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

I'd forgotten the details of how this ended, so I was gripped and delighted and thoroughly satisfied all over again. These books are just beautifully deep - in ideas and in the elegance and details of the prose - in a way that leaves me replete where more quick-march action-slick stories still leave me hungry.

It's a story about the power of dreams, perhaps. Or it's a story about golems. Or it's a story about how, when you pull on a thread, you cannot possibly know how much fabric you might unravel. It's about the destructiveness of desperation, and the casual brutality that causes desperation. It's about the real opiates of the masses. It's about noticing the injustices in the margins.

It's all of that, and it's dressed in lovely 19th-century charm, and I love it to bits. ( )

I found this final of the Duet very satisfying. Knox has a mature and graceful style that lulls you into the world without a hitch. The seamless quality of the dreams within the story and the truth of the Place, the Nowns, everything left me feeling fulfilled though my heart was very much with Nown #9 and I wanted . . . more for him. That's just me and my quirky wish fulfillment with unusual guys :)

What can I say? A beautifully written book and strong conclusion to the [bc:Dreamhunter|2274981|Dreamhunter|Elizabeth Knox|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255854848s/2274981.jpg|3017563] series. A new fav author for me! What Knox shall I read next? ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )