Dreamquake

By Elizabeth Knox

'...amazing and unique ... like nothing else I've ever read. You will want to go there.' Stephenie Meyer - author of the Twilight Saga Suitable for ages 12+
Following on from the mesmerising Dreamhunter, the story continues dramatically as Grace, 'overdreamt' by Laura, introduces a nightmare, instead of the happy holiday dream programmed, to a packed Opera House audience, with chaotic results. Laura has collected and dreamt the nightmare in response to a letter she thinks is from her dead father, tziga, who has been forced by the government to dream it to keep prisoners frightened and subdued. Laura takes Nown, the sandman she created, with her on a journey to discover what purpose the Depot in the Place is being used for, and finds a far greater secret behind the existence of the Place Itself. Meanwhile Laura has to come to terms with her feelings for Sandy, a young dreamcatcher. She and Rose must accept their changing relationship. 'Knox's haunting, invigorating storytelling will leave readers eager to return to its puzzles - and to reap its rewards Booklist Ages 13+

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: May 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780730498575

Elizabeth Knox

Elizabeth Knox has published several novels for adults and children, as well as autobiographical novellas. Her acclaimed adult novel The Vintner's Luck (1998) was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 1999, and was made into a feature film in 2009. In 2008, her YA novel Dreamquake won an American Library Association's Michael L Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature. Elizabeth lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Reviews for Dreamquake

[callmecayce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Though not quite as good as Dreamhunter, Knox's second dream novel was still good. She threw in a few twists and there was one that I guessed was going to happen, and it did -- sadly, it's something that annoys me in a lot of YA books, but she handled in decently enough. She also brought a character back who we thought had died, but did it in such a way that I was certain he hadn't, but couldn't quite be sure. If you read and liked the first, the second is a nice follow up.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second book in the Dreamhunter Duet starts before the first ends - there's about 15-20 pages of overlap told from a slightly different point of view. From there, we learn where Laura went to hide after delivering a horrible nightmare that had been used to keep convicts in line to a large number of people in order to bring awareness to what Cas Doran and his Regulatory Body has been up to. Rose soon finds out that this isn't the only thing they're up to, so the fact that nobody seems to care that this nightmare is used on convicts quickly moves to the background.Like Dreamhunter, Dreamquake starts a little slowly, but steadily builds momentum as the reader and characters discover just what is going on with dreams and the Place. I grew a little frustrated that I figured out a lot before the main characters did, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

[beatles101 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After Laura Hame unleashes her nightmare upon the unsuspecting public, the adventure unfolds. To speak of anything beyond an "adventure" would certainly make many future readers unhappy, as new concepts and added equations to the complexity of Laura's predicament unfold through each chapter of this book. Not my favorite type of book, but it certainly left me with lasting emotions. Lovely, but alright.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Elizabeth Knox returns to the world of Southland (a sort of alternative New Zealand) in this second installment of her Dreamhunter Duet, and the result is a fantasy that is every bit as complex, thought-provoking, and emotionally satisfying as the first. Picking up a little before the conclusion of the previous book, Dreamhunter, and running through the same sequence of events, but from Rose and Grace Tiebold's perspective, rather than Laura's, Dreamquake soon had me as engrossed as the first book - involved with the characters emotionally, eager to know more about The Place, the nature of dream-hunting, and Cas Doran's plot to control the political life of Southland, and curious to see how the relationship between Laura and her sandman, Nown, would progress.I was incredibly impressed with the way that Knox answered these questions, without really answering them. Yes, the reader discovers what the Place is (well, more how it was made, than what it truly is), and what the dreams that the Dreamhunters mine in it, are meant to be and do. And yes, we see a lot more of Cas Doran, and learn about his sinister plot to seize political control, and be a behind-the-scenes puppet-master. We see more of Nown (and more Nowns, as it happens), and gain a deeper appreciation of his character. But although there is an overt explanation offered for these questions, although we learn more, the answers to the deeper questions remain elusive. What is a Nown, exactly? A sandman? A soul, as Laura claims? Where does the divine come into all of this, and how is it that some characters seems more on the divine end of the humanity-divinity spectrum, than others? These sorts of questions - the questions that make this a series really worth reading - are never really answered, and that's as it should be, because they're not the sort of questions that have answers. I imagine that some readers - particularly Americans, who (in my experience) are used to narratives in which the divine and its role is definitely defined, either for the good or the bad - will find that incredibly uncomfortable. For my part, I loved it!I read Dreamquake and its predecessor Dreamhunter for the International Children's Book Club to which I belong, in which we choose selections from all over the world. These books are meant to represent New Zealand, in our reading schedule, and I have to say, having now finished both of them, that they feel very much like products of that country to me. It's not just the topographical and climatic details (the island nation, Christmas in the summer), but the progressive "feeling" to them. Themes of sexuality (Laura's sexual awakening! sex inside The Place!), and of political and economic injustice, are freely depicted, while religious and theological ideas are explored in an unselfconscious way. I was strongly reminded of another brilliant work of New Zealand children's literature, Margaret Mahy's The Tricksters (admittedly one of my favorite YA novels ever!), in which another young girl is visited by a person/persons from another time/world - persons drawn into the world (like Nown was by Laura) by the girl in question, and intended, in some ways, to give her a warning. These parallels emphasized, for me, that this was a book coming out of a particular tradition, and while I can't say I am fluent with all the themes and subjects of that tradition, that sense of it as part of a larger literary "conversation" gave it great added meaning for me.In short: Dreamquake, which I feel really must be read together with its predecessor, Dreamhunter, is an immensely engaging, intelligent, thought-provoking work of fantasy, and is one I highly recommend to those readers who enjoy the genre, and are looking for something a little different.

[hoosgracie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The sequel to Dreamhunter brings us in just as the first novel ended. Laura has released the nightmare "Buried Alive" over her Aunt Grace's dream at the dream palace. Laura wants to expose the bad things that The Body is doing. I enjoyed the sequel, but not quite as much as the first book.

[emitnick_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A luscious conclusion to the Dreamhunter Duet, with a truly thought-provoking twist. Atmospheric and exciting.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! The sequel was a much more satisfying read than the first installment. Laura and Rose are back with their powerful families, trying to uncover what the Place is really being used for by the government and the connection the Hame family has to the place. It was interesting to think about the power that might come from dream manipulation. After Laura unleashes a nightmare on the public to wake people up about the treatment of convicts, there is a domino effect that starts several people on perilous paths to try to uncover the truth.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This second half of the Dreamhunter Duet is where everything set up in the first novel starts to fall apart, in a (mostly) good way. Many of the assumptions about the dream turn out to be false, the bad guys are worse even than they appeared, and the stakes are much higher.

The ending requires a certain amount of faith, and I'm not sure I bought it fully, but the books were so delightful that I can't really complain. There's definitely some religious and cultural baggage that I don't share and I feel like my understanding was not quite what the author would have envisioned because of that, but overall the Duet is a fabulous work.

[fsmichaels · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Second book in the Dreamhunter Duet - so well done! Great concept, compelling characters. A solid read.

[karinaw_19 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Personal Response:This book is not quite as strong as the Dreamhunter and could probably have 50-100 pages cut from the story. However, it brings together all of the story lines and mysteries built up in the first book. In the end it provides a satisfying ending and is a good sequel. Curricular/Programming Connections:Read with a SciFi/Fantasy book group

[bunwat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this conclusion to the story begun in The Dreamhunter to be surprising, evocative and entirely satisfying. And oddly I even found some laughs here and there, which I didn't, so much, in the first one.

[mrshillreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book immediately after reading book 1 and liked it much more! I loved that the series was complete in only two books. This was a thoroughly satisfying ending.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Laura and Rose are cousins who are very good friends. Laura is a dream hunter, someone who can catch and share dreams with others. Rose is not although her mother Grace is one of the most famous dream hunters around. There is also Cas Doran. He is not a dream hunter, but in fact a government official who seeks to find a way to use the dream hunters to manipulate the populace into keeping himself and his friends in power.

The volume revolves and Laura, Rose and their family getting a handle on Cas Doran's plans and the origins of the Place and dream hunting (although the second part seems incidental.)

This is the second book in a duo and even though part of the Printz Honor/Award criteria is that a book be able to stand alone I am not entirely certain that this book was able to stand alone all the time. References were definitely made to what happened in the earlier book that I found very confusing and the author jumps right into a complicated world that the reader can eventually get the hang of but I think it would have been better with more explanation (which was probably provided in the earlier book.)

That being said it was still an interesting story and when I was able to get a handle on what was going on I did enjoy it. Laura and Rose are both very bright and their family seems loving and caring and willing to help each other.

[deathsmistress · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found that I didn't really like most of this book. It seemed to only give small tidbits of interesting things, just enough to keep you reading. It didn't get truly good until the second half of the book. Honestly I feel the same way about this book as I did the first book. It gave something good in the end that makes you want to buy the next book, but the beginning was only slightly interesting.Ill probably buy the next book to see if the story gets any better, hopefully the whole book will be interesting and not just half of it.

[jasmyn9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read the first book in the Dreamhunter duet as part of the Most Underappreciated Book Contest earlier this year. It intrigued me enough that I went out and got the second. However, about half way through I almost put the book down. The characters seemed to be stuck in a loop trying to figure the same things out over and over again.Things were just taking too long for me, but I stuck through it and the second half of the book made up it. The characters started to develop again and the plot become involved and was progressing once again.Laura Hame is once again center stage of the story, and she has finally started to put things together about the mysterious Place. The pieces eventually fell together quite nicely and the story ended well.3/5

[robertalea-223265 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am glad I finished this fantasy duet. The second book tied up a lot of loose ends.

[reallifereading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet opens in the chaos that ends the first book. It’s a little hard to understand if you haven’t read the first book, but essentially, Laura Hame’s protest against the government’s exploitation of dreams, in the form of a terrible nightmare, has shocked the patrons of the dream palace. The story follows not just Laura but her cousin Rose and her aunt, renowned dreamhunter Grace Tiebold, in the confusion that follows, as well as the government’s investigation into the protest. I won’t give any more of the plot away, especially if you haven’t read the first one (go read it!!), but there are so many changes ahead for Laura Hame and her family, as they uncover the secrets of the Place and work to expose corrupt politicians. So there’s some politicking, some adventures in the Place (where dreams are captured), some romance, and great family relationships.

It’s hard to really tell you about this book. I don’t want to give away anything and yet at the same time, want to encourage you to read it! Can’t I just say, ‘read this! read this!’ and let that be enough? Probably not. So let’s see here….

Dreamquake was a completely engrossing read, with some rather genius plot developments that unveil intriguing ideas. I love that this series was a two-parter, as sometimes a middle book can get bogged down with explanations and details. Instead, with a duet, Knox was able to plunge the reader back into the scene and fall back in with those familiar characters. As I turned the last page, part of me hated that I had to leave this fascinating world of Laura Hame’s behind, but Dreamquake offered such a satisfying conclusion that it quenched my thirst, but also left me eager to read more by the amazing Elizabeth Knox.

[phoebesmum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

'The Dream Quake' is not so much a sequel to 'The Rainbow Opera' as a continuation of the story, and thus a little difficult to review without spoilers for the first book. We rejoin the narrative where 'The Rainbow Opera' left off – or, actually, a little before, as we relive St Lazarus's Eve 1906 from a different perspective. After the events of that night Laura is given refuge by the Grand Patriarch, who has his own agenda with regard to the Place. Gradually life returns to normal, Laura continues her training as a Dreamhunter whilst Rose prepares to take her place in society, but greater forces are at work and pull both girls toward a future that seems inevitable. We finally come to learn the nature of the Place, the reason Dreams exist, and their connection to the Hame family, and Laura at last fulfils her destiny … possibly not for the first time, but perhaps, this time around, for the last. A satisfying ending to a startlingly unusual and original read.