Warning this book has references to suicide, abuse and addiction.

The story is interesting. It took me a minute to feel the narrator.

Our protagonist is a 50 something widow who is also a witch. Naturally she lives in Salem because witches live in places notorious for killing witches.
Her hobbies include invading folx dreams to make sure they aren't doing crimes.

I love books with older ladies still living and doing things.

I received an advanced copy of this audio book in return for an honest review via NetGalley.

This was an interesting mystery novel. I really enjoyed the wide variety of characters. There were lots of opposing viewpoints and complex relationship dynamics. I enjoyed the way the author wove it all together. Despite the issues in the book there was no judgment or hate spewed toward a real-world group of people. Made this a nice refreshing read. The who done it twist, was not overly complex but the irony of it all I thought was pretty great, especially given the characters and their backgrounds. I particularly liked the self-reflection and growth of the main character. Good easy listening, I might see what else Nancy Gardner has out there.

I enjoyed the narration with the wide accents used for different characters, but that Boston accent was, a little hard to understand from time to time, but also 100% spot on. Definingly not docking any review points for that.

Dream Stalker intertwines a mystery with a paranormal witch story. I thought the characters were well-developed and easy to follow.

Lily is a modern witch with the ability to see into others dreams. I loved the witch and coven vibes in Salem!! I wanted more of it. But what happens when her daughter is accused of a crime?

A special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of this book, in return for my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nancy Gardner’s “Dream Stalker.” It’s an entertaining cozy mystery with a touch of the paranormal.

Lily Scott is an herbalist who’s gone through some rough patches. Her husband has died, and her daughter has just been released from prison after stabbing an abusive boyfriend. On top of that, Lily witnesses the suicide of her childhood friend, Kitty. But there seems to be more to the death than first appears. Lily must use her special ability, entering other people’s dreams to see their repressed memories, in order to solve a mystery that encompasses the town of Salem, Massachusetts.

There were quite a few twists and turns in this story, with plenty of red herrings as well. The setting of Salem around Halloween had me wishing for cooler temperatures and fall festivities. I enjoyed many of the secondary characters, though a few of them could have been fleshed out a touch more. The narrator, Karen Krause, gave me Bernadette Peters vibes, which I loved. I completely believed her as the voice of Lily Scott.

I hope "Dream Stalker” is the first in a series because I would love to see what else Lily gets up to, learn more about her sister and daughter, and definitely dive deeper into her powers as a dream walker. I received this book from NetGalley.

Thank you so much to @netgalley for the chance to review Dream Stalker by Nancy Gardner. Lily is a modern-day Salem witch who has the ability to enter peoples’ dreams. She hasn’t done it in years because of a disastrous first experience. Now, Lilly’s daughter is accused of murder, and she must risk is all to find the real killer.

While I found this to be very slow in the first 1/3 of the book, it picked up nicely and I was intrigued. As someone who has visited Salem, I really loved all of the nods to local culture.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone, and the audible version was wonderfully done.

It was fascinating to imagine an alternate reality where witches are prevalent and an evangelical is the mentally ill, homeless man with a police record. And, of course, people are the same to each other no matter what their belief system.

This felt like there was more story to tell and big holes. I suspected midway through that I'd gotten a second or third book in a series, but it was a standalone. It felt somewhat incomplete to me. But it was entertaining, a decent mystery, and some interesting characters.

Dream Stalker by Nancy Gardner, an audiobook narrated by Karen Krause was just a brilliant psychological thriller with some paranormal elements. It was different but I love different - different is good!
This audiobook cached my attention from the start and kept my attention all the way through. and it was just a brilliant storyline! Nancy Gardner made me not just guess who is behind the things but made me think that it should be something paranormal as nothing would fit to fill the twist but I was wrong! The twist was real, nothing paranormal, and definitely unexpected!
I loved it, I loved it!
If I would summarize this book I would say: Lily was born with an incredible gift - she can travel to other people's dreams to discover elements that could bring justice. The first and only time Lily tried to use the power was when she was too young and too unprepared and she nearly died. She never tried again. But life turned up said down and she needed to face the choice - dream walk again or let the people she loves suffer. What will Lily choose? Will she put herself in danger to save loved ones? But most importantly - who is the evil?
Seriously, Karen Krause was just the perfect narrator for this book. She made this book so alive! There were parts where my heart pounded just because of the attention Karen Krause created.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers!
Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook!
#BooksGoSocialAudio #DreamStalker #NetGalley

An interesting paranormal thriller and whodunnit

I was not keen on the narrator and would have probably given this book more stars if i did.

I enjoyed the story and i liked the historical elements and liked the cast of characters

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this audio book for an honest review

Cozy mystery alert!

“Dream Stalker” by Nancy Gardner is a fun cozy mystery with an interesting paranormal aspect. It is one of the stories that has the power to grip you from the beginning.

There’s a little bit of everything from a family rift to murder and that definitely will keep a reader engaged.

Thank you NetGalley, Nancy Gardner, and BooksGoSocial Audio for giving me this ALC. Can’t wait for the next one.

I chose this story as audiobook because I was curious about the paranormal mystery part and yes, I judged the book by its cover!
The first half of the story I found a bit difficult to follow because it felt more general. Later on, I had more the feeling that you followed Lily more in a clear way, the story got more content for me. Lily would do a lot to help her daughter who got accused of murder. Even get into the mind of the real killer. She almost died the last time she went dream walking, but she has to do this to save her daughter.
I enjoyed the second part of the story, with more characters becoming more closely part of her too.

This was pleasantly different from what I am used to reading. I really enjoyed the historical aspect. As well as all the character family dynamics. Engaging as a thriller as well as paranormal.

Okay.... look , I love a good mystery/suspense novel, and while this felt like a really awesome premise, it was a super clunky execution.

You really felt sympathy for the first-person perspective of Lily, a modern-day Salem witch, with a Bostonian accented narrator to guide you through the days of her life and dreams. It was hard for me to connect with other characters and their motivations, even from the first-person perspective, I couldn't quite hit the level of empathy I think the characters could have deserved. It also felt a little bit preachy as far as Wiccan customs and misconceptions go, but I could forgive that if it had a positive effect on the storyline progression, but it felt like judgment for judgment's sake most of the time.

I'm not sure if the romantic bit was thrown in there for any real reason, since I didn't feel it contributed to the story in a meaningful way, character progression, or the ultimate outcome. You could have removed it completely and I wouldn't have missed it at all, since it seemed like a total afterthought.

The world-building felt like a hollow straw house, with the barest walls and structure to hold it all up, but nothing to convey the soul of the world or the people who lived in it.

Overall, it was okay, but not a fave of mine so far this year.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial Audio for the advanced audio copy to review via NetGalley. I love a good magical realism mystery to snuggle up with on a rainy afternoon!

I tried to finish listening to this story but the narrator’s voice and tone just wasn’t working for me.

The story is intriguing and the audiobook description sounds really good but again the narrator is just not my cup of tea.

Giving 4 ⭐️‘s because I believe I would have otherwise thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook had I finished it.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial Audio and NetGalley for this ALC copy of Dream Stalker.

Lily Scott can dream-walk, just like her mother and nana before her. She’s a Wiccan and her sister is a nun… let the fun begin! The setting is rich and has the bonus of being set during Halloween season (in Salem). How can you go wrong here?

I love this concept and am always drawn to authors who use the dream world as a landscape.

I found the characters likable and interesting and really enjoyed the narration by Karen Krause. She nailed those Scottish accents.

I highly recommend this audio book (and book). This is a perfect read for the upcoming spooky season or in general for anyone who wants a supernatural tale!

Thanks to BooksGoSocial, NetGalley, author Nancy Gardner and narrator Karen Krause for a the spellbinding audiobook Dream Stalker. It was such a compelling story that once I started listening I was hooked and ended up staying up late listening to it lol. It has a wonderful cast of characters and a great story that makes you want to know more about all of them. I’m hopeful the author will write more about them in the future although the book does well as a standalone. Definitely recommend it for anyone looking for books to give you a spooky vibe.