Wake (Wake Series, Book 1)

All of us have had dreams both good and bad. Some we try to pull ourselves out of and can't. Imagine you are sitting somewhere and suddenly you are pulled into someone else's dream. This is what happens to Janie Hannagan, and she has absolutely no control over it. Janie has had this problem since she was eight years old. It has gotten worse as time has gone on. She is pulled into one dream that when she sees it reminds me of Edward Scissorhands. She is beginning to think she is a freak and will be alone forever. Enter Cabel Strumheller. One kindness is repaid by another and Janie and Cabel become friends. Drawn into Cabel's dreams Janie learns that he hides some secrets as well. As their friendship blossoms into a romance Cabel is forced to share some of those secrets or else give up their relationship. Sharing the secrets will mean drawing Janie into the world formed by those secrets, and possible danger. To try and explain anything besides what I have written would be giving so much away. I will say that I immediately pulled out the sequel and read it. This book was and absolute must read for those who like the twisted mind type of read.

"These books were wonderful! They are short quick reads that anyone from age 15/16 and up would enjoy. Which is part of why I think it recently won the ALA's award Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. "McMann's concept of a girl who can fall in and out of someone's dream at any given moment is refreshingly original. Her character Janie has lived a hard life and has a hard time learning to trust anyone but herself. Although she soon finds out that that may be her only way to survive the dreams and sometimes nightmares she must endure. If I had any hang up about this series it would have to do with some more mature scenes in the second book. Thus, the 15/16 or older recommendation. Other than that, a great series that will have you glued to the book until the very last page!"

I am ashamed to say this book sat on my shelf, lingering and waiting for me to pick it up, for over a year. I'm not sure why I hesitated on reading it, considering it peeked my interest as soon as I saw it on the store bookshelf... but not yet owning the other two novels in the three-part series bothered me and kept me away. I always said I'd read the first one, and if I liked it, I'd pick up the other two. But I waited so long to read it, and for that, I am kicking myself in the ass. Why, you ask? Lisa McMann did an incredible job at captivating me as her reader right from the start. From page one, I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down until I finished it. As a writer, she had a rare ability to -- literally -- launch me, head first, into this story. The protagonist, Janie, takes you through her incredible and thrilling world of dream visions, where she is held captive and dragged through other people's thoughts, memories, nightmares and physiological wonders. The dreamers do not know that she is there, and Janie cannot comprehend as to why it keeps happening, which makes it difficult for her to understand the importance of her presence. What's worse is, each time it happens, the severity of the situation increases, making it harder for Janie to pull herself out out of them... One daunting one in particular is not only challenging to escape, but toilsome to witness. Her mother is barely in the picture and has no idea of Janie's capabilities. Her best friend (whom is not shallow -- which I LOVE!!) is actually there for her whenever she is can be, but has her own secrets and burdens to bare. With kids in High School drifting to sleep daily, all Janie wants to do is blend in and find some peace and quiet and make it stop so she can rest. Then enters Cabel. Dark, mysterious Cabel, who's made it a goal to go his own way and do his own thing in order to escape his troublesome, drug-related past and never-ending bad-boy reputation. The last thing Janie needs is to be caught up in something else she can't control, but one nightmare sequence and a wicked street name later, and Cabel and Janie embark on her journey together -- for their own individual reasons. What they didn't expect to find was how close they were linked together, and how they could possibly be able to help each other out. This story was absolutely compelling. I loved the twists and turns that left me guessing and holding onto the edge of my seat. The one thing that did bother me was, as the plot thickened and the pace sped faster, the writing did become a bit choppy -- which I know can render a lot of readers because once a story that contained full sentences and well-written explanatory paragraphs suddenly turns into fragmented lines and disconnected phrases, you start feeling a little whip-lashed. Granted, it's how the author wanted to display the urgency and spiral in the plot, and that I can respect. Lisa McMann's Wake provides wonderful, easy to enjoy characters, and a plot that is so gripping, you'll barely have time to nitpick the fragments; all you'll want to do figure out what will happen next. Allowing this book to sit on my shelf for so long may have been a huge mistake, but reading it was not. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and have since added both Fade and Gone (Wake`s successors) to my to-buy list and moved them to the very top of my cart, as I cannot wait to see what happens next with Janie and Cabel's journeys. Until then, I'm sure I'll be dreaming of what could be, considering the story is stuck in my head. Thankfully, I wouldn't have it any other way. That's what happens when a fresh writer comes into your life.

I had my doubts, this is the kind of story line that can go very badly in the wrong writers hands. Lucky for us Lisa McMann is in the zone here. Granted this is not a long book, but I read it start to finish within a couple hours. I couldn't put it down. Another reviewer said that this book reads like watching a movie, and I couldn't agree more. Janie Hannagan is the kind of character that readers love, she draws you in and for the space of 224 pages her emotions are your emotions. The romance is sweet but not overpowering and really adds to the story instead of detracting from it. McMann writes in a format similar to Stephenie Meyer The Twilight Collection (Twilight) kind of stream of consciousness, like writing in a journal. From what I can tell this is Lisa McMann's first published novel and if Wake is any indication she's deffinitely an author to watch. there will be a sequal to Wake and the auther's blog says it's dure out in the fall of this year titled Fade.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I read it in about 4 hours - yes, it's a quick read. There are things that bugged me about it, though. Some parts were really well written while other parts bored me. I don't think I enjoyed the style of writing the author used. It was almost as if she was trying too hard to sound like a teenager. Also, I don't mind that the f-word was used in this novel, but I feel like it was unnecessarily overused. -spoiler- Cabel and Janice's relationship was interesting, but very frustrating at times. They got mad at each other for stupid reasons and he apparently was in love with her when they hardly even knew each other. He was overly affectionate to the point of where he cried over her. He even dragged her into his boss's office so that she could prove to her he wasn't lying. It seemed like he was too emotionally attached to her and it made him seem less realistic. As for the dreams, some of them seemed pointless and the ones that corresponded to the novel got really repetitive. The author made the dreams so that they directly related to real life events, but when Cabel dreams about having sex with Shay - It's just a hope or a fear? Overall, I believe this novel was worth reading, but I do believe a little more work on it would have made it great. It was a good basis, but need a little more expansion and editing! It was good enough though that I will most likely buy the sequel.

Adolescents beware: Lisa McMann knows you. She knows your insecurities. She knows how you might look so together, yet be so screwed up. This is why Wake rang so true for me--because I remember what it was like to be 15, 16, 17. It wasn't a lovely, dreamy existence; it was somewhat akin to living in a shark tank. So I can relate to Janie's fear that she's a freak. It makes sense; she slips into other people's dreams, after all. Nasty, nasty dreams. Makes it kind of hard to look a friend in the eyes, when you've seen him beating his father to a pulp. As an adult, I can also relate to Janie's dismissal of adults. She has yet to learn that we're all just older teenagers. So when McMann skillfully adds a touch of mystery, now and then, to the actions of Janie's miserably inept mother, I love it. Funny stuff. Well-written stuff. Scary stuff. Surprisingly believable fantasy stuff. Can't wait for the next book. And I'm 60 years old. Susan O'Neill, author: Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam

“Wake” is the first novel of a trilogy about a reluctant dream walker cursed with an ability she can’t get rid of. Janie gets sucked into other peoples dreams which creates issues being in the same room with someone about to doze off. High school is the worst of all, with study hall or field trips on the bus and sharing motel rooms. Janie takes a shining to a classmate, but when he dozes off his dreams turn into nightmares depicting him as a killer. A monster. She needs to find a way to intercede; to change his nightmare. The answer comes to her in a place she least expects it. This is a well written novel of suspense, mystery and the drama that a seventeen year old high school girl from the poor part of town goes through. Great story.

I thought this book had an interesting premise and ended up being a pretty good book. It was very engaging and intriguing and a little bit spooky. Janie has a odd problem; she gets sucked into other peoples dreams. And not when she is sleeping. If someone falls asleep near her during school or at work she blacks out and is propelled into their dream. Needless to say it is making her life a mess and, with an alcoholic mother who doesn't even acknowledge Janie's existence as her only parent, Janie's life is screwed up enough. Enter Cabel the stoner at school, he always falls asleep in study hall and Janie knows what he dreams about sometimes...her. But maybe Janie has more control over other people's dreams than she knows, maybe she can help them and help others. This book is written in an interesting style. It is broken down by date and time, starting when Janie is a little girl with large breaks in time. As the book continues and Janie enters high school the breaks in time are only hours or minutes apart. Overall it is an interesting idea and the characters are very engaging. You feel for all these poor teens stuck in crappy home situations. You feel for Janie who is trying to work so that she can go to college. She works in a nursing home, where sometimes people fall asleep...making Janie collapse on the job. The characterization is really the strongest part of this book, that and the creative idea of Janie's problem. The story is complete, and this could be a stand alone book. Except it isn't...there are supposed to be two more books about Janie and Caleb (Fade and Gone). The story does hint at the end that there could be more to Janie's dream problem and she could have powers she doesn't grasp yet. While the story is suspenseful and griping and a page-turner...it is painfully short. Almost more of a novella; it took me just over an hour to read the book. I am excited to read the next book and I love McMann's writing and characterization. I hope that the next book has a bit more elaborate storyline to it and that the book is a bit longer. Very creative overall.

17歳の女子高生Ｊａｎｉｅは、８歳の頃から特別な能力を持っている。それは、人の夢に入り込むこと。 漫画みたいなコンセプトだけど、スリリングで面白いです。恋愛もあり。友情もあり。 最初は自分の能力に振り回されて苦しむんだけど、だんだんその力をコントロールすることができるようになってきます。それまでのＪａｎｉｅの苦しみも読み応えがあるし、そこからのストーリーの展開にも目が離せませんでした。 一冊がびっくりするほど薄いので、正直期待していませんでしたが、ぜひシリーズ全部読んでみたいです。

I loved the style of Wake - it was bitesize and that made it easy to devour in one sitting. The style is quite different from anything I have ever read before; it reminds me almost of a newspaper report because it is written in the third person, but in the present tense. For whatever reason, that really works for me. I find that because the level of detail is kept to a really light level, there was a lot of room for me to imagine things in this story. In fact, I felt upon finishing that I had never before had such a strong sense of place in a book - usually I read descriptions and sort of cobble together an idea of what I should be thinking of, but I sometimes get too lost in the detail. In the story we follow Janie, who has an unfortunate ability to get sucked in to other people's dreams. She meets Cabel, a mysterious boy who pushes her home from a dance on his skateboard when she is forced to walk home barefoot by some pinching shoes. I fell in love with him right then, although it took Janie a while longer. Their relationship is developed in an intelligent and interesting way, and I love these characters. They don't need anyone to look after them; but they come to need each other. This book makes my heart pound. I love how you get to see how Cabel feels about Janie as she does through his dreams, and the waking interplay between them is just delicious. Cabel is a boy of few words, but long, intense looks and he is one of my all-time favorite leading men. My one word of warning about this book is that it contains a number of instances of strong cursing.

Yet another wonderful book written for young teens. The story is about a 17 year old girl called Janie who gets sucked into other people's dreams and how she learns how to control it. On the way you explore her life at home and high school, relationships with her alcoholic mother and peers and her hopes and aspirations. Its not a long book by any means which means your teen if you have one will probably finish it, read it before you give it to them, you won't be disappointed. I'm giving it to my 71 year old mother for Christmas because she enjoys a good read and this is definitely one.

This series is one of my favourites, and I think Lisa McMann does a really good job of drawing the reader straight into the story. Janie's gift is fascinating, and to be able to see what other people are dreaming about is both scary and interesting, taking voyeurism to a whole new level. Being a dreamcatcher has its pros and cons; the pros being the chance to help people and solve crimes, with the cons leaning more towards physical ailments and the loss of privacy. The sense that people's deepest, darkest secrets are hidden in their dreams is a constant problem for Janie, because how do you draw the line? How can she keep herself grounded? All are questions the reader is faced with, along with a couple of moral questions of our own. Cabel is a fantastic male character, and compliments Janie's personality perfectly. He understand her, he helps her, and ultimately becomes her go-to person when she's in trouble. Their relationship progresses as any normal one should -- with a certain amount of trepidation and hesitation. These are characters that can't afford to slip up or make a wrong move: too much is at stake, and this definitely shows through in their attutudes towards each other. Lisa McMann's writing is simple but stylish, and is the only time I've come across this particular prose. She brings something new to the YA table, and makes sure to target a wide audience by having her story include many different components. Romance, danger, and the difference between right and wrong are just a few of the elements waiting for you within the pages of Wake, and if you haven't yet read it, give it a go -- I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Janie besitzt eine seltsame Gabe: Sie kann in die Träume anderer Menschen eindringen. Doch für Janie ist es eher ein Fluch als eine Gabe. Sie weiß nicht, wie sie es kontrollieren kann und so wird sie zu jeder erdenklichen Tageszeit und in allen möglichen Situationen in Träume gezogen. Janie erfährt auf diesem Weg sehr viel über den Träumer. Doch sie kann niemanden darauf ansprechen, da die Träumer sich nicht daran erinnern können, dass sie Janie im Traum begegnet sind. Oft muss Janie auch schlimme Albträume miterleben. Sie möchte den Träumern dann gerne helfen, doch sie weiß nicht wie. Janie freundet sich im Laufe der Geschichte mit einem Jungen aus ihrer Schule an: Cabel. Er ist ein ziemlich undurchsichtiger Typ. Irgendwann findet Janie heraus, dass er der Träumer eines besonders schlimmen Traumes ist, den sie einmal miterlebt hat. Doch bei seinem Traum ist etwas anders...Cabel kann sich nach dem Aufwachen daran erinnern, dass er Janie in seinem Traum begegnet ist. Dadurch erfährt Cabel von Janies Geheimnis. Das verbindet die beiden, doch es hält nicht lange an. Cabel wird in kriminelle Machenschaften verstrickt und verhält sich seltsam. Können er und Janie wieder zueinander finden? Sollte Janie ihn überhaupt zurückwollen? Zeitgleich versucht Janie Kontrolle über ihre Gabe zu bekommen. Sie erhält hierbei Hilfe von einer anderen Traumfängerin. So lernt Janie mit der Zeit, wie sie den Träumern helfen kann. Zu Ende findet sie auch heraus, was es mit Cabels Verhalten auf sich hat. Doch die Story ist hier noch lange nicht zu Ende, denn nun da Janie besser mit der Gabe umgehen kann, wird sie auch versuchen, diese aktiv anzuwenden. Meine Meinung: Mir hat das Buch sehr gefallen. Es ist eine mysteriöse Handlung in einer tollen Atmosphäre. Ich möchte vor allem den Schreibstil hervorheben. Die Geschichte wird in kurzen, prägnanten Sätzen erzählt. Dadurch wird man nie von der Handlung abgelenkt. Man hat das Gefühl immer mittendrin zu sein. Ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr weglegen und habe es in wenigen Stunden fertig gelesen. Janie als Person fand ich auch sehr erfrischend. Sie kommt aus ärmlichen Verhältnissen, wird als White Trash bezeichnet, kennt ihren Vater nicht und hat eine Alkoholikerin zur Mutter. Doch man hat den Eindruck, dass sie sich nie unterkriegen lässt. Diese schlechten Voraussetzungen, haben sie sogar stärker gemacht. Sie wirkt nicht wie ein Teenager, sonder eher wie eine Erwachsene. Mir gefällt es, wie sie ihr Leben selbst in die Hand nimmt. Ich habe mir schon Teil 2 und 3 bestellt, da ich unbedingt wissen möchte, wie die Handlung weitergeht.