Lucid

by Sarah Madden

Lydia Arcadia, a young woman who has just recently reached adulthood, finds herself coping with the unexpected death of her parents while simultaneously struggling to support herself financially and emotionally, as well as battling feelings of anxiety and isolation. While working at a diner, she meets Cain Crawford, a mature and mysterious man with whom she initially has an embarrassing encounter. However, once he starts coming back regularly, their interactions become more and more emotionally involved. Eventually, through a series of shocking circumstances, their lives become so tightly intertwined that Lydia cannot imagine a life without him - that is, until another mysterious character provides her with a frightening new perspective and makes her begin to question the nature of her reality altogether. Lydia becomes aware of the existence of individuals with extraordinary abilities, is shown visions of alien planets, and somehow still feels like she has only scratched the surface of what is going on.Filled with building suspense while never losing its tender emotional core, the mind-bending, genre-defying novel Lucid blurs the line between dreams and reality while blending science fiction, romance, and even some high school drama.

Genres: Science Fiction

311 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2024

About the author

Sarah Madden was born and raised in Michigan but now resides in Texas. She lives with her husband, son, father, and a variety of pets. She has always had a deep passion for reading and writing and was born with such an innate attraction to the written word that she began reading before she could even fully understand and writing in notebooks before she could even spell properly. One day, she became proficient in both and hasn't stopped honing her craft since! You can keep up with her on TikTok, @lucidthenovel.

Reviews

[C. K. Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucid is Sarah Madden's debut novel—and what a strong start to what I believe will be a fantastic author career!

I don't want to spoil anything. This novel has so many layers, and the more you read, the more layers you peel. You start to question what is reality and what isn't, and eventually, everything comes together beautifully and just makes perfect sense.

Everything in this novel is meticulously crafted with an incredible attention to detail. The supporting characters have main characters energy (I loved Jack!) and they're are realistic. I could relate to the struggles and experiences of the FMC. And yes, the FMC (Lydia) is absolutely my favourite character! I love her personality and how she grows stronger and stronger as the story progresses.

I'm so excited that I finally got to read this book after waiting for it to release for about a year and I can't wait for the sequel!

I made a video review of this book over at my TikTok channel: https://www.tiktok.com/@ckandersson/v...

[Nicholas Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book and wow! You can't really pinhole this book into any particular genre. Its got suspense, action, romance, sci-fi, mystery, and even a mermaid? The entire book I was constantly having WTF moments as different mysteries within the story came out and the journey was very exciting. The story is somewhat surreal, leaving the reader almost as if they are in a dream the entire time, but it is hard to figure out what is a dream and what is reality. I will warn you though, you need to b really focused when reading this one or you may get confused. I don't mean this in a bad way though, its just a complicated story and you need follow it carefully or you might miss something.

[Robin ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book last year, and it was so good. Definitely keeps you guessing. I couldn't put it down and really loved the characters in this. Can't wait to see if she writes another book. Highly recommend.

[Jared Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can objectively say that this is an incredible book because I have read it multiple times for enjoyment. If you like strong character development, a complex plot, and grappling with the nuances of morally ambiguous scenarios, then this novel is for you!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

This book was fascinating. I can't wait to find out what happens to Lydia and I do hope she forgives Cain... Cuz my weird self is rooting for them to be together.