I’m sorry. The prose read like teenage fanfic and was just twee. There is no character development, just silly wishes of how the author wishes they could live. Does that make sense. I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes.

This is a cozy witchy novel, which will be starting a series. Our main character Hannah loses her job, receives news that her aunt she’s never known, is missing and is moving to a mysterious small town. We have a mystery, magical pumpkins, autumnal atmosphere, spooky plotlines however the story leaves much to be desired. My main issue with the novel was the worldbuilding, the author would rather flat-out tell us how it all works rather than show organically. She was not surprised by any of the supernatural, she’d get straight lectures about the magical world from the librarian, a bunch of things were far-fetched like randomly seeing the villain and spying on them eavesdropping under their window, hearing their master plan.

Some other parts felt also a bit preachy since the author is also some kind of a dream coach. It was also hard to distinguish which parts were Hannah’s real life and which were Hannah’s dreams especially while listening to audibook.

Giving this a generous 3 for the cozy atmosphere since Goodreads doesn’t do half stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Inner Realms Publishing for providing access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun quick read that is perfect if you want more of a cozy book to read for fall/Spooky Season. With a long lost aunt, magical pumpkin patch, a dreamworld, and talking cats, what else could you want? While I really enjoyed this book, I hope that the following books in the series really dig deep into character development and cementing those complex personalities that make the characters unique. I like Hannah and Jewelia well enough, but there is SO much potential for these characters and the series as a whole.

I did listen to this as an audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator’s voice, and thought she did a great job with the story. I also loved the bit about the author at the end of the book! I found it very interesting. Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself!

Overall, I’d rate this 4 stars. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I need ALL the talking cats! ❤️

🧚🏻 I just wanted to thank NetGalley, Inner Realms Publishing, and author Megan Mary for providing me with a free audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

This book is the perfect companion for an autumn day—imagine the crisp fall air, golden leaves drifting from the trees, and you curled up with a warm apple cider and a soft blanket. Its charm feels like bundling up in your favorite sweater while pumpkin-scented candles flicker nearby, wrapping you in that cozy, comforting feeling only autumn can bring.

I truly enjoyed this book as a lighthearted escape, offering a refreshing breather between the heavier novels that have been occupying my shelves. From the very beginning, the story pulls you in with the main character caught in the middle of a personal upheaval. Before she can even begin to sort through the chaos in her life, she learns that her estranged aunt has gone missing. Following her instincts, she sets off to her family’s ancestral home, hoping to find her aunt—and, in doing so, uncover a part of herself she didn’t realize was missing.

As the story unfolds, she encounters a delightful cast of characters who not only help her understand her aunt but also reveal new layers of her own strength and resilience. Watching her grow into her own feels like being wrapped in the warmth of a cozy autumn evening—a gentle, feel-good story that reminds you of the beauty in personal growth and discovery.

If you’re searching for an adorable autumn read that feels as comforting as a peaceful walk through crunchy leaves, this one is sure to hit the spot.

Hannah Skye has just lost her job so when she receives an invite from her Aunt Jewelia, she has no reason not to travel to Maple Hollow. Her Aunt is missing and Hannah will try to help find her, at the same time finding all about herself and her destiny.

Well written and narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Interesting characters in this gently paced novel all about magic, spells, music and the relevance of dreams. Enjoyable novel.

Short, spooky, sweet Halloween themed book!

🛑 Loose outline below, so stop here if you don’t want to know! 🛑

Hannah just lost her job. She is beside herself. How will she make ends meet?
At the same time, she receives a letter from her long lost Aunt Jewelia. But Hannah doesn’t understand it! And…she’s never met her. Somehow, she is being called to her Aunt’s hometown…Maple Hollow.

As if this isn’t enough already, she get a a phone call from the Maple Hollow Police. Her Aunt is missing…and Hannah is the only family she has left…

And so Hannah arrives in Maple Hollow….where there just might be some Magicks at play…

But is it too late???

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #InnerRealmsPublishing and #IndependentBookPublishers for an ARC of the audiobook…just in the Nick of time! ****Release date is TOMORROW, 10/3/24! ****

#TheDreamHaunters by #MeganMary and narrated nicely by #PearlHewwitt.

And, don’t you just LOVE this cover?? !!

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounds up to 4!

⭐️ Talking cats ? 🐈‍⬛✔️
⭐️ Magical pumpkins? 🎃 ✔️
⭐️ Finding your place in the world? ✔️
💫 Small town vibes? ✔️

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

Wow!.. Megan Mary really knows how to create a magical mystery!

This storyline had me gripped from the very beginning.. I don't want to say too much about the actual storyline and give the exciting bits away.

I absolutely loved the main character, for she is brave, strong and quite determined to find out what happened to our aunt. I love the clues that she left for her.

I loved the pumpkin aspect, I thought that was a really cool concept.

I think that this book is perfect for getting into the spooky / witchy / Halloween vibe!

Also I have to say I listened to this through netgalley and the narrator was just perfect for this story.

Thank you NetGalley and Inner Realms Publishing for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

A well thought out book just felt a bit childish for me. The plot was great, and I loved the cats though. Great October/Halloween read just don’t expect anything actually scary. Just cozy with a nice atmosphere.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 10th October and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of November.

This was a DNF for me. I got 23% in. The audiobook narrator is good. However, the writing just doesn’t work for me. It seems more of a juvenile book. Too many similes and I just wasn’t invested in any of the characters this far into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC.

This was a pleasant story with pumpkin patches and talking cats. Perfect for the autumn season. The narration was lovely (Pearl Hewitt). It's probably not one that will stay with me but definitely worth the time.

Lovely and cozy if not a little slowly paced.
An interesting story and a relatively quick read/ listen, looking forward to more in the series.
Great narrator

This book did catch my attention. I enjoyed the narrator for the audiobook. I felt like there could be so much more for this book. More details and descriptions to understand what is going on and how things came to be. I did like the concept just wished the author would have developed the story a little more.

After losing her job and getting a letter that is mostly unreadable from her estranged aunt, Hannah journeys to her formerly unknown family town to investigate. She receives a phone call from a detective investigating the disappearance of her aunt during a storm, but the vibes are weird, and Hannah doesn’t relay that she even received the letter. She sees the detective when she arrives and the suspicious feeling continues. With the help of the cat living in her aunt’s house, Hannah is able to decipher some of the letter! She learns that her aunt was being chased and hunted by Dream Hunters and can’t escape without Hannah’s help. Oh yeah, and cats can walk through pumpkins and time!

This book has some interesting lore it follows, but the pace is not for me. At 51% I haven’t felt much of a connection with the protagonist and have learned very little. For a more patient reader, I am sure it will be a fantastic read!

"The Dream Hunters" is a magical, enchanting tale perfect for those who enjoy exploring dream interpretation, spiritual mysteries, and stories that blur the lines between reality and fantasy. Megan Mary’s vivid storytelling combined with Pearl Hewitt’s brilliant narration makes this audiobook a must-listen, especially for anyone looking to get lost in an imaginative, Halloween-inspired adventure.

Based on the cover and the summary, I expected something a bit gritty. It was actually very cozy and sweet, I feel as though more interpersonal relationships between Hannah and either other people in town or a love interest would add great to the book. She spent so much of her time in her head or in her dreams and only very sporadically reached out tonher best friend back home, she was pretty isolated.

Thank you to Megan Mary, Inner Realms Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hmm. This book had elements I usually like---magic, a mystery, secret heritage, cute kitties, eerie setting---but somehow it didn't quite come together for me. Something was lost in execution. Or was never there to begin with. Both? Not sure.

For one thing, there's no romance. Gotta have me some romance.

Nothing <i>happened</i>. Great instigation---mysterious letter, notified of missing aunt, flight across the country to mysterious family farm, all very sus. But then nothing. Hannah mosies around thinking things are curious, exploring the house, exploring the town, wondering wtf is going on, learning about magic, talking to the adorbs old guy, talking to her friend, talking to cats and turtles, having dreams. She hears footsteps behind her once, but that's all it amounted to.

By the time the climax came around I was so tuned out I don't remember much of it. I just remember thinking it was rather cartoonish. The evil guys were just evil. One evil guy was all "ah-ha! I have the special object now! it's mine! muahahaha!" and I mentally cringed.

I think the aesthetic might have been kinda silly, which made it hard to take the story seriously. It was very Halloweeny, but not necessarily in a good way. Pumpkins were a big deal. The family pumpkin patch was a landmark. Pumpkins were portals into a dream world. Cats used pumpkins to time travel. Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.

I'm sorry, but pumpkins do nothing for me. They're not cryptic, they're not sinister, they're not beautiful. They're just squat orange ders that taste good as a dessert with cream cheese icing. And they help dogs poop.

Also, dreams. Dreams are never exciting. The only time I remember dreams being exciting was in Inception, and that was entirely due to the big action set pieces and legit consequences, not the confusing lore. Too many bad books and movies have used dreams as storytelling crutches, cheap plot twists or gotchas. Omg she's naked in front of the whole school! Wait, just a dream. Omg everyone's dead and the aliens have invaded! Wait, just a dream. (Or vision, same diff.) They're worthless storytelling devices, because they aren't legitimate. They have no consequences. Often they're just thoughts that don't make sense. What's compelling about that? Sometimes they're used to motivate characters, sure, and that's fine, but flimsy.

So no romance, little action, time-traveling cats, pumpkins, dreams. Not one of those things pleases me.

Then there's the magic. It dives deep into ancient Celtic lore and paganism and the original meanings for all the Halloween-related things Christianity and capitalism have appropriated and neutered over the centuries. Interesting, but not when it's delivered to you like nonfiction via exposition. Great meaning is given to....some occurrence I can't remember the name of, something about the moon cycles. And that's where the magic lost my interest.

So yeah, it ended up being very much not to my taste, but it also wasn't a well-executed story.

“The Dream Haunters” by Megan Mary is about as close to a fall beach read as you can get. Imagine sitting on a blustery dune, the wind whipping the gray waves, a thermos of hot cider nearby… You get the picture. This is the book you will want to read or listen to while bundled beneath your woolen cloak.
Hannah Skye has lost most everything she ever valued: her parents, her cat, her grandmother, and her job. Out of nowhere, she receives a letter and a plane ticket from her estranged aunt. The same day, she learns her aunt has disappeared. Immediately enmeshed in the mystery, Hannah sets out to Maple Hollow and her family’s ancestral Skye Manor. Maple Hollow exists in a state of perpetual fall, with pumpkins growing and the leaves on the trees in shades of orange, yellow, and red. There, she must uncover the truth of what happened to her aunt as well as find her own truth.

This was a very quick listen. The narrator, Pearl Hewitt, did a lovely job giving life to the different characters, even a tiny talking cat. The mystery is engrossing, and the cast of supporting characters offers both solace and menace to our main character. It’s fairly light as far as gothic-style stories go, and a novice in the area of astrology and witchcraft will appreciate the explanations, though sometimes a smidge pedantic, that Hannah receives from those wiser around her. These lectures can draw the reader out of the action, but the loss is not too great.

I enjoyed this quick, fun listen and wish I had more of it to launch me into autumn and toward Halloween. I received this audiobook from NetGalley.

Narrated by Pearl Hewitt
Presented by Inner Realms Publishing

A cosy fantasy perfect for Halloween season.

This was a Listen Now on NetGalley and I needed something to listen to, so this ticked the box.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't cosy fantasy! The story follows Hannah, who heads to Maple Hollow after the mysterious disappearance of her Aunt Jewelia (and I'm glad I was listening, because the spelling of that name alone would have done me in - yikes!)

The atmosphere is perfectly Halloween-y, with dark and stormy nights, pumpkins and cats. Hannah is a likeable enough protagonist - very wholesome and sweet. She introduces herself to everyone in the town as she meets them, and quickly becomes a friend to several. Meanwhile, she sets about trying to learn more about the town's history, in order to solve the mystery of her Aunt's disappearance.

I liked the narrator, and her voice enhanced the vibe of the story. On paper, this would likely have disappointed through lack of excitement, but with this narrator it was like I got exactly what I was supposed to out of it. Low stakes and easy clues leading to a simple resolution.

Admittedly, the easy nature of the story meant I wasn't 100% tuned in, 100% of the time. I also had to listen at 2x speed so that I didn't doze off. Still, it was easy enough to follow and I didn't seem to miss much.

Overall, it was an easy listen that was a pleasant way to kill some time. I'd recommend it for fans of cosy mysteries - particularly those who like a sprinkling of fantasy and a dash of Halloween.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

This was a cozy Halloween easy quick read! The concept of this book was awesome, and I loved the little gems that can be used for personal spiritual growth. However, I didn't like the execution. This book felt like an example of someone's journey instead of a book.

It lacked depth. I wanted to love the characters and felines, but we got almost zero backstory or emotional connection. I wish there was more world building besides a castle that you get to by ferry. I wish we got a better story of the hunters as well.

What we did get was a lot of repetition and extremely descriptive on the scenery and weird actions. I just wanted more with this book. This was a beginners guide to spiritual enlightenment, and I wanted to dive into a beautiful dream world with magic and huntes. This is perfect for a quick Halloween read!

"The Dream Haunters" by Megan Mary is an autumnal magical mystery about Hannah Skye's journey to find her missing Aunt Jewelia. After getting a strange letter, Hannah heads to Maple Hollow. It turns out to be a magical island that is in autumn forever. There, she discovers her family's magic and learns to jump between dreams and our world to rescue her aunt by Halloween night.

Mary's prose makes you feel like you're right there, crunching through leaves and breathing in the crisp autumn air. The mix of fantasy, mystery, and coming-of-age threads weave together beautifully. Hannah's journey to discover her powers is compelling, and the side characters are also fun, especially the talking cat dream guide. The whole 'dream haunter' concept is intriguing and keeps you invested. The book's pacing can be a bit off, with some parts feeling rushed. But, the story's charm and prose more than makes up for it.

If you're into cosy fantasy and spooky mysteries, this book is perfect for curling up with on an autumn day. It's great for young adults and anyone who wants a taste of fantasy without committing to a long series, or an overwhelming amount of mythology.

I listened to the audiobook version. I found the narrator to be very talented, and great with voices and expression. I feel she was a little bit of an odd choice. Her lovely soft voice can come across as older than the young main character, which drew me out of the story at times.

Thank you to Inner Realms Publishing and Net Galley for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.