Dreams of the Dead

Dreams of the Dead (The Waking #1)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69  ·  rating details  ·  219 ratings  ·  50 reviews
Kara’s afraid to go to sleepuntil the nightmares come when she’s awake . . . .Sixteen-year-old Kara Foster is an outsider in Japan, but is doing her best to fit at the private school where her father is teaching English for the year. Fortunately she’s befriended by Sakura, a fellow outsider struggling to make sense of her sister’s unsolved murder some months ago. No one s...more
Paperback, 276 pages
Published August 31st 2010 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (first published September 29th 2009)
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(showing 1-30 of 875)
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Monster
Kara Harper and her father have finally realized their life-long dream of starting a new life in Japan. Looking out at the peaceful blue of Miyazu Bay, photographing Ama-no- Hashidate, the Bridge to Heaven, Kara thinks it’s the most beautiful place on earth. If only her mother had lived to share it with her. As Kara walks up the long, forested path towards the pagoda towers of her new school, she stops at a candlelit shrine where the offerings of local monks and residents remind her of the fasci...more
Wally
After her mother's sudden death, Kara and her father move to Japan, where he teaches English at her new school. While she has trouble making inroads with the popular soccer girls, two others befriend her easily, including one whose sister was murdered on school grounds by the soccer girls (no spoiler there - it's in the prologue). After some of the soccer girls begin dying off, Kara tries to figure out who killed the girl and why other students are dying in horrible and mysterious ways, eventual...more
Sugar
Review:

I don’t like creepy hair-raising horror at all; I never read a single book from this genre. And having learned from my first and, hopefully, last encounter with The Ring movie, horror created or set in Japan tends to scare me more senseless than anything else. So why did I pick up this book? Alone the title had me getting goose-bumpy, but having complained that there is not nearly enough YA set in Japan I had to take on the challenge. And I have to admit that while being somewhat jittery...more
Mehsi
I loved the cover, super scary, but also because I loved the reference. I have seen many Japanese horror movies, and also enough scary girls like this. :)

Now to the book, I really liked the concept of American girl going to Japan with her teacher dad. I liked how real it seemed, I know how Japan is against outsiders/foreigners so I am glad that was also mentioned enough times.

The horror was wonderful, the cats and things happening really gave me a scare and I had a few nights of sleeping less b...more
Kristen Landon
This book takes place in Japan. The prologue feels so Japanese I was wondering whether or not I was going to be able to relate at all to the book. Starting in Chapter One our point of view is from an American teen who just moved to Japan. So then I could relate just fine.
This is an interesting take on school life in Japan when mixed with murder and an ancient scary legend.

My only beef--and I know the author has absolutely nothing to do with this--is the cover. It has absolutely nothing to do wit...more
Erin Sterling
Kara and her father have moved to Japan for a fresh start since her mother died and to fulfill a long dream of theirs. They both start at a private school--she attending, he teaching--unaware of a vicious student death that took place the previous fall. Kara befriends Sakura, the dead girl's sister, and finds herself having terribly realistic nightmares, as more and more sinister things seem to be occurring, including the violent deaths of more students and creepy cats that seem to stalk her at...more
Kaia
Considering what an awkward foot Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall (Christopher Golden) starts off on, I was pretty surprised when, shortly after beginning, I found myself unable to put it down.

In spite of my overactive imagination, I like something scary once in a while. Poor Thomas Randall was already up against some stiff competition, since only days ago I wheedled my husband into watching Ringu (the Japanese horror film re-made as The Ring Stateside) with me. Fortunately, Dreams of the De...more
Emma W
The book Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall is a really good book. At first it's kind of confusing but then everything comes together. The main character has to go through a lot of changes in her life. Kara's mother has died and Kara and her father have moved to a completely different country. She must make friends and learn a different language. Kara must also figure out why some of the students at her school are being terrorized by nightmares, scared enough to take their own lives. It all ha...more
Emily
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Karen
I really liked the way this book was written and the idea of the book. I only gave it 3 stars though because I like my books to have twists in them and this have that.

The characters in this book were good, although I didn't see any character development much. No, actually, not really at all.

The book was basically about a legend?(there is a Noh play about it) come to life. One student dies at the very beginning of the book and then other students start turning up dead.

The sister of the murdered g...more
Alex Telander
Christopher Golden, author of The Boys Are Back in Town and coauthor of The Map of Moments, takes a journey away from his usual stories of the magical and horrific to tell a story of a different kind of horror and the macabre for a younger audience. Because of this, Golden is writing under the pseudonym of Thomas Randall, taking us to Japan and its complex culture and ancient supernatural legends.

Kara Foster’s mother was killed in a car crash, leaving her and her father alone. After years of stu...more
Leslie (That Chick That Reads)
The waking is book one of the dreams of the dead series. It’s about a girl named Kara who moves to Japan with her father after her mother dies in a tragic car accident but then she befriends Sakura, a strange girl who recently lost her sister due to murder. Suddenly very strange thing start to happen in a course of dreams and Kara is forced to make the ultimate decision.

At first I couldn’t get into this novel. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was wonderful, the characters start of fascinating bu...more
Kate
Dreams of the Dead has been sitting on my bookcase for probably over a year. Every time I looked at it, I was not sure it was going to be a book for me. It was not until I read the summary for the second book in the series that I felt the calling to dive into Dreams of the Dead's pages. The tale starts off with a haunting beginning: "Akane Murakami died for a boy she did not love." From there, I was hooked.

Dreams of the Dead's main selling point is its focus on Japanese history. Having studied...more
Ryan
The story follows a girl named Kara who, along with her teacher father, move to Japan. The pair have relocated to the small Japanese town of Miyazu Bay following the death of Kara's mother a few years before. Kara doesn't make many friends at first, but is instantly interested in a rebel punk girl named Sakura who seems to be an outsider herself. As Kara gets into the swing of the Japenese school year and way of life, she starts to hear whispers about a girl who was murdered just outside the sch...more
Katie
I have to start out by saying that I was really disappointed by this book. I really expected to like it and at first I did but as the book went on I really lost interest and almost couldn't even finish it. It took me forever to get through it just because I didn't want to read it.

Dreams of the Dead started off with a bang. Everything really started on the very first page and there wasn't much background. Once Kate was introduced I felt like I was just thrown straight into her life. Once again,...more
Stephanie
A very well-written novel that incorporates the Japanese culture and a very typical and ordinary horror story. Though the horror story was derived from the Japanese culture - the many demons that the Japanese believe in.

The one thing that took me so long to read this novel was the extremely slow pace that it had. I have to admit, at first, it seemed extremely suspenseful but as time progressed and the plot just kept getting prolonged, it just made me extremely weary of the plot. And the ending w...more
Steph Su
DREAMS OF THE DEAD is a well-written novel that combines the fascinating ways of Japanese life with your typical horror story. It may satisfy young horror fans’ appetite for creepiness, but others may find it difficult to stay engaged with the slow-moving plot.

Perhaps most brilliant about this book are its endless depictions of Japanese customs. Either the author has done his research well, or he has actually lived in Japan before, because we truly get to experience Kara’s discomforts, difficult...more
Janet Whalen-Jones
great story about an american teen adjusting to life in Japan. The supernatural aspects of the story use the Japanese otherworld spirits. Well written with a refreshing twist in a market glutted with stories of Vampires, Weres and other Euro-based magic. Also portrays a strong and healthy realationship between a father and daughter. Oh, and Thomas Randall, the Author, is actually Christopher Golden. Didn't find that out until searching for the sequel, but in retrospect it's quite obvious.

Jennifer Wardrip
Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com

Kara Foster and her father just moved to Japan to follow their dreams after the death of Kara's mother. She is the American girl, an outsider. Then she meets Sakura, another outsider at the private school.

Sakura is haunted by her sister's death that happened during the previous school year. Then, Kara starts having nightmares. Other students turn up dead. But who is killing them?

The story went on pretty slow from the start. Being a supernatural book, I wa...more
Kara
I really love Japan and share a first name with the main character of this book. Somehow my mom managed to find this for me so I was pretty excited about the coincidence.
I just didn't really like this book though. The characters were all pretty flat and unlikable, especially Kara-she was just too perfect. I think I would have loved this book if I was in middle school, but as a 20-year-old, it was just hard to read. I did have fun with the coincidence though.
Shul
May 06, 2010 Shul rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Shul by: Nicole
Shelves: ya-horror
I categorized this as YA horror, but it wasn't really that scary.

The whole time I was reading this book I was going 'why not meeeee????' It's basically my life dream minus the dead people.

This book was very enjoyable. I liked it a lot. There was a lot of Japanese culture and history worked into the story which was pretty interesting. Learning about the Noh Theatre and Japanese legends was pretty neat. Can't wait to read the next one!
Casey (A Passion for Books)
When first hearing about this book, I was automatically intrigued by the setting. I haven’t read, or even know of, many books that are set in Japan. Although I was a little worried (mainly because of the unique setting) and also excited, I was not disappointed. I really liked the way Japanese culture was mixed in too – made the story less boring, plus I learned some new things about Japan’s history along the way.

It was a little slow getting to learning about Kara’s nightmares, but this is the fi...more
Marilyn
Nov 03, 2009 Marilyn rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: 7th - 9th grade
This was supposed to be scary but it wasn't really. The setting (Kyoto prefecture in Japan) is unique as is the use of Japanese Noh demons brought to life through feelings of anger and grief. I've been to the place in Japan where this is set and really enjoyed the descriptions of Amanohashidate and its surroundings. The book itself? Meh. Just didn't work any spell on me at all. Some mild language.
Jordan Funke
I really liked this book. The author did a good job describing what it would be like for a teen girl from the US to move to Japan with her father: different expectations, schedules, foods, homework, etc. But it isn't all description. There is plenty of creepy action. I like how the prologue tells you who the murderer was, but the supernatural element gradually becomes evident.
Maeghan
Ok so, high points in this book:
• Japan
• Japanese words used are explained
• Heroine actually KNOWS Japanese & has a backbone
• Spookiness and creepiness
• Very very different supernatural creatures
• & just a pinch of romance (& tragedy)

Low points:
• Heroine is a little slow on asking & getting answers
• Heroine doesn't seem to have any ideas when it comes to "how can I find info on this"
• Heroine may have a backbone when it comes to confronting b*itchy high school girls but at the...more
Margie Adams
Loved it!! Mr. Randall is a great writer - I found this book intriguing, disturbing, creepy, beautiful.. it is steeped in Japanese history, lore, and culture. The settings were described in very easy-to-picture detail; the main characters were believable and easy to relate to. The story was haunting, chilling. I am going to start the sequel right away!
Autumn
omg omg omg this book is awsome and set in jappan so it is a little hard to read some of the words. This book is about ketsuki and kyetsuike to cat gods of evil and anger when sakuras sister dies it comes to take vengins on the people who are invalved in murder and the people who know read it.
Susan
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews)
Ghosts, revenge and murder. This is an entertaining novel with a very likeable set of characters. It was an all around good read, the action flowed well throughout the book with a constant creepy factor, great for Halloween.
Demonic Circus Princess
Creepy girl in a white dress with black hair? You have piqued my interest. After all, those always seem to be the coolest kind of horror movie monsters.
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