The Dream Keeper's Daughter by Emily Colin

The Dream Keeper's Daughter

by Emily Colin

A woman discovers an impossible connection that transcends time and place in this stirring, unforgettable novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Thief.

“A splendid mix of time travel, romantic yearning, and moving on after grief.”—Publishers Weekly

Isabel Griffin has done her best to move on since her boyfriend, Max Adair, vanished without a trace eight years ago, leaving her heartbroken—and pregnant. Eerily enough, this isn’t the first time someone Isabel loves has gone missing. When she was sixteen, her mother disappeared, and her father became obsessed with finding his long-lost wife—at the expense of parenting Isabel.

Determined not to repeat her father’s mistakes, Isabel works hard to become a respected archaeologist and a loving mother to her daughter, Finn, a little girl with very unusual abilities. But while Isabel is on a dig in Barbados, she receives a disturbing phone call. The hauntingly familiar voice on the other end speaks just four words—“Isabel. Keep her safe.”—before they’re disconnected.

Isabel tries to convince herself that the caller can’t possibly be Max. But what if it is, and Finn is in danger? As one mysterious event after another occurs, she can’t shake the feeling that, despite what everyone else believes, Finn’s father is alive—and he’s desperately trying to reach her.

Reviewed by chymerra on

4 of 5 stars

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I wasn’t going to request The Dream Keeper’s Daughter when I saw it on NetGalley. I read the blurb and thought “I’ll wait on this“. But, it kept showing up on my Titles In Your Category section. Then it appeared as a book in one of NetGalley’s emails. I saw a few fellow bloggers that either had it in their TBR pile or had reviewed it. That was when I thought to myself “The universe is telling me to request it.” So I did. I am glad that I did because this book blew my socks off.

The plot of The Dream Keeper’s Daughter is pretty straightforward. Isabel is still reeling from Max’s disappearance 8 years earlier. She has never believed that he would up and leave her. Especially since she had told him that she was pregnant with their daughter, Finn. With no leads and her hope disappearing over the years, she has, for the most part, moved on. She is a successful archeologist professor. She is raising Finn with her father and Ryan. But a phone call, from Max’s cell phone, sends her into a tailspin.

I could see why Isabel was so torn for most of the book. She had all these unresolved feelings for Max. was almost frantic for people to believe her when she said that she had seen him. I know I would have acted the same if I were in her shoes.

The plot with Max was very intriguing. Going back in time to a very turbulent era for Barbados was interesting. It was interesting because he did the ultimate no-no and tried to change history. He told the leaders of the slave rebellion. He told Lily what was going to happen to her if she didn’t believe him and he got thrown out. The way it was written, though, was what reeled me in. I had to keep reading. I had to know if Max and Julia (Isabel’s mother) were able to survive the uprising and make it back home.

I did like Isabel but she drove me up a wall during the book. Her reactions to certain situations came across as almost teenagerish. Like her dealings with Max’s mother. She didn’t like her based on appearance and didn’t bother to talk to her or get to know her. Or her relationship with Ryan. She was using Max’s memory like a security blanket and kept Ryan at arm’s length. I felt bad for the poor guy and if I were him, I would have said “See ya” a long time ago. But, I did like her because she was written as a flawed person.

Max kind of got on my nerves in the beginning. I don’t know exactly what it was about him that made me go “eh” at first.It was that he was so set on trying to change history. But he did grow on me and I did feel bad for him towards the end of the book.

There were two romances in the book and a triangle. The two romances were Max/Isabel and Ryan/Isabel. While the Max/Isabel romance was pretty much out there from the beginning of the book, the Ryan/Isabel romance wasn’t. There was one point, before the dollhouse scene, where I was wondering if it was all in my head. But then the dollhouse scene happened and I was like “Yeah baby“.

The love triangle, which happened after Julia and Max came home, was between Max/Isabel/Ryan. I won’t say who she chooses but let’s say that it was a very hard decision. The author did a wonderful job keeping me on my toes about who Isabel would end up with.

There were two different types of sex in this book. There was the slow, feeling infused sex and there was the hard, fast sex. I loved seeing both because it showed the different partners in a different light.

I didn’t have a complaint about this book. All the plotlines were wrapped up in a very satisfactory way. There were no plotlines left hanging or characters unaccounted for.

The end of the book was very bittersweet. While happy in a way, it didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. I am not complaining because sometimes happy endings aren’t always what you think.

My Summary of The Dream Keeper’s Daughter: 4 stars

The Dream Keeper’s Daughter is a fast paced, romance that definitely kept me turning the pages. The plot was fantastic and the characters were memorable. A great read.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, sex, and language. There is a very brutal scene where a slave is tied from a tree and whipped.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books, Random House, NetGalley and Emily Colin for allowing me to read/review The Dream Keeper’s Daughter

All opinions expressed in this review of The Dream Keeper’s Daughter are mine and mine alone.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 August, 2017: Finished reading
  • 22 August, 2017: Reviewed