Saturday, September 29, 2012

Review: Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass

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I received this book for free from Penguin Canada in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron BassLucid by Adrienne Stoltz, Ron Bass
Published by Razorbill on October 2nd 2012
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, YA
Source: Penguin Canada
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five-stars

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

Ok ok.. I think I loved it. But I’m not sure. This was just very …. You know the movie Inception? Yeah, kinda like that. I’m so lost, yet I love it… I think.

For one thing, Lucid is a book that makes you think. You have to piece every single moment together to begin to understand what just happened. And this is what you will see yourself doing after you turn the last page. Then you will want to immediately read it again in a new light, so you can grasp the puzzling nature of the plot.

I’m not sure how many of you watched Momento!? But that movie, you’re watching it with no idea what the frick is going on. You end it with no better idea of who killed his wife – at all. So you watch it again, hoping that after seeing the ending you will see things clearer. Lucid if kind of like that. Although not nearly as complex (I mean I watched Momento 4 times and I’m still not convinced I know who the killer is), it makes you think, it makes you relive every single event that happened in the book so you can grasp exactly what was happening to Sloane and Maggie. Being so intricate, you have to be ready to work on your own verdict on its conclusion. It’s not a clean-cut ending, you have to dissect it and interpret it. I guarantee it’s one that you will need to discuss with others who have also read it. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I relish in books that make me second guess things, and leave me with a need to decipher every page. These are the type of books that I get to remember for a long time.

Before this perplexing–and quite emotional–ending, we get a journey into the lives of two very different girls with a big secret – when they go to sleep at night, they dream of each other’s day. From the first page, you’ll be found wondering what exactly is happening to these girls. Is one of them schizophrenic? Is there a paranormal side to the book? Are they both real? If not, which life is real, and which one is just a dream? A very fascinating concept for sure. It boggled my mind over and over, then the more I thought about it, the more freaked out I became. However, this “situation” is only one part of this very deep, and incredibly touching novel.

Beautiful and heartbreaking; after everything is said and done, this novel is really about love. Real love, love that is raw, and natural, and all encompassing. A love that belongs to you and no one else. Both of these girls are searching for The One, and I loved how they would not settle for anything but, nor for the wrong reasons. They love themselves first. Their self respect is admirable, and the same can be said for the responsibilities they take on. I truly enjoyed both protagonists immensely, all the while constantly wondering if anything I was reading was even real; was either of these wonderful girls just a dream? A vision? A past life? Infinite theories aside, I found myself surprised by how deeply moving this book had become. There’s love and joy and family, but there’s also grief and fear and panic and dread that are all running running rampant in this plot. Then when their lives begin to collide, the panic they felt, I felt too. I didn’t know what was real at all anymore. The identity crisis and confusion is complete insanity and, my word, I savoured it, and loved every second where another piece of my mind got blown to bits. Poof.

An incredibly unique reading experience that will leave your mind to mush, and your heart to pieces. Fans of movies such as Black Swan, Momento, and Inception will absolutely find their next fix inside Lucid.

five-stars

5 Hot Espressos

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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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29 Responses to “Review: Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass”

  2. Amy

    Umm I think I need this book like yesterday!! This sounds so freaking awesome!! I love books like this. I don’t need anymore convincing besides reading your review that I will have to read this book!

  3. Avery

    WHOA. I received an ARC of this a few months and admittedly I was pretty on the fence about it, not having heard much about it before (it just doesn’t seem to have any hype, you know?) so I am SUPER excited to see that you liked this Giselle! Now I can’t wait to start this!

  5. Alexa

    I love that you compared it to Inception! I enjoyed that movie because it forced my brain to think and puzzle out the story for myself… In other words, I felt engaged! This book certainly sounds like it’s a wild ride… Can’t wait to read it!

  6. kimbacaffeinate

    Ooh this sounds different,refreshing and unique. I love trying to figure things out. I love when the lines between reality are blurred and you are not sure what is real. Great review!

  9. Senator

    Wonderful review!

    ************************SPOILER**********************
    Memento Revealed: Lenny eventually kills his wife. You see, that break-in that Lenny believes killed his wife… they actually both live. But Lenny gets the no-new-memory thing. That story of the man who gives his wife insulin that Lenny keeps telling throughout the movie? That’s actually Lenny and his wife he’s talking about. Lenny eventually kills his wife with too much insulin.

  10. Blythe Harris

    Eeeeeeeek! I’m so happy you enjoyed this, Giselle! I’ve been *dying* to read it ever since I saw the cover and read the amazing synopsis. I’m planning on dropping whatever I’m reading on October 2nd for this. Great review, as always, hun!

  11. Soma Rostam

    Oh My God, Giselle! You gave it five espressos! That is RARE!
    I so a couple of reviews of Lucid, but I didn’t read them. They just didn’t convince me, even if I ADORE the cover!
    But since I read all of your reviews, when I saw that you reviewed it, I directly clicked the page!
    I LOVE the movie Inception. When I got to the middle of it, it became confusing which life is real and which is an “inception”. I loved the fact that Inception made me think, it made me want to watch it a thousand times over.
    So if this book makes me read it over and over again, then I will definitely add to my TBR list.
    LOVED your review, Giselle. greatly informative and honest, as usual 🙂
    Your constant reader,
    Soma
    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

  12. Michelle @ Book Briefs

    I love that this is a book that makes you think. I know exactly what you mean when you say you think you loved it haha That has happened to be before too with books.

    Inception and a book about love. Count me in!

    Thanks so much for the great review, Giselle 🙂

  13. Sasha

    Oh wow. I haven’t heard of this book before, but the summary sucked me right in! And your review definitely has me interested now. I’ll have to check it out 🙂 Great review, Giselle!

  14. Jen (A Reading Daydreamer)

    Mind blowing books are always the best! The romance sounds amazing, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I think authors that put a LOT of work into their novel always promises a good story, so I’m so excited to pick up this one! Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  16. Jennifer Messerschmidt

    “I’m so lost, yet I love it… I think.” That was me exactly! I loved it but then that ending! Ahh I took away a star for it. I was so sad and mad and confused! But it was such a great story. I really loved both girls and enjoyed their story. The writing was beautiful. Then towards the end it was like a crazy mind f*ck! I was lost and then mad and sad. LOL It was a great ride. I definitely need to re-read it.

  19. Christina

    Hahaha, there are some books where I’ve felt this way too. Like my head hurts and I can’t stop thinking about it and I’m confused and I feel sort of used, and I think I like it?

    Anyway, this sounds like my thing! Though I don’t LOVE any of those movies, I am fascinated by them.

  20. Jenn Renee

    Wow, sounds amazing. I have this on my TBR and I think I need to move it up asap. I have not seen Memento but I understand what you mean. I have seen other movies that left me feeling lost and confused. I am very excited to read this book. Thanks for the awesome review.

  21. Addie R.

    Ohmygod Giselle, this is pretty much all of my thoughts bundled up in one review! I definitely did have some mixed thoughts on Lucid, but it still ended up being a favorite of mine. I’m glad you enjoyed it too! ^__^

  23. Megan K.

    Wow! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this one! Yeah, INCEPTION for me was quite confusing in the beginning, but at the end, I loved it. One of the best movies I’ve watched. LUCID really sounds like something I’d enjoy. 🙂

    Great review, Giselle!

  24. Mel - Thedailyprophecy.

    I hated Inception, haha. So that’s not a great start for me :p I do like to think about books. It keeps my mind sharp. This was one of my WoW picks, because I’m fascinated by the concept, but I hope I will love it more than Inception. Wonderful review 🙂

  26. Jenni @ Alluring Reads

    This sounds like something I would love. I like how you point out that these girls love themselves first. We don’t get that a lot in YA novels today. Instead we get girls who throw away their self worth because a guy with a pretty face walked in.

    I love books that keep you guessing and in the end leave you wondering what the hell you just read. I got that from Drowning Instinct, it didn’t feel like it was over… but it was.

    I’ll be picking this one up this week for sure! Great review!