Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien

Every night they take a pill, get in a sleeper, and don't wake again until 12 hours later.  They don't dream.  They also don't know all that happens in the night...

Macmillan's Publishing Group and Net Galley gave me the opportunity read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published September 16th.  This is from the author of the Birthmarked series.

Rosie comes from a poor family and getting an opportunity to go to Forge, a school for arts, is a miracle for her.  It's a big reality show and you only get to stay if you rank high enough on the scores to make it.  The first big test eliminates half the class.  It's pure chance that she does enough on the final test day to move her rank up far enough to stay.  

Rosie is inquisitive and smart.  She notices when things don't look exactly right and when students don't seem to be themselves in the morning.  If she's to find anything out, she has to refrain from taking her sleeping pill.  She manages that.  It doesn't help her get any answers, it just creates more questions for her.  Attendants come in and take a sleeper unit out with its student still sleeping.  Then the sleeper is returned before morning.  What are they doing to the students and why?

Rosie takes a lot of chances trying to get answers.  If it wasn't difficult enough to accomplish normally, there are cameras everywhere and it's all on live TV.  What she finds out is ugly.  It turns even more ugly when one believes her, not even the TV viewers.

This story brought me down a bit.  When Rosie's friends get hurt and her mother signs over to the doctor's care, it's not a positive thing.  The ending left me wondering just exactly what happened.  I think I understood what the author was doing, but I don't know why.

If you like a good horror story, this one will do it for you.  It's very creepy and evil.  And all done in the name of science.  Want a good scare?

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