An interesting concept of a book with the idea of walking in dreams. A wonderfully woven narrative spanning generations and character perspectives learning about ancestors and relatives you might take for granted. This book is written in two timelines; in the present: Layla has been estranged from her Mother for years, whose constant vivid dreams has been dismissed for years, but when her mother passes away, she learns the truth about her dreams, and her Mother's family. The 2nd timeline, Gemma, Layla's ancestor who was a slave on a rice plantation in South Carolina, gives a small reflection of slavery, magic and family history. The author wove a vivid tale of family and history set against the backdrop of Gullah Geechee islands in South Carolina, prompting me to now want to book a vacation there as they sounded so peaceful. The story was rich and detailed with character you grew to accept and maybe even love despite their flaws. The concept of entering people's dreams and them having real world consequences was very compelling.

Thanks to Forge and Netgalley as well as the author.,

Layla has had extremely vivid dreams her entire life— sometimes she’s not even sure what is real and what is a dream. When her mom dies, she learns that this is a family trait and she can enter the dreams of people.

Although this is a very interesting idea, The Last Dreamwalker didn’t really hold my attention. I needed the story to move a bit more quickly than it did.

I can’t find many negatives about this book. I loved the narration first Of all. The amount of character voices she could make was nothing short of amazing. She seemed to bring each character to life.

I love the plot. The black history. The truth. And mostly, i loved the aunts. The mystery behind the dream walking women was just the right about before we learned the backstory. The book kept me holding on!

THE LAST DREAMWALKER by Rita Woods is read by Nedra Marie Taylor and is easily 4.5 Stars.

Layla has a distanced relationship with her mom, and when her mother dies Layla starts a journey to know more about who she is and who her mother was. Her Aunts, whom she was not allowed contact, guide her path forward, but when she learns about her gift, a storm begins to brew that no one is sure how to calm. This ability to be a Dreamwalker and move through other people's dreams has a lovely aspect to it, but it can be a very dark and sinister tool that has been used for generations in Layla's family. Layla must decide if her inheritance, both in the Gulla-Geechee island and the knowledge of her gift, is safe for her and her family.

This was another story with supernatural elements that captured me with all the deeper familial struggles. The writing was beautiful and Nedra Marie Taylor brought me into each of the distinct characters with ease. The heavier accents of the Aunts and family on the island were rich and emotive. I was swept away. I also feel like this Dreamwalker idea is a bit terrifying! This book tells the story of Layla, but also of the first Dreamwalker on the island and that historical fiction aspect was also very engaging.

Thank you @NetGalley and @macmillan.audio for this Advanced Listening Copy. All opinions are my own. This title will be available on the 20th of September. This is a fantastic one to add to your fall lineup!

This fantasy story is about Layla who has these vivid dreams. If she were hit in her dream, she would wake up with a black eye. After her mother dies, she has to learn and process a truth about a past that she never knew about. A past that can potentially solve the mystery of her dreams and confusions. A past that is connected to her mother's will. The story is well structured. I was curious as to what happens. The dream walking concept has been done before but I enjoyed this one. The ending felt a bit fuzzy for me. I was a tad bit confused because I felt it could potentially have a couple of interpretations. At least, that's how I felt, but all in all, great build up and great story.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was so well done. Very deep and moving. At times a little slow but overall worth it. The narrator was perfect, although I am on the fence on the sound of waves in the back ground whenever someone was dreaming.

Powerful southern women, a young girl finding her way, this book gave me all the feels. The Secret Life of Bees meets Inception!

3.5 stars I really liked the concept of this story and was excited to listen to the audio. I was disappointed though and struggled to finish the story as it moved very slowly.

This book had a great concept and the characters were interesting but it just fell flat for me. I listened to this as an audiobook and I kept having to rewind when I noticed that my mind had wandered. I really wanted to like it more than I did. I debated between a 2 or 3 star rating because it wasn't a bad book, it just didn't keep my interest and I found myself wishing it would wrap up sooner. The one thing I did not like was the sound effects in the background of some of the chapters. I wouldn't not recommend this book persay, but it wasn't my favorite.

Thanks to netgalley I was able to receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I am a dream journaler and have been working on analyzing my dreams for years. This book combines manipulating your dreams with historical fiction in a wonderfully believable way. The descriptions of the island and the people, past and present, are spot on - I can see a movie being made from this story.

Layla grew up being told her scary dreams at night were “night terrors”. In an already strained relationship with her mother, it is worsened as her mother shows little sympathy or understanding. When her mother unexpectedly dies, Layla begins to uncover buried family secrets after a visit with her estranged aunts at her mother’s funeral. Learning she’s inherited a haunted and troublesome island, Layla sets off to to meet unknown family and dig deeper into her family’s tragic past.
This book was extremely moving, delving into ties that bind, family, trauma, slavery, betrayal and more. Highly recommend!
***huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed The Last Dreamwalker. Layla has always had strong and inexplicable dreams. When her mother passed and she meets her mother’s estranged sisters does she finally begin to understand her power as a dream walker.

I loved that Rita Woods set this book in South Carolina and explored the Gullah Geechee culture and tradition. I think the books rooting in setting really gave it a firm foundation for the use of magical realism.

The book moves back and forth from the present to the past where Layla’s ancestors used their gift both in dark ways but also to provide their family with reparations for the slavery they were bind by and the horrors experienced within.

I’m a sucker for magical realism, things rooted in tradition, history and other cultures, and parallel narratives so this book really ticked all the boxes.

I listened to this on audiobook thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I really enjoyed the narrator and felt they gave a great performance that only added to the experience of the novel.

Once you hit "play" on this audiobook, be prepared to be intrigued for hours! Rita Woods has written a fascinating story about two generations of women who faced with life-altering decisions. Layla has just lost her mom, someone who once held a powerful place in her heart. It;'s up to her aunts to explain the strange presences in her dreams -- and her power as a Dreamwalker. It's a power passed down from her Gullah ancestors. Layla now has the gift -- or curse -- of stepping into others' dreams. What she finds is a bloody feud that holds captives in a deadly grip.

The narrator captures Layla perfectly, giving a voice that is strong and determined to bring peace to her family. As the story plays out, the audience learns secrets never stay hidden for long.

What a delicious dark fairytale. A dark fable actually. I sipped it in slow like the perfectly steeped tea it is. It followed its own story rules, and I always appreciate that.

I honestly feel that it must be experienced as an audiobook. The narrator, Nedra Marie Taylor is exceptionally talented and gives an incredible performance. Not to mention all of the immersive sound effects.

Without spoiling anything, my only complaint was that the ending felt as though it came too soon. I think there is so much more story to tell in this world. I can only hope that this will be the start of a series. If so, I will be nabbing it as soon as I can.

This was my first book by Rita Woods, and I am excited to read more of her work.

Thank you to Rita Woods, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for a chance to read this book.

I have always been fascinated with dreams so I really loved this story! Exploring the concepts of dream walking and potentially altering dreams makes for a unique read. Layla’s family history was captivating to uncover throughout the entire audiobook.

The narration was extremely well done by Nedra Marie Taylor. I enjoyed that she used different voice inflections for the characters so it was easy to comprehend the exchange of dialogue throughout the story. And that is not an easy task to achieve, there are a lot of characters in this book between the dreams and reality. I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking to pick up something different.

I’m so grateful that I got to read this text. I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to making some videos for my TIkTok and other social media channels to recommend it to my friends and followers. It was an excellent read! 5/5 stars. I’m going to write a longer and more detailed review on my Goodreads and TikTok and I will link back once I’ve posted.

This is a beautiful story about the pain caused by family secrets and the freedom found in their discovery. It’s a well crafted historical fiction/fantasy with a little magic realism thrown in that kept me listening!

Synopsis:
Layla Hurley has always had a strained relationship with her mother. When the latter passes away suddenly, Layla is left to deal with the pain of her mother’s rejection that seems will now never heal. On the day of her the funeral, Layla’s aunts whom her mother avoided and Layla never got to know, arrive. They share with her an inheritance her mother has left for her. An island she never knew her mother owned, but with it comes dark secrets her mother wanted to keep buried. Layla soon learns she comes from a long line of Gullah women who have mystical powers and are known as Dreamwalkers; meaning she can inhabit and manipulate other’s dreams. She also discovers a dark history her mother never shared and finds her family now threatened by another who shares the same power to walk dreams and must figure out to protect them before all is lost.

What made this story for me, was the aunts ❤️ Everyone should be blessed with such loving family as this. They were funny, caring and would do anything for their own. It was so wonderful to see Layla gain their loyalty and support, which she so desperately needed in her life. Their strength was inspiring.

Another thing I enjoyed in this audio version was the sound of waves that was present whenever someone was dreaming. It added a lot to the atmosphere of the story!

Overall, I highly recommend this beautiful story of family and the strong hold the past can have over the present.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for advanced copy of this audiobook. It is an interesting concept and a wonderfully woven narrative spanning generations and character perspectives. I especially enjoyed listening to this as an audiobook.

The Last Dreamwalker is a lyrical novel and thanks to the narrator of the audio book, it was fun to listen to.
This is a compelling narrative that straddles two different eras.
The story is based on the life of Layla and her ancestor Jemma who lived in 1800's Both wome are dream walkers.tied to a mysterious island. Jemma is fighting to stay on this island she calls home while others who live there are fighting to leave. Layla inherits the island and the story tells of the way these two lives intersect.

While I enjoyed this story I also found it slow and a tiny bit boring at times,
A little more action and a faster pace would have gone a long way although I did really like the family legacy story line and the idea of how walking in dreams could be dangerous for both the dreamer and the walker.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for audio ARC in exchange for my review

Dr. Woods wove a beautiful story combing historical fiction with a little bit of horror. The timeline goes between Gemma, an enslaved woman, in the 19th century and Layla, an artist, in the 21st century. Both of these women are gifted with the ability to dream walk. Gemma uses it obtain ownership of a Gullah Geechee island off the cost of South Carolina. Layla was unaware of her gift until her mother’s passing. That is when Layla’s aunts came back into her life. They tell her she is now the owner of half of that island. As the timeline goes back and forth we learn about each woman, their lives, their families, and their heartaches.

Thanks #NetGalley and #MacMillian audio for the advance listen.