Beyond Dreams

Fateful Dreams, Book 1

By: Andreea Pryde

Narrated by: Ashley Nicole Stevens

Some secrets should remain in the shadows...

Those who know me will say I’m an ordinary, and a bit naive, 17-year-old. They might think differently if they knew my secret. It’s something I’ve never shared with anyone, and I mean no one.

Every once in a while, since I was eight, I’ve had a dream. The same one, every time. I dream of a man hidden by shadows, who never fails to save me from the searing flames that threaten to devour me. He is always there for me. Always!

That’s the dream...this is now. I have a new classmate, and instinctively, I know something seems strange. In a matter of hours, dark rumors abound, labeling him an outcast. Even before he has the chance to become one of us, my classmates turned against him.

My heart tells me there’s more to him than his frown and this specific expression he has. That’s what my heart says, but I saw something I shouldn’t have. That night, in the park by the willow, I saw him covered in blood. I should keep my distance, but I can’t. Something mysterious draws me to him.

He has secrets of his own. However, one secret could destroy us both.

©2018 Andreea Pryde (P)2019 Andreea Pryde

Fun Older Teen/YA Paranormal Mystery

So this one is a bit reminiscent of Twilight in style but in the paranormal realm. I really liked the narrator, I felt like her voice really fit the vibe of Ariana (17yr old girl). My daughter was listening to this one too (she's almost 13) and she had a harder time getting into it so for that reason I would peg it as an older teen/YA read. It has a really interesting storyline but it felt a little rushed at times and I agreed with the other reviewer that said it was a bit underdeveloped in areas. Overall, it's a really fun read and I am looking forward to book two to see where the story goes.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great older young adult paranormal mystery

This was such a cool story! It was very different and took me by surprise many times. Ariana has had dreams since childhood that never made sense to her. Until the new kid in school Michael comes into her life. He isn't like everyone else and everyone seems to be afraid of him. It doesn't help that he is afraid of himself as well. The one person who isn't afraid of him is Ariana. She sees the good in Michael. Even when he reveals his secrets to her. As if that isn't enough to deal with suddenly someone has a target on Michael and Ariana gets swept up in that drama. Also add in a teenage crush. This story has so much happening but not in a too busy sort of way. I was enthralled from start to end. I loved Michael too. His true spirit is really shown. And I love how protective he is of Ariana. I also loved how protective she was of him too. They are a perfect match friendship and romance wise. Get ready to be on the edge of your seat through this one. You will be hit with surprise after surprise. This narrator does a great job telling the story. I felt like it was Ariana telling it to me herself. I can't recommend this enough to paranormal mystery fans.

Enjoyable Teen/YA Mystery

This is an interesting Teen/YA paranormal mystery. The story pulled me in and kept me captivated. The story is told in Ariana’s POV. A sweet young romance develops between her and the boy of her dreams. There is a lot of uncertainty with what is going on and things are not always what they seem.

Narration was excellent and brought the story to life.

I got confused a few times and had to re-listen to a few parts to make sure I understood what was going on. This is the first book in the series and several questions have not been answered yet. I’m looking forward to finding out more about Michael and Ariana in book 2.

“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review”

Decent teen listen, though underdeveloped a bit...

Beyond Dreams, is book one in the Fateful Dreams series by Andreea Pryde. I began to listen with a lot of home for this story. The summary intrigued me and I still read YA novels quite a bit. This wasn't a bad story, in fact, it was a cute story that I hope goes a little more in-depth in future books in the series. Reading the summary, was surprised that there wasn't more mention of the fact that Michael has been in Ariana's dreams since she was 8. He shows up, but there really isn't much of a further mention of the dreams. In addition, everything just seemed so ridiculously quick, without much reason. Ariana and Michael profess their love quickly, without really knowing each other. Ariana's mother accepts Michael as a normal fixture at their house almost immediately after meeting him. allowing him to sleep a the house, etc. I don't know. I just didn't love the story. I know there has been some comparison to Twilight, as far as the two main characters falling in love almost immediately. Reading Twilight, I felt that connection between the characters. With this book, I just didn't.

Ashley Nicole Stevens did a good job narrating this book. There were times when the narration felt a little stilted and it felt like she was reading straight out of a book, instead of performing, but I think this may also be in part to reading the authors writing style. Some of the times a contraction would have read more appropriately. Overall, she was very enjoyable to listen to and for 99% of the time, her narration made it easy to listen to this story. I would listen to more of her narrations in the future. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

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recommend

I found the story to be creative and entertaining. andreea did a remarkable job of presenting the story. the narrator did an excellent job in bringing the story to life with emotion filled scenes. highly recommended.