The relationships, not only between Kaylee and her boyfriend Tod, but also with Sabine (the nightmare), were very well portrayed and captured the tentative truce and rebuilding of trust stemming from any massive teen fall out. Following her Netherworld escapades in novella Never to Sleep, Kaylee’s cousin Sophie is far more developed than before, and I appreciated that she was no longer a two dimensional nemesis.
The greatest development was in Kaylee, with her struggle to maintain her humanity. In the process, she becomes a better friend, leader and heroine, which is just as well because the fight is far from over.
Vincent captured the contrasts between the adult bean sidhes in the novel and Kaylee and her friends. This highlighted the flaws in the teen's thinking as the adults were often the voice of reason, but what they lack in maturity, they more than make up for in bravery.
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What is not as easy to understand is why Avari pursues Kaylee relentlessly. After five books and three novellas, I was expecting some depth to his motives and plots. Ultimately, I realise that he needs no reasons; there are no deep-seated motivations behind his plans. He is simply the hellion of greed, and, just like the other hellions, that is all he needs to keep coming back time and time again.
I thoroughly enjoyed Before I Wake and would recommend the entire series to all fans of paranormal fiction and fantasy. I would like to see a slightly more inventive plot in the final novel as I have no doubt that the hellions will be back to finish their work.
I would give Before I Wake 4.5 stars out of 5.
Before I Wake will be released on June 26, 2012 and is available from Amazon.com.
Readers in the UK will be able to purchase the Kindle version of the book from June 26, 2012 but the paperback will be released on Amazon.co.uk on July 6, 2012.
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