I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Dreambound by Dan Frey Published by Del Rey on September 12 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A skillfully constructed story-within-a-story full of emotion, tension and magic, Dreambound is one of my favorite books of the year.
Dreambound is every bit as good as people are saying, and trust me, this is one 2023 release you’re not going to want to miss. Dan Frey has stepped up his game from his last book—The Future is Ours—and created what might be his personal masterpiece. Dreambound has everything I love in a story and much much more, including an epic quest, a flawed hero, an intriguing mystery, tension, heart and even humor, all told in a brilliantly constructed epistolary format. Frey’s narrative consists of journal entries, emails, texts, interviews and more, carefully stitched together to reveal the story of a father who is looking for his lost daughter.
Twelve-year old Liza Kidd disappeared a month ago, leaving behind a cryptic note in her favorite book, Fairy Tale, stating “I’m going to the end of the world and beyond.” The police haven’t helped at all, so Byron Kidd, Liza’s father, decides to find her himself. The only clue he has is a single ping picked up from Liza’s cell phone, coming from Los Angeles, CA. Byron can’t imagine how a twelve-year-old got from Massachusetts to California by herself, but he hops on a plane anyway, desperate to find her. Once he arrives, he tracks the GPS coordinates to Venice Beach, where he stumbles upon the End of the World Museum and irrefutable proof that Liza had been there.
Convinced that her disappearance has something to do with Fairy Tale and the book’s reclusive author Annabelle Tobin, Byron begins his personal investigation by contacting and interviewing everyone connected to the popular fantasy series and its fandom. And what he finds is astonishing. With the help of Misha Pimm, the creator of a popular fan website, Byron uses his investigative journalist skills to uncover the truth, which is far stranger and magical than he could ever imagine.
Not all epistolary novels work, but this one does. In fact, I can’t imagine reading this story any other way. Byron is motivated by his love for Liza, but he’s also a formidable journalist, willing to lie his way into an interview for the sake of finding his daughter. The entire story consists of Byron’s personal investigative journal, interspersed with emails, interviews and snippets from Fairy Tale, all of which drop hints about what happened to Liza—and many other children as well. I loved the contrast between the more formal email exchanges (for instance, between Byron and his wife Val, who refuses to believe that Liza is still alive) and interviews and Byron’s rambling, frantic journal entries. It’s this back and forth among different narrative types that keeps the story flowing and almost impossible to put down.
Because I’ve lived in the Los Angeles area for years, I’m always excited to find an L.A. story that gets things right. Frey lives in Los Angeles and is a screenwriter as well as a novelist, so he’s uniquely qualified to write his own L.A. story, and he nails the vibe perfectly. One of my favorite parts of the book is the way he draws parallels between the city of Los Angeles and the Hidden World, the fantasy realm in the Fairy Tale series. Using such iconic sites as the Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Silver Lake, Echo Park and more, Frey weaves a portal fantasy that is both familiar and unfamiliar, otherworldly and down to earth.
And while many “quest” stories revolve around the lost child, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, Dreambound focuses on Byron’s journey instead of Liza’s, although we do get glimpses into what she’s been through. There is a compelling mystery here, and Frey takes his time with the reveal. Why did Liza leave home in the first place? How does a rare book called The Hidden World figure into Annabelle Tobin’s series? What is the meaning behind a rune tattoo that is popular among Fairy Tale fans? And what’s up with Annabelle’s son Gable, and how is he connected to Liza’s disappearance? All these mysteries come together in surprising ways, as Frey weaves fairy lore, mythology and history into his story.
The characters were fantastic as well. Byron is a tough-as-nails journalist, but when it comes to Liza he’s a bundle of emotions. I love that he opens up about his flaws as a father—discouraging Liza from her love of Fairy Tale, for example—and admits it could be why she ran away. When Misha enters the picture, she and Byron form a reluctant partnership when she decides to help him, but they grow to like and respect each other in the end. Annabelle was a fascinating character too, a woman who is struggling with some big secrets and knows way more than you think.
Byron’s journey culminates at FairyCon, the fan convention for Fairy Tale fans, where Annabelle has agreed to speak about the upcoming sixth and final book in her series. Byron and Misha have a dangerous plan, and if they can pull it off, Byron can finally see his daughter again. I thought it was the perfect place to stage the story’s climax, and the ending was exciting, emotional and ultimately satisfying. I wish I could read Dreambound again for the first time, which is the highest praise I can give.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
So much of this sounds good. I usually enjoy epistolary style stories, especially when parts of it are fragments of another story, which sounds like the case here with Fairy Tale. I like the inclusion of the fan convention as well having just read a book with something similar where it worked really well.
Glad you enjoyed this so much 😀
I didn’t really talk much about it in my review, but the way he incorporates books and stories into his story is so well done.
Since our reading tastes often coincide, when I encounter such an enthusiastic review I pay extra attention: this book might have flown under my radar if not for your review, so thank you very much for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…HOWEVER MANY MUST DIE (The Blood Scouts #1), by Phil Williams
It’s definitely worth keeping on your radar, I was so surprised by my reaction:-)
I’m so glad you loved this! I had my eye on it, but decided to pass because I just wasnt sure I’d enjoy it. Now your glowing review is making me reconsider
Rebecca @ Powder & Page recently posted…Currently Reading: 10/9/23
It surprised me, how much I loved it!
Wonderful review! I loved this book as well — the writing, the characters, the quest, the world-building. Your review really nails what makes it amazing.
Thanks Lisa! It really is a special book.
If you find it so good, I should try it. I’m uncertain about the style but I’m going to go with your telling me it works.
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Read-along & #Giveaway: Staked by Kevin Hearne @KevinHearne @DelReyBooks #Read-along #GIVEAWAY @sophiarose1816
It’s got an urban fantasy vibe to it, so I think you’d enjoy it too.
I’ve read The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey and really enjoyed that one so I’m pretty confident that I would enjoy Dreambound too. Especially since it’s also written in a epistolary way. I really enjoy epistolary books!
I’m a fan of his for life after loving both books:-)
It seems that nearly everyone is praising that book!
I haven’t seen any bad reviews!
Wow, this is a glowing review! I see it’s still available on NG and now I may request it since it’s one I kept coming back to. Regarding the format, is it easy to keep the events in order given the letters, texts, etc.? I just finished reading a book that wasn’t in an epistolary format, but it sort of felt like it because it was a little disjointed.
Celeste | A Literary Escape recently posted…ARC Review: Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros
It’s a linear story so there’s no jumping around in time, which makes it very easy to read.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this as well! I just love the style and Frey makes it so easy to get sucked in.
Exactly! The style and his writing suck you in completely:-)
Oh YAY! I am so glad you loved this! I really wanted to read this, and I extra really wanted an excuse to buy it because the cover is so freaking gorgeous, so you have given me a reason to do both!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…A Decade of It Starts at Midnight!
I read an eARC but I think I need a physical copy on my shelf:-)
This one wasn’t on my radar but it really does sound like an incredible read. Adding to my TBR now!
It’s so unusual, I think that’s one reason I loved it so much.
That last sentence of your review really is high praise. Those are the rare books, the ones we always want to re-experience for the first time. I love how this one involves books and stories and how that is somehow weaved into the story of the book, itself. Absolutely one I’ll keep my eyes out for.
I only have a handful of books I’d consider wanting to reread for the first time, so yes, very high praise:-)
This sounds SO good! I’ll have to pick up a copy asap. I love the sound of so many things about this, and glad to hear that he gets the LA parts right, that’s always so important to me. Great review, you’ve completely convinced me to read this sooner rather than later, haha.
I hope you love it too! And I was so happy that he got the LA vibe right, so many authors don’t.
I love the sound of this one and I absolutely want to read it.
Lynn 😀
I think you’d love it!
I do really enjoy epistolary style stories, so that makes me definitely interested in this one! And that it is one of your favorites for this year too! Great review, and I”ll have to check this out for sure!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…E-galley Review: Down for the Word Count (Unlucky in Love #3) by Piper Sheldon