Book Review - A Cure for Dreaming (by Cat Winters)

If you're like me, and you start reading A Cure for Dreaming, you'll want to finish it. But you might not want to read it before you go to sleep.

I rented A Cure for Dreaming (by Cat Winters) through the 3M library app; I rented it because it was listed under new teen fiction, and the teaser mentioned hypnotism, suffragettes, and a rebellious daughter. It suggested that messing with the psyche can have interesting results.

I easily read through the first chapter or 3. The writing style flows in a straight forward manner; the language is definitely teen, possibly preteen. The book is written in first person, from the perspective of Livie, the daughter of a dentist and an actress. Livie is definitely an intelligent, free thinking, compassionate girl trying to find herself. Livie's father is definitely a man who believes a woman should be quiet, malleable, and attentive. Livie's mother left.

If you're like me, soon after your get settled in for a comfortable read, you'll start grimacing. Because as the story progresses, it becomes melodramatic and horrifying (as in a horror story).  If you're like me, just the descriptions of what the dentist does (has to do?) is enough to make you put the book down for a minute. But, if you're like me, you persevere.

The dialogue starts feeling staged, even preposterous. Which reminds you the book was written for a younger crowd -  10 years old by the language; young adult by the subject matter, the torture, and the romantic scene. The author does an excellent job making the adult reader uncomfortable with her monstrous descriptions, but perhaps it would just be deliciously gruesome to a youth.

So if you're like me, you start skimming because this really isn't your kind of book but you do want to see how it ends. Is the end worth it? More yes than no. I didn't immediately want to read another Cat Winters book, but I didn't think "Oh, thank goodness that's over."

Do you feel the plight of the suffragette? Well, it was sort of buried under the melodrama & hard to relate to.

Is the hypnotism interesting? Oh, yes. That part certainly made me think, especially the part about floating in relaxation.

If you're like me and you're willing to balance the horror for some of the cool ideas, and a slight glimpse into a possible past, you'll might be glad you read A Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters.

Of course, if you're like me, you're not a teen or a preteen. This might be an excellent book for them. I'd definitely recommend it for those who loved Lemony Snickett.

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila