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As a Watcher, 16-year-old Parker Chipp has the ability to walk through other people's dreams, unnoticed by the dreamer.  It's not a pick-and-choose kind of thing—he haunts the dreams of the last person he made eye contact with before he fell asleep.  Roaming through the night visions of strangers and friends—experiencing their fears, frustrations and unexpressed desires—might sound like a cool super power, but it's not.  Not really.  Parker hasn't enjoyed a decent sleep in four years and it's killing him.  Literally.  

Then, he meets Mia Greene, a foster kid who's staying with a local family.  Parker's stunned by what he finds in her dreams.  Inside her unconscious mind, he finds only peace and calm.  The sensations are so unfamiliar, so soothing, that he's able to sleep deeply for the first time in years.  Parker craves more rest, needs more to live.  The only problem?  He can't get it without Mia—and she thinks he's a crazy stalker.  

When Mia begins receiving threatening emails, her suspicion naturally falls on Parker.  The thing is, she may be right.  He's so desperate for more of the peace only she can give him that he'll do anything to get it.  Anything.  But is he the one scaring Mia?  Would he really do her harm?  As Parker's need for Mia becomes more desperate and all-consuming, he realizes he doesn't know himself at all.  How can he keep Mia safe—especially if he's the one from whom she needs to be protected?  

I've always found dreams fascinating, so I'm drawn to tales with premises like the one that drives Insomnia by J.R. Johansson.  Having read novels similar to this one, I was happy to discover some fresh elements in this debut novel.  As much as I appreciated these novelties, however, they didn't do enough to save this story from being confusing, unfocused, and melodramatic.  Poor character development and a flimsy plot just made things worse.  In the end, I liked the idea of this novel a whole lot more than the novel itself.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of the Wake trilogy [Wake; Fade; Gone] by Lisa McMann)  

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(Image from Barnes & Noble)

So, I'm still trying to figure out how I missed the fact that Bethany Wiggins wrote another book (actually, two).  I enjoyed her debut, Shifting, then somehow lost track of her.  When I discovered Stung, the first installment in her YA dystopian series, I was shocked.  As far as I can tell, the novel's received very little buzz.  Which is a crying shame, since it's a taut, well-crafted post-apocalyptic thriller.  Original?  Well, okay, it's kind of the same ole, same ole plot-wise, but still, it's better written than many of its contemporaries.  

The publisher's plot summary describes the book well—and in one concise, compelling paragraph, no less:

Fiona doesn't remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered-her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right wrist-a black oval with five marks on either side-that she doesn't remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she's right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem-the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to un-vaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone-and on the wrong side of the wall . . .

I love the whole Sleeping Beauty aspect of this novel.  It brings a new spin to an overly-familiar storyline, while introducing the reader to the rules of Fiona's dystopian world in a way that feels both natural and suspenseful.  Fi's a sympathetic character, one who's easy to relate to and root for.  As you can imagine, Stung offers plenty of action, intensity, and zombie gore.  A bit of romance, too.  Overall, it's a fast-paced, engrossing tale that stands out from its peers (at least for me) because of its tight prose, interesting characters and heart-pounding action.  So what if Stung's nothing we haven't seen before?  I enjoyed it.  A lot.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Ashes and Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick; Ashfall and Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin; and, of course, its sequel, Cured by Bethany Wiggins)

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I'll be honest, I don't listen to a lot of violin music.  Too many years of attending screechy elementary school orchestra concerts may have ruined the instrument for me forever!  Kidding, kidding—I love that my kids, along with all their classmates, get to learn to play violin.  It's just that when I'm listening to music, I prefer rock or pop to classical.  I need songs I can sing along to, you know?  Which, come to think of it, might be why I decided to accept this CD of violin music for review.

I'd heard of Jenny Oaks Baker, an LDS, Juilliard-educated, Grammy Award-nominated violinst, but until now, I had never listened to any of her music.  Something about her newest CD, though, made me want to change that.  As you can probably surmise from its title—Classic: The Rock Album—it includes violin versions of popular (singable!) rock ballads.  From well-known oldies like Yesterday (The Beatles) and Scarborough Fair (Simon & Garfunkel) to more recent hits like Sting's Fields of Gold and Everybody Hurts by R.E.M., the CD offers a nice variety of recognizable songs on its ten tracks.

Although I appreciate beautiful violin music, I admit I've often found it snooze-inducing—that's not true at all with Baker's newest collection.  Even the more melancholy numbers feel not just upbeat, but also uplifting.  While I enjoyed all of the pieces, my favorite is Liverpool Suite, a medley of Beatles songs.  It's lively and fun—the perfect choice for Track #1.

So, did Baker's latest convince me to head right over to Spotify and download as much violin music as I can find?  Well, no.  However, it did remind me how lovely the instrument sounds in the hands of a master.  And, okay, that it wouldn't hurt me to listen to more inspiring music (especially when played by Baker), even if it doesn't have any words.  A serious epiphany, I'm telling you!

Classic: The Rock Album, which comes out on April 7, can be pre-ordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deseret Book, and other retailers for under $20.  

To the FTC, with love:  I received a free copy of Classic: The Rock Album in exchange for an honest review from the generous folks at Deseret Book.  Thank you!