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

TW: Domestic abuse

Synopsis:

Set between Ntebe and Ide, two warring towns, The Place Beyond Her Dreams follows Ona who can travel to a dream world by the name of Luenah. Here she is able to see and talk to her grandfather who has passed away and has learnt that she is special, an Eri (one bestowed with unique intuitive and spiritual gifts passed down from generation to generation).

On her eighteenth birthday, she visits Luenah and is given a box upon which she needs to make an exchange for love and happiness. From this, she crosses paths with two men, Okem who has lived with her family since he was young and Albert the crown prince of the town warring with her own. Needing to decide who she loves Ona finds out that no one is who they seem and this can lead to great danger.

Review:

I am very much not sure what I think of this book. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. It is definitely a slow builder and once it got going it was super tense and interesting, but I do think it took too long.

The first point I need to talk about is a trigger warning. This book contains domestic abuse. I am unsure whether the actual book comes with a trigger warning at the start, however, do be aware that this is an element that plays quite a large part in the story.

I really was not sure what to think of this book at first. It seemed like you should already have an idea who the characters are and what they look like. I did finish it a couple of days ago however I cannot remember if you get a character description for Ona. Maybe I just missed it.

Anyway back to the characters. I found the opening chapters to be quite disjointed as honestly, I knew nothing about the characters or what was going on. This is definitely something that is worked on throughout the book and the story slowly starts to make sense, however, this did make me really struggle with the first part of the book.

Now let’s get onto the world of Luenah. It sounded really interesting, but I would have liked to spend a little more time there. Even though the book is named after this mystical place it didn’t feel like you spend a lot of time there.

I really liked Ona’s character and even though she went through some hard times she stayed true to herself and the ones she loves. The characters building, past the first few chapters, was excellent and a lot of thought was put into how each character would play their part.

The plot was completely addictive once it got started and I ended up flying through the second half of the book. I tend to stay away from books with religious undertones, however, as this was not a faith I am clued up on I found those elements interesting. I especially enjoyed the insights on Western African culture and I think they added really depth to the story.

Although this is not my favourite book of the year so far I really do believe that every reader will perceive it differently. It is the type of book that you really need to form your own opinion on.

-`ˏ 2 stars ˎ´˗

Storyline: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
After the sudden loss of her grandfather, Ona had awakened an ability to transport herself to a mystical land known as Luenah, where her grandfather awaits her arrival. She discovers she is an Eri with spiritual gifts that's been passed down for generations. However, she must still go through a trial, she was handed a box to deposit her “exchange” for love and happiness-her greatest desires. Not exactly sure what she was accepting, Ona now faces many challenges in trying to understand what are the “right” choices in life. During which she is caught in the midst of the love of two men, she does not know who may lead her on the right path.

Characters: -`ˏ 1/10 ˎ´˗
I’m not a fan of “dense” character types. Ona is incapable of having a thought for herself without asking someone for reinsurance. This only makes things worse since everyone around her believes that what she thinks is irrelevant and that she should just do what they say. Both of the love interest acts entitled and cannot comprehend why she even bothers to consider the other person. I'm also trying to understand why, because both interactions with them were not fleshed out and come across as insta-love.

Atmosphere: -`ˏ 5/10 ˎ´˗
The dreamlike world of Luenah was such a great concept I wish we were able to experience more of it. A place that you can classify as heaven, filled with infinite possibilities, free of struggle and disease that rules the earth. I appreciate the inspiring words of wisdom that Ona's grandfather told Ona even though she did not quite understand.
Trigger warnings: political conflict, manipulation, depression, and physical abuse.
*Inclusion of the Bible, religious beliefs, and rituals.

Language: -`ˏ 4/10 ˎ´˗
The written style tries to depict conflicting emotions, but instead, it becomes a great deal of contradiction. The flow between events was not carefully conceived, she went from crying her eyes out saying she can only love this person, then you flip the page and she happily giggling with the other. I often had to backtrack to ensure I didn't accidentally miss something, then a new perspective was added randomly ¾ into the book leaving me genuinely puzzled.

Enjoyment: -`ˏ 5/10 ˎ´˗
I believe if it was labeled as a romance with magical realism, maybe my overall view would have been different because I would have known what to expect. I had lost all interest till the end when things started to pick up, a bit too rush in all honesty. In spite of me somewhat liking the ending, it didn’t affect my aversion to the characters because they were still monotonous. This book wasn't for me, but I think there's a margin of people who can better interpret the main character. I also believe that Ora's grandfather said wise words when they were in Luenah that could benefit someone in need.

Thanks to NetGally and Eclat Books I was able to read this book prior to it being released.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. There were a couple of elements of this book that I just didn't enjoy and I was really sad about it. I looked forward to reading this book because it sounded so magical. But the book and I just didn't click.

I will split this review in the things I liked and didn't about the book.

What I liked
- I really love the world Luneah. It was so magically written. This was the highlight in the book for me to continue reading it. If it hadn't been there I would have dnfed this book. The world is truly beautifully described and I enjoyed all the scenes when Ona visited this world. It was not enough for me. I wished this book was only about this world and Ona exploring it.
- I really liked the end of the book. I can't say much about it, because I don't want to spoil anything. But I felt that the ending did right to the book and was very fitting.

What I didn't like
- The writing style was not my cup of tea. I really didn't enjoy it. It felt extremely childish especially in comparison to the topics covert in this book. For me it felt more like a middle grade book the way it was written.
- The love triangle was not for me. I don't mind a love triangle. But this was awfully written. It was full of insta love. The second guy just happened to be a prince and he came out of nowhere. Ona, the main character, kind of keeps both guys on a string until she decided which who she wants to marry. This love triangle is also a huge part of the book, while I thought it would be more about the magical land that she was visiting.
- I didn't enjoy the time jump at the beginning of the book. I preferred the book when Ona was still a child of 10 years old. The time jump was sudden and everything that happened in between was told as an summary before the story continued.
- The domestic abuse came out of nowhere and felt out of place in the story and especially the writing style. It was very violent and just happened. I just didn't like how it was portrayed in this book. It was something that just happened and was there. I felt that it was not handled very well.
- The characters all feel very distant and I can't connect with any of them. This is because of the way it is written.The story is told to you and you don't follow the story through a character. Ona keeps telling you about everything that has happened. So you are not there to experience it with her and feel her emotions. You just get disconnected from her and I could care less what happened to any of them.
- There is a onetime switch in POV at the end of the story which came out of nothing. And was just weird to experience.

I feel really bad for not enjoying this book as much as I had hoped.

I cannot say enough how much I loved this book! I loved the thought of a place called Luenah that only some can travel too. Some of it was hard for me to read as it brought back memories that aren't all that pleasant but even in doing so it was comforting because knowing that someone else like Ona experienced those things and felt the same way that I did created a bond between the character and myself. The descriptions of the so called villians and the way they were made out to be was interesting a few of them you didn't see coming. The twist with Albert was interesting I didn't expect things to turn the way they did. I love the character of Okem he is such a strong stalwart person who still is able to be vulnerable. Beware though that there are some triggers in this book for those that have been through abuse.

I would recommend this book to young adult readers who enjoy fairytales and stories with female protagonists. I enjoyed the level of detail that the author put into explaining how Luenah relates to the real world. I also related with the main character's lack of experience in love and it was interesting to see how she grappled with defining love in her relationships with Albert and Okem. One element that could be added is a glossary. While I did not feel that the unfamiliar words reduced my immersion in the text, I did also tend to gloss over the new words to continue engaging with the story.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so it took me a while to get into The Place Beyond Her Dreams. I'm just going to be honest here. The writing was really great but I just couldn't connect to the characters that well. I'm most definitely putting the entire blame on me because it's basically my fault. I did try.. but I'm not sure I tried hard enough (ya know?).

Don't get me wrong, the story telling was beyond magical. It really was. Even the whole adventure of going into another world was pretty interesting and entertaining at points. I just couldn't get past not being able to connect with anyone. I liked the characters enough to keep reading but that's about it.

In the end, I'm not going to give up on Oby or her books. I definitely look forward to the next adventure of hers.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book was a nice romantic story. Ona has to navigate her life through many tough decisions in order to find her true purpose. She enters a dream state in order to talk to her grandfather in hope of gaining guidance to help her with her future. The story mostly revolved round three main characters Okem, Ona, and Albert.

Ona needed to make the right choice for her future husband. But is town between her heart and what the logical choice would be for her future and that of her people. She wants to make a change in the world and feels that if she marries Albert the future king, then that would allow her to have the biggest impact on fulfilling her true purpose. Things are not as they seem and Ona realizes not everyone around her are truly who they appear to be. This book had me reading right up until the last page.

Initially when I started reading this book I thought there would be more description on the dream world but it was mostly about what was going on in the present day and the love story between Ona and Okem. This left me feeling a little underwhelmed at times while reading. However the story still had me very engaged and I enjoyed it all the way through.

Arc provided by netgalley for an honest review.

The Place Beyond Her Dreams begins with Ona, a young girl whose family takes in Okem and they both end up growing close despite her initial hesitations. But early on, Ona who loses her grandfather, someone whom she loved and was very close to. She quickly begins to learn that she has the ability to travel through a dream world.

The writing was beautiful and it was written in a way that made it easy to appeal to an older audience and the frequent memories included in the story made you feel vey connected into the story itself.

It was very clear from the beginning how much love Oby Aligwekwe had for her characters, it was very easy to become connected and attached to them. And while there were darker aspects of the book, the dreamy prose softened that edge which was very mesmerizing. I really enjoyed this book and the writing and I will most definitely be looking forward to reading more of Oby’s writing.

TW: domestic abuse

I loved the writing style, I found it super enjoyable and easy to read. I especially loved the writing when we visited Luenah (the dream world). I thought more time would’ve been spent in Luenah, but I’m actually glad most of the story took place in the real world. I found Ona’s story super inspiring, and was always rooting for her happiness.

I could tell that lots of effort went into developing the characters, but unfortunately I didn’t feel very connected to a few of them. I adored Ona and her grandparents though! I didn’t really care for the love triangle, but I’m not a fan of romance in general, so that’s more to do with my preferences than the book itself.

The domestic abuse was handled very well. I’m used to reading about abuse being romanticised, so at first I was a bit worried. But thankfully that wasn’t the case in this story at all. I was very impressed.

dnf- 35% - no rating

Not what I was expected. I had to really shift my expectations like 10% into the book because the way this book is marketed is so different from how the story is going.

This book is a lot more grounded in reality, even the little glimpses into this utopia like place called Luenah mirrors real life with the infrastructure and people, only difference is everyone there is at peace all of the time.

The characters were really poorly done in my opinion, I feel nothing majority of the time because the book tends to gloss over really emotional moments instead of showing us how these characters would react or behave. Grief seems to be a topic in the beginning but then after 10 pages, our main character is perfectly okay and it doesn’t raise any brows. We follow a main character who enters this dream like land which she finds a lovely escape from reality, we get a lot of telling and no showing. Basically the main character telling us facts about herself and the people around her, we don’t get interactions that show the growth of relationships between the characters, we just get Told they happened, which got frustrating after a while. The conversations between them also feel very awkward, I feel no chemistry between anyone pairings which made it harder to root for anyone.

I went into this expecting a lot more of this place beyond the dream, but the pacing was just so slow. So much focus has been placed on this love triangle that I’m not invested in at all that I decided to dnf. This is just a heads up because this book isn’t terrible necessarily, I’m sure there’s an audience for it out there, but you have to really shift your expectations a little beforehand.

<i>Thank you to netgalley for providing a copy in exchange of an honest review</i>

I would recommend this to those who used to love Neil Gaiman but have grown out of it. Is that a weirdly specific niche? Yes but thats my rec. I really loved it, very immersive, very lovely world to be in for a few days of reading.

I received an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley.

I was intrigued by the blurb and concept of this novel, however, it has become a rare DNF for me. It had the feeling of an outline rather than an actual finished novel. The plot was rushed through at breakneck speed so it didn't make much sense. The characters were rather 2 dimensional and not developed adequately. The dialogue was weak and on the whole, the writing incredibly amateurish. This was the main factor in my decision to give up on the book.

The book does have some good reviews on Goodreads, so perhaps it just isn't the book for me.

This is a lovely book that feels simultaneously heartfelt and engaging. I enjoyed my reading journey alongside Ona and the terrifying enormity of small choices that impact the rest of a young adult's life feels real throughout the novel. The plot moves along at a quick pace, and upon finishing this book I've found myself searching for more of Oby Aligwekwe's work. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Eclat Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Well I don't really want to say too much on this one because it definitely needs to be experienced for yourself.

The story was incredibly refreshing and unique with a dreamlike quality that persisted throughout that perfectly suited the story being told.

This is a story where coming of age meets fantasy and I thought both aspects were beautifully handled. I really enjoyed the characters and relationships in this as well.

I think the pacing could have perhaps been a little better. The beginning felt slow and the ending felt fast and there were some darker themes that took me by surprise.

That said highly recommend this one.

I struggled with this book, which was super disappointing because I was so excited to read it. I felt as though it read too young, the characters came across a bit too immature, considering the ages they were supposed to be.

Ona was a great character in that she progressed a lot throughout the book. After experiencing awful abuse, she was strong and proud. That being said, I didn't feel particularly attached to her.

The pace of the book was good, although the end came very quickly and almost felt a bit rushed.

The author is clearly very talented, with an amazing writing technique that makes for a good read. I just wasn't particularly into this particular story, unfortunately.

I was provided an e-copy by Netgalley for review.

I could not get through this book, so I didn't think it fair to officially rate it, but my thoughts on it lie around 2/5 stars. I made it around 35-40 percent through before I DNFed.

The writing was my main problem with this novel. It had a relatively immature voice for characters that were supposed to be in college. I think part of the problem with this novel was that it couldn't decide what it wanted to be: the themes and the writing all led to be a YA or even middle-grade novel, but the characters' ages put it at an adult novel. It simply was just not written for an adult audience.

I did, however, love the contrast between the main character's roots in her village and her adulthood spent in a cityscape, at a modern college. I noticed in other reviews that some people disliked this aspect, but I found it very alluring and realistic— (on a smaller scale from this novel) coming from a small town myself, these kinds of situations and disparities do exist in our world, but they are not often portrayed in fiction, so this aspect was very interesting to me.

But the writing really brought me down. I could not get through it, no matter how I tried. Hopefully, this novel will find an audience out there who the writing is more attractive to.

The Place Beyond Her Dreams - Oby Aligwekwe - 2.5/5 Stars
TW: domestic abuse, emotional manipulation

A tale of great loss and great gains, great suffering and great love.
In this story, Aligwekwe takes a deep dive into the complex issues of how we find out life's true purpose and the great costs we pay along the way. A romance at its core, the store also weaves in mystery and fantasy elements, making for an interesting read.

The plot of this book was not my favorite. The plot twists were cliche, to the point they surprised me in their simplicity. The resolution of the novel felt a bit simplistic. After the suffering Ona had gone through just to live her life, everything falling neatly into place with little effort at the end didn't feel like a good payoff. The story felt very real up to a point, with Ona facing tough choices and having to deal with the conflicting priorities of true love, safety, and duty to family. Then, in the end, a convenient solution comes along that makes the tough choice she had to make a very easy choice, and then all the pieces to bring about the resolution of this choice fall easily into place. Crimes that have been committed for at least 20 years in secret are revealed by simple slips of the tongue and barefaced admissions with little or no prompting. Again, the novel was compelling up to a point, then the payoff at the end, though it is the ending I was rooting for, felt like a total let down.

My biggest problem with this book, and why I've given it such a low rating, is that even though the main character is an African woman with much of her own agency, it feels like her entire existence is only there to serve the plots of the 3 central men in her life. She goes to a secret world, simply to be a pupil of her grandfather. She is abused, solely to add a dark character element to her otherwise perfect fiance. And she is there as a target, solely to service the social advancement of her true love. It doesn't feel like the main character in the story serves her own plot at any point in the book. When she develops her talents to access Luenah, it is at the behest of her love. When there is a miscommunication caused by eavesdropping and a hasty decision of Okem, her true love, she is the one that apologizes during their reunion. Throughout the entire story, she is told to find her purpose in life, but she never does anything beyond being in a relationship with a man. The story was very disappointing in this aspect.

I had very high hopes for this book and I was let down immensely. That being said, if cliche romance is your thing, then this book is for you. I was excited for an own voices fantasy novel with an exciting female main character and was let down quite a bit.

A brilliant and intricate story, very creative and with mature elements such as domestic violence and self-improvement.

The lack of effective characterisation really let this book down for me - I had no reason to like or root for any of the characters. In fact, the narration was thin and I found the main character a little unlikeable.

Having said that, the plot and the twists in this tale along with the alternate world element are very imaginative. The book pushes you to reflect on your faith and your morals.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me a read of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I wasn't blown away with the book, but I did like some of the character development in Ona that she became stronger after she had experienced the horrific abuse that she did. The story was simple enough to follow, but I felt that the involvement of a mystical place was more of shoehorned in that the feature. I liked the philosophical elements to the story, like the advice that the grandfather gave really made me think about my own life and how I act in it.
There were some problematic instances; abuse, the idea that Okem and Ona (who were raised in a brother/sister way) had a romantic relationship, legitimately nobody calling out the horrid attitudes from any character especially the sexist and abusive ones. What I liked were the political and civil unrest side of things, and I wish there was more of it in the book. Overall, I thought the story was decent. It did hold my interest but there was something missing in the writing style that just didn't make me love the book. I feel that there should be a content warning added to the book when it is released though as it could trigger someone. I would not say this is for younger readers at all, but for adults. If you like realistic fiction with a slight whimsical magic added into it, then I think you would like the book.

I really couldn't get into the story! Maybe not my kind of tale cause the pace was too slow! Hoping that the book finds its readership! Did not finish.