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If I Die Before I Wake

Martii Maclean (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 10 ratings · 5 reviews

Not all tales have the ever-after you might expect.

'An edgy fairy-tale set in the 21st century. A fantastical and fun read.'
-Yvonne Mes, Author and Vice President of Book Links QLD

Vreni is fifteen and cursed. The curse was placed on her grandmother centuries ago and has been passed down through the women in her family, so Vreni has slept and woken at the whim of the curs ...more

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Paperback, 276 pages

Published May 30th 2016 by Kooky Cat Books

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Sep 10, 2018 Miss Jenny rated it did not like it

Interesting idea but poor delivery. I found the plot was flat and trying to include far too many things. I hate insta-love especially when no reason is given. Flipped through a good deal of the book.

Edited with my longer review: I was really drawn into the title and the premise of this book. It seemed like it had so much to offer and I began reading it right away. Unfortunately this book contains some of the elements I dislike the most in books.

Insta-love. Yep it’s a pet peeve. If you aren’t 100 ...more

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Oct 14, 2018 Briar Rose rated it really liked it

Shelves: awesome-girls, fantasy, fairy-tale, magic, young-adult

*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads.

Initially, I wasn't really sure what to think of If I Die Before I Wake. This Sleeping Beauty-influenced fairy tale obviously had a unique spin, but it started out a bit slowly, with some backstory and setting info-dumps being provided through long conversations. I did like several of the characters right away, and the premise was interesting enough for me to keep reading. I'm glad I did, as the action really started picking up about a third of the way thr ...more

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Sep 08, 2018 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gods-faries-witches-wizzards, giveaways

Vreni is born into a cursed family where the women sleep... a lot. She is almost a century old in age, but has been asleep for half of it. Is there a way to kill this curse her family has been dealing with? Is there a chance to find love? Is she the only one who can break the curse? She has to find out.

This fun, enchanted, Sleeping Beauty like read was good for an old maid like myself, but would be great for a young teen looking to get lost in a magical world. I can appreciate the magical world ...more

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Oct 19, 2018 Angelina Singer rated it really liked it

Very fun, magical fantasy romp! The premise was unique and action packed, with a little bit of cheesy romance thrown in. Loved the inventive twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale and was pleased with how everything ended up, overall a gem that will keep you on your toes and a fun weekend escape. Would recommend to anyone who likes magical fantasy.

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Isabella rated it liked it
Jul 26, 2019

Loegan Anderson rated it it was amazing
Aug 26, 2018

Sep 18, 2018 SD Jericho rated it really liked it

I quite enjoyed this story. It’s essentially a Sleeping Beauty tale on steroids. However, instead of just one person; all the female members of an entire family are affected and have periods of deep sleep where they don’t age and as a result, they tend to live to over a century and they live through these amazing changes in the world while, the sons and brothers live pretty normal lives and age and sadly, die normally too.
I find the premise fascinating – with the exception of the fact that they I quite enjoyed this story. It’s essentially a Sleeping Beauty tale on steroids. However, instead of just one person; all the female members of an entire family are affected and have periods of deep sleep where they don’t age and as a result, they tend to live to over a century and they live through these amazing changes in the world while, the sons and brothers live pretty normal lives and age and sadly, die normally too.
I find the premise fascinating – with the exception of the fact that they never know when they’ll fall asleep or for how long and mothers and daughters and sisters can often miss each other during wakings because they don’t always wake at the same time. Sadly, the only time that all the female members will wake simultaneously is upon the death of a family member. At face value, none of this can be great for family bonding but surprisingly they seem to be quite close; I guess massive magical family secrets can do that for you.
We start the book with one of our main characters finally waking up. Her father is there to welcome her to consciousness as he is their caretaker and their main guardian (along with an entire support system) – a role he voluntarily took on when he fell in love with her mother. It’s also a role that has also allowed him to live longer than the norm.
Vreni discovers that her sister, Rita, has woken before her and the family, incomplete as it may be with their mother and her sisters still sleeping, is happy to be together again. So much needs to be packed into their days because they don’t know how long these days will last. It isn’t long before Vreni starts itching to experience new things; to go out, to be independent, to LIVE – but of course, this isn’t easy when you don’t know if your body will fall into a deep sleep in the middle of a skiing vacation, or a movie at the cinema, but she wants experiences so badly I could almost taste it while I read it. It’s understandable I guess when you’ve lived so long but had such limited exposure to life.
Then suddenly one long awaited and begged for day of shopping turns into meeting a new friend which turns into the Sleeping Beauties pulling a bit of a Cinderella and then ultimately ends with a body snatching followed by an unfortunate tragedy, where, for a very little while, all the woman are awake before slipping off into a dreamless sleep again.
And so begins Vreni’s journey of possibly more adventure than she ever expected to experience in her life. She becomes a key figure in working with the Wise Sisters who have been part of protecting her family for centuries. This however is no longer about just protecting the family, but also about finding a way to break the curse once and for all. And though she didn’t realise it, she had been preparing for this for her entire life.

Once the book reaches this point, it moves incredibly quickly and that’s probably that main thing that frustrated me. I didn’t want the story dragged out but a bit more time to be acquainted with old friends and new friends who are with her on this journey, to see trust and relationships grow, to understand more about the different applications of magic that Vreni had been taught even though it was all foggy to her at first. And also, more time after the… stuff… (I can’t give you details here)

I liked the book enough that I would have truly loved to see more of the characters and their growth and development as individuals and in relation to each other. This may be a YA booked and I may be older than the Young that it is intended for but I did enjoy this twist on an old classic along with the creative magical hurdles and victories contained within the pages of this book.

It is a sweet and interesting book and I enjoyed reading it and sharing excerpts with my 11-year-old twins. My daughter can’t wait for me to leave my tablet alone long enough for her to read the entire book and thank goodness for that because she is not a lover of reading. I expected the ever after that came about (I’ve lived my life in books so I have years of experience to pull from) but my children didn’t so I think Ms. Maclean has created a book that appeals to different generations and therein lies the beauty of it.

I would only wish that more time had been taken and that it could’ve taken a little longer to reach its conclusion! ...more

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Michelle Worthington rated it it was amazing
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Laura rated it it was amazing
Aug 05, 2016

Nov 13, 2016 Martii Maclean marked it as to-read · (Review from the author)

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About Martii Maclean

Martii Maclean

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Martii Maclean lives in a tin shack by the sea, catching sea-gulls which she uses to make delicious pies, and writing weird stories for young people to enjoy. She likes to go for long bicycle rides with her cat, who always wears aviator googles to stop her whiskers blowing up into her eyes as they speed down to the beach to search for mermaid eggs.
Or how about this?
Martii Maclean is a teacher and ...more