DNF @ 21%

I had to quit at 21% because I just didn't give a single shit about anything or anyone. This is a whimsical book, reads a bit young, needing some edits, but it is an ARC. It isn't a bad book, I just couldn't get invested. I didn't want to know what happened next, and I have a lot of books on my TBR, so I gotta move on.

I had a big fantasy block and tried to stay away from it because it couldn't get into it. But this story catched my eye, so i gave it a try and it sucked me right in. A beautiful young adult story that has everything to be something big. A fmc that tries to find her place in this world. A mc who has been in love with the fmc since childhood. A devastaning death. Unknow magic powers. And one hell of a journey to find their place in this world.

It was so easy to read that i was sucked right in and couldn't stop until i finished this book. The way its written it so easy to get lost in your mind in this amazing beautiful setting of Africa.

This is definitly a author to keep your eye on!


*i got a free arc from Netgalley and leave this review voluntarily.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Place Beyond Her Dreams in exchange for an honest review.

In theory this book isn't my type, but Aligwekwe's handles it so well that I was surprised to find myself thoroughly invested from beginning to end.

The Place Beyond her Dreams is a high-society romance with fantasy overtones set in Africa with some heavy religious overtones and considering I tend to stay away from high-society dramas and am not religious, I figured I'd picked up a bad book for my personal tastes and would slug through it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how wrapped up I got in this story. The ending is a tad rushed but other than that, this is a really immersive, unique story. If I liked it even though this is the exact type of story I normally flee from, then that means that if this is normally your genre, you've definitely got to give this one a shot.

This is the story of a woman and how she finally fulfills her purpose using advice and guidance from a certain family member who passed to the next plane of life.
A story about finding what we're all here for mixed with a Hamlet like treason plot to the local royal family, a heavy love triangle and a dash of spirituality and a lot of drama.

First a trigger warning for the following things might be appropriate: domestic abuse, death of a family member.

This book features two of the Tropes one associates with YA literature: coming of age and the love triangle.

I think this book might be more onn the younger end of YA regarding the writing style but the story itself seems to be interesting for all ages and geners even though I suspect the target audience are teenage girls.

The cultural aspects in this are certainly interesting and I think it works well with the story not being so heavily focused on its magical aspects (even though I was a bit disappointed by this).

I had a bit of trouble rooting for the main character. I did not really connect with her and her struggles but I don't have to because the story in itself is great and I can understand the main character.

Amazing work by this author. I hardly read fantasy, but when I heard about a fantasy set in Africa, I went for it. Though it was light on the fantasy and gave more romance, I still enjoyed it and would recommend to my network.

This book really surprised me. I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading this book.
I thought this book had a great fantasy story and was very well planned and thought out, as well as being very nicely paced.

I really liked the connections that were formed between characters. For the small size of the book it holds a lot of story.

Unfortunately for me I wasn't able to form much of a connection with the main character. And as much as I really enjoyed the pacing, I wish there would have been a bit more build up leading towards the climax of the story.

This book had a lot of potential. It featured a lovely writing style, but plot-wise it just wasn't there, It felt very jumpy, with events not flowing in a coherent manner. The characters weren't likeable, and the plot was hard to follow. I couldn't tell you what happened in the novel due to how unclear it was. The author is a very talented writer, but I believe this book could have done with further reviewing to make the plot a bit more easy to follow.

A little book full of life lessons. I would have loved a more in dept connection with the characters. A little book with a lot of story.

An interesting premise with a great style of writing. I haven’t read anything quite like it. Time moves fast in this book and we watch the protagonist, Ona, grow up and her adult struggles between two loves. Eventually she is stuck in an awful relationship and with the help of her connection to Luenah, finds her true love and purpose.

CW: violence, domestic abuse, death of a family member, grief

NetGalley kindly gave me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I think as a young teenager (early secondary school) you'd like this book due to its love triangle - a winner with teenage girls.

This book had a really interesting idea - being an Eri. However, it's not really a strong enough idea other than a mystical land where you have to give up something (that you don't know about) to keep things in balance - a bit vague. It just didn't have enough oomph to make it a believable concept.

It's a love story (triangle) set in a Modern Africa that still has very tribal practices like beheading people to bury their heads with a King and sacrificing hundreds of animals etc. It may be my Western interpretation but for me it was just a bit strange as I felt it needed to either be modern or tribal. There wasn't enough of either idea so the story seemed stuck in the middle. The idea that the main characters are off being business men, studying at University etc. but then chopping peoples heads off for a burial was quite a juxtaposition I struggled with. I think I'd have preferred either or concept to solidify the setting. For example, a tribal setting would've worked really well with the mystical dream land and idea of pleasing the gods etc.

There wasn't much build up/detail meaning I was detached from the characters. Why was the main character so desirable - this isn't explained? She just comes across as a damsel in distress who needs saving by the men in her life. They made ridiculous decisions and comments like "I tried to recall the proper first aid treatment for someone with a bullet wound in their neck, but nothing came to me." Seemed a bit of an odd comment.

4 dreamy, magical, reminiscent stars!

The Place Beyond Her Dreams is a promising book about a young girl who's family takes in a young house boy and raise him as their own. Along the way, her grandfather dies unexpectedly, they fall in love, and a love triangle surfaces, and amidst it all, she realizes she has powers to travel to a magical realm while she sleeps.

It has all the makings of a book that I like: magical realism, love triangles, fast paced, dream-like story telling. A fantasy set in Africa? Fantastic! Amazing! Beautiful! STUNNING! The writing was written with a fun prose that felt like a reminiscent memory, so it appealed to older readers too. I loved that tactic! Honestly, I really enjoyed reading it.

The author seemed to have put a lot of care into each character, and by keeping the dreamy prose it separated you a touch from some of the harsh moments, while still keeping close just enough to like the characters. I didn't realize there was going to be some intense moments, as it starts out with the MC a young girl. But overall I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Big Takeaway
The prose was dreamy, the story absolutely matched in a great way. The story was a bit rougher than I expected, but I did still really enjoy the story and the prose. I especially loved Luenah, and wish we dove into it more, but I was satisfied with it regardless.

*I received an ARC for free and am leaving this review voluntarily*

Content warning: Domestic abuse!!!!

**Big plus, I've spoken to the author of this book, and she is absolutely wonderful and, to me, that is HUGE encouragement to support her. :)

This book was unlike anything I expected. Reading Ona's story both on earth and Luenah, I felt I was in a dream that I didn't want to end. Will be looking out for this author's works in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Trigger warning: this book contains some scenes of domestic violence.

The Place Beyond Her Dreams starts with Ona who quickly experiences a great loss in her life. She soon discovers her ability to travel to a dream like world. She knows she will have to sacrifice something to achieve her purpose in life, but her journey to that discovery comes at many ups and downs.

This book is light on the fantasy aspect. I was expecting more fantasy, specifically more time in Luenah, the dream-like world. However, the story was far more grounded in reality. Not just in plot, but in themes. I cannot say I have much experience in royalty or magic, but the struggles Ona goes through resonated with me. Her loss, love, inability to choose one thing or another, and constant fighting what she knows is technically the "right" thing for things she knows matter more, are all things we've experienced.

What stood out to me the most was the love Oby Aligwekwe has for each one of her characters, both he good and the bad. The way she wrote each character, you could feel how much attention to detail and character development Oby Aligwekwe poured into them. The language also felt magical at times. Her use of imagery and description really sold the "fairy tale" aspect more than the plot. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to future YA releases from this author.

I am not entirely sure what I was expecting of this book but it wasnt quite this. Overall, I very much so liked it. It is a very well written out book with a lot of cultural aspects that were absolutely fascinating to read about. I loved the main two characters and their interactions with one another and I also enjoyed reading about Eris and Luenah.
The book did take a few dark turns that I was not expecting but I liked that it was overall, a very well written coming of age set up with unique legends and fantasy.