Thank you for the free eARC NetGalley!

I liked this book but it wasn't for me. It's for people who like fast-paced stories. I think the idea of a different world was interesting, the kingdoms were also interesting but this book didn't focus on building the relationships. I wanted more of Ona and Okem together and what really made them fall for each other but didn't get that. Overall, I think it could've been better but I liked it!

3 stars for this!💖

I was quite excited to read this book because the cover intrigued me and it was a story inspired by west african folk tales. The writing is so amazing in this book so simple yet so engaging and fast to get through.
The rest of the story was disappointing to say the least.
The main character Ona had no agency and every decision she had to make she asked everyone if she was doing the right thing and I found it hard to sympathize with her. She was had no friends and was very isolated which is soething I dislike in Young Adult.
Majority of the siituations were contrived and the author handled sensitive issues with a heavy hand, I expected more subtility and nuance but threre was none. There was no character development for any of the main characters and her choice of antagonist was painfully predictable.
My mistake was going into this ook thinking it as heavily fantatstical but it was not, it was a contemporary to story
All in all the message being put across is very valuable I wont deny that but the manner it was tod was offputting to say the least.

I was drawn in by the uniqueness of this book - the setting, the storyline, the characters. If you like fantasy with a touch of romance, and are looking for something unique, you’re going to want to pick up this book. The beginning started a little slow for me, but I quickly found myself lost in the pages as the pacing hit its stride. Ona’s journey is a powerful one filled with loss, love, and self discovery. A great read for adults young and old.

I really wanted to like this book, I truly did. I really enjoyed Oby Aligwekwe's earlier book Hazel House, and I hoped I would feel the same magic from this title. The beginning was a bit slow going for me and I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. I also had a difficult time with how dense Ona was most of the time. The world building had a lot of potential and it was almost there. Oby Aligwekwe's writing is so beautiful but this wasn't the right book for me right now. Maybe after the stress from current events starts to pass I may pick it up again.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book due some personal reasons, but I read about half of it and I have to say it is a great book. I will definitely purchase it to reread the parts that I have read and I am curious of the story's ending. This book contains several characters that I loved, some amazing magic and I could go on and on.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book.
Tw: Domestic Violence

This was whimsical. That was about all it had going for it. Its more of a folklore or a fairytale like story than a fantasy story.

I didn't click with the writing at all and felt that the characters were a bit lacking.
2/5 stars

I DNF. I found the romances to be distracting. I cannot tell if it’s because I’m not the target audience or that the plot didn’t move quickly enough.

“We’re most courageous at our weakest; when we believe we have faced what we fear the most and have nothing more to lose.”

This book is evidently well planned, woven intricately for both the reader's and author's pleasure. I am amazed at the world-building, at the introduction of new concepts and development of the hows of Luenah. I still haven't figured out how to pronounce that...or the numerous new names in the book. Which is always a fun part of fantasies! I love the feeling of wonder such books give me, including The Place Beyon Her Dreams.

The writing style is immaculate! Oby Aligwekwe satisfied me with wonderful #wordporn. Really amazing descriptions that help one visualize the better...I honestly woundn't stop raving about this if I could.

On that note, it is also rife with lessons. Step-by-step morals which we can inculcate in our daily lives and in achieving various long-term goals. Ona's Papa gives solid advice which break even with those of counsellors.

We, humans, are flawed and most of the people I've met I'd rather not have done so. That along with myself. Real personas are all prone to being insufferable. And yet the author managed to create REAL AND LIKEABLE characters. A huge rarity.

I am excited for The Place Beyond Her Dreams, I anticipate the moment when its beauty is unveiled for the reading community (and beyond) to witness! A definite masterpiece!

“We are most courageous at our weakest; when we believe we have faced what we fear the most and have nothing more to lose.”

I absolutely wanted to like this book but I couldn't connect with the characters. I wished the author gave me more information and insight into the thoughts of our characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Eclat Books for giving me an advance reader copy of this book. The cover is beautiful and after reading what the book was about, I thought I would love it.

“The Place Beyond Her Dreams” is a story of Ona, a young girl who is finding her way in life. She is forced with a difficult situation – pick the love of her life or the love that would bring her more power and standing. When Ona was a young girl she lived with her grandparents and when her grandfather died, she was in such a distraught state that she soon found herself passing out. This wasn’t a normal black out, instead she traveled in her mind to a place called “Luenah” where she is greeted by her dead grandfather. Ona travels to Luenah in her sleep sometimes and is always looking for her grandfather’s help during her trying life as an adult.
I wish I could say I loved this book. The description of it made me bump this book to the top of my TBR, but I soon realized this book is not what I was hoping for. I did finish it since it was given to me as an ARC so I could give my full review of it. I was truly hoping the story would get better by the end and even though there was a small plot twist, the writing didn’t grab me the way that it should have.

To put in simplest terms, this book was not for me. I felt no connection to any of these characters and not because I would not relate to them, but because the author gave me so little. I felt that there was little to no depth within the characters. None of the relationships had depth and I felt like the author skimmed the surface of them. Not only was there no depth to the characters but to the dream world of Luenah. I was so disappointed there was not more description of this world and how it operated. If the authors intent were to make you fee like you were in a weird dream world where you did not remember anything and everything is very foggy, they achieved it. There was a small plot twist but because you could not connect with any of the characters, it did not hit as hard as it should have.

<i>The Place Beyond Her Dreams</i> had significant potential. Female protagonist charged with doing something "significant" on earth? Check. Conflict based on cultural differences that teeters on violence? Check. A dash of friends to lovers romance? Check. A magical dream land where our main character finds herself able to reconnect with loved ones? Double check.

The trouble is... that's where the good things stop. Even looking too closely at the details of the items on this list will make you scratch your head, thinking about all of the missed opportunities they represent.

Ona, our main character, is raised by her grandparents and is particularly close to her grandfather. When he unexpectedly passes away, she is drawn into a magical dream land where she can see him again. He tells her she is destined for great things and challenges her to think through her path, saying it will either lead to great happiness or great despair, and the choice is hers.

In an effort to make this tale into a fable-esque story, Aligwekwe has lost all depth to her characters. Even though the book is written in first person, I felt disconnected from Ona the entire time. She made choices based almost exclusively based on the men around her, doing very little thinking for herself. Her life revolves around meeting the needs of men, so much so that even her "great achievement" on Earth is related to her relationship with a man.

The motivations of all characters remained opaque as each person introduced remained a caricature. We have lots and lots of tropes afoot here, to the point that it was distracting. It felt like a stringing together of all the elements other YA authors have used in an attempt to Frankenstein its way to success with very little true plot or conflict.

Unlike other reviewers, I was not bothered by Ms. Aligwekwe's writing beyond one point - her dialogue could have used some serious editing. Characters spoke in stilted, short sentences, with numerous insertions making it difficult to follow who was speaking. I was surprised by the insertion of another point of view at 75% of the way through the book, and then for only a few pages - it felt like an odd, unnecessary choice.

I wish we had explored Luenah and its implications significantly more. So much time was spent in Ona's hometown longing after a boy that it became very easy to forget this was a fantasy at all.

Ultimately, this might be nice for a very young reader, with one exception - there is some significant domestic abuse, complete with justification and self-blame by the victim. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to given the complication of that factor but the simplicity of the plot.

I appreciate what was attempted here, but there were many, many opportunities to make it stronger that were missed.

**My thanks to NetGalley and Eclat Books for the opportunity to review this in exchange for eARC access.**

"We're most courageous at our weakest; when we believe we have faced what we fear the most and have nothing more to lose."
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an EARC of this title in exchange with an honest review.
A short thought provoking novel with a fable esque feel and a thought provoking narrative on the importance on following your own life purpose and continuing on despite the challenges.
An enjoyable if slightly different read for me, and one I think I would of perhaps gained more from if I had some sort of faith.
Rated: 3 Stars

I loved this book! The story was a lovely and I enjoyed the love story. The characters were amazing and I loved how they were written. Aligwekwe did an amazing job with the book and I look forward to reading more in the future.

I was so excited for this book. A YA Fantasy set in Africa with another world. Unfortunately, the fantasy aspect was very underdeveloped with no world building. It was interesting to learn about a social structure not my own but I could not get invested in the characters and there is abuse and self blame in this novel. I understand that this is a dynamic for many in domestic violence situations but it seems like this should be marketed more for adults.

I received a copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was published today and oh my goshhhhh SOOOO GOOD.
I forgot how much I love books like this because I've been so caught up in high fantasy and YA contemporary romance novels.
This was such an amazing refresher.
highly recommend.
Characters : 5 stars
Plot : 5 stars
Setting : 4.9 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

The Place Beyond Her Dreams is Oby Aligwekwe’s third book and her debut in the Young Adult genre. Previously the books Hazel House and NFUDU – Skirts, Ties & Taboos were released. This is the first book I have read by Oby Aligwekwe.

At the age of seven, Ona already knows that she is different, but when her grandfather suddenly dies and she ends up in Lueneh during an unconsciousness, she discovers what it is that makes her different. She is an Eri, destined to perform a special task on Earth. In order to do this, she must exchange her greatest desire for a box that will preserve her most important memories of self-development. Ona agrees, but as she gets older Ona learns that everything has a price. As the chief’s daughter, she is the one who must marry the prince of a rival village. But is this where her heart feels at home? What price should she pay in exchange for the box? How will this affect her dreams?

The story has a slow start in which the reader is introduced to Ona and Luenah. Although Oby Aligwekwe maintains a relatively slow pace throughout the story, the twists and turns in the story ensure that the tension remains present in the story. What I really liked is that A Place Beyond Her Dreams is set in Africa, a continent not yet really known in Young Adult fantasy books.

Trigger warnings that Oby Aligwekwe warns about are physical and emotional abuse, violence and religious undertones in the story. Although religion is not mainly present in the story, violence and abuse are clearly present in the story. In addition to these trigger warnings, there is also a love triangle that emerges throughout the story and although Ona’s final choice will not come as a surprise, in this book the love triangle was a real addition.

"Choosing for you would tip the balance in the universe" - Oby Aligwekwe

Partly due to the synopsis of A Place Beyond Her Dreams, I expected that the story would mainly focus in Luenah, but the story has a completely different unexpected turn that will surprise many readers. However, this twist makes the story less fantasy than you might expect.

"Nothing is ever as it seems" - Oby Aligwekwe

Ona is growing rapidly in the story, and with the help of her grandfather and Luenah, she gets the tools she needs to grow further. This book really shows what a person must go through to achieve their greatest dream. A Place Beyond Her Dreams is a book full of self-development, dreams and the misfortune you may come across. Oby Aligwekwe certainly knows how to write a story. The story feels realistic while reading, and I am very curious what else this author will have in store.

I didn't expect to fall in love with this as much as I did.
The writing was absolutely incredible and I found myself entranced with each word. The world of Luenah was so beautifully written and described that I had no issues with seeing and feeling as though I was there.
The story of Ona was heartbreaking, I thought this would be an easy read but it definitely had a deeper message of choices made, love, betrayal, and loyalty to one's self. I felt everything that Ona felt and cried when she cried, hurt when she hurt. It was an emotional rollercoaster. I am glad she found her purpose. I loved Ona and Okem and at first, liked Albert too. Oby Aligwekwe made her characters come to life with her writing.

The story was so complex, moved beautifully, and was tied up so well. The ending left me feeling hopeful to overcoming personal fears, barriers, and life in general. Definitely a positive ending with amazing themes and emotions.

This was such a disappointment.

Right from the first chapter I didn't click with the writing style, which feels very... fanfic-y? There was just a lot of telling instead of showing, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I just expect more from published books - and it did become a problem when the things that were shown contradicted the telling? Besides which the plot was just full of inconsistencies - even from sentence to sentence sometimes!

I also think this book is mis-marketed as fantasy. Luenah and Ona's quest were barely relevant to the plot - I'm pretty sure she only goes there four or five times, and absolutely nothing would have changed if those elements hadn't been there. There were some interesting nuggets about finding your purpose in life, but they were really confusingly written so I couldn't quite grasp what the point was supposed to be? The worldbuilding was also really confusing: something about the the combination of modern society with kings just didn't make sense to me at all.

The primary focus of the story (which you'd never guess from the branding!) is actually the romance... which was another problem because I hated both love interests in the triangle. They were both incredibly controlling and never gave Ona space to make her own choices. One was a literal abuser so the other was obviously better, but that's a low bar... I wasn't too keen on Ona either, since she has no agency at all and is constantly just waiting for someone to fix her problems or give her all the answers.

CW: domestic abuse; bereavement

The Place Beyond Her Dreams tells us the story of Ona, a whimsical, sweet, yet a little innocent child. At the start of the story she suffers a great loss, the death of her grandfather who was very dear to her and from that moment on, she finds herself able to travel to a dream world where she reunites with her grandfather who instructs her on her life's mission. Soon Ona will start on a journey of ups and downs to fullfill such mission.

My first impression of the book was that it was going to be a story full of magic and that it somehow tended to the supernatural or fantastic but as I read i discovere that i was magicla in a whole other sense of the world. If I had to summarize it I would say this is "A Story About Life". Ona is the perfect picture of the young adult who is embarking on adult life And the sotyr reflects upon some of humanities most important issues such as civil and domestic violence, love, the purpose of one's life and the hardships of audlthood.

Personally I was expecting the book to take place entirely in the dream world "Luenah". At first when I discovered what it really was about I was upset and maybe a little disappointed but as I continued to read I discovered that I really enjoyed how real the story was and how much I could relate to it and learn from its teachings.

I totally recommend "A Place Beyond Her Dreams" for readers who don't know what new book to start and are looking for a light fantasy open minded book and also for those who enjoy reflecting on what they read.

I was given an eARC of The Place Beyond Her Dreams in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Eclat Books and Oby Aligweke.

I finished this book 5 minutes before writing this and I'm still unsure what to make of it. I didn't dislike it but I didn't feel fully engaged in it. Ona is transported to another world on her 18th birthday and is given a box by her grandfather who died 8ish years prior. and everything stems from there.

Now I am not sure at the time of me requesting it whether it came with a trigger warning of domestic abuse and I did feel uncomfortable at some points because it was unwarranted by the character (which I know is the case) but I wasn't expecting it and it came as a shock to me. 

I was disappointed that we didn't see more of Luenah as this was the part that fascinated me and kept me reading and wanting to push on because the characters didn't resonate with me and I felt Ona needed to be more confident as she seemed to question everything.

I like the insight into African culture with the traditions and religion aspect and usually, I wouldn't pick this type of book up but it tied in well. 

The ending felt very rushed but to me, it did get wrapped up nicely with a little bow. Although this book wasn't the best read I've had this year I think others will enjoy this.