Wake

Reader reviewed by Amanda

Wake was full of what I like to call "sort of mystery" You're not exactly unsure about what is going on but you have a lot of unanswered questions, which isn't a bad thing. We know Janie get's sucked into dreams but we're not sure how exactly she's supposed to help people or the consequences. I'm really liking where Janie's story is going. She's actually accepting the amazing gift she has and was even able to help her love interest Cabe. Cabe oh Cabe, I'm not exactly sure about how I feel about you. He seemed pretty average and was kind of pissing me off until he revealed what he was part of. Thank god. An honest character! Cabe went above and beyond to earn Janie respect which is something I like to see in a character. I just wish that Janie was more open about her gift and would be open to her friends about it.

McMann writes in such a cryptic fashion. I was able to feel the emotion of Janie while she is experiencing the dreams. Goosebumps were being brought to my skin. Overall Wake was a new twist to the ever growing fantasy genre that kept my attention from beginning to end. I can not wait to read the second book in the trilogy, Fade.

Reader reviewed by carly

This is one if not the best book I have ever read. It's a quick read but don't let the shortness of it fool you, it is packed with a great plot and great writing. The characters have great personalities and you just cant help but love them. The romance between Janie and Caleb is perfect and combined with the little problem Janie has....it makes a book that you will have to read cover to cover at least ten times.

Another good read that i had heard about from a friend and I never put the book down. It was a quick read in my eyes due to the riveting events that happen to takes place through the entire novel.

Having the ability to enter the dreams of others is Janie's curse that she can't control. Ever since she was eight she has been thrown into the dreams of others against he will. Escaping a dream is challenging for Janie and once she's sucked in most modern activities enable her to be dangerous when she performs them.

Alcoholic mother, poverty stricken, Janie's life fuels the character she has become: Strong, dependent, and determined. She has been in control of her life (with the minus of dreams) from a young age. Her only friend is a girl names Carrie who happens to be a childhood friend. But Janie keeps her secret to herself...

...Until she meets Cable.

The actions that Janie is forced to go through and the reactions that occur because of them, it showed me the strength that Janie withholds and it made me adore her character even more. I also really enjoyed the thrilling pace of this book, though I wish I didn't read it so quickly! But, to make up for that, there's two more books to read! Yahoooo!

Reader reviewed by desi

this book oh my god is it wonderful!!! i loved the plot twist to. can you say uncalled for! it was just such great book that it left me speech less and the i told my friends "hey this book is amazing read it!!" the read thae back and thought it sounded good so the read it and was blown away as was i. :) thanks for reading what i thought. :DD ^.^

This was an impulse buy for me, and I put off reading it for a long time. I won't make that mistake with the sequels. The writing style is spare and utterly compelling. The characters come to life, the dreams were vivid and sometimes scary, and I gobbled this book up. I didn't expect the romance to have the depth and heart that it has. I really LOVED this book.

Reader reviewed by Elle

I (being the way I am) LOVED this book. It was unexpected and I was seriously sucked into it. IT was an emotional (I KNOW ITS A PUN AND OVERUSED BUT IM SAYING IT ANYWAY) roller coaster. I loved it SO MUCH!

Wake is about a girl named Janie who is sucked into other people's dreams. She lives in a bad neighborhood in Michigan and goes to a public school. She is determined to go to college and save herself from her life.

So, in Wake, Janie is sucked into other people's dreams whenever there is someone in the room she is in that falls asleep. She doesn't know why she has this gift, but is given a clue when an old woman at the nursing home she works at dies and leaves her money and a note.

Janie meets Cabel because he goes to her school, but she is also sucked into many of his dreams. Throughout the book, the get to know each other and end up dating.

Throughout the book there are many twists and turns as Janie is sucked into an entirely new reality of what her life really is. She is sucked into Cabel's life as well, and he REALLY takes her on a ride of her life.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Seriously, I read it 3 times in one day. And then again the next. You (or me) can really feel the characters. Lisa McMann really develops her rising action well, and her characters are very life-like and very lovable.

I suggest this book for 14+ years because of the explicit content throughout the book, but otherwise it's AMAZING.

Reader reviewed by Sara

From back cover: NOT ALL DREAMS ARE SWEET. For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other peoples dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janies seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She cant tell anybody about what she does theyd never believe her, or worse, theyd think shes a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesnt want and cant control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone elses twisted psyche. She is a participant&

Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Janie: I was inspired by attitude and work/school ethics in spite of her mothers lack of interest and horrible parenting; Cabel: I really liked his character, he was so caring and protective of Janie& and I liked the twist about his character. Hes definitely a dynamic character!

When I finished this book I felt: I cant wait to read FADE, the sequel to WAKE. This book was amazing! It was such a quick read, only 210 pages, but it was surprisingly deep. One of my new favorite books!

Other books to read by this author: FADE, GONE (due out in Spring 2010)

I would recommend this book to: teen romance fans that like a

Dreams, we all have them. Sometimes we remembered them, sometimes not. They may be what on our subconscious we desired the most or completely the opposite. But for Janie Hannagan, dreams are her worst nightmare, and they aren't even her dreams. She is not a ordinary seventeen year old girl, she has the power to witness that dreams of people who happen to fall asleep close to her. Of course, she doesn't likes it; but, she can't seem to do anything about it since the first time she experienced it, when she was only eight years old. She hasn't told anyone about it; doesn't want to be called a freak. But, when Cabel, a fellow classmate, falls asleep in the same place as her, she enters his dreams and everything changes. She feels he would understand her. She doesn't just fall in his dreams, she falls in his life, and may also be falling in love with him. With his help, she would learned how to control the dreams by helping those who dreamed them to change their dreams, so they can learned from them and accomplished unfinished tasks in real life.

Although, I found the writing a bit weird at the beginning, it somehow work rather perfect for the story, making it unique and pleasant to read.
I found myself really enjoying getting into the characters dreams along with Janie. I love the story's premise. The format of giving the time and date on sections was a helpful surprise. The book has a dreamlike quality to it. The descriptions of the dreams, and the actions taken in real life, contributed to the great quality of this book. I'm looking forward to Fade. They are still some holes to be filled. Enjoyable read. 4.5 Stars

Reader reviewed by ambeen

Wake is an amazing first novel from Lisa McMann. The premise and plot for the story grabbed me from the beginning. I was truly invested in Janie and her abilities to enter other people's dreams. I did not want to put the book down for a minute.

The dynamic between Janie and Cabel was great. They fit perfectly together and just meshed real well in the story. Wake moves quickly with few lulls in the fast pace the story takes. I will definitely looking forward to the sequel, Fade, to be released sometime in 2009.

In the sequel, I hope to see better explanation of the dream catcher's abilities. There were many questions Janie asked (and several I could ask as well) that were not answered in the book, so hopefully any confusion about how Janie's and others abilities work will be answered in the sequel.

Reader reviewed by Cowgirl

Janie is almost normal, the one thing that separates her from everyone else is her ability to be inside of other peoples dreams. At first she sees it as a terrible thing, and regrets it happening. However, things get more difficult the higher grade she enters and when she starts working at the nursing home to earn money for college. When a lady at the nursing home dies, she also leaves Janie a note about her dreams and a good hunk of money for college. Janie learns that its not so bad to be in other peoples dreams, and she even learns how to help them out in their dreams. She even figures out how to use them to help solve a mystery that involves drugs. Throughout the story, Janie also has to struggle through boy problems and they learn some important things about each other. What will happen with the rest of the story? Thats for you to find out!


I enjoyed reading "Wake" it was one of those books that you constantly are reading! However, after finishing, I was asking myself "what were the main points of the story?" However, I still really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading "Fade!"

Also pulished by myself on my Young Adult book blog: http://booksforteensreviews.blogspot.com/