To Wake The Dead

Dead Dreamer Book 2

Fiction - Paranormal
400 Pages
Reviewed on 01/03/2020
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Lampkin is a 2015 graduate from Lynchburg College [University of Lynchburg] with a master’s degree in English. Since graduation, Sarah now lives in Northern Virginia working in the IT field while continuing her research for her graduate school thesis. When she isn’t working, Sarah continues her Celtic mythology research and Gaelic studies, while working on the Dead Dreamer series.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

To Wake The Dead is a work of paranormal fiction, action, and thrills penned by author Sarah Lampkin. The work forms the second novel of the Dead Dreamer series and is suitable for mature readers due to its scenes of graphic violence and the use of explicit language. Following the events of To Dream Is To Die, we now find heroine Brenna Whit as a survivor of a horrifying freshman year at Nephesburg College. As she returns to class a sophomore, with more skills and knowledge that the average student, the line she walks between the dead and living gets ever thinner. So begins a dangerous battle wherein her own soul is trying to kill her and her true identity is at risk.

Author Sarah Lampkin has produced a conceptually rich novel series that offers so much depth and development in its many paranormal aspects. The political and power structure of the Gatekeepers is well organized and explained, causing much grief for Brenna, and her battle with Maura, her soul’s other personality, resonates with a scary amount of realism and parallels to our own battles with the dark half of ourselves. The whole work is intelligently themed on these central pillars, making the action truly dynamic and drawing us into the character arcs so that we really care about the fate of our heroine. Overall, To Wake The Dead continues an excellently penned series, adding new layers of depth and new heights of action and dark thrills to Brenna’s life: a highly recommended read.

Kathryn Bennett

To Wake the Dead (Dead Dreamer Book 2) by Sarah Lampkin is the sequel to Dream is to Die and takes us back into the world of Brenna Whit. Entering her sophomore year at Nephesburg College, Brenna wants nothing more than to focus on the waking world. That is easier said than done, however, since her own soul is trying to kill her and a new Dead Dreamer is battling for power. Brenna must return to the world of the dead and decide if she will remain hidden or fight for the right cause.

I have to say To Wake the Dead is the first book of this series I have read, but after reading this book I will be going back and reading the first. The concept of a person who is half in the world of the living and half in the world of the dead is great! This book has a nice and easy to read flow which adds to the pleasure of reading it. The characters that Sarah Lampkin has created are well fleshed out and they could be your best friends down the block. Brenna wants to be just a normal college student in the waking world, to have normal college problems like the other people around her. Of course, Brenna has normal problems and the problems that crop up from the world of the Dead. I admire Brenna; she has conviction and she is very brave. I do feel like I missed a little bit of depth because I haven’t read book one, but that is something I can remedy easily. I highly recommend giving this series a read!

Samantha Gregory

To Wake The Dead by Sarah Lampkin is the second book in the Dead Dreamer series. Brenna Whit is a college student with a terrible secret. When she goes to sleep at night, her soul leaves her body and walks in another world called the Fade. This is because of an accident she had in book 1, where she almost died. Brenna finds herself pulled into a fight she doesn't want to be in. She is just trying to live her life, but, because of the situation she finds herself in, there is no one else who can do the job. There is some weirdness, her own soul trying to kill her, for example, but the story is well written and unfolds well.

Sarah Lampkin has created an entertaining and enjoyable story with To Wake The Dead (Dead Dreamer Book 2). I like Brenna; she is a no-nonsense, strong-willed character. I know some people don't like this kind of blunt character, but I think there should be more of them. They are more realistic to read about. The idea is something I haven't read before and that isn't easy with paranormal books nowadays. The plot is well-paced and the story kept me reading, as did Brenna's character. I like strong female leads. I think it suits the paranormal genre and possibly urban fantasy too. I would go on to read more books in the series based on this one. I would definitely recommend this to paranormal fans.