Review Tour & Giveaway: The Dream Slayer by Jill Cooper

GIVEAWAY!.....Jill will be awarding an Amazon $50 GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a second prize of an EBook Copy of Glistening Haven,a Dystopian Novel to another randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Click here to follow the tour. Remember to leave a comment on each tour stop to increase your chances of winning one of the wonderful prizes!

BLURB: 

 In the young adult teen series Dream Slayer, Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.

 Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

 When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart. Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.

 Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.

Excerpt:

Tristan grabbed her arm. “Nat, what’s the matter?” he said, but his voice was drowned out by the throttled engine. Suddenly, the car was charging toward them. It swerved up onto the curb with Natalie in its sights.

 There was no time to react. She was going to be hit and she braced for impact by squeezing her eyes shut.

 “Nat!” 

 Tristan’s yanked on her arm, and they tumbled across the street into a stack of empty cardboard boxes. Natalie crashed right into a brick wall and fought the bile rising in her throat. The world spun in crashing waves as her vision fluxed in and out. Her head throbbed from the impact, but her heart was still unable to comprehend what had happened.

 Screeching tires heralded the car leaving scene. She rolled over onto her stomach and saw Tristan lying beside her. Natalie’s eyes followed the car speeding down the street with a stream of smoke coming out of its tailpipe.

 “It… didn’t have a license plate,” Tristan said. 

 Natalie’s chin quivered, and she quelled it by biting her lip. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her arm. If she breathed or moved, Natalie would vomit. 

 Tristan touched her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. “Are you all right?”

 “Yeah.” Her voice shook when she spoke. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” 

 “What a lunatic. Didn’t he see you?”

 Natalie’s chin quivered. “He saw me.”

 Tristan’s head snapped toward her. His eyes were wide, searching hers for an answer.

 “He swerved towards me.” Natalie’s voice was low to keep the tears back. She thought if she spoke any louder, there would be an unstoppable rainstorm. “He wanted to hit me.”

My Review:

The Dream Slayer is a good start to a new Young Adult series. Cooper does an excellent job transitioning the writing from real life Natalie to the dream Natalie. I enjoyed this concept of two alternate dimensions. Cooper’s writing style easily transitions between the two dimensions. I loved the witty dialogue and pop culture references.

 In real life, Natalie’s character lives in an abusive home with an alcoholic father and is bullied my peers at school. Natalie does not disclose her bullying to any adults. When she dreams, Natalie becomes an assertive, confident, and ass kicking female slayer. She protects her community from evil beings such as vampires and demons. When her real self becomes aware of her dream self, Natalie’s life changes. She realizes she is a paladin (slayer) and only she can protect everyone she cares about from their worst nightmare by defeating the powerful demon attempting to consume the crystal power source hidden in her town. Natalie and her sidekicks work together to save their own lives and the town. Along the journey, Natalie begins to believe in herself and her powers.

The Dream Slayer is a good read and I recommend this book.  I look forward to learning more about the characters, especially Natalie.

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

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Author Info:

Jill Cooper loves tea more than coffee and is obsessed over finding that perfect recipe.She was born in 1977 and shared a room with her sister for 18 years. Early on she had dreams of writing romances and mysteries. It was something she did when most kids were trying out for softball or out riding bikes. She's always loved dark mysteries, but also enjoys a great comedy so she tries to include both these things in everything she writes, one way or another. She lives in Danvers, MA with two cats, a toddler, a husband, and a 1964 yellow taxi. Her life is chaotic, but fun. She can be contacted at http://www.jillacooper.com

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