The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M O'Brien

The Vault of Dreamers (Vault of Dreamers Trilogy, #1)

by Caragh M O'Brien

Rosie Sinclair, who attends an elite arts school where students are contestants on a high stakes reality show, skips her sleeping pill one night and discovers that the school is really a cover-up for the lucrative and sinister practice of dream harvesting.

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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The Vault of Dreamers was definitely something different and kind of bizarre. That ending...what?! Did not see that coming, at all! The Forge School is a prestigious art school, but it's also the set of The Forge Show, a reality show that follows the students around all day. Rosie is one of the new students vying for a permanent place at the school and on the show, but once her place is secure, she risks it all based on some suspicions. Rosie doesn't like being forced to sleep for twelve hours straight, so she skips her pill, and notices that things aren't exactly normal in the dorm room. Someone comes in and hooks an IV up to another girl, they wheel their sleep pods out, and Rosie's not convinced it's for health concerns. Something strange is happening here.

I was really excited for The Vault of Dreamers, because I love school settings, and the reality TV angle boosted my interest even more. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint! It does kind of drift into weird territory in the middle, and I was worried for a few chapters, but then that ending happened. I just couldn't believe it! I love unexpected, unhappy endings, where the author takes a risk! My mind did conjure up some crazy twist, which was kind of right, but not really, but it ultimately ended with a typical YA Dystopian ending. This is not that! And I'm glad! It makes it stand out, and I was pretty disturbed by it.

A lot happens in The Vault of Dreamers, but I don't want to talk about it all for fear of spoiling something! You think the story is going in one direction, then something happens, and you think maybe not, and then it goes somewhere else entirely! It's impossible to tell who to trust when everyone is competing for rankings, even the school staff want drama to occur! There was a point where I didn't even trust Rosie! Totally mind boggling! I will say that I was a bit disappointed in the secret the school is hiding. It wasn't nearly as sinister as I was hoping, it was mostly just creepy.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 18 August, 2014: Finished reading
  • 18 August, 2014: Reviewed