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Aurelia is almost 19 – and although she’s lived a somewhat privileged life in the castle of Sunhold within the city of Northcrest – the capital of Gaminia – she’s still suffered from the bullying of the other courtiers; purely because of the colour of her skin. It doesn’t matter that the Queen Consort is her great aunt, she’s still at the mercy of the institutional racism that plagues the castle. Her brother, Savas, is in the closet, scared of the admonishment of his pious mother if he dares to be his true self. Elfine, their sister, is a warrior and spy, but is still sold as a bride to a mere boy of sixteen.
All of this would make for an intriguing tale, especially when woven in with magic and dreams, and I was so looking forward to reading Dreamer in the North. It’s just a shame that as reading the book never really gripped me. It was discombobulating at times, switching from corporeal to mystical within the same sentence with no warning. The sentences were often too short and regular, making the prose jarring, instead of flowing.
While the author tried to highlight very real issues that people suffer from in todays world, it somehow felt somewhat cringey. At times, Gough used discriminatory language, and although it may have been used in context, they still felt as though they were used to cause shock. The tropes are important to the plot and to the characters, but could have been dealt with in less derogatory terms.
As for the story, well. It had potential, for sure. A wicked spirit infecting an enemy country and promising war. Mystery and political intrigue with all of the fun of a strong female spy – and all of this threaded through with mystical and magical powers that come from dreams. There’s an awful lot to like. It just missed the mark somewhat, with jarring jumps in the scenes which don’t make much sense.
S.A
This book was reviewed as part of the Reedsy Discovery ARC program. You can read the original review here.
Click on the above Reedsy Link for more information about where to buy Dreamer in the North.