, the main character in this book goes to Dream Land filled with magic and new friends. The detail of this book was fantastic! I felt at times as though I was in class with Eric and his new friends trying to learn the spells being taught to them. The characters were also a great ass...more

like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Alysha DeShaé rated it 4 of 5 stars

So, Dawn messaged me on Goodreads about two weeks ago about this book asking me to read it and offer feedback. Naturally I wasn't turning down a free book! I started reading it and very quickly fell into the story...

The characters are all quite likable! I never wanted to reach through and strangle any of them - and that's unusual for me! Eric is the main character and our introduction to him is in his nightmare. He ends up in Dream Camp and the Playground in a dream reality almost immediately, b...more So, Dawn messaged me on Goodreads about two weeks ago about this book asking me to read it and offer feedback. Naturally I wasn't turning down a free book! I started reading it and very quickly fell into the story...

The characters are all quite likable! I never wanted to reach through and strangle any of them - and that's unusual for me! Eric is the main character and our introduction to him is in his nightmare. He ends up in Dream Camp and the Playground in a dream reality almost immediately, but he's as confused as we are about his new location.

Hmmm... I'm going to interrupt myself with a quick bit of background: You don't dream alone. When you dream, you have the potential to log on (in a manner of speaking) to a community dream where magic, flying, friendship, and the ability to help others battle nightmares is possible.

He's met by Annie who acts a bit like a tour guide before handing him off to some younger and very energetic twins - Kyle and Lyle. She also gives him a book called the "Dreamers Handbook." The start of every chapter is marked with an excerpt from this book. (Dawn, please write this book! This would be an awesome additional read!) Kyle and Lyle introduce Eric to his two new best friends, Lucy and Rose.

Now, in this new reality, lots of things are possible as I mentioned above and to learn these possibilities, there are classes. Classes without tests, grades, or attendance requirements. Except for the nightmare battling classes, of course. You have to pass a final exam for those before you're allowed to visit the Outpost and help fight off other people's nightmares.

The story is enjoyable, by the way; you get sucked in easily and want to read more, but for a while there doesn't seem to be much of a plot. It reads more like a diary or journal than anything else. This (luckily) doesn't detract from the story! There are a few spots where you think "oh, plot point!" when something happens - ie: overhearing a conversation about a mysterious villain - but it doesn't seem to go far in this book. The only main goals that we see would be mastering a few individual courses (like flying and sword magic) and passing the final exam to be allowed to battle nightmares.

Passage of time is very difficult to mark because the characters are never shown awake with one small exception of Eric waking up and remembering something from Dream Camp. It's not a major issue, because the story flows regardless, but it would definitely add some extra depth to the story. (I would love a little drabble with Eric forgetting he can't fly in the real world. That would be hilarious. Or even a short story with the trio managing a real world meet-up to hang out.) And maybe I missed it, but I don't think ages are ever given. Based on behavior and thoughts, I would guess between 14 and 16.

I gave this book a strong 4 out of 5 - if goodreads allowed half stars, it would be 4.5, but it still needs a bit of tweaking before I can give 5 stars.

With all the above being said, I have to say that I will definitely be looking forward to more stories from Dawn and I'm hoping that this story is meant to be the first in a series! Keep us informed!(less)

like · see review

Nov 23, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: educational, fun

Most of this tale is G-rated and the bulk of it is world building and learning the magic systems. Nearly everyone in this story is a good guy and there is very little conflict. Part of me found that interesting, and part of me felt it made the story a little slow. Still, I enjoyed the whole concept that our necessary downtime, stuck in sleep and dreams, doesn’t have to be a waste of time. Dawn Harshaw built a very interesting beginning to a series.

By the end of the tale, Eric and two of his drea...more

like · see review

Oct 23, 2012 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 12x12-challenge, 2012-challenges, animals, author-review-requests, magic-paranormal, young-adult

This review was posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on October 17, 2012

The concept of this book is really excellent. The thought of kids going into a dream land and learning how to work through their dreams is a great idea. Unfortunately, the execution of the concept didn't quite work out for me. The reason that I was drawn toward reading this book and accepted the review request was because the author described it as "Harry Potter-esque" so of course I was intrigued.

And believe me, there is a...more This review was posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on October 17, 2012

The concept of this book is really excellent. The thought of kids going into a dream land and learning how to work through their dreams is a great idea. Unfortunately, the execution of the concept didn't quite work out for me. The reason that I was drawn toward reading this book and accepted the review request was because the author described it as "Harry Potter-esque" so of course I was intrigued.

And believe me, there is a lot of magic in this book. And it's explained in a great amount of detail. This was another awesome point of the book for me, because I love lots of detail and as much information as possible. But, this is also one of the book's drawbacks in that it feels bogged down in all of this magical information and it makes the story seem stiff. It feels like Eric and the other characters are simply going through the motions and slowly working their way through all of the kinds of magic. While it tries to be fun, with anecdotes etc, it just feels forced. The story didn't flow in a natural way.

The metaphysical components are deeply embedded in all aspects of this book. Each chapter explores different metaphysical concepts in great detail. These concepts are so intertwined within the book that they stifle some of the creativity, which is why I think there was a problem with the flow. As a reader I got bogged down in the metaphysical concepts and so it felt to me like the adventure with the kids was just sort of thrown in as an afterthought to help buffer the heaviness of the philosophical parts. It's due to this heaviness that I don't really feel that this fits categorically as a YA book. Yes, the main characters are of ages that classify them as adults, but the concepts that are explored in this book, in the depth that they are explained do not fit within YA literature.

Plus, as a reader you don't really get too much of a chance to connect with the characters on a more personal level. You start out in the dream world and don't learn anything about their outside lives, or what causes them to be having and fighting their nightmares in the first place. So, right off the bat you go into the story feeling somewhat detached from them. I felt that I couldn't ever really form a bond with any of them. Their personalities seem stiff at times too, so it seems as if they are even somewhat detached from their own story, or at least too prim and proper to be taken seriously as real kids. There are a few curse words thrown in to try and lighten this up. It works a little bit, but not quite enough.

As a warning for those who are particularly sensitive, the last 20 pages or so are a bit gruesome.

In terms of the climax, it felt like there wasn't one. The main characters have now gone through all the types of magic. Then they go through a test and fight off their own personal demons. I did like this part because it ties in well with the concept of working through your subconscious issues within your dreams. But then they go off to fight the monsters. And then it just ends. It feels like this story isn't properly wrapped up.

Even though this book didn't quite appeal to me, it may work for you. Especially if you're looking for something highly philosophical.

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*(less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 26, 2012 Natasha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

A combination of magic guide and how a young boy learns to face his fears.

I must admit that I found this book quite weird at first. I understand the nightmare part and the idea of dream magic, but not why each chapter seemed to be devoted a different type of magic. A plot soon developed though, which was nice and I grew to like the fact that each chapter was dedicated to a different magic type. I always like magic classes...more

like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Lianne (The Towering Pile) Lavoie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ebooks, review-copy, read-in-2012, own-the-ebook

When I read the premise of Dream Magic: Awakenings, I jumped at the chance to read it. It's being compared to Harry Potter, because it's about kids learning magic, but these kids are learning magic in their dreams. Basically, they have a shared lucid dream, where they learn different types of magic, which they use to fight their nightmares.

You know how Star Wars is sort of fantasy in a sci-fi setting? Well, this is like sci-fi in a fantasy setting. What I mean by that is that rather than the foc...more

like · see review

Dec 27, 2012 Lottie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was really good from the beginning to the end of the whole book. The characters are all quite likable! I never wanted to reach through and strangle any of them - and that's unusual for me! Eric is the main character and our introduction to him is in his nightmare. He ends up in Dream Camp and the Playground in a dream reality almost immediately, but he's as confused as we are about his new location.The story is enjoyable, by the way; you get sucked in easily and want to read more, but...more This book was really good from the beginning to the end of the whole book. The characters are all quite likable! I never wanted to reach through and strangle any of them - and that's unusual for me! Eric is the main character and our introduction to him is in his nightmare. He ends up in Dream Camp and the Playground in a dream reality almost immediately, but he's as confused as we are about his new location.The story is enjoyable, by the way; you get sucked in easily and want to read more, but for a while there doesn't seem to be much of a plot. It reads more like a diary or journal than anything else. This (luckily) doesn't detract from the story! There are a few spots where you think "oh, plot point!" when something happens - ie: overhearing a conversation about a mysterious villain - but it doesn't seem to go far in this book. The only main goals that we see would be mastering a few individual courses (like flying and sword magic) and passing the final exam to be allowed to battle nightmares. Passage of time is very difficult to mark because the characters are never shown awake with one small exception of Eric waking up and remembering something from Dream Camp. It's not a major issue, because the story flows regardless, but it would definitely add some extra depth to the story. (I would love a little drabble with Eric forgetting he can't fly in the real world. That would be hilarious. Or even a short story with the trio managing a real world meet-up to hang out.) And maybe I missed it, but I don't think ages are ever given. Based on behavior and thoughts, I would guess between 14 and 16. I gave this book a strong 4 out of 5 - if goodreads allowed half stars, it would be 4.5, but it still needs a bit of tweaking before I can give 5 stars.

If you're looking for a fast read you will love this book. I got into this book really fast because I am a big Harry Potter fan and love books about magic and spells. Its kinda neat to go back to books like Harry Potter because after Twilight came out all people cared about was werewolves and vampires. They ended up forgetting about the magical world of Harry Potter. So its pretty neat to get a book about magic and spells again. It takes you to a different world besides werewolves and vampires. Don't get me wrong I love reading Young Adult books about Vampires and Werewolves but it feels nice to move on to something different. So if you get the time to read a book choose this one. You will not be disappointed at all.(less)

like · see review

Oct 29, 2012 Tien rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bday-games, fantasy

I was approached by the author to review this book and as the blurb sounds interesting, I gladly accepted. The beginning was intriguing and attention grabbing, Eric was running away from his nightmare – it was really quite exciting.

What I like most is that at the beginning of the chapters, there is an excerpt or two from the Dreamer’s Handbook which usually explain the “meat” of the chapters. These excerpts are actually the highlights for me.

Each chapters feel like they could be short stories –...more

like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Sugar rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review:

Wow – the imagination, creativity and ideas that were all poured into this story. I must applaud the author in masterfully creating a dream world of magic which is detailed and dreamlike yet still all logical and comes across based on reality. It is obvious that much time and thought has been spent to perfect the basis of the universe – its laws, limitations and possibilities.

In general, the idea and realization of the world introduced in the story is great and more than intriguing. Even...more Review:

Wow – the imagination, creativity and ideas that were all poured into this story. I must applaud the author in masterfully creating a dream world of magic which is detailed and dreamlike yet still all logical and comes across based on reality. It is obvious that much time and thought has been spent to perfect the basis of the universe – its laws, limitations and possibilities.

In general, the idea and realization of the world introduced in the story is great and more than intriguing. Even though, it becoming too technical at times like I was reading a science or instruction manual I really found the theories, explanations, etc, more than awesome. This story was also surprisingly easy to read despite a full emphasis on what made this dream world tick and all its various sides.

While the background was more than satisfactory, the aspect this book lacks is more focus on the characters. There was so much potential in Eric, Rose, Lucy and the various teachers that were introduced, unfortunately, it wasn’t realized or developed to the extent that I would have hoped. And some color to the main players would have helped to make the constant lessons less repetitive – snippets of what everyone was like outside of the dream world, recess or even just chatting about things not wholly intertwined with the dream would have been very much appreciated. While I loved reading about the process of gaining knowledge and learning new skills, because it was just so engaging yet simplistic, the human aspect of the magic makers was neglected.

In the end of the story I realized that to me this book came together to form a solid prologue to the actual plot and book one of this world. I’m curious if this was what the author intended because that would be quite interesting to follow, if there would be a book one to the story.

Overall:

While I had issues with the characters and no clear goal in the story, I was more than delighted by the universe everything took place in and how it was depicted and explained. And if this really was more like an introduction or prologue to the ACTUAL book one, I’d love to check that out.

(less)

like · see review

Mar 11, 2013 Faye Hollidaye rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is definitely not without flaw (punctuation, tense confusion, etc), and a little tedious at times. It does resemble a dreamlike state, though it seems not much is happening a lot of the time. It kind of reads like a handbook, though it has excerpts from handbooks at the beginning of each chapter. Also, though this story reads like it's for kids, it's definitely not, as it has some pretty graphic scenes (beheading, torturing, etc) and profane language. I would recommend to people who ar...more

like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Mohammed Al-Garawi rated it 3 of 5 stars

A nice story about a kid who learns magic in his dreams. The writing is just fantastic and captivating.

like · see review

May 04, 2013 Amadeus marked it as to-read

Apr 25, 2013 Melissa added it

Mar 30, 2013 Jennifer R Ricketts marked it as to-read

Mar 18, 2013 Alma Angel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 05, 2013 Sarah (Head Stuck In A Book) marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, owned-but-unread, review-copy, young-adult

Mar 03, 2013 Carrie Ardoin marked it as to-read

Shelves: i-own-this

Feb 24, 2013 Sara marked it as to-read

Feb 24, 2013 Anthony Vera marked it as to-read

Jan 29, 2013 Tiffany Patterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 23, 2013 Fara Nani marked it as to-read

Jan 03, 2013 Christy marked it as to-read

Shelves: in-my-library-waiting

Dec 29, 2012 Michelle marked it as to-read

Dec 14, 2012 Mayara rated it 5 of 5 stars

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Genres

Fantasy

4 users

Young Adult

2 users

See top shelves...

About Dawn Harshaw

Dream Magic: Awakenings - a free fantasy novel
A young boy battles demons and learns magic in a shared lucid dream.

Visit my website at www.DawnHarshaw.com!

I'm also trying to get more subscribers for my Storyletter!
Whenever I finish a short story, I send it out for free.

More about Dawn Harshaw...

Books by Dawn Harshaw

Zombie Kitten [ Zombies VS Vampires VS Demons]

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Dream Magic: Awak...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Dream Magic: Awakenings
avg rating	preview: Dream Magic: Awakenings Goodreads rating: 3.38 (21 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15760472-dream-magic?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344282823l/15760472.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15760472-dream-magic?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Dream Magic: Awakenings by Dawn Harshaw[/url]

Dream Magic: Awakenings

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Genres

About Dawn Harshaw

Books by Dawn Harshaw

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Dream Magic: Awak...

new topic
Discuss This Book