The Vault of Dreamers

I LOVE a good book! I love when a book transports you to a place completely different from where you are. I love when a book makes you feel as though it's characters are a part of you that you have never explored before. I love when you finish a book and it leaves you feeling invigorated. Your adrenaline courses through you like you've just won the Stanley Cup and your muscles (in this case your brain) tingle with excitement.

I just finished reading The Vault of Dreamers, by Caragh M. O'Brien. Let me first say that I would read ANYTHING she writes. She could write an add for vacuum cleaners and have me hanging on her every word. Last year I read her Birthmarked Trilogy and almost had to lock myself in the bathroom so I could get away from my kids and finish the series in peace and quiet. So you can imagine my excitement when I visited a local second-hand bookstore and found an advance reader's copy of Vault of Dreamers a week before it's scheduled release date! There were several spelling/grammar mistakes in this edition, but the language nerd in me loved finding them (and the teacher in me almost circled them in red pen).

The Vault of Dreamers is psychologically spellbinding and sucks you in from it's concept. The story centers around Rosie, a young teenaged student at the prestigious Forge School of the Arts. Forge is unique as it's students are gifted artisans who have every moment of their life televised as part of a reality show about the school. To help enhance student creativity 12 hours of sleep is induced every night. One night, however, Rosie skips her sleeping pill and notices strange things are happening once Forge's cameras go dark. She discovers that Forge itself might be an experiment with a secret world lurking behind the cameras.

This book is a must for anyone who loves fast paced action with side of budding romance. Rosie meets a boy while at Forge and gets her first experience with love. However this boy, Linus, works in the Forge cafeteria, which leaves Rosie wondering where his loyalties truly lie.

Most of all what I love about Vault of Dreamers, and O'Brien's writing style in general, is her amazing use of descriptive writing. Her pen morphs into a paintbrush creating stunning visuals in the minds of her readers.

A trace of dream clung to me as I surfaced into Tuesday morning, a shadow twin who stretched out from my feet, farther and farther ahead of me along the railroad tracks, until she detached and slipped away. Languorously, I smiled and rolled over. It was the first hint or a dream I'd had since I'd come to the Forge School, and I loved remembering dreams. I'd missed them while I was on the pills. (108)

The final verdict.... This book is a MUST read!

Up next: Mom Made Us Write This in the Summer,  by Ali Maier. I was contacted by a book promotion company asking if I would like a complimentary copy to review for my classroom. YES PLEASE! It's the story of 10 year old twins Maggie and Max, whose mom makes them keep a journal for the summer. The catch... they have to share the same journal and read what each other has written. Brilliant parenting strategy!

Keep Reading ~ Stacie