Dark Dreams and Dead Things

Dead Things Series Book 2

Young Adult - Paranormal
540 Pages
Reviewed on 08/09/2016
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Martina McAtee lives in Jupiter, Florida with her teenage daughters, her best friend, two attack Chihuahua’s and two shady looking cats. By day she is a registered nurse but by night she writes young adult books about reapers, zombies, werewolves and other supernatural creatures. She wrote her first story when she was five with an orange crayon on a legal pad she stole from her mom’s office. She’s been writing ever since. Her influences include Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine, Joss Whedon, L.J. Smith and even J.K. Rowling. Living in South Florida provides her with plenty of material for the weird worlds she writes about. When she isn’t working, teaching or writing she’s reading or watching shows involving reapers, zombies, werewolves and other supernatural creatures.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Samantha Dewitt (Rivera) for Readers' Favorite

Ember hoped that things would be right again when she brought Quinn back, but nothing is the same. The pack isn’t sure how to react to the changes that have happened in their lives. Mace is out there somewhere, sending cryptic messages to Ember in her sleep that she can’t remember, and Quinn may be back in spirit, but living in Mace’s body is really messing with his mind, not to mention his love life. Tristin won’t even touch him anymore, but Ember knows he’s not the one she loves and won’t come near him either. To top it all off, they have a coven out to get them and homicidal cheerleaders, but somehow they have to come out of this, if they can only figure out how. Ember is certain she can figure things out, but it might mean secrets being revealed from the rest of the coven, whether it’s about Mace, or Silas or anyone else, because she’s going to do whatever it takes to bring him back in Dark Dreams and Dead Things by Martina McAtee.

I couldn’t put this book down from the minute I picked it up because I was so absorbed in all of the characters. They’re each so interesting and amazing from the start. Not to mention, they all seem so realistic between their flaws and the things they do for love. Even if you haven’t read the first book, you can get a good understanding of what happened and you’ll definitely love this book. There’s plenty of plot, plenty of action, and a whole lot of great characters. Even with so many characters, you still get to know each of them and feel like you really can’t get enough of them. This book was amazing. I’m going to be looking for the next book in this series because Dark Dreams and Dead Things by Martina McAtee may be my new favorite book.

Sefina Hawke

Dark Dreams and Dead Things (Dead Things Series Book 2) by Martina McAtee is an amazingly well written young adult paranormal book. Dark Dreams and Dead Things is a read that young adults who enjoy paranormal book series will enjoy. The story follows 17-year-old November Lonergan as she learns about being a reaper while still being a high school student. November has her two cousins, Kai and Tristin, to work with in order to fulfil an ancient prophecy that says they will save the supernatural world from a great evil known only as the Grove.

Dark Dreams and Dead Things by Martina McAtee focuses on supernatural creatures like reapers. The story moves at a steady pace that allows for complete character development. Rhys ended up being one of my favorite characters because he really grows into himself as he gains confidence during this tale. One aspect of Dark Dreams and Dead Things that I found very useful was the character list as it helped me to understand who each of the characters were, and it allowed me to refresh my memory of them throughout the book. I also found it interesting that many of the characters had different sexualities; I personally found that this made the book more intriguing.

Lit Amri

Dead Things Series by Martina McAtee continues with Book 2, Dark Dreams and Dead Things. After discovering her true identity, Ember’s life is topsy-turvy at best, trying to outwit her enemies and protect her family. Together with Kai and Tristin, they must learn to control their power if they want to withstand the non-stop threat from the Grove. Unfortunately, an old enemy has resurfaced, legendary hunters known as Legionaries, threatening the Belladonna pack.

Even though this is already a second installment, it’s sufficient enough for those new to the series to familiarize themselves with the Dead Things universe. The world building that McAtee created has great clarity and the characters are compelling and clearly drawn, thanks to the Characters Guide that precedes the story (which will also be helpful for existing fans of the series as there are many characters). McAtee certainly knows how to give the classic theme of werewolves and witches a fresh perspective by blending other supernatural themes. On the other hand, it’s clearly beneficial for new readers to get the whole gist of the plot by reading Book 1, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, as Book 2 begins where its predecessor ended.

All in all, Dark Dreams and Dead Things is an absolute page-turner. To be frank, the plot in Dark Dreams and Dead Things is better structured and more focused. The Dead Things series definitely has the opportunity to reach more readers and potential fans. I look forward to seeing how the story continues in Book 3.