Chapter by Chapter

I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to think ofThe Vault of Dreamers by author Caragh M. O’Brien. I’ve never read any of the author’s previous works but quickly looked up herBirthmarked novels on Goodreads and saw relatively positive reviews, so I was ready for anything. I can honestly say that the Vault of Dreamers isn’t at all what I expected it to be but it was definitely an experience.

In The Vault of Dreamers our protagonist Rosie Sinclair is attending the Forge School, an elite school that televises every moment of their students’ lives for the world to see. There is hardly any privacy and students with the highest ratings and the best viewership are successful and receive grand sums of money for their attendance at the school. Each night students are given a sleeping pill and while they sleep viewers can catch up on everything they’ve missed. However when Rosie decides to skip her sleeping pill she soon begins to discover that something else is going on at the Forge School. Something that might have sinister consequences and that at the Forge School not only is nothing at all what it seems, but that there is something wicked at hand.

I was surprised by the direction that The Vault of Dreamers went in. I found the plot entirely unpredictable to an extent. In terms of climaxes, plot twists, and the like I really enjoyed what The Vault of Dreamers had to offer. Not often do I enjoy going into a novel without an idea of what is going to happen but The Vault of Dreamers does an excellent job of weaving a mystery that will leave readers curious as to what will happen next.

The characters in The Vault of Dreamers are all unique. While my favorite character was not our main character Rosie, I enjoyed the entire cast. Ranging from the cameramen to the antagonist who I did not see coming, The Vault of Dreamers is very good at creating a diverse cast who impact one another and are all individual. This is one of those novels where everyone will be able to find a character who they can relate to in some way, shape, or form.

The writing in The Vault of Dreamers was decent. There were a lot of scenes where the descriptions painted vivid pictures in my mind but others felt like they were skimming over some of the more important details that could give a clear image of the novel’s world. I still have a lot of questions even after having finished the novel and I do think that this could be attributed to the lack of major details. There are plot holes that I could do without and I really do hope that at some point in time they will all be answered. As for pacing, I think there could have been a better divide between crazy dramatic points and points that were the total opposite. There is romance in The Vault of Dreamers but it doesn’t overtake the plot that is all about conspiracy and action and the big bad truth about the Forge School.

I really enjoyed the premise for The Vault of Dreamers and it reminded me a lot of novels like Flash Point by Nancy Kress and How to Lead a Life of Crime. To any readers who found those types of novels interesting (i.e. stories dealing with characters in either Game Shows/Reality TV shows or teens fighting to become the next best thing at their schools) then you would definitely enjoy The Vault of Dreamers. It has the best of those two worlds. Any readers who want a novel with romantic sub-plots, action, and teenage angst and drama all thrown into one story should definitely check out The Vault of Dreamers.