Another Rebecca Ross 4 star for me. What can I say, her books are imperfect but also extremely my jam. This one I did really struggle to get into, I like to think it's because the plot takes a little bit to find its feet.

Once we settle into the main routine of the novel though I was intrigued enough in knowing why these characters were making the decisions they were to be engrossed.

Although If I were to rank Ross's novels this might actually be the bottom of the list for me. The world is very intriguing but we see a very limited amount of it. Common Ross themes around the value of art are present but more peripheral? And themes she later explores in more depth about who is telling the narrative and the complacency of power are more under developed here.

The strong thread of romantic love between a couple and the ways they understand and support each other is, as is typical for Ross, a significant thread.

Went into this with no expectations and nearly blind. I've never read anything by Ross and only picked this up because a bookstagramer I usually agree with recommended it and said it had similar vibes to the Shepherd King duology (One Dark Window).

She was right!!

This book has a great whodunit plot surrounded by the dark, ethereal vibes of mist and shadow, dreams and nightmares. I loved that it packed so much intrigue and mystery into a standalone, that also wasn't incredibly long. The slow burn romance was a great addition on top. It was very strong in the romantic category, but no spice. The romantic swoon here didn't need it and the softer development of their relationship was well suited to the overall feel of the book. 

I really loved this, possibly a lot more than I realize. 

Content warning: snakes/bite, violence

I enjoyed this story. I think, especially after reading some of her older work and some of her more recent books, I can see the progression/development of her skills, and how she develops on some of the ideas introduced in this book. It's been really neat to experience that. 

I liked the mystery that surrounded this story, and Ross does a great job of capturing the emotions of the reader. I LOVE Duncan and his constant eavesdropping lol! He's so cute and must be protected at all costs!!! feel like the ending got a little bit messy, with so many things going on and so many characters involved. My spidey senses were tingling about the big reveal and I was gratified my suspicions were correct. Overall, I had a great time reading this story. 

I really enjoyed Chloe Dolandis's performance for this audiobook, especially how she portrayed my fav Duncan. 

Dreams Lie Beneath is a really solid fantasy standalone novel and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

It had just about everything a fantasy novel needs - good plotting, strong worldbuilding and a magic system that is actually consistent and easy to understand (I've read enough fantasy in my time to know that this is really difficult to achieve). I did have some trouble understanding the intricacies of

the curse that drives the plot

but that might have been more due to my own reading experience than the writing.

The

romance

was well-written and credible, if not spectacular. I also thought

the ending was interesting and unexpected

.

Rebecca Ross has done an excellent job here - but given all the other books I've read of hers, I shouldn't be surprised. This was a very good read.

Rebecca Ross is has one of the most talented writers of her generation. Her characters are all charming, her plots are always compelling, and her writing style is achingly beautiful. 

“Dreams Lie Beneath” was a stunning standalone novel and kept me engaged the entire time. I went in to it not knowing anything about the plot, coming off my book hangover from “Divine Rivals,” and hoping that anything could fill that void. I was not disappointed!

This book has a stunning cover, the naked cover is also stunning! And the story is as stunning as the cover. I also think I am way too tired to write this review but at the same time I'm thinking whatever, I am always tired anyway. So bear with me if this is a bizarre ramble of all things flying left and right.

Let's start with the characters. They were well written, all of them. So well that that they managed to deceive me. Yet I'm still not sure if they were "good" (I'm using that word now because my ramshackle brain can't come up with a better one) enough for me to truly care about them. That's a lie. If they made me cry, that means I do care, right?
Clementine irritates me a lot. But she also reminds me a lot about myself and my daughters so that might be the reason. She is very determined to get her revenge, maybe even too much. Although she does grow a lot!
Phelan, Imonie, mommy and daddy. Love them very much. They also do some stupid decisions but don't we all? Phelan drew my attention since the first time he makes an appearance and he continues to hold on to that until the last word of the book, even after that. I kind of don't want to say anything else because I'm afraid I might write down spoilers.

I love all the different relationships blooming throughout the story. But those do seem to be left very vague. Well, the focus in this book isn't the relationships after all. That doesn't mean I wouldn't wanted to have a little bit more of (searching for the word that just decided to become nonexistent in my mind) growth and development! I feel like those had so much potential.
Some of the characters' storylines fell a little flat too, unfortunately. Like they made an appearance and then were very rarely heard from until the end of the book. Suddenly they were brought up as important characters and yet they stayed very much in the background.

The plot in itself was good. I liked the pacing of it very much. Even though I am more of a fast pace lover, but this one was very nice! It didn't linger too long anywhere, which really helped keep the interest up. It is also somewhat intense. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Although I have to say that there are certain problems that arise after something happening, that seems to be a really important matter to keep in mind. Mirrors. (I don't think this really spoils anything.) Those were kind of forgotten completely at some points and then suddenly they were around again.

All in all I had a great time with this book! It was nicely paced, intense enough and emotional. I will admit I shed some tears for unexpected characters even! And you really don't want to put the book down and leave all the characters in a pickle.