Fade by Lisa McMann

Life as a dreamcatcher is crazy, and Janie Hannagan is just trying to adjust to it. Luckily, Janie has Cabel, her rock to cling to amidst all the dreams and nightmares she gets sucked into. But since Janie has started working for Cabel’s boss, things have gotten even more complicated. The couple can’t be together publically lest their covers be blown, and tensions arise when Janie agrees to work with Cabel on a new case at their high school. In an attempt to uncover the true nature of the disturbing events that have been occurring, Janie knowingly becomes pretty to a teacher cum sexual predator, which angers Cabel who just wants to keep Janie safe. Add in the new knowledge of all the gifts, responsibilities, and side effects of being a dreamcatcher, and Janie’s life is set for one heck of an emotional upheaval once again.

As she did in the amazing Wake, McMann proves herself to be a phenomenal storyteller in its sequel Fade. She creates such realistic and unusual characters that the reader genuinely cares about. Janie, for instance, is a broken, damaged girl who struggles to make it to the next day, but her determination to prove herself and rise above her situation shows a commendable strength amidst those weaknesses. The storyline is impeccable as well; this paranormal romance and mystery is impossible to put down. There is not an inch of this novel that is uninteresting from Janie’s and Cable’s undercover jobs to the heart stopping and slightly skeevy investigation to Janie and Cabel’s tumultuous relationship, particularly that last point. Janie and Cabel’s connection is seriously one of the truest, sexiest, and most romantic love stories in all of young adult literature as well as one of my favorites. McMann does such an incredible job of putting it all together into one perfect tale that succeeds in providing attention sucking entertainment as well as a drop of hope in even the most hopeless situations.

Just as original and awesome as its prequel, Fade is a must read for those who read Wake and other dream related novels. Fans of this series will also enjoy Sleepless by Terri Clark. I very eagerly look forward to the conclusion to this incredible trilogy in Gone.

Rating: 5.0

Review copies from Amazon Vine and publisher Simon & Schuster