When I was in high school, I apparently had no idea how to read book series in order a good chunk of the time. Wake is the perfect example of that: I'd only read the second installment, Fade. And this was just as electrifying and engaging as I remembered.


Fade
by Lisa McMann

SOME NIGHTMARES NEVER END.

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared....


Listen, there's something about this series that somehow engages me and frustrates me. It's smart, fast, filled with intrigue and driven by its central mystery. But, it also feels underdeveloped in all definitions of the word. Wake had this spark to it that felt as though it could be developed to take so many turns, but it felt like it just... didn't.

And while Fade is the superior novel in the series (so far, at least) it still is lacking certain developed plotlines and world-building. The little to no context about Janie's power leaves so much to be desired and no amount of engaging mysteries or snark dialogue can change that. This is what is preventing me from rating Fade as a five star book.

Despite everything, Fade is a solid mystery that will tug at your heart strings just as easily as it will fill you with unease. Twined with more supernatural elements Fade feels not unlike a classic Veronica Mars episode. With a solid mystery at its core, our little dream-hopper has more than just school and romance on her plate--she's out to hunt a potential predator... or two. 

What I liked about Fade was simple: it was easy to slip into. Once I started, I knew I had to see it all unravel in real time. As Janie dove deeper and deeper into her school's potentially murky past, we see new levels of growth and strength begin to form when compared to Wake. Part of me wanted to wrap her up in a blanket, yell, 'she's just a kid!' and take her out of every tricky and dangerous scenario she found herself in throughout Fade--the other part of me really admired the tenacity and wit she was able to possess throughout.

Fade, too, set the groundwork for heartbreak in various ways that made the angst feel slightly different from its predecessor. Ultimately, the central mystery at hand is what made Fade so engrossing to me.