Title: Screamcatcher: Web World
Author: Christy J. Breedlove
Synopsis:
When seventeen-year-old
Jory Pike cannot shake the hellish nightmares of her parent’s deaths,
she turns to an old family heirloom, a dream catcher. Even though she’s
half blood Chippewa, Jory thinks old Indian lore is so yesterday, but
she’s willing to give it a try. However, the dream catcher has had its
fill of nightmares from an ancient and violent past. After a sleepover
party, and during one of Jory’s most horrific dream episodes, the dream
catcher implodes, sucking Jory and her three friends into its own world
of trapped nightmares. They’re in an alternate universe—locked inside of
an insane web world. How can they find the center of the web, where all
good things are allowed to pass?
I received a free e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
I'd like to thank the author for offering me a copy of Web World because I had a lot of fun reading this mystical gem of a YA. I'm sure Jory, Darcy, Choice and Lander – the four teenagers who get caught in the web of the dreamcatcher – wouldn't call their adventure "fun" but it evoked in me a certain kind of nostalgia with its distant similarity to the movie Jumanji.
Since Jory lost her parents she suffers from nightmares. In the daytime she helps out in her grandfather's novelty shop but her nights are ruined by the recurring bad dream. When her friend, Choice first visits the store, his eyes wonder on the giant old-looking dreamcatcher that hangs from the ceiling and he immediately thinks if nothing else, that will help Jory to rest well – and from then on trouble is guaranteed.
With two mates of theirs, the 16 year-old Darcy and the streetwise Lander they end up inside a world of night terrors from where they can only escape if they work together. I have nightmares sometimes, but nothing like with what these teenagers have to face. What I really liked in this book was that it works with Native American folklore and legends. It's not something that is normally covered in my everyday reading and so it was extremely fascinating for me to read about what creatures were the natives afraid of.
This book has horror elements. Not many, but the few it does give it spice. I don't want to give much away but something happens to one of the members of the group that gave me the creeps. This incident and its consequences kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
The novel is quite unputdownable, one action scene follows the other and you wait for the end to know how the band will fare during the last challenge. The team seems very experienced despite the fact that they are teenagers, for example Jory knows a lot about lore, plants, tracking, while the boys help out with the practical side of things. Darcy is a bit of a hindrance but at times I felt sorry for her because the others didn't handle her with much patience.
There's a love story in there somewhere too, but it wasn't overdone, which I was glad to see. To be honest, I don't even know when was the last time I've read a YA book without a love triangle or overemphasized soppy love-drama. This was just perfect, keeping all emotions at bay and very realistic.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book if you'd like to try something fresh. Web World is a unique tale presented in a very enjoyable way.
Next in the series:
