Book Review: Sleep No More

Sleep No More

By: Aprilynne Pike

Published by: Harper Teen

Release date: April 29, 2014

Genre: YA paranormal/horror

352 pages

Buy it at Amazon, IndieBound, Book Depository, or Barnes & Noble

Source: ARC kindly provided by publisher

You may remember Aprilynne Pike from her popular fae series, Wings. If you are hoping for more of the Pike character dynamics that you’ve seen before, with a storyline that has more of a horror feel, get this book on pre-order. The clever writing is there, complete with conversations that are very typical teen content, without the over-the-top use of objectionable language.

This book is the story of Charlotte, a teen with special powers: she’s an Oracle. Though she is able to have visions of the probable future, she’s been coached by her aunt, also an Oracle, to resist having the visions. Her aunt is cryptic about the reasons for this, but is emphatic that it’s necessary. As with most teens, “because I said so” isn’t a terribly effective way to gain Charlotte’s cooperation. Secretive adults drive teens to seek answers from unreliable sources: in this case, a veritable stranger. I appreciate that this plot element is realistic; it happens far more often than we want to admit.

Sleep No More features a sweet romance that is not another carbon copy of the same old Happily Ever After.  I love the exploration of how much of the romance is happening organically; perfectly logical question in a story with this lore, and I’m glad Pike chose to tackle it. It makes sense for Charlotte to question whether she’s unintentionally influencing the outcome of her time with Linden, since she is able to see some of that time in her visions.

Linden, the love interest, reminds me of the boy in Pike’s Wings series. He’s sweet, and smart, with just enough self-confidence to be honest about his emotions. He’s a great book boyfriend; girls deserve to read that not every boy out there will treat them like objects to be won and used.

 Questions are left unanswered, especially regarding the Oracle lore, the Sisters, and why they no longer use the gift. Once explained, Charlotte’s aunt’s reason for keeping her in the dark makes sense. I hope we get to see her learn more about her gift and the secret society that she will soon be old enough to enter. As for the bad guy- there is also room for a lot more exploration in the lore there. Pike has done enough original world-building and left herself enough creative freedom to play with these characters for a whole series.  If she chooses to write it, I’ll be stacking those at the top of my to-be-read pile.

Summary:

Lisa McMann's Wake trilogy meets the blockbuster Inception in this dark page-turner from #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike.

Oracles see the future but are never supposed to interfere. Charlotte learned that the hard way. If she hadn't tried to change one of her childhood visions, her father would still be alive. Since the accident, Charlotte has suppressed her visions to avoid making the same mistake. But when she receives a premonition of a classmate's murder, she can no longer ignore her powerful gift.

Then Charlotte meets someone who not only knows her secret but who also has a way for her to stop the killer. He offers to teach her how to manipulate her visions to change the future. But doing so will put Charlotte in the path of the murderer.…

Aprilynne Pike's bestselling Wings series was called "remarkable" by Stephenie Meyer, bestselling author of the Twilight Saga. And her most recent novel, Life After Theft, was cheered as a "whirlwind adventure" by School Library Journal. Now Aprilynne returns with this exhilarating departure from her previous novels. Sleep No More is a psychological thrill ride that is sure to keep readers' hearts racing until the very end.