Blog Tour for Shattered Dreams by Ellie James: Review + Guest Post

Posted by Donna

UK Release Date: July 5th, 2012

Finished Date: June 26th, 2012

Publishers: Quercus

Source: For Review

Format: Paperback 

Pages: 300
Read the Extract: Here
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Upon the death of her grandmother, Trinity arrives on her aunt's doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. Dropped into high school, she is trying her best to fit in, but there is something about her, connected to the mysterious city and her parents death, that makes her different.
When a game of truth or dare in a deserted New Orleans house gets out of control, Trinity starts to see things; twisted visions of the future that she tries to suppress. But all too quickly the dreams accelerate – terrifying images of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader goes missing, Trinity has to decide whether to step forward with what she's seen: a tough choice when the police are desperate for a suspect and she's falling in love with the missing girl's boyfriend. Nothing prepares her for the dark odyssey that ensues, the surprising romance she finds along the way, or the shocking truths she learns. Not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her, and the future that awaits.

The Review: Shattered Dreams had been high on my list to read for a while, so when the opportunity came up to review it, I jumped at the chance and let me say, it really didn't disappointment. 
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This story surrounds a young girl called Trinity who moves to New Orleans to live with her aunt after the death of her grandma. Trinity appears to be a normal teenage girl but when a game of truth or dare gets out of hand and a girl disappears, she soon starts seeing visions of the future. As Trinity journeys brings her to discover her heritage, she soon finds herself in more danger than ever. 
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I really enjoyed Shattered Dreams. It's a paranormal, mystery and romance book all rolled into one and I love this kind of read, because it keeps you on you're toes all the way through. I really loved how the story started, it was gripping and entertaining and the other did a fantastic job introducing all the different characters. I especially loved Trinity, I thought she was strong, brave and full of courage. She helps the one girl whose been horrible to her since she started her new school and the fact that she could over look that, and was willing to help her, was very admirable. I also really liked the love interest Chase. He clearly likes Trinity and he's willing to go out of his way to help her. There relationship wasn't instant and I loved that too. However, I am praying that there will be no love triangle between Chase, Trinity and Dylan. I'm kind of sick of this at the moment and I'm hoping there won't be...but I guess we'll see. 
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The dreams that Trinity had were very vivid and I loved that they were easy to imagine. I have to admit, I did find they were a bit jumpy at times but as the story progress, I found them to even out a little. And I'm very eager to see where Ellie James next takes this story. 
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Overall, Shattered Dreams was a very enjoyable read and one I can't wait to read more about. 

The Power of Dreams

by Ellie James

I’ve always been a dreamer. 

From the time I was a little girl, growing up in Louisiana, vivid images greeted me while I slept. There were all the standard dreams, about school and friends and monsters, flying and falling, being chased, being trapped. As I got older my dreams changed a bit, with boys entering the mix, and all sorts of exciting romantic scenarios. But I still had those scary dreams, the ones where you know you need to run, but your body betrays you, and you can’t move a single muscle, where you lay there in bed, paralyzed and terrified…

By the time I met my husband, I was a young adult living alone in my own apartment. We married, and wow was he surprised the first time I let out a blood-curdling scream in the middle of the night—and smacked him silly!

With time, my nightmares faded, but my dreams remained vivid. While my husband dreamed of playing Scottish links with life-sized bunny rabbits, I found myself wandering University with no idea where I was supposed to go, or even on occasion walking down the aisle of a grand cathedral, with no idea who I was about to marry. (Yes, I’m sure Freud would have a brilliant time with that one!) But other dreams were there, too, the kind of dreams that guide you while you’re awake, the dreams that carry you into the future.  For me I dreamed of writing books, of telling stories of suspense and danger and, always, romance.

I suppose it’s only fitting that both waking and sleeping dreams combined to create my first Young Adult novel, Shattered Dreams. Shortly after my son was born, I closed my eyes late one night (or was it early one morning?) and suddenly saw a group of teenagers sneaking into a beautiful but long-abandoned mansion in the Garden District of New Orleans. But I was more than simply watching. I was there. I was one of them. I gazed into the darkness and smelled the decay. I saw the strange piles of corn and ashes and bone, the slip of the shadows, and I jumped at the sound of branches scraping the grimy windows. There were mean girls and a guy who made my heart pound, and we all made our way up the rotting staircase for a seemingly innocent game of truth or dare.

But there was nothing innocent about it.

I woke up breathless, and more than a little surprised. Unlike dreams that fade, the images lingered. It was all so real and vivid. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d experienced, and from that, the questions came: What happened next? What if one of the teens was a psychic? What if she saw something…something bad?  What if what she saw actually happened? What if no one believed her, or at least, no one but the last guy she should let herself begin to fall for?

As I answered those questions, Shattered Dreams was born!

What about you, have you had dreams so real you would swear they were?