⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this arc, I had such a great time reading Dream by the Shadows! It has that whimsical-but-almost-creepy vibe that instantly reminded me of Labyrinth—and since this book is kinda marketed as Labyrinth meets Beauty and the Beast meets Phantom of the Opera, I knew I had to dive in as soon as possible.

The beginning hooked me immediately. The eerie town setting, the haunting introduction of the Corruption, and just how easily someone could become consumed by it? So unsettling- the author does a fantastic job of keeping you on edge throughout! It was gothic, tense, and exactly the kind of opening to a book I love.

Of course, as the story progresses, we meet our grumpy Mr. Shadow Bringer, who I loved from day one. The banter between Esmer and the Shadow Bringer was everything, and it’s no secret they absolutely despise each other… which is exactly the kind of dynamic I live for.

This story made me feel everything - fear, sadness, anger, excitement 👀, and even a wave of nostalgia. My only small gripe (probably just a me thing) was that I occasionally struggled to clearly picture the worldbuilding. Because of that, I’m rating this a 3.75 instead of 4—but the story itself was such a fun ride, Dream by the Shadows is very plot heavy- I would say the romance, though it’s there, is secondary. But I did thoroughly enjoy this and I will be reading book 2😌

And that Masquerade Ball scene?! I NEEDED IT. My fellow Labyrinth fans are going to love that moment.

I'm feeling a bit conflicted about this book. It wasn't quite a four star read, but I still enjoyed it! 3.5-3.75 stars, probably.

Set in a world where dreaming is deadly, Dream by the Shadows follows Esmer Havenfall, whose sister falls victim to the Corruption, a curse spread through dreams. After her family is accused of an unspeakable crime, Esmer is drawn into the forbidden Dream Realm and into the path of the mysterious Shadow Bringer. As she unravels a dangerous connection between his magic and her own, she must decide if she’ll fight him or join him to save everything she knows.

What truly stood out to me was the writing! The prose was so expressive and vivid, it pulled me in from the very beginning and didn’t let go. Since so much of the book takes place in dreams, I loved how the writing captured that murky, whimsical, kind of surreal quality. It really felt like a dream.

And the worldbuilding? So unique! In this kingdom, people drink an elixir every night to prevent dreaming, because demons prey on dreamers and Corrupt them. If you're Corrupted, you're basically dead unless you're blessed by the Light Bringer, but your mortal body still needs to be destroyed. But Esmer dreams... and doesn’t die. How cool is that? There are also god-like beings called Weavers who once shaped dreams but have vanished. Then there’s the Shadow Bringer, cursed and determined to break his fate at any cost.

One of the emotional highlights for me was Esmer’s relationship with her brother, Elliot. I loved how their bond stayed central to the story instead of fading into the background. Esmer herself was a really realistic character; grieving, unsure, and slowly discovering a part of herself she’s afraid of. Her development felt natural and well-paced. And the Shadow Bringer? I really liked him! He’s such a perfect foil for Esmer. Their slowburn connection was tender and compelling, and while I thought there might be more romance, I actually loved how subtle and gradual it was. I can definitely see why this was compared to Beauty and the Beast and Labyrinth, also considering the dark, dreamy atmosphere.

Now, my biggest issue with the book was the confusion I felt at times. The world and magic system are so fascinating, but I often found myself lost. Certain things, like how dream magic really works, or the full backstory of the Weavers, or why the Shadow Bringer and the Light Bringer are so different to normal humans, just weren’t explained clearly. The story also jumps between timelines within dreams, and I was never fully sure where or when we were. At some point, I had to ignore my questions to fully concentrate on what was happening.

But that ending? I did not see it coming and absolutely loved it! It's such a good way to end this book, and sets up the sequel so nicely. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel!

Be careful when you sleep, to dream without the elixir is to allow possession of your soul by a demon. In Noctis a soul stealing dream curse is taking over - this dark gothic fantasy follows Esmer. Her life is full of misfortune, mainly brought about by the Villainous Shadow Bringer - he haunts dreams and corrupts souls - and she’s sick of her village being tormented. When she’s accused of treason and banished she must work together with her worst enemy to try and defeat a greater evil. With time running out and evil growing stronger, can they triumph against the demons? When they grow closer, will their hearts remain intact in the process? After all it’s a fine line between love and hate.

“In the Kingdom of Noctis, to dream was to die. Dreams weren’t golden reveries, decadent celebrations, or flights with soft, outstretched wings into a sea of clouds. Dreams were death, decay, rot. A wicked haze of illusion in the hands of a devil. But I, either bravely or foolishly, was unafraid of what I couldn’t see. And it was all because of him. The Shadow Bringer.”

Such a vivid world that the author developed so well throughout the story - painted such a clear picture of where the book was set and the world of dreams. The Castle was eerie, perfect setting for a gothic fantasy, as it was so atmospheric. I also really enjoyed the magic system - here we had shadow powers and the ability to manipulate dreams. Such an interesting concept.

The Shadow Bringer - villain who just wants redemption. He was such an interesting MMC, I loved how his character arc was developed throughout and his bigger picture revealed.

Esmer is struggling under the weight of guilt surrounding her sister’s death. Just wants to protect her brother. Weight of duty to stop the corruption and bring down the Shadow Bringer contrasted with her feelings as the story develops.

Overall this was a fun read! A romance that develops within the shadows, with a dark fantasy & gothic vibe.

ARC copy provided by Headline & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Dream by the Shadows is immaculate. I need more of Logan Karlie’s writing immediately please. I read the indie edition, and this one is like, levelled up. All the changes just add so much and I am obsessed. I can’t WAIT for the sequel because I NEED more of this world!!

I am sorry to say that this book was not for me. I felt drawn in by the imagery on TikTok, and the parts that were marketed to me, but when it came to sitting down and reading the book, I felt as though it was not at all like it had seemed. The main character was disinteresting to me, but I held out hope for the romance. This was a very slow burn, and it all just took too long for me. I would have preferred for the story to have moved into the dream world a lot sooner, and a proper introduction of the Shadow Bringer would have me more engaged.
I worry that this book is leaning to far into its comparison of Labyrinth and Howl's Moving Castle to stand out on its own.

Looking at other reviews, I think I've been sent the wrong file. I've received an unedited first draft type book riddled with errors, sentences that simply don't make sense due to the order of words, words missing or additional words that don't fit in. In almost every paragraph there is at least one word in italics. The book also hasn't been formatted correctly at the start of a new chapter, there is only 1 letter on a page. I also think there's a lot of depth and nuance missing, but again I'm assuming this is because I've been sent the wrong epub.

Because of this, I can't give a full review, but what I can read of it I will review.

This comes across as a Howls Moving Castle inspired tale, with much darker themes and an unknown villain. There is an over use of italics for emphasis on words, which renders it as pointless. I actually found this really jarring and every time another word in italics came up it pulled me out of the reading experience. The villain of the story that the main characters must rise against is difficult to understand, by 80% of the way into the book you don't really know for sure what the villain wants or why. For me, this is far too late, because it means I'm not 100% backing the hero because their plight isn't solid enough to understand.

"Even beauty can be found in the darkness."

This was so spellbounding, it gave me "Howl's Moving Castle' 'Labyrinth' and a touch of 'Hades and Persephone' vibes.

From beginning to end, I was all in! The journey for are heroine was one of growth, understanding, and finding what was once lost. The bond these two build is one of trust, belief, and shadows. I was not expecting to cry at the end, and all I want is more now.

Bring on book two!

I have tried 2 times to read this, the first time when it was indie published, and when i heard this is getting traditionally published I thought to give it one more chance. Unfortunately it still disappointed me. The action is veryyyyy slow you actually forget what to look out overall while reading it. It has also a lot of plot holes that i didn’t understand and quite frankly by the end of it i couldn’t find it in me to care for the romantic part

⭐️3.5


Unfortunately, I ended up not liking this one as much as I had hoped. I was so excited to read it after seeing all the TikToks and thought it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, it fell a bit short in that regard.

I really enjoyed the beginning, but in the middle I just ended up getting confused. This was also a very slow burn. Normally I don’t mind that, but with this story it just didn’t work for me.

There was a lot of world-building, and all the descriptions felt absolutely magical. I really did end up loving those parts. I also absolutely loved the overall concept.

All in all, I’m still looking forward to seeing the next part!


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

I really didn't think I would like Dream by the Shadows as much as I did. It has the right amount of inspiration from other different stories plus its own spin on it. It felt like Inception and a bit like Howl's Moving Castle with the secrets and mystery. The love story felt natural and exciting with the slow buildup. I can't wait for the sequel!
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the ARC.

It absolutely pains me that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.

The premise made me so excited for this story but unfortunately I just couldn’t insert myself into this world. The parts that I wanted to linger were rushed through and the parts that felt unnecessary to the story were hashed out in details that didn’t come across as cohesive to the plot. We learn so much about characters that don’t do anything and next to nothing about the ones that have an effect on the story.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me.
Thank you to Headline publishers and NetGalley for this eARC. This is my honest opinion.

3.5 STARS

Dream by the Shadows was a perfectly gothic beauty and the beast inspired story where dreaming can spread a plague called Corruption.

The premise of a corrupted dream world and elixir trades were so interesting and I was incredibly excited to read this. While was and enjoyable and easy read so times I would find my attention drawing away. Like the pacing was too fast and too slow all at the world times and there wasn't an overwhelming amount of chemistry between the two main characters. Not sure if this was just my timing of reading this or not but I will definitely be picking up the the book in this duopoly to see where the store goes!

Thank you to Logan Karlie, Headline and Netgalley for a digital ARC of Dream by the Shadows.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

This was an interesting book to read. I actually decided to read this ARC after seeing it on TikTok again and enjoying the gothic-inspired aesthetics it showcased. The premise of this book is that there is a Dream Realm and the everyday world, but humans actively avoid dreaming as this causes something called Corruption, which is a demon taking them over. Once corrupted, the human has to be cleansed (basically killed), as they'll do horrific things to other people/animals.

Despite this, centuries ago, it was common to dream. In fact, human has a whole culture revolving around Weavers, god-like beings who were able to create/alter Dreams based on specific abilities. There were four elemental Weavers and three time-related Weavers. Finally, there was the Light Bringer and the Shadow Bringer. These two aren't Weavers, but possessed unique talents that elevated them to higher levels. The Dream Realm is no longer talked about in-depth, as humans can't dream without becoming Corrupt. But as you go through the book, you discover the whole culture and world around Dreaming that has since been lost.

Our main bad guy is the Shadow Bringer. The stories Esmer has been told tell her that he is the cause of the corruption, and that it's because of him her family and friends have succumbed to Corruption and died. As a result, she has a deep hatred of him and is horrified when she starts to dream and comes across him. The Shadow Bringer has a gothic aesthetic - silver armour, white hair, caged helm, etc. I imagined him fitting in perfectly into the Elden Ring world. He has powers over shadows, only it seems that Esmer has them, too.

What's their connection, and where has the Corruption come from? Is the Shadow Bringer the reason for it?

This is a very slow burn. Like, it's such a slow burn that almost nothing happens (almost). So, if you're not into that, you'll probably not enjoy this. It's very plot-heavy instead, but I often struggled a little with it. Most of the book takes place in the Dream Realm, so some strange things are going on. There's also them trying to figure things out, but there's no real explanation for anything that happens or what's going on. I won't list my questions, as they'll be spoilers, but they weren't answered.

Unfortunately, I wasn't invested enough to want to find out answers to these questions. I didn't hugely care about the Shadow Bringer or Esmer. In fact, Esmer bored and annoyed me. I hate using the Mary Sue trope, but this felt like it. Somehow, she has shadow powers and can figure out how to use them fast, alongside knowing how to use a sword out of nowhere? A lot of the time, I was thinking, 'how does she know this?'. It's made very clear that she has a limited worldview.

Overall, it was enjoyable but not enough for me to want to read the next book.

Loved every moment of this. A lot of the reviews have a lot of the same opinions as I did. Loved the world, the characters we follow. Esmer was so interesting. The slow burn romance was great. The Prince of Darkness was so intriguing too.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞
𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 is a 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 meets 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩 in a YA romantic fantasy about a deadly dream world and the shadow-cursed girl who must venture its depths to save her family, all while she falls in love with the prince of darkness.

This book was originally independently published and I was so in love with this book! The indie version could not be shipped to my region but I'm so glad that it got picked up by Headline Books and now I'll be able to get my own physical copy!

I was blown away again by Logan Karlie's writing style! The gothic and atmospheric setting liter me deep into the narrative that I did not want to leave at all. The amazing use of purple prose just made me more hooked to the storyline. The haunting and dark world-building was captivating, and the unique lore was beautiful.

𝐄𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐫, the FMC, was a captivating main lead. Her behaviour and actions were on point for her age. She's strong willed with a sharp mind and she is ready to defy the laws to save what remained of her family. She's reckless, sharp, and hungry for more than the small life she's been living in and would do anything to change her life. She's a compelling protagonist who kept me on the edge of my seat many times.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 is the mysterious Prince of Darkness who has been locked inside a caste for 500 years inside a dream. His heart is cold, filled with isolation and vengeance. Reading about him was heart-breaking as the story unfolded. I truly wish to see more of his story in the next book too.

Their romance is a slow-burn of tenderness and hate. Their dynamic started with him trying to kill her which then evolved into a truce and the melancholy of romance entered the prose. Their soft and tender moments are precious and some of the biggest highlights of the book.

The dream mythology, monsters, sentinent beings and gothic castles was just beautiful. There's something about gothic and dake literature that makes me want to never step foot out of this sub-genre.

Logan Karlie didn't fail to keep the readers' attention. Everything about this revamp has been amazing! The new cover, the newly edited book, the artwork and the typesetting is just gorgeous and made me fall in love with the book again.

The ending was absolutely brutal in my opinion and I cannot wait for the next book! This duology has my heart and I don't think that it will survive with the next book!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲.

I was so excited to read Dream by the Shadows, but unfortunately I was left disappointed. It wasn't a bad read, exactly, but it wasn't unique or memorable either. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story, this world, the plot?! Dreamy!! The premise of this story is so so interesting too, it reminded me a little of Freddy Kruger (just the dreams bit) but I loved the whole idea of being trapped in the dreams it was supper interesting! Loved it, thank you for the eArc!

I loved the premise of this book - the idea of dreams being an unsafe place, of nightmares being a way for demons to corrupt a soul and turn a human body into its vessel to escape from the dreamworld! The menace of the demons, particularly in the first few chapters of the book, was clear, and the tension every time Esmer slept was palpable. But so, also, was the longing to enter the dreamworld. It was easy, and believeable, that people might take the risk in order to dream. It was no surprise to see that two young girls would make the decision to push aside their elixir and take the occasional opportunity to see the wondrous world of dreams.

I loved the Shadow Bringer. Obviously, we've got forbidden romance brewing, so we were waiting for glimpses that he isn't quite the villain that Noctis believes, and the unravelling of his history was intriguing, as was his tangled relationships with the Light and the Weavers. I'm hoping we find out more about the Shadow and the Light in book 2!

All that said, the romance really fell a bit flat for me.
Esmer's feelings felt like they changed too abruptly, and I would have preferred a more subtle shifting as she starting seeing through his actions and memories that the Shadow wasn't the villain she'd been taught. Despite being marketed as a 'slow burn' romance, it didn't have the slow building of tension and the subtle feelings adjustments that I would associate with the trope.
Instead, the Shadow Bringers creeping threat and menace is suddenly dropped in favour of a pretty face and a stockholm scenario - it feels a little abrupt, and we don't see much of Esmer wrangling with her upbringing as she unveils the deceit in the histories of Noctis. There was a distinct element of pining that was missing from their relationship, so it all felt a little forced. Esmer's change is based in logic as she travels through memory, rather than in longing and attraction.
The romance is what dropped me down to a 3 star rating.

However, I absolutely will be picking up the second book. I'm looking forward to seeing how Esmer and the Shadow Bringer right the wrongs of the past, and how Noctis is saved from the corruption of the demons. I'm not really invested in their relationship, but I'm interested to see what Karlie does with the world.

Thanks to Netgalley, Headline books and Logan Karlie for the chance to read ahead of the August release.

I was amazed to find out that Dream By the Shadows was originally an indie book. Now picked up by Headline, this book was intriguing and set in the world of elixirs and dreams. With wholly original scenes, and a villain who gets the girl, I read this book with open-mouthed wonder. This book was filled with magic, dreams and a close sibling bond. Plot-wise, it was slightly confusing at certain parts but made sense in the end.

The characters and relationship between Esmer and the Shadow Bringer was a slow-burn and how delicious it was. Loved everything about this debut, and look forward to reading more books by this talented author. 🎊

Lost in between not dreaming for safety, and dreaming for the wonders the Dream Realm provides. Esmer lives in a land where actual dreaming can be lethal. Corruption sweeps over the land of Noctis and takes those who dream. Those who can take an expensive elixir before sleeping are safe from the Corruption, as long as they can afford to keep drinking the elixir. If not, the Corruption and the Shadow Bringer will take your soul to his castle in the Dream Realm and you will never be able to return.

The set up of the story takes inspiration of the powers we feel when we dream and the concept of Beauty and the Beast. A dangerous entity that lives in a castle, but it may not be as it all looks. Esmer has been told stories about the Dream Realm and their Weavers, gods, but maybe she should wonder if that is the honest truth...

I was intrigued by this story when I saw the indie release, with the stunning cover but didn't get the chance to read it. Happy I found the ARC here on Netgalley and was approved to read it. I really like the concept of the Dream Realm and that dreaming could be lethal, but the execution wasn't to what I hoped for or expected. I found the writing a bit messy in the beginning, descriptions were vague, world building was tried but it left me with many 'but that doesn't make sense'-thoughts. Which could be to the fact that Esmer is a unreliable narrator in the beginning. Her world is small and she knows only what she's been told. Halfway through the book tho we get more information and it really picks up. The last 25% of the book are what I expected when I started this book.

This book is story and fantasy first, romance as a sub-subplot. The forbidden romance trope is not as big as it may sound, Esmer is focused on surviving and trying to get rid of the Corruption after all. So don't go in expecting romance first. I was pleasantly surprised when the romance bedroom scene was a fade to black, which I found very tasteful and fitting. Refreshing to not read a book with (explicit) smut in it.

If you like the type of world building and explanation that Caraval uses and the wonders of two worlds that work together with a dash of gothic setting, this might be the book for you!

I am looking forward to part 2, curious to read how the story will come to a close. I give it 3,5 stars. I voted 4 stars on Netgalley/Goodreads to round it up.