Dream Haunters is a metaphysical fantasy debut novel by author Megan Mary. Inspired by a vivid dream, this is a story set in the town of Maple Hollow. A place with a deep magical history that ties into FMC Hannah’s story.

Around the time Hannah loses her job, she receives a cryptic message from her Aunt Jewelia who is missing. This leads her to embark on a spiritual journey to the town of Maple Hollow. With the help of some familiars, she uncovers a magical family history and an evil order of shapeshifters called the “dream haunters”. It’s up to Hannah to stop them and save Maple Hollow before mercury retrograde is over. This novel explores many mystical themes such as spirit guides, portals, and the hidden meaning of dreams.

I enjoyed the setting of the story,
and how descriptive the author. This novel felt heavy on the fall vibes which I did enjoy, perfect for this time of the year. I did enjoy certain concepts, like the importance of felines and pumpkins. I did like Hannah as a character and enjoyed the progression of her spiritual journey. I look forward to knowing more about her family history, with the novel only being 177 pages I would have loved a heavier emphasis on Hannah’s discovery of her gifts/family history. The end wraps up a little too quickly for my taste. This was a 3 star read for me.

The plot for this was fairly interesting. The girl's only relative goes missing in mysterious circumstances, the girl tries to find a relative and ends up wrapped in a bigger mystery. However, the execution leaves much to be desired. The writing is very bland and all the sentences are similar in structure and style which leads to a very repetitive read. The book also leans into the metaphysical a lot and seems more like an attempt to draw readers into the pagan/witchy/metaphysical lifestyle rather than trying to share that lifestyle with readers.

This is one of the most original stories I’ve ever read. I loved this world and the characters that inhabited it. The writing was atmospheric and pulled me into the story with every word. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

Hannah Skye, a young woman in search of meaning, receives a cryptic letter from her missing and eccentric Aunt Jewelia. Her experience of a recurring powerful pumpkin patch dream unfolds into a spiritual journey to a mysterious island of eternal autumn, Maple Hollow, where she discovers the mystical Skye Manor and her magickal family legacy.

The Dream Haunters could've been my next favourite book. If it weren't for the underdeveloped storyline and juvenile writing.

The storyline has potential, it's a new take on old stereotypes and could really be developed into something truly enchanting if more time and care was taken with it. If an underdeveloped storyline with odd plot holes (ferry-only island in an unknown state that's in the northeastern US with a medieval castle?) was the only shortcoming I'd give this 2 stars, or maybe 3 if the writing was incredibly good. But the writing is honestly worse than any fan-fiction I've ever read, mainly because I've made a point to not read My Immortal since that's just self-flagellation and that's not really my thing. I have a lot of thoughts on this, but I'll settle for saying that it's bad and in need of a good glow-up. Because despite my critique, I'd love to see a revised version of this book on a shelf in my local book store one day. I believe that, with some re-working of the plot, time, re-writing, and editing, this books could become the great book it's meant to be.

But please, for all that is holy, don't refer to fantasy magic as magick. That completely ruins the purpose of the differing spelling of magick and does a disservice to us all.

Wow, I really loved this book! The Dream Haunters hooked me right from the start. The story follows Hannah Skye, a young woman searching for meaning, who gets a mysterious letter from her missing and quirky Aunt Jewelia. This kicks off a wild adventure with dreams, guiding Hannah along on her journey of discovery. She is led to the mysterious island of Maple Hollow and Skye Manor which uncovers her family's mystical history.

The plot is full of twists and turns, with Hannah encountering shapeshifters trying to trap people in nightmares. She teams up with wise villagers and some feline friends (including a talking cat dream guide!) to solve a riddle, unlock her powers, and dive into the dream world to save her aunt before Halloween, when the veil between worlds is thinnest.

One thing I really loved about this book was how it wove spiritual growth messages into the story. These insights really spoke to me and gave me several lightbulb moments as I read. It was like getting little nuggets of wisdom while enjoying a great story.

The characters are so well-written and endearing. Aunt Jewelia, in particular, stood out with her eccentric and mysterious personality. I found myself wanting to know more about her story and hoping there will be more books to explore her character. The descriptions of Aunt Jewelia's house were so vivid that I could actually see it in my mind's eye.

As I got towards the end, I had this funny feeling—I didn't want to finish the book because I was enjoying it so much, but I also couldn't wait to see what happened next. It's rare to find a book that makes you feel that way!

I can't wait for this book to be out in print. I'll definitely be buying a few copies for myself and my online store. If you love a mix of mystery, magic, and spiritual wisdom, you need to read The Dream Haunters. It's an enchanting escape into a world of ancient traditions, dreamscapes, and hidden secrets. Highly recommend!

Hannah Skye is a young woman who receives cryptic messages about her eccentric Aunt Jewelia. She returns to Skye Manor, her family legacy, to try to figure out where her aunt is but also receives weird dreams, mostly about pumpkin patches to understand navigate the mysteries of the events circling around her.

I had a few issues with the book right off the bat. Maple Hollow is supposed to be a northeastern village off the coast of a "state" which is not defined and the only to access it is by ferry. Great. Love that. However, Skye Manor is a literal medieval castle in this village. This is a modern, contemporary urban-esque paranormal. The author should have made the manor to be a large northeastern Victorian type hose a la Practical Magic? Being from the Northeast myself, it is clearly out of place and no research was done beforehand. And there is no relevance to the story of the manor being a castle. Secondly, there was so many short, choppy sentences. And there are repeating words in such a short span is was enough to notice. I thought I read the word envelope five or six times in the matter of one paragraph.

There is no character development of Hannah. She has no personality and seems to just exist in this world and goes along with everything. Does she know about her aunt? What was her relationship like with her at all? There were just so many questions that should have been answered or used for the development of Hannah and there was none. She was just a wet noodle in my opinion.

Overall, it felt very juvenile and underdeveloped.

Would I recommend this book? No. Would I reread it? Absolutely not.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Dream Haunters is a book with a wonderful premise of finding your place and purpose in the world, with magic and cats and halloween all in the mix. However I found the story to be very slow paced, for maybe the first 14 to 15 chapters with very little action. Then from there a lot happens very quick. I found the way the magic works is never truly explained and there was quite a bit of head hopping without any real indication of a perspective switch before hand. I felt like I never really got to know the characters very deeply and this made it hard to immerse myself in the story. I love the idea of how dreams and their meanings tied in and we see a lot of Hannah and her dreams but these dreams are never really explained off how they tie into the plot and her figuring out everything. It left me with a lot more questions then answers about how the magic of maple hollow works than I would have liked. I think if it was a little more polished with more clarity to the magic and just how Hannah pieces everything together it could be a really solid read but as it stands not something I would delve into further.

I recently finished a quick and easy read that kept me hooked from start to finish.
I'm excited to see how the next books in the series unfold because this author might just become one of my new go to authors!

The story is painted with such vivid and evocative words that you can almost feel the crisp autumn air, the sense of Halloween magic, and the fleeting beauty of the season. It's like stepping into a beautifully illustrated fall-themed dream. The main character, Hannah, is incredibly likeable, and the narrative seamlessly transitions between the waking world and the dream world, making it a delight to follow.

Maple Hollow, the setting, is so richly detailed that it feels like a character itself. Hannah's journey there, driven by the mystery of her Aunt Jewelia's disappearance, is both captivating and atmospheric. I found myself wishing for more interaction with the Dream Haunters—those moments were tantalizingly brief—but I’m hopeful we'll see more of them in future books. And you can bet I'll be ready to dive in when they arrive.

This book does have some of the typical quirks you might find in self-published works. There are areas where the editing feels more polished than others. Some parts of the story flow smoothly, while others come across a bit more choppy. From time to time, you might spot issues like passive voice and head-hopping, though these aren't overly common.

Overall, this book is a perfect autumn treat despite the fact that I’m reading it during the summer. You’ll probably catch me reading it again when fall time rolls around. It blends mystery, fantasy, and a touch of the supernatural in a way that's both engaging and enchanting. The author's talent for creating a vivid atmosphere and an intriguing plot has definitely piqued my interest for the rest of the series. If you enjoy stories with a mix of reality and fantasy, and characters that feel genuine and relatable, this book is a must-read. I can't wait to see where the story goes next!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I really liked this book. I feel like there was a little bit of everything and would definitely be worth a read especially during spooky season

"She was deep in the shadows, trying to find her way back up. Carefully choosing which mask to wear, which person she’d try to be. Anyone but herself."

Hannah is sure of only a few things: that she is down on her luck, and that she feels a powerful, unexplained draw to Maples Hollow... where her estranged Aunt Jewelia had just disappeared.
She does not know of her metaphysical heritage and the powers she possesses or that they are her Aunt's only hope of rescue. Can she figure it out in time?

This is the debut book of a new series, The Witches of Maple Hollow.

Tropes:
discovering a fated destiny
good v evil
powerful heroine
reunited family/found family
magick/metaphysical ability

content warnings:
previous death of family members is mentioned (but occurs off page)
a handful of on-page fight scenes (no excessive gore or violence)

what I liked:
when I tell you that I LOVE this prose....

"Raindrops sprawled like the roots of a fast-growing weed, then descended like the long legs of deep red wine cascading down an oversized cabernet glass."

The story is painted with vivid words that perfectly encapsulate the feeling of autumn; the sense of Halloween and pre-winter  possibilities and the awe that comes only alongside beauty that you know is fleeting.
This book made me feel like I was nestled in a forest of changing leaves with a comforting cup of coffee in my hands.

On occasion, I see an artist put a piece of their soul into one of their works that resonates so well in my own that it almost feels familiar. This book was one of those times.

"She had always felt like her lifeblood had been slowed, darkened. It didn’t run as quick, light, and fast as everyone else."

"As she stared at the waning gibbous moon, she realized that the moon was teaching her all the time. Sometimes we stand in our brightness, sometimes we sit in our darkness, but at all times we must balance both sides of ourselves."

what I didn't like:
I'd love to see more of the dream haunters, but I suspect we will get more of them in upcoming books.
This book has a few errors common in self published works. Some sections are edited more thoroughly than others. Some sections flow extremely well while others are more abrupt. We encounter occasional issues like passive voice and head hopping (though not terribly frequent). I might normally take off stars for that, but I dont think I will this time, given that there are entire sections of this book that I want to print, frame, and hang on my walls to reread regularly. This is such a rare occurrence for me that I'm leaving my rating for this book at 5 stars.


Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy read and I enjoyed following Hannah's story to find her Aunt Jewelia. I wish the storyline was a little less basic (i.e pumpkins, halloween, black cats, witchy), but it was still a good read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you like metaphysics and spiritual awakenings you will enjoy this book. It feels like it should be NA or YA due to the content and the story about the FMC's magical awakening.

The main character, Hannah is likeable and the story flows continuously between the waking world and the dream world.

The story paints a detailed picture of Maple Hollow. She travels there, hoping to uncover more information about the disappearance of her Aunt Jewelia.

I would have liked more interaction between her and the Dream Haunters as their interactions felt too brief.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My review will be posted in the following location on the 25th June.

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