Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve - Review & Guest Post

 Summary from Goodreads

There is a world where gods you’ve never heard of have wound themselves into hearts, and choice has led its history down a different path.

This is a world where France made a small, downtrodden island called England part of its vast and bloated empire.

There are people here who can cross a thousand miles with their minds. There are rarer people still who can move between continents in the blink of an eye.

These people are dangerous.

And wanted. Desperately wanted.

Apprentice hedgewitch Vela Rue knows that she is destined for more. She knows being whisked off from a dull country life to a city full of mystery and intrigue is meant to be. She knows she has something her government wants, a talent so rare and precious and new that they will do anything to train her in it.

But she doesn’t know that she is being lied to. She doesn’t know that the man teaching her about her talent is becoming obsessed by her, and considered by some to be the most dangerous man alive ...

Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: October 3rd 2013 by Hot Key Books
 

My Review
 

Holy smokes! Laure Eve's fabulous debut managed to take me to somewhere that I have never been before, and my mind was blown by each delicious detail!

The writing is quite simply stunning and the world created here was crafted with such exquisite detailing that it gave me shivers! The world building is most definitely in depth and layered with the most amazing descriptors and attention to detail - highly imaginative stuff!

I love Angle Tar, with it's old fashioned ways, I truly thought it was a beautiful place to be. But World held wonders that needed to be discovered and explored - with it's limitless technology. In the end though I would still choose Angle Tar!

In this storyline we have 2 characters from completely different back-rounds. White knew he was different from a young age and harnessed that power, while Rue's power lay quite dormant for a long time. We see the pair leading their separate lives, up until they meet after their recruitment!

Vela Rue is a gorgeous character that I found easily likeable and interesting! I loved her inquisitive nature and her outspoken, heart on her sleeve ways. She developed a great deal from her job as a hedge-witch, to recruitment for her Talent and to the aftermath of meeting a certain two striking individuals!

I adore White! He intrigues me so much and I love his backward ways and his strange way of speaking. I actually really like that he comes across arrogant and snooty - because I completely get that he isn't any of those things, misunderstood comes to mind! He has so much power and I love that he is humble about it when he is really a force to be reckoned with!

You know, the thing that prevented me from giving this book the big 5 stars, was because it took so long for the separate stories to come together. Saying that, I adored the separate stories, I got a real feel for the characters but it just took too long for our fabulous 2 main characters worlds to collide!

I liked that Ren's head was turned by our 2 guys, because there really is only one guy for her, but she gets to experience how charming and deceitful Wren actually is. The way Rue and White's relationship bumped along made me smile because the pair made each other so angry!

It's such a hard storyline to sum up because it's so complex - so I'll not even attempt! Please do see the summary above for a better idea!

The ending was total amazeballs! Seriously! Everything came together so explosively and I was truly intrigued! I loved all the truths that were realised and stumbled upon!

Fearsome Dreamer is a truly phenomenal debut from Laure Eve, who writes suburbly! The world is created with such beauty and complexity - I loved getting lost in it! When the characters lives collide sparks fly and emotions heighten! I have a feeling that this highly adventurous journey is only beginning and I cannot wait to see where we will be taken next! Fearsome Dreamer is a book to get excited about!

4.5 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Laure Eve for the review copy*
 

 

 
 About the Author

Laure Eve is a French-British hybrid who grew up in Cornwall, a place saturated with myth and fantasy. Being a child of two cultures taught her everything she needed to know about trying to fit in at the same time as trying to stand out. She speaks English and French and can hold a vague conversation, usually about food, in Greek.

Past career highlights include bookselling, waitressing, and for one memorable summer, dressing up as a costumed bear for children's parties. It was exactly as awesome as it sounds. She now lives and works in London.
 

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Laure's Laws for Lovely World building* :
 

I try to think about world building in two camps: rules for the world, and rules for the characters.

 

• Rules for the world: more often than not I'll find that an innocuous thought in one scene ("Hm. I just wrote that he walked to work. Does that mean they don't have public transport in this story?") will lead me on a veeeery long journey ("Hm. So if they don't have public transport, how do they get around? Floating bubbles! But how do those floating bubbles work and what are they made of? I mean, how do you propel them? What fuel do they run on? More to the point, where do they get that fuel? And how much would that fuel cost; would it be expensive or cheap? Oh wait, yes, what kind of currency would they use here? And in terms of the economy..."). I try to enjoy the journey while simultaneously not freaking out that I have to know every little detail right away. I know enough for what I've written so far, and I find as I go that every so often, as the story requires it, I'll need to stop and sketch out a little bit more. A lot of the background stuff might not end up even directly referenced. But I know it, and that is important. It may indirectly influence the next bit I write.
 

• World building doesn't just apply to fantastical stories. If my story is set in Chipping Sodbury in the present, I still need to know what Chipping Sodbury is like and how my characters function within it. If I've created a fictional town, maybe jotting down where things are will help anchor my writing in believability; or sketching a little map so that my characters aren't running into the betting shop where I said the church was two chapters ago.
 

• Rules for the characters: fantastical characters need rules to make them believable and relatable - if I have a centaur ghost with wings in a story (as you do), can he touch other people? What does he eat, and what are his powers? How are his powers constrained - powers have to have rules as well, otherwise characters become godlike and rapidly start to bore. If my character encounters no adversity or struggle, there's not much reason for anyone to keep reading.
 

• I like to have little things that aren’t technically important or necessary for the plot but are there for people to pick up on – or not. In Fearsome Dreamer, the name of the country our girl Rue comes from is Angle Tar. Some people have worked out the way this name might have come about; some people haven’t. Not necessary to know – but fun, all the same, if you do know. I think little hints like this all contribute to the intricate and lovely web of world building and make a story all the richer.
 

And finally:
 

World building should be fun. If it's not, you're probably writing The Silmarillion instead Lord of the Rings, and maybe you should stop.
 

* Disclaimer: I'm so clearly making this up as I go along :D There is no correct way to write; I kind of feel like anyone who says there is, says it because they’re trying to sell you their 'How to Write' manual. I think that you do it by feel, and by practice, and by learning from your mistakes. And most importantly by reading vociferously, and from that, learning what makes a good story… and what doesn’t.