Told in a mixed-media epistolary format, this novel follows journalist Byron Kidd's investigation into the disappearance of his 12-year-old daughter. His only clue is a note indicating that she left to search for the Hidden Realm, the fictional world of her favorite fantasy book series.

Byron is not a nice guy, tortured as he is by the loss of his daughter and the subsequent fallout in his marriage. In pursuit of the truth, he is manipulative, biased, misogynistic, shady, a liar, and his journey reveals him to be a neglectful father and have great moral failings. It's often quite cringe to read the blunt emails and messages he feels comfortable sending other people.

But there's something so painfully human about Byron. While his trauma does not and cannot excuse his quite horrible behavior – and by no means do I think the author Dan Frey excuses it – it makes him very real. The ends justify the means for Byron, but I do think he pays for it. I'm not sure it's a book I would happily dive into again, but I appreciate the ambition and scope to tell a story like this, and in this manner. It's an interesting change of pace from other means of telling a mystery.

DREAMBOUND has such a unique concept, and it's perfect for readers who love books about books (like me!). It was also a beautiful father-daughter narrative -- don't miss out on this one!

Imagine you are a father of a 12 year old. Imagine you are a journalist. Facts are everything. You are on the trail of many missing children. Now imagine your daughter joins the missing, and you? You go down a 'real rabbit hole' into another time and space. This is a brief no spoiler summary of Dan Frey's epistolary novel. I was entranced by the blending of fantasy and life in the writing world of Los Angeles. Frey skillfully avoids fantasy tropes. Our protagonist is not a nice man, manipulative, biased and a neglectful father, his journey he is no young Jedi on a quest. The people he encounters in both worlds are believable creative individuals. The ending left me smiling through tears. I was a fan of Frey after reading the Future is Yours. I eagerly wait for the next project to be completed.
Very highly recommended. Excellent choice for book clubs.

Full disclosure: I received the ARC from netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you.

4.5 stars

Though the publisher sent me a digital review copy of Dan Frey’s "Dreambound," I instead listened to the book on audio. And I’m so glad I did because it’s a terrific full-cast recording. I can’t rave enough.

Frey’s novel is a portal fantasy in which journalist Byron Kidd is searching for his missing 12-year-old daughter. She disappears one night from her bedroom, leaving behind only a note indicating she left to search for the Hidden Realm, the fictional world of her favorite fantasy book series.

Told in an epistolary format, Byron’s search for his daughter unfolds through journal entries, interview transcripts, email exchanges, and short stories and book excerpts. It works well – Frey’s use of the mixed media is so skilled it allows the story to be even more riveting than if it had been written in a more traditional structure.

It’s been a minute since I’ve enjoyed a fantasy novel so much. "Dreambound" has a mystical realm, a magical book written by an enigmatic author, a father who loves his daughter so fiercely he will set aside sanity and logic to find her, and a humorous investigative sidekick – all of which speak to my heart. And it’s also a compelling mystery and a hero’s quest, rolled into one entertaining story.

But fair warning – Byron is hard to take at times. He’s kind of a jerk, to be blunt about it, and many of his random observations about women are misogynistic. But to me, in literature, there’s a difference between intentional misogyny being written into a male character as a part of who he is, for the purpose of his development and story arc, versus the author being a true misogynist, where a derogatory attitude towards women emanates from the entire book because of the author's negative views.

I read Byron as the first option, where the misogyny is for the purpose of his characterization only and not really coming from Frey himself. Others may disagree, however, which is okay. Regardless, Byron’s love for his daughter is what grabbed me more than anything else and made me love the book.


My sincerest appreciation to Dan Frey, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I had high hopes for this book when I found out what the plot was, but it missed the mark. We follow a father in his search for his missing daughter. He believes her disappearance, along with other children, is tied to a very popular YA portal fantasy series. Unfortunately I found this character to be incredibly unlikeable at every turn. I also struggled with the format of emails, interviews, and articles throughout as it took me out of the story.

This was fun. Loved the format and the story. MY only quibble was that the ending was a bit rushed. Thanks for the review copy!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This story was so easy to fall in love with. First, the cover and title had me desperate to know what was inside. Seriously, MAJOR KUDOS to the cover designer!

I've read one of Dan's books before so I had an idea of the narrative style I'd see here. It's mostly epistolary, with transcribed bits of interviews and more traditional narrative sprinkled in. And I can't imagine this story being told any other way. I was immediately sucked in. Sure, this is weirder and a bit more gruesome than <i>The Future is Yours</i> but it's captivating all the same.

I don't know if it was my nostalgia or if I identified real hard with Liza but suspending my disbelief and buying into the magical realism at play here was easy. Byron frustrated me a lot in the beginning. I admired his dedication and commitment to finding Liza but his stubborn refusal to believe in the impossible kept pissing me off. I warmed to him eventually and I think that's okay. It's all part of his journey.

This book is for dreamers. It's for readers who remember what it's like to believe fully in the stories you loved as a kid. It's for those who can believe in something while knowing it isn't real. This book is a love letter to the power of stories and I'm so happy I read it.

i adored the mixed media of this book! i loved how fast-paced this was and kept my attention the whole time!

This book was refreshing. Initially, I wasn't sure if I'd be drawn in, but once I was hooked, there was no turning back. The style of writing, with its interplay of emails and notes with edits, pleasantly surprised me. It added depth to the narrative and ensured complete immersion in the storyline. Overall, it was a satisfying experience, one that exceeded my expectations.

Twelve year old Liza is not in her bedroom. Her father Bryon Kidd finds a note in a favorite fairy tale book addressed to her parents. She has decided to go and find the “Hidden World.” The parents call the police and they investigate but as months go by without any clues to where she has to go to get to this place or perhaps kidnapped, the case becomes slowly a cold case. Bryon and his wife separate as he doesn’t believe she is gone for good. Bryon’s only clue is from the police. They found her phone was used once in Los Angeles. The police are sure that that the phone was stolen. Bryon decides to go to Los Angeles. As he hunts for his daughter he decides he must discover how the author found her inspiration to write these fairy tales books. It is a short interview as he pressures her with questions. He finds a website that is about the fairy tales books. She is studying at a nearby college in Los Angeles. Her name is Misha. He still doesn’t get the answers that he needs to find Liza. Will he? He manages to get a second interview with the author who ends up having him leave due to his questions. He still hasn’t gotten any help where or how to get to his daughter. Will he find her?

The novel is told through emails, journal entries, transcripts and excerpts from the fairy tales books. The novel is fast-paced, at times and fun. The stories have the power to do more than entertain but seems so real that the reader cannot help but wonder if there is such a place to go to. If so, why not go? I found that to be enchanting and compelling in this novel..I wanted to know what would happen to Bryon and his daughter Liza. It is a great fantasy mystery novel.

Dreambound is ultimately a father’s quest to reunite with the child he has lost touch with in recent years. Basically, the plot involves a journalist investigating the disappearance of his daughter and other children who were all fans of a series of fantasy novels (later turned into films). During the course of the investigation, he begins to understand how his relationship with his daughter has deteriorated over the years as he has allowed his career and other distractions to occupy his time.
This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy portal fantasies. Much of the book is devoted to the question of how you get to the “Hidden World” and, even more importantly, how do you get out of it. I found this novel to be a solid and entertaining read. The father is a flawed and sometimes irritating character, but is ultimately sympathetic as he completes his own hero cycle.

Dreambound merges the fantastical with the fandom of a fantasy series.

Byron Kidd is a no-nonsense, just-the-facts kind of reporter. Only the target of his obsession, the disappearance of his daughter, won't let him stay with just the facts. Rather, the more he digs, the more fantastical everything becomes. To find his daughter, he ends up leaping from his ordered reality into the fantasy world that has captured thousands around the globe.

I appreciated the blend of writing styles: part journal entry, and part interview transcript. It is not a story that grips you immediately. Rather, there are layers upon layers.

The idea of another world hidden from our sight with its villain trying to take control was intriguing. The need for belief and faith to better understand someone's actions and motivations was another layer that added complexity to the story.

In the end, this is a story of love; the love of a father for his child.

The premise of this book has all the elements I love: fantasy worlds intruding in reality, mysteries, and an epistolary format. Unfortunately, this one was not for me. Byron was a grating protagonist—arrogant and very convinced of his own superiority. I am fine with an unlikable protagonist, but I got the feeling Frey didn’t think he was writing one. The epistolary format also fell apart for me quickly since it seemed like every voice had the same tone/prose style, no matter who was writing. Like I said, Dreambound was not for me.


Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

I think I’m realizing fantasy isn’t really for me. And especially family-driving fantasy because I just don’t care about families.

I really enjoyed the mixed media format of this story. I really love those types of books. This was a fantastical, harrowing story of a father's love for his child, and what he does to find her. So good.

This was a magical slow burn mystery about the lengths a father will go to in order to find his missing daughter. I listened to a lot of the audiobook, and it was a stellar production. It gave me similar vibes to Acts of Violet, which I loved. The audiobook has a full cast and was done so well! I definitely recommend if you are looking for a magical mystery.

I’m not typically a big scifi person but the synopsis had me so intrigued. however it took me foreverrrr to finish this book - it went over my head a bit, not sure if it’s the book itself or just because im not used to the genre. I overall enjoyed the ride though and would be open to reading more from Frey

Byron's daughter has gone missing, and he'll stop at nothing to find her, even if it means crossing into a realm that he doesn't think exists. He arrives in Los Angeles determined to bring Liza home. Searching for clues in the fandom of a fantasy book his daughter was obsessed with, Byron is challenged at every turn.

Told through emails, interviews, and notes, Dreambound mixes the speculative with the folkloric in a stunning read.

I loved this book. Something about it gave me similar vibes to The Magicians, but if their parents had wondered where they went when they went to Fillory. The format may not be for everyone, but I felt like it was perfect for showcasing Byron's journey from journalist who is looking for "just the facts" to someone who fully believes in a hidden world. The love for his daughter shines through, even though you're wondering the whole time how reliable of a narrator he is.

This is one I wish I could read for the first time again.

Byron Kidd's twelve year old daughter disappears one day with the only clue being a note saying that she is off to explore the Hidden World, a reference to a magical world in a popular YA fantasy series. It turns out that she isn't the only one that has gone missing under mysterious circumstances tied to this book series.

The journalist Byron, unsatisfied with the lack of progress in the police investigation, decides to do some digging himself in a quest to find his daughter. He journeys from the East Coast to Los Angeles where the author of the book series lives. In the course of his research, he finds that there appear to be parts of the fantasy world blending with the real world. Can he find out what happened to his daughter and the other missing children?

I found the premise of this book very intriguing and the cover is gorgeous. The book is told through journal entries, Reddit posts, interviews and excerpts. While this isn't my favorite style, it seemed to fit here. I found the character of Byron to be a very unlikable person almost all the way through the book. In his defense, his teenage daughter is missing and presumed dead while his wife and others have tried to move on. As a parent, I cannot imagine what that must be like. As a reader, it was really hard to sympathize with him because he is a jerk, lies to people constantly to get what he thinks he needs, drinks like a fish, and looks down on pretty much everyone, especially if you are a woman.

I found this book to be a REALLY slow burn. Things don't really get started until almost 40% in and the action really doesn't ramp up until the last 20% or so. There was a lot of buildup but a quick ending so pacing seemed a little off. It was hard to get a rhythm going due to the writing style changing constantly and Byron's run on sentence journal entries getting in the way. Without the supporting character of Misha, the operator of a popular fan site dedicated to the YA fantasy book series, this would have been a tough read. Byron is just not a fun character to spend time with.

There were some bright spots in this creatively put together modern fantasy novel but it is hard to root for the main character even though his goal is to be reunited with his daughter who he didn't spend enough time with growing up because he was busy with work. Once the fantasy and real world started blending, the book got going but it took awhile. The ending was rushed but was satisfying.