I was hoping this book would be a fun autumn read, however I just didn’t like the writing and I found the story a bit cheesy

The book had a cozy Halloween paranormal mystery theme that was an easy listen. I felt that it was slow moving and drug on. I would not have finished it if I was reading it on my own. It has all you want in a Halloween themed book including pumpkins that are used in ways that I will not disclose to avoid spoilers. I personally liked the main story, but it did not make me want to come back for more.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is great. If I had read this in the physical I think I might not have finished it.
The first half was great and very Halloweeny. It had that whole small town cozy vibe going on like Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus. There are pumpkin patches, hidden keys and familiars that talk to Hannah which made it enjoyable. I was excited to see what Hannah's adventure was going to be and what she discovered about her lineage but then it just got weird. It got too complex for what it was and went off on a tangent about the dreams which was a theme not well introduced to begin with. The author could have just kept it simple in the first book of the series with the discovery of her new lineage and Aunt. I gave it 3 stars because I completed it.

Summary

The story is about a girl named Hannah who gets a ticket from her aunt with whom she has not been in touch for ages. Her financial struggles convince her to visit Maple Hollow where she has to search for her aunt who has Disappeared and nobody knows where. The journey forms the crux of the story

My take:

The title is quite intriguing which coaxed me into picking this book. I like to thank the publisher for giving me an ARC for reading and reviewing through netgalley. The views expressed in the review are my own and I have not been paid for this. The title is quite different from anyone you would come across and the same is aligned to the story. After reading this book you can’t think of any other apt title.

The story is medium paced, not very fast but not too slow either. Story does seem stagnant at few places. Characterization is good and believable. While listening to the audio version the characters come to life. The descriptions are apt and doesn’t reveal too much leaving some room for the readers to picturize the story as per their imagination.

The book is not a regular story but about various dreams that one has and what it can mean to them. A concept that has rarely been explored. Any person who dreams a lot would definitely like this book. The author herself is a dream analyst, intuitive, and mystic which is quite interesting. I would definitely visit her website for more insights into the mystical dream world.

A light read for people who like to read about mystical topics.

Was not a fan of this book. I wanted to love it, as the description made me very excited to read it, but the actual book was not for me. I couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

This is a lovely audio book. The narrator has a very nice voice which makes it a joy to listen too, and is very good at distinguishing between the different characters. I was always aware of who is talking and enjoyed the different accents. For me personaly the speed was a bit slow, but that's what the speed up button is for.

The book itself is a cozy magical mystery that I enjoyed very much. A perfect book for autumn. However, I do not think this should be categorised as New Adult. Even if the main character is already working and done with her education, she behaves younger than she is. From the pacing and simplicity of the storyline I would market this as Young Adult.

Overall great read!

The Dream Haunters by Megan Mary was, unfortunately, not a book that resonated with me. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars, and honestly, I don’t think I was the ideal audience for this story. Even though I tried to approach it with an open mind, hoping that I would find something that would draw me in, I ultimately found it a bit too peculiar for my taste.

The concept and premise had potential, but the execution left me feeling disconnected. The narrative style was perhaps too unconventional, making it difficult for me to engage with the plot or characters. It felt as though I was constantly waiting for a turning point that never quite came. While I can appreciate unique storytelling approaches, this one didn’t land for me. There were moments where the strangeness of the plot overshadowed the emotional depth that I usually look for in a story, making it hard to invest in what was happening.

I can understand that for readers who enjoy more experimental or abstract narratives, this book might offer something intriguing, but for me, it missed the mark. That said, I wouldn’t discourage others from giving it a try—it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Sometimes, it’s all about finding the right match between book and reader, and this one wasn’t for me.

This one had all the cozy fall vibes, and the narrator did an excellent job bringing the story to life. It was a little slow in places, and a little kooky, but overall a fun and quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the Advance Reader Audiobook. I really enjoyed reading about Hannah and how she was able to discover her powers while trying to rescue her Aunt Jewelia. My favorite book quote in this book is... "Autumn is unmistakably mystical. Fog rolls in and the ground is dewy from the moist rain. Leaves show their true colors as the chlorophyll drains from their veins". I wish I can visit the town of Maple Hollow this Autumn. This book gives me the Halloween vibes.

(thanks NetGalley for the audio arc!)
This book is for you if you are into horoscopes, witchy things, dream analysis and esoteric/spiritual topics.
Unfortunately, I do not fall in this category - still, I'd like to give a neutral review.

Read this book if you love
-pumkins
-halloween
-cats
-spiritualism
-witchy vibes
-a short, fast paced mystery

Hannah is a young woman living with her best friend and working as a professional pianist. Well, at least this was her job - unfortunately, this comes to an end in the beginning of this story. Hannah quickly finds herself in an uncomfortable situation: no job, her bestie/roommate would like her to move out so that her boyfriend can move in and she cannot even fall back on the comfort and support from her parents, seeing as they died in a horrible yet mysterious car accident years back. Considering this situation she is more than interested in the letter she recieves from her aunt, which she has no contact with. Unfortunately, this letter is unreadable and when Hannah gets a call from a detective letting her know that her aunt has disappeared, she knows it is time for her to uproot her life and help find her aunt.

I have to preface this by saying this book was not for me. I did read that it was tapping into metaphysics, but only being familiar with the topic through Kant and Adorno, I expected this aspect to manifest in a more philosophical way. Color me surprised when it dawned on me that this means, in fact, that this book taps heavily into the spiritual world.
Hannah is a protagonist I could not relate to at all. Not only because she sees herself as spiritual, which I do not.
Hannah felt like a rather bleak main character. She is being led by other people all the way through the book, trusting anyone that is not a detective with her full heart. She does not make a lot of own decisions and neither does she think that many interesting thoughts, rather following her intuition. Still, she is basically a Mary Sue main character, having no flaws but being the chosen one, being kind to everyone but the people that are the "villains" of the story without even knowing that. Hannah thinks she has had this kind of spiritual connection which makes her better than everyone else.
Simple concepts are described in a way that always compare, always alienate in cases where it does not make sense at all. One example would be that Hannah thinks to herself that she is different than other people, seeing that she asks philosophical questions no one dares to ask besides her. This sounds promising, would she not in the next paragraph have the most basic thoughts, like (paraphrasing): oh, I'v never even thought about the moon having an impact on our lives on earth." Like, are you kidding. I do not think that anyone, most of all spiritual people, have never asked themselves these questions. Another example of Hannahs "I am so different" thinking shows when she describes herself as being an empath whilst acting like the word empath never existed and she has a great philosophical breakthrough by describing it like sympathy, but like more than that, like the feeling anyone's package becomes her own to bear. However, these thoughts could still make for interesting character traits and plot points unfortunately, they are dropped once and never shown again.

To sum it up, Hannah is not like the other girls, while being, in fact, like the other girls.

The story itself had a rather interesting starting point, with Hannah trying to solve the mystery about her aunts disappearance. Hannah has lovely interactions with the village people which seemed pretty fleshed out for such a short book. The overall plot was not bad at all except the villains.
The villains, known as the dream haunters, do pretty much what the name suggests. Lovely concept, have read about it before but am always happy to do so again. Sadly, I was left wishing for a lot more backstory on these dream haunters. It all felt very black and white, having simple explanations for topics that needed more complicated ones. This also shows in the dream haunters being your typical cartoon villains, having monologues about their goals and screaming things like "I am a dream haunter!".

Lastly, I want to touch on the genre. A lot of my feelings towards this book do not belong in the criticism of a fantasy novel, yet I found it read more like a mystery novel trying to make me believe into spiritualism whilst taking it a small step further and adding witches and portals, making it a fantasy. I am sure that a lot of people could view all of this as normal fantasy and call it a day. In the fantasy novels I know, protagonists question what happens around them and even if they feel like this power or lore or anything has been part of their selves whilst alienating them from others, it is done with more wonder and without the conspiratory "I knew it was like that!".

My final tip: If you consider reading this book, check out the author first. You pretty much get what you expect from looking at her website in a mystery fantasy form. If this does speak to you then I think this book will make a fun quick Halloween read for you.

I’m sorry. The prose read like teenage fanfic and was just twee. There is no character development, just silly wishes of how the author wishes they could live. Does that make sense. I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes.

This is a cozy witchy novel, which will be starting a series. Our main character Hannah loses her job, receives news that her aunt she’s never known, is missing and is moving to a mysterious small town. We have a mystery, magical pumpkins, autumnal atmosphere, spooky plotlines however the story leaves much to be desired. My main issue with the novel was the worldbuilding, the author would rather flat-out tell us how it all works rather than show organically. She was not surprised by any of the supernatural, she’d get straight lectures about the magical world from the librarian, a bunch of things were far-fetched like randomly seeing the villain and spying on them eavesdropping under their window, hearing their master plan.

Some other parts felt also a bit preachy since the author is also some kind of a dream coach. It was also hard to distinguish which parts were Hannah’s real life and which were Hannah’s dreams especially while listening to audibook.

Giving this a generous 3 for the cozy atmosphere since Goodreads doesn’t do half stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Inner Realms Publishing for providing access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun quick read that is perfect if you want more of a cozy book to read for fall/Spooky Season. With a long lost aunt, magical pumpkin patch, a dreamworld, and talking cats, what else could you want? While I really enjoyed this book, I hope that the following books in the series really dig deep into character development and cementing those complex personalities that make the characters unique. I like Hannah and Jewelia well enough, but there is SO much potential for these characters and the series as a whole.

I did listen to this as an audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator’s voice, and thought she did a great job with the story. I also loved the bit about the author at the end of the book! I found it very interesting. Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself!

Overall, I’d rate this 4 stars. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I need ALL the talking cats! ❤️

🧚🏻 I just wanted to thank NetGalley, Inner Realms Publishing, and author Megan Mary for providing me with a free audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

This book is the perfect companion for an autumn day—imagine the crisp fall air, golden leaves drifting from the trees, and you curled up with a warm apple cider and a soft blanket. Its charm feels like bundling up in your favorite sweater while pumpkin-scented candles flicker nearby, wrapping you in that cozy, comforting feeling only autumn can bring.

I truly enjoyed this book as a lighthearted escape, offering a refreshing breather between the heavier novels that have been occupying my shelves. From the very beginning, the story pulls you in with the main character caught in the middle of a personal upheaval. Before she can even begin to sort through the chaos in her life, she learns that her estranged aunt has gone missing. Following her instincts, she sets off to her family’s ancestral home, hoping to find her aunt—and, in doing so, uncover a part of herself she didn’t realize was missing.

As the story unfolds, she encounters a delightful cast of characters who not only help her understand her aunt but also reveal new layers of her own strength and resilience. Watching her grow into her own feels like being wrapped in the warmth of a cozy autumn evening—a gentle, feel-good story that reminds you of the beauty in personal growth and discovery.

If you’re searching for an adorable autumn read that feels as comforting as a peaceful walk through crunchy leaves, this one is sure to hit the spot.

Hannah Skye has just lost her job so when she receives an invite from her Aunt Jewelia, she has no reason not to travel to Maple Hollow. Her Aunt is missing and Hannah will try to help find her, at the same time finding all about herself and her destiny.

Well written and narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Interesting characters in this gently paced novel all about magic, spells, music and the relevance of dreams. Enjoyable novel.

Short, spooky, sweet Halloween themed book!

🛑 Loose outline below, so stop here if you don’t want to know! 🛑

Hannah just lost her job. She is beside herself. How will she make ends meet?
At the same time, she receives a letter from her long lost Aunt Jewelia. But Hannah doesn’t understand it! And…she’s never met her. Somehow, she is being called to her Aunt’s hometown…Maple Hollow.

As if this isn’t enough already, she get a a phone call from the Maple Hollow Police. Her Aunt is missing…and Hannah is the only family she has left…

And so Hannah arrives in Maple Hollow….where there just might be some Magicks at play…

But is it too late???

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #InnerRealmsPublishing and #IndependentBookPublishers for an ARC of the audiobook…just in the Nick of time! ****Release date is TOMORROW, 10/3/24! ****

#TheDreamHaunters by #MeganMary and narrated nicely by #PearlHewwitt.

And, don’t you just LOVE this cover?? !!

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounds up to 4!

⭐️ Talking cats ? 🐈‍⬛✔️
⭐️ Magical pumpkins? 🎃 ✔️
⭐️ Finding your place in the world? ✔️
💫 Small town vibes? ✔️

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine.

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

Wow!.. Megan Mary really knows how to create a magical mystery!

This storyline had me gripped from the very beginning.. I don't want to say too much about the actual storyline and give the exciting bits away.

I absolutely loved the main character, for she is brave, strong and quite determined to find out what happened to our aunt. I love the clues that she left for her.

I loved the pumpkin aspect, I thought that was a really cool concept.

I think that this book is perfect for getting into the spooky / witchy / Halloween vibe!

Also I have to say I listened to this through netgalley and the narrator was just perfect for this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Inner Realms Publishing for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

A well thought out book just felt a bit childish for me. The plot was great, and I loved the cats though. Great October/Halloween read just don’t expect anything actually scary. Just cozy with a nice atmosphere.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 10th October and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of November.

This was a DNF for me. I got 23% in. The audiobook narrator is good. However, the writing just doesn’t work for me. It seems more of a juvenile book. Too many similes and I just wasn’t invested in any of the characters this far into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC.

This was a pleasant story with pumpkin patches and talking cats. Perfect for the autumn season. The narration was lovely (Pearl Hewitt). It's probably not one that will stay with me but definitely worth the time.