Book Review: ‘Dream by the Shadows’ by Logan Karlie
In Noctis, dreaming is dangerous. Demons haunt the Dream Realm, ruled by their lord, the Shadow Bringer. They prowl humans’ dreams, haunting them until they can possess them in the waking world and cause havoc. The only way to cleanse a demon is purification by fire. Unfortunately, that means death to the human they’re possessing too. Despite these dangers, all Esmer wants to do is dream. Maybe she can track down the Shadow Bringer and end his cruel reign? A girl can dream, right? Find out if Esmer’s dreams come true in Logan Karlie’s Dream by the Shadows.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Little, Brown, and Company for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of Dream by the Shadows contains some spoilers!]
In Dream by the Shadows, no one looks forward to sleep
For five hundred years the Shadow Bringer has been sending his demons into their dreams to corrupt them and destroy their kingdom. Only the Light Bringer can save them from corruption, but his cure comes at a high price. To avoid the corruption and its consequences, citizens of Noctis take a special elixir before sleeping that banishes dreams. It allows them to get rest without fear.
But rest without fear isn’t enough for Esmer. She wants to wander through the Dream Realm. She wants to see all the wonders that she’s been told await her there. Surely just once couldn’t hurt? So she convinces her sister to skip the elixir and journey into the Dream Realm with her. It’s incredible, everything they hoped it would be! Until Esmer’s sister falls victim to a demon. She is lost to corruption, and Esmer’s life only gets worse from there.
But then the Light Bringer finds Esmer. He tells her that only she can end the corruption by seeking out the Shadow Bringer in the Dream Realm and battling him. Esmer is afraid, but to save her family, she’ll do anything. But when she finds the Shadow Bringer, things change. Everything she’s been told about him doesn’t seem to fit with the man she finds in the Dream Realm. What is going on? Esmer must discover the truth, and quickly, if she’s going to save not just her family, but the entire kingdom.
Logan Karlie presents a somewhat disconnected story
Dream by the Shadows is a romance at heart, and it follows the very old cliché of enemies turned lovers. Esmer travels to the Dream Realm intending to kill the Shadow Bringer, but she ends up falling in love with him and wanting to help him. I’m not saying that this is a bad trope; the tension as opposites attract can be fantastic. I also think that when we watch characters get to know each other better and move past stereotyped hate into understanding and caring, it gives us a blueprint for how to do the same thing in real life (I’m not saying we all need to have love affairs with our enemies; I just mean seeing the “other” as a person and potential friend instead of a villain).
So while it’s been done before, enemies to lovers can be a great storyline when done right. Unfortunately, Dream by the Shadows doesn’t do it right. The basics are there: Esmer and the Shadow Bringer start as enemies. They spend some time together learning about each other. And they end up as lovers. But something is lost along the way. Karlie moves the emotions too quickly, I think. It doesn’t seem like Esmer and the Shadow Bringer really go through the bonding stages before Esmer moves from blind hatred to love. As the reader, I felt like I missed something; the change was just too sudden for me to really get behind.
Final thoughts on Dream by the Shadows by Logan Karlie
I’m really sad that Dream by the Shadows isn’t a better book because it’s a visually stunning addition to my shelf. The cover art is beautiful, and the sprayed edges of the pages are gorgeous. The map of Noctis is a gem as well. I love to look at the book and am probably going to leave it on my table for a while before shelving it just so I can see the artwork. But it’s not enough to redeem the story in my opinion.
Now I will admit that there is a potentially good story buried in the Light Bringer’s betrayal of the Shadow Bringer. I am interested in finding out what actually happened there. I’m praying that Karlie fleshes that story out nicely and doesn’t take the kinds of leaps that she did with Esmer and the Shadow Bringer’s romance. If she does it right, it will make the entire series worth it. If she messes it up, it will make the series unreadable.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first print of Dream by the Shadows. It was originally released in 2023 and made it to the top of Amazon’s YA Dark Fantasy list. That’s what prompted this rerelease while we wait for the second installment, slated to come out in the summer of 2026. I’m a little surprised to see that Dream by the Shadows was a #1 new release. I think that perhaps it’s because it’s a YA novel. Teenage girls and their hormones overlooked the plot holes in the face of the romance involved with falling for the bad boy.
My rating for this book: 6/10
I’m not sure that Dream by the Shadows really warranted a second printing, but I can’t deny that the book is beautiful. If you just want something to look nice on your shelf, or if you want some steamy drama without a lot of logic (yeah, it’s a book about the Dream Realm; logic was never going to be its strong suit, I guess), then this is a great book that will get you through a few nights. But most of us will probably want to skip Dream by the Shadows and find something else to fall asleep to.
Also check out: Book Review: ‘Royal Gambit’ by Daniel O’Malley
