A Review for Dreams (Sarah Midnight #1) by Daniela Sacerdoti

Posted by Donna

Release Date:  April 18th, 2012

Finished Date: June 20th, 2012

Publishers: Black and White Publishing

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback

Pages: 432
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

“You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’ll stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. It’s happening to me. They said it was an accident. Only I know the truth. My parents were hunters, like their parents and grandparents before them, hundreds of years back, scores of ancestors behind me, fulfilling the same call. I must follow in their footsteps. I am the only one left to keep the promise. I can never give up the fight, this fight that has been handed down to me, thrust upon my unwilling shoulders. I’d rather be buried with my parents, my brave, fierce father and mother, who lived and died by the Midnight motto: Don’t Let Them Roam.” 
<
Ever since her thirteenth birthday, seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight’s dreams have been plagued by demons—but unlike most people’s nightmares, Sarah’s come true. Her dreams guide her parents’ hunt as Sarah remains in bed, terrified but safe, sheltered from the true horrors of the Midnight legacy. But all this is about to change. After the murder of her parents, she is cruelly thrust into a secret world of unimaginable danger as she is forced to take up their mission. Alone and unprepared for the fight that lies before her, Sarah must learn how to use the powers she’s inherited and decide whom to trust before it’s too late...(

.
The Review: Dreams is a story about Sarah Midnight; a seventeen-year-old girl who is grieving over the loss of her parents. Over the past few years Sarah has lost everyone close to her because of the family’s history. The Midnights are a legacy family, which means they fight demons from a secret world – one that’s very dangerous. Sarah was always left in the dark about her family’s fight but that didn’t stop the dreams. She has dreams that guide her to kill the evil demon’s but recently her dreams have been all jumbled, and now she’s struggling to make head or tails of them. But when the arrival of her long lost cousin; Harry, suddenly everything is becoming that much clearer…..but can see really trust Harry? And can they defeat the evil before it gets them?
<
I’d never heard of this book before I was asked to review and I was pleasantly surprised that it was being published by a UK publishers, and secondly that the book itself was based in the UK. It’s an automatic win for me because I’ll do anything to help out a UK book. But not only that, the blurb for the book really intrigued me, it sounded like something I’d love, so of course, I jumped at the chance to read it. Now after reading, I’m definitely a fan of this author’s work. Daniela Sacerdoti has definitely got the knack for good story telling. She’s created something unique, dark and heart-breaking and it all works well together. 
<
The story itself was dangerous and thrilling. It was very creepy and the descriptions of the demons were quite gruesome and all very imaginable. With the story being told in a third person narrative, we get to see a lot of different characters take their own journeys. At first, I’ll admit I was put off with the different characters/point of view changes, but once I really got into the story, I started enjoying it and I felt every change fit the story perfectly. It gave me a lot of insight into the story that I wouldn’t have got, if the story was told just by Sarah. So overall, it worked really well. I did feel the story had a slow start and it takes a while for you to fully understand the legacy story and the role’s the Midnight’s play but still, it was an enjoyable journey but a little bit slow. 
<
The relationships between the characters were very enjoyable. Sarah and Harry have a deep connection and although they are cousins, everything isn’t as it seems, so be prepared for a shocking storyline. I loved Harry – he really cares for Sarah and although he’s trying to do the right thing because of the job he was given, it’s hard not to love Sarah. And then there’s Leaf. I’m not sure about him. The chapters from his point of view gave me the impression that he’s hiding something and he isn’t who he says he is. Sarah clearly cares for him but if it’s a choice between Harry and Leaf, then I’m all Team Harry! 
<
Overall, Dreams is a good debut novel and I think Daniela Sacerdoti has set the ending up very well for the second book in the series. Although it’s a killer of an ending, I bet it will be worth it!