Not sure how I missed this was the third book in a series and haven't read the first two. I did try to start this one but I think I need to go read the first two before really getting into this one so I will give it 3 stars for now and come back later for an update.

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Maci Aurora

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

I really liked the idea of this story, but it fell apart for me in its execution. I expected more lyrical and vivid prose, especially coming out of the prologue. Instead, it really felt young adult to me. Which is fine, except it isn’t supposed to be young adult.

I think this book suffers from trying to be New Adult but the pervasiveness of the young adult writing lends its characters to feeling younger than they are, so when sexy or spicy things happen, it honestly gave me a little bit of ick.

My other major issue is almost entirely my fault, I thought this book was the first in the series or a standalone in an interconnected series. And maybe that was the intention, but the worldbuilding felt lackluster and at times I didn’t totally understand the why and how of what was happening.

Overall. I think this just wasn’t for me. I had different expectations for the book, and unfortunately was disappointed in the outcome. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This was another amazing addition to the series. Them being able to dream together was so fun. I loved Brinna and Luc's romance, their banter, and the spice, everything was so fun to read. I wish we got more of them. Unlike the other 2 books, this was much shorter and I feel like I'd have loved it even more if we got more of Brinna and Luc. I'm in love with this series and I'm excited for the next one.

~ thank you to the author for the review copy ~


•

Another difficult novel to review.

First things first, I just want to mention that I love the first book of this series, In the Shadow of a Wish, in I still do. I'm honestly planning to reread that one soon.

Now, for this book, I would say I didn't enjoy this one. I am definitely happy that Lucian has a book now but also saddened that the novel wasn't just for me.

My issues?

Brinna. I didn't like her character at all.

The romance. It was forced. Didn't like it.

The Chemistry. Wasn't felt, wasn't there.

Writing. I was pretty much bored 60%, BUT I kept going because I loved the previous characters, as well as the plot. But for this one, it was really tedious.


Initially, I wanted to give this a 2.5 ⭐️ but I'll give this a 3⭐️ instead since the plot was still there, Auri, Nix, Tarley, and Lachlan, and of course Lucian.

Will definitely watch out for the 4th still.

“In the Shadow of a Dream,” by Maci Aurora

This book was not for me. I did not love the writing style and I was bored through most of the book. 2 out of 5 stars.

With the wedding out of the way, Scarlett is finally being forced to divulge her secrets. The Fairview family gathers in the cottage only for them all to find themselves victims to a sleeping spell. Brinna wakes only to discover she is in a place in between awake and sleeping. She also learns that she can jump into her family's dreams, and to her surprise the dreams of Lucian Uraiahs, the God of light and days and Nix’s twin. Lucian is still drowning in the guilt of the spell that trapped Nixus and when he refuses to bend to his fathers will, he is stripped of his powers. When he falls asleep he finds Brinna in his dreams and becomes her only link to the waking world. He had been trying to avoid Brinna and his growing feelings before the curse and now he may be one to break it and free the Fairviews.

Well Scarlett’s secret is out and I gotta say I didn't expect all that. There is still stuff I'm a bit confused about but hopefully the upcoming novellas solve that. I do feel a bit bad about it though because I was more interested in Scarlett's story than Brinna/Luc’s. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy their story, I did. Brinna is just as strong willed as her sisters. For Luc it was love at first sight, which was adorable. They make a great couple and I'm glad Brinna could help him towards processing his guilt. The ending left me so gutted for Auri though. I cannot wait for the novellas as well as the end of the series.

Rating 4 stars
*I received a review copy from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review

Another great romantasy book here! I enjoyed this story a lot even though I had my difficulties getting into the story and with the pacing every now and then. But the characters made up for it! I enjoyed my time with them and it was hard to let them go in the end (which felt a bit abrupt as well). Loved the plot as well!

In a world filled with so many fantasy romance books (which is amazing please give me all the romantasy books...pleaseee 🙏🤣🤩) "In the Shadow of a Dream" is soooooo good!!!! It feels fresh, the main characters chemistry is on fire 🔥 and I just needed to keep reading until I finished it!!! Absolutely addicted and loved it ❤️ can't wait to read the next book from Maci Aurora!

This book starts a bit slow, but totally grips you about 30 pages in. I love Brinna & Lucian’s characters. Watching them both slowly realize their feelings for each other is so rewarding because it’s done through such beautiful imagery with the dreamscapes. The ending is a bit abrupt for me and left a little to be desired. Overall, would definitely recommend for anyone who loves a good “twisted fairytale”

I can't believe we're technically getting two books from this series in one year, it feels like a dream. Hah, see what I did there? But yeah, there I was, finishing this book and resigning myself to another year of not so patient waiting for the next instalment of the Fareview series, when I saw that the novella collection would be coming out soon. EEEEEP!!!

We're still getting the final book next year, but the novella collection is supposed to help bridge the gap between this book and the last book. Now, why is there a gap you may ask? BECAUSE MACI AURORA LEFT US WITH A HUGE CLIFFHANGER, THAT'S WHY!!

I was sooooo not prepared for that, because in the past two books the main storyline for each couple was wrapped up, while the background storyline (the ribbons, their mother's secrets) kept unravelling more and more. In the Shadow of a Dream FINALLY gives us some of the answers we've been looking for, and not in a typical way, but in a very creative way.

Since Brinna is the "dreamy" sister, a lot of this book focuses on dreams. I'm a sucker for fated mates who can communicate through dreams so this book automatically catapulted itself over Tarley's as my second favourite in the series. Or maybe my first fav, though Auri and Nix are hard to beat.

But I just loved Brinna and Luc, he was so mischievous and funny and his banter with Brinna was the highlight of my day. I was actually hoping Luc would get a story because he seemed like such a cool character and I was proven right, ladies and gents.

What I wish we got even more of was them together. In comparison with Auri & Tarley, Brinna got much less page time with her love. Some of that was due to the plot, but still.

This book is shorter than the ones before, and I'm not exactly sure why? Because of the novellas or?? Either way I flew through it just as fast. This author knows how to write engaging stories that keep you wanting moremoremore until you've binged the whole book.

I can't wait to see what will happen next ahhhhhh. Also, PLEASE go back and read this from the beginning. Books one and two can (sort of) be read as standalones, but book three is where it gets messy. I don't want anyone to miss out on an amazing story so please listen to me when I tell you don't start with this, start with In the Shadow of a Wish!!!!! You'll love it, trust me.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to ARC read In the Shadow of a Dream by Maci Aurora. I really enjoyed this story. The characters were well-written and engaging, the world-building is fantastic. I did feel like there was more story to tell but overall it was well worth the read!

honestly, I loved this book so much!! if you’re someone who LOVES spicy romantasy books, I’d highly recommend you to check it out! the story, the plot and all characters were written extremely well. Luc and Brinna’s chemistry was just on fire throughout the story, loved all their romantic scenes!! Everything about this book was so on point but I only felt bad for Nix at the end of the story 🥲. Apart from that loved everything!!

"In the Shadow of a Dream" is a captivating and beautifully written book that had me hooked from the start. Despite the slight disappointment with the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed following Lucian and Brinna's journey. I eagerly anticipate the novella that will tie up the loose ends and provide a more satisfying conclusion to their story.
Thank you NetGally for this ARC!

<b>In the Shadow of a Dream by Maci Aurora</b>

When I read the description of In the Shadow of a Dream I knew that I needed to IMMEDIATELY dive into this book. Dream sharing?! Fated-mates?! A sleeping spell?! This couldn't be more my cup of tea.
Now, did I see that this was book 3 in a series? Yes, yes I did. Does Maci claim that this book can be read as a standalone? No, she does not. But true to my impatient nature I couldn't wait to start reading. As a result I spent the first 30% of the book on a crash course to catch up with who these characters were, what the hell a god-yoke is, and trying to figure out if what was happening was a dream or real life. It was a confusing time, and was ENTIRELY my fault for not following the recommended reading order.

Once I settled in to Lucian and Brinna's story, I LOVED IT. Maci's writing was beautiful. The fairytale setting was so whimsical. The dream sharing, tension between the characters and the spice were all perfect. Also I thought that both Luc and Brinna were very likeable characters, which is so hard to find in fantasy romance books.

In the Shadow of a Dream was all set to be a 5 star, favourite read of the month for me. But unfortunately, it fell at the final hurdle. Towards the end of the book we suddenly switch to the POV of 'The Wizard' a random character we've never seen before. And I kept waiting for us to come back to Brinna and Lucian, because there were still so many loose threads and unanswered questions waiting to be tied up. But instead we spend the last 10% of this book cycling through POV's of random side characters with the sole purpose of setting up the next book in the series.

I was so disappointed, it felt like there was so much of Luc and Brinna's story still left to be told.

In the acknowledgements at the end, Maci does say that a bridging novella is in the works to tie up the loose ends left in this book. I just feel like Lucian and Brinna's story deserved a much stronger ending than the one we got here.

Thank you very much to Maci Aurora, Mixed Plate Press and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this continuation of the series. The world building was fantastic and I loved the setting so much!