Friday 19 September 2014

THE CURE FOR DREAMING by CAT WINTERS

The Cure For Dreaming
by Cat Winters
Published: October 2014
Publisher: Amulet Books
Genre: YA, historical fiction, with hints of fantasy

"Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout." - taken from goodreads

Wow. This is an important book. At first when I requested this book I must admit it was purely a cover decision, I thought it was going to be a fun horror novel. Oh my goodness was I in for a treat, because no, this is not a stereotypical horror novel with ghouls and monsters, but instead it is a horror novel about oppression and inequality. The horror is the injustice of what life used to be like before people had any sense. This is a book to make you talk and to make you think. I think it's going to be massive.

I have recently been reading up on feminism and the feminism movement and after reading this book it made me realise that unless there were no women to fight for the right to have their voice heard then just imagine how different life would be. The world (or at least 'first-world countries') has come so far since then, we have a long way to go before women are completely equal, but we have come so far and it is important to remember that. However, not only does this book bring up the issue of feminism, it also brings up the vote in general. I live in the UK and every time there is an election the number of people who have registered to vote dwindles rapidly, THIS IS NOT OKAY. People, not just women, but people, have fought to get the vote and to have the freedom to have their say in how the country is ruled and by not voting you are insulting them and being foolish, do not not vote just because it is easy, vote because you can and because you should.

Back to the actual book, the plot is very well thought out and it is clear that the novel has been researched extremely meticulously. A very nice aspect of the book is the pictures and diagrams from the period of the novel that are scattered throughout, it brings an interesting aspect to the novel. Olivia, the main protagonist, is a strong-minded woman who goes on such a journey throughout this book and I am so, so happy that even at the end she is independent and going out by herself. Henri and his sister, along with Frannie, are all brilliant and fun additions to the story and whilst not overly developed, because they don't really need to be, they help Olivia on her journey of escaping the ghouls that haunt her. Olivia's father was a monster, he is probably one of the worst characters I have read about, because of how 'normal' he seemed and at times I feared for Olivia and what he would do next. It so scary to think that there were actually men who had the same opinions and 'values' that he did and I really would like to think that there isn't any anymore, but I cant be too sure about that.

Overall, if you are thinking about reading this then do it, just pick it up and become enthralled and I challenge you to come away from it without thinking about the bigger picture that this book creates.

4.5/5 STARS
*this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review*

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